The documentary Miss Americana reveals new details of the pop starâs songwriting process, and how the 2018 midterm election spurred her to political action.
have this idea,â Taylor Swift says near the end of Miss Americana, director Lana Wilsonâs documentary about the singerâs life and career. Moments later, casually holding her iPhone and reclining on a sofa in her studio, Swift performs the chorus for what will become âOnly the Young,â sounding as if sheâs reciting an old favorite rather than something new. âThis particular song, and the process of creating it, was a perfect example of how visceral writing a song can be,â Swift tells Vanity Fair via email. With songwriting, she continues, âyou try to transport yourself back to a time you felt intense emotion and write from that place. Every once in a blue moon, you end up in the studio at the exact moment youâre feeling that raw emotion.â
That kind of passion is present throughout Miss Americana. Rather than opt for mere hagiography to further buttress the Swift myth, Wilson focused on the singer during a transitional phase, as she wrapped up her Reputation tour and began creating her 2019 album, Lover. The film lets Swift openly discuss sensitive subjects sheâs often avoided in interviews: her struggle with an eating disorder; her legal battle with a DJ who groped her during a meet-and-greet; her complicated feelings about fame, gender, and politics.
Through it all, Wilson captures Swift in not just confessional interviews, but in the recording studio as well. âIt was the hardest thing to get access toâwhich is saying something, I think, because thereâs obviously so many emotional and raw moments in the film,â the director says. âFilming her writing songs in the studio took the longestâto get the trust to film thatâbecause the studio and writing songs is Taylorâs happy place.â
âOnly the Youngâ was written in 2018, shortly after Swift had broken her long silence about politics. She had endorsed Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen in the Tennessee Senate race against Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. But though Swift was credited with inspiring a surge in voter registration, Blackburn emerged as the winner. Miss Americana captures Swiftâs devastation vividly. Upon hearing the news, she expresses her disgust with Blackburn by describing her as âTrump in a wig.â
âAlmost the entire process of creating that song, I was fighting back tears because I was so sad about the results of the midterm elections in my state and the losses faced by superb Democratic candidates in states like Georgia and Texas,â she writes, presumably referring to Stacey Abramsâs gubernatorial defeat in Georgia and Beto OâRourkeâs loss in the Texas Senate race. âI didnât want the defeat and hopelessness I felt for our countryâs future to get the best of me. I didnât want to weep. I wanted to have hope. Writing âOnly the Youngâ helped me push through that moment in my life and gave me the hope to keep fighting for what I believe is right.â
The act of songwriting has long had an undeniable cinematic appeal. From Lady Gaga singing âShallowâ in a Super A parking lot in A Star Is Born to Terrence Howard recording âItâs Hard Out Here for a Pimpâ in Hustle & Flow to Eminem poring over sheets of paper as he comes up with âLose Yourselfâ in 8 Mile, thereâs something irresistible about watching performers create. The difference, however, is that those filmsâall winners of the best original song Oscarâare narrative features, with screenplays designed to enhance the songwriting process. Miss Americana is a work of nonfiction.
âItâs the kind of thing you always hope for when youâre making a film, but itâs never guaranteed that that kind of magic will happen in front of you, in front of the camera,â Wilson says of recording the creation of âOnly the Young.â âI remember leaving the room at the end of that night and feeling like, This is why I do what I do.â
Swift wrote the song to motivate young people, but Wilson sees power in the songwriting process itself: âThe best feedback Iâve got has been from young kids starting to make art for the first time and not being afraid of it because theyâve seen an example of it in front of their eyes.â
Nine turbulent months after Swift released âOnly the Young,â she gave gratis license for it to be used in a voter-turnout video from California congressman Eric Swalwell. The video blended a yearâs worth of headlines, including the global pandemic and mass protests for social justice, with her song and words from a speech by Kamala Harris. âAs a country musician, I was always told itâs better to stay out of [politics],â Swift writes, adding, âThe Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [actor Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out. I started talking to my family and friends about politics and learning as much as I could about where I stand. Iâm proud to have moved past fear and self-doubt, and to endorse and support leadership that moves us beyond this divisive, heartbreaking moment in time.â
