“Hold on to the memories:” Exploring timbral and fabricated nostalgia in Taylor Swift’s music

This thesis examines Taylor Swift’s rerecordings and the formats of her musical releases by positioning them within the context of nostalgia. It includes a critical analysis and autoethnography of Swift’s Fearless rerecording as a mode to understand “timbral nostalgia,” a theory I have coined that combines the nostalgic feeling that is brought upon while listening to a particular timbre. It also includes a critical discussion of the industrial nature of popular music and centers Swift’s participation in creating material media in an increasingly digital age thus fostering what I call, “fabricated nostalgia.” Finally, by combining these two theories—“timbral nostalgia” and “fabricated nostalgia”—it will discuss how Swift’s musical brand benefits and deploys nostalgic ideals for her fans. Taylor Swift’s rerecording endeavor has allowed her to revisit and recreate her musical past. After her old record label sold her first six albums to Scooter Braun, Swift’s plan to rerecord her old work was not only personal but profitable. Swift’s effort to further devalue her back catalog has worked in her favor as she rerecords each album subtitled, ‘Taylor’s Version,’ positioning her with a regained ownership and power over her old music. Simultaneously, Swift has also released entirely new albums that are not only available digitally but materially with exclusive content and aesthetics. In much of Swift’s musical work, and through her successful “Eras Tour,” she continuously participates in nostalgia. Whether that be through the recreation of each era as she releases the rerecording or through her use and implementation of material media, Swift’s push for nostalgic musical experiences cannot be denied. By highlighting my own relationship to Swift, I present this thesis as a vehicle to explore how Swift’s music and brand inspire nostalgic experiences for her listeners.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.Mus.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Mirabal, Adrianna Eliza

Contributors dc:contributor

• Silvers, Michael B
• Ramirez, Carlos Roberto

• Timbre
• Nostalgia
• Materiality
• Taylor Swift

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Adrianna Eliza Mirabal

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125646

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125646