The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters: Taylor Swift | NYT
I think the first songs that I like, fell in love with, was the type of songwriting that I think folk and country music is kind of really known for. It’s like that story time structure. Songs like “Harper Valley PTA” or “Goodbye Earle” by the Chicks or you know any amazing Kenny Chesney song where like, you know, a hypothetical structure would be like – first verse the little girl learns a lesson that in the chorus her mom teaches her about. Then that little girl grows up, and now shes a teenager and she realizes ‘Oh, my god mom was right about this.’ Now the second time you hear the hook, that same hook means something a little bit different cause shes like grown up in her life. Then the bride maybe she goes on in her life. She has a little girl. She imparts that wisdom on to her. And if you really want to get me to cry bring back that same first line of the song and end the song with it. That was the first thing that made me think “It's gotta be country music.”
