Ryan Adams has discussed covering Taylor Swift‘s ‘1989’ album in full, comparing the pop star’s work to both Shakespeare and The Smiths
The singer-songwriter released his track-by-track take of Swift’s ‘1989’ in September.
Speaking to The Guardian recently, he said that recording Swift’s songs instead of his own was like “being in Ghostbusters or something, and then all of a sudden I have to go do Shakespeare”.
He added: “Look, those songs are popular for a reason. She’s a popular artist for a reason.”
Adams also described hearing ‘White Horse’ from Swift’s 2008 album ‘Fearless’ for the first time: “The first time I heard it I got chills head to toe. I remember feeling shocked by her voice, shocked at how clean that song was. I like stuff that sort of penetrates through my regular consciousness and hits me where I’m not looking. That’s usually stuff that’s a little darker.”
“You know, that song is really about disillusionment on such a grand scale. I just thought about how this is hitting me like a tidal wave, it’s so romantic and so beautiful, and yet so sad and so disillusioned – it’s all the stuff I love about the Smiths.”
Ryan Adams will release his version of ‘1989’ on vinyl in December.
Adams and Swift got together to talk ‘1989’ recently, with Swift saying to a delighted Adams “what you did with my album was like actors changing emphasis”. Watch here.
The pair talked over their creative processes and influences in the interview, along with a few leftfield subjects like Swift’s love of Siri, as an aside to a GQ Magazine cover shoot.