Topics: Taylor Swift, pop culture

*The original title was “Anatomy of a Key Change” but I could already hear my mother saying a key change is different than an octave shift. I don’t want any treble, so I’ll pretend I know how to stick to proper music theory.

We were out to dinner with friends when the conversation, like it often does, opened up age-old debates about important pop culture issues: what song has the best climatic note change? 

We began throwing out contenders for VIP of melodic plot-twists. Backstreet Boys. Mumford and Sons. Bon Jovi. Lady Gaga. Whitney. Mariah. And, of course, Taylor. 

This was mere hours after Taylor Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and as such, “Out of the Woods” was discussed on a microscopic level. Lyrically fantastic. Visually strong. Metaphorically beautiful. Timelessly applicable. But when it comes to what makes “Out of the Woods” a burst of lighting, it is undoubtedly its iconic bridge. Specifically, the octave shift. The intensity lunges forward as soon as the brakes hit too soon, taking the song from nicely catchy to a full-on anthem of anxiety. 

It feels a certain way, it has passion that’s consuming in its lyrical and sonic desperation. You feel what Taylor feels, you want what Taylor wants. You need to know if you’re out of the woods! (Even if all you’re doing is sitting in the Starbucks line with your husband of ten-plus years in the passenger’s seat, two dogs in the backseat, and a three-day-old Pyrex of leftovers in the trunk. You know, the alluring “woods” of that lovely, suburban life.)

Boring reality aside, not all note changes can do that; not all sonic shifts are passionately enveloping.

The change, for example, in Mumford and Sons indie folk staple “I Will Wait” has a different effect. It doesn’t consume with passion, it radiates from the inside out. Your soul feels it. When the instrumentals build, the hair on your arms stands up. You can close your eyes and see the push-pull between plea and promise.

After many minor discussions on the bests, the worsts, the whys, and the whats, we decided on the major difference: “Out of the Woods” is a poem, “I Will Wait” is a prayer. The first has an audience of infinite possibilities—friends, dogs, spouses, crusty lasagna—but the other has an audience of one. The emotions have different purposes; they serve different expressions. 

I want to strut through my kitchen screaming about monsters and trees. 

I want to raise my hands and bow my head with tear-stained cheeks. 

It’s an awesome reflection of our humanity that two pieces of categorically similar art—pop songs with great third act shifts—can seduce and spark our souls in such different ways. Hobbies, curiosities, and pop culture aren’t minor facets of our personalities, they’re major themes in our lives. Debating and analyzing why things effect us in broad and precise ways is a form of connection. We use words and see perspectives we may never have found had we not indulged the frivolous. Popular things are popular for a reason, and sometimes it’s good to stop and think about why.

So go out with friends. Talk about the little things. Bring up your hobbies. Discuss popular trends. Dissect nouns and verbs. Indulge your curiosities. Strut across kitchen floors. Sing prayers like rock anthems. Laugh until your sides hurt. Because we all will find our way out of the woods one octave shift at a time.

~ Tricia

T’s Top Three Songs from 1989 Taylor’s Version

• “Suburban Legends”

• “Wildest Dreams”

• “I Know Places”