Last night I hosted the Tom Petty Tribute Kitchen Cleaning at my house, which made my husband hopeful (about the kitchen) and my children puzzled (about Tom Petty). I looked my son in the eyes and shook my head and said, “You’re not from the 8o’s, are you?”
He affirmed that he was not.
Tom Hoopes at Aleteia sums up the reason parents of a certain age have such a profound love of Tom Petty, despite the man’s flaws: “Tom Petty provided the soundtrack to my life.” The songs matched what we were thinking and feeling and didn’t necessarily even know it until we heard the song.
Taylor Swift does that. She is an astute businesswoman, yes, but also she is an artist with a gift for saying what American women are feeling.
Discerning Catholics will not necessarily care for everything Tom Petty had to say, and certainly should not care for everything Taylor Swift has to say. But as I argue over at the Register, we need to pay attention to what Swift is saying. Why? Because she is describing the lives of nearly every woman in this country today.
