Taylor Swift had a close relationship with her grandmother, singer Marjorie Finlay. The relationship is significant because Finlay has been credited by Swift as her source of inspiration in becoming a singer and songwriter. Before passing in 2003, Finlay had a moderately successful opera career, having her own television program and touring South America. During her career, she had the opportunity to record her vocals on vinyl records which she left to her family.
As Swift was in the process of writing her ninth studio album, evermore, her mother found her grandmothers records, and passed them to Swift. Between Swift and her producer, Aaron Dessner, they were able to clean up the sound, and put her grandmothers vocals on her song "Marjorie", appropriately named after her grandmother. In this weeks reading, Sellnow discusses music as communication, saying it "refers to the individual and unique meanings each of us might attach to a musical work." Swift connected a meaning to this song that is very specific to her and her family. While her fans might feel empathy for Swift, it doesn't communicate the same meaning to them as it does to Swift.
Another aspect Swift incorporates in this song is release patterns. Sellnow describes release patterns as a "feeling of relief" from tension. "You experience a release pattern as your heartbeat settles back down and your muscles relax." On evermore, track 12 is a faster and more upbeat song, which isn't as common for this folk album, making the release patterns of track 13, "Marjorie" noticeable as it is slower and quieter, with minimal instruments besides the piano.
What songs do you know that incorporated unique additions to the music? Was it effective in its intentions?
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