For several years, people have been bashing Taylor Swift for writing breakup songs “like a teenager,” even as she moved into her thirties. Some of this criticism focuses on how her music often leans into familiar, teen-style romance and drama to connect with her audience. Others argue that this can make her work feel less emotionally complex, even as her fame and commercial success keep growing.

I disagree and think her approach is justified, but not for the reason you might expect. First, there’s an obvious problem with this criticism: it ignores that music is subjective. For people who love Taylor Swift, her music feels deep and mature, while for others, her songs might come across as lyrically immature. However, I’d go further and argue that lyrics in music are often overrated. It’s the feeling a song gives you, the overall vibe it creates, that matters most. And that feeling is even more subjective than the words themselves.

I’m not saying lyrics should be completely disregarded. Lyrics are an important part of music and can absolutely elevate a song, especially for listeners who care a lot about words. The content of a track can shift how you think or feel. But people don’t always put music on to have their world turned upside down or reach some enlightened state. Often, music is simply there to entertain, to set a vibe, to help you chill, focus, or get hyped. In other words, music doesn’t have to be intellectually deep to matter to people.

I believe Taylor Swift herself has embodied this philosophy in her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, where the spotlight is less on heavy, introspective lyricism and more on celebration, confidence, and the vibe of performance itself. Swift described the album as coming from “the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place” in her life, and that energy comes through in the sound and overall feel of the music.

A passage from a novel I recently read eloquently describes my views:

“A poet is a musician who can’t sing. Words have to find a man’s mind before they can touch his heart, and some men’s minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly, no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.” 

At first, it might seem like this quote looks down on poetry, but to me, it simply highlights that poetry and music reach us in different ways. Poetry aims for the mind, working through ideas and language, while music can hit the heart almost instantly through sound, rhythm, and energy.

That’s the reason why people can be enamored by music in a language they don’t understand. I personally listen to a lot of Japanese music, and I can’t understand a word of what they’re singing about, but I feel it, and that’s what music is all about. People think music needs words for the emotions to be conveyed, but that’s the opposite of what music is.

So, no matter how immature you may think Taylor Swift’s lyrics are, remember she holds the power to let a melody course through your body, and that transcends any words that could be spoken.