Taylor Swift is swinging through Texas and I might go see her, honestly

  • by dianna wray/dwray@vicad.com
  • Originally published November 2, 2011 at 4:18 p.m., updated November 2, 2011 at 4:18 p.m.

  • WHAT: Taylor Swift

    WHEN: Saturday

    WHERE: Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St.

    Houston

    COST: $51.40-$106.07

    WHAT: "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs"

    WHEN: Through April 15

    WHERE: The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Caroline ...

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  • WHAT: Taylor Swift

    WHEN: Saturday

    WHERE: Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St.

    Houston

    COST: $51.40-$106.07

    WHAT: "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs"

    WHEN: Through April 15

    WHERE: The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Caroline Weiss Building, 1001 Bissonet St., Houston

    COST: $33 for adults; $18 for children 6-18; $29 with student ID

    WHAT: "Life and Luxury in 18th Century Paris"

    WHEN: Through Dec. 11

    WHERE: The Beck Building, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, 5601 Main St., Houston

    COST: $7

    WHAT: Spring Awakening

    WHEN: Through Nov. 13

    WHERE: Zachary Scott Theatre, 1510 Toomey Road, Austin

Life offers a lot of unexplained things.

My love of Taylor Swift's music is one of them. The appreciation crept up on me. One second, my little sister was singing along to a Taylor Swift song, while I rolled my eyes, and the next thing I knew, I was singing along with her. "You Belong with Me," "Mean," "Love Story" - I love them all.

Love can be a reasonable thing. Some people could do the math, account for the facts and decide very properly to fall in love with some old school Neil Young, or the latest Decemberists album. Don't get me wrong, because I love those, too, I just also thoroughly enjoy a little twangy guitar sung by a nice girl who sings about t! elling t he guy she loves not to marry that awful other girl in "Speak Now," and then sings about the wrenching heartbreak of lost love with equal conviction.

She writes about things she feels and even when she's putting a music critic in his place, like in the song "Mean" she does it in a way that is clear and true, and you can be sure this is exactly how she feels about this person.

The thing is, Swift's crossover country music sound may not be entirely original and what she sings about is the stuff of everyday life - we all know that giddy feeling of first love and the pain that comes when it doesn't work out. Swift just captures it, and by being lyrically honest about her feelings, she writes songs about things that everyone can relate to.

Anyway, Swift has been packing the arenas with her tour, and she's swinging through Texas. I admit, I really want to go see her, and I just might do it. Not everything needs explaining, and we can all use a little more honesty in life.