Pet Shop Boys vocalist Neil Tennant has questioned whether Taylor Swift has a song as “famous” as Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”
During a conversation with The Guardian’s head rock and pop critic Alexis Petridisi livestreamed earlier this week, the topic turned to the ubiquitous pop star. While Tennant admitted Swift is a compelling figure, the singer said he finds her actual music “disappointing.”
“Taylor Swift sort of fascinates me as a phenomenon because she’s so popular and I sort of quite like the whole thing,” Tennant said. “But then when I listen to the records — we both have the same feeling actually — for a phenomenon as big [as she is]… where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swift’s ‘Billie Jean’?”
After an audience member brought up “Shake It Off,” Tennant responded: “Is it though? No, ’cause I actually even know that that’s the answer, but I listened to that the other day, and it’s not ‘Billie Jean.’”
He continued, “It’s not… Melodically — she’s got a great voice, by the way, and the production’s beautiful — but melodically… it’s all sung one or two notes going up and down. But, anyway, it’s a fascinating thing.”
Pushing the conversation along, Petridisi suggested that Swifties are drawn to the collective experience of being her fan. “I like that, I sort of appreciate that, and I like the fact that it brings all these people together, even multi-generational, but I just think that the one disappointing thing is the music,” Tennant replied. “Not even the lyrics, the music.”
Watch the full discussion below. The relevant segment begins around 34:15.
Released in 2014 as the lead single from 1989, “Shake It Off” spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 chart and was certified Diamond (signifying 10 million units sold) by the RIAA in 2020. The song is currently Swift’s most commercially successful single to date.
It remains to be seen if Swift will ever top “Shake It Off,” but her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, is already a streaming success. Since being released this past Friday, the double LP has racked up more than 1 billion streams on Spotify alone.
Read our own Mary Siroky’s review of the album, and learn how it’s connected to the 1989 Robin Williams movie Dead Poets Society. Tickets for upcoming dates on “The Eras Tour” are available for purchase here.
Pet Shop Boys have a new album of their own, Nonetheless, dropping this Friday. Grab your seats for their tour of the UK/Europe here.