Teenage Trends - "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift released “Shake It Off” as a single off her soon to be released album 1989.  While some have critiqued this song for the booty shaking in the music video, the beat is quick and the lyrics are catchy.  I can’t imagine this song will be on the radio in a decade, but expect to hear it frequently over the next few months, at the very least.

Pros:                                           Cons:
Stay above the drama Might be seen to promote individualism

Scripture talking point:
Col 3:1-17 - Don’t be dragged down by those who are focusing on things that bring death and heartache, but stay above the fray and focus on “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (CEB).

Let’s start off with the positives.  Swift sings that she is going to let the players play, the haters hate, and the heartbreakers break, but she’s just going to dance to her own tune and shake it off.  When people are telling tales and saying mean things about her, she is just going to let them play their game.  She won’t allow herself to get sucked into it.  She’s going to stay above the fray and not stoop down to the level of the players, haters, heartbreakers, and fakers.

Negatively, this song does promote individualism.  The, “I don’t care what others think” attitude can be healthy, but it can also represent a philosophy of radical individualism and sensationalism.  All too often, our cultures sends a message that one should do what one’s senses/feelings tell one are true, even if everybody else in one’s life is telling you that it’s the wrong thing to do.  Swift is not promoting this to the extreme in this song, but it is a talking point with our children as we process these lyrics and common cultural messages.

We have to be careful with the underlying story that songs are telling, but we also must point out the positives we see in popular culture.  As Wesleyans, we often talk about something called Prevenient Grace.  This is just a fancy way of saying that God is at work long before we notice, and that God is enabling you and I to respond to God’s love even in the valley of the shadow of death.  James tells us that every good gift comes from the Father.  So when we identify a great message (even if it has some things we might disagree with or phrase differently), we should use that as a chance to share the Gospel.

Overall, this is a fun dancing song that many of your teenagers will love to blast.  And teenagers need to hear this message - don’t worry so much about what others think.  Rise above that.  Let the players play and the fakers fake.  You just need to be faithful to who God wants you to be.  While we should value the advice and companionship of true friends as well as faithful saints of the Church, we don’t need to be dragged down into the pit of “he said/she said,” of rumors and gossip, of dating around, of looking down on others.

"Shake It Off" Lyrics
"Shake It Off" on iTunes