Photo : By GabboT (Taylor Swift 092) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The CMT Crossroads show was a brilliant concept in which musical acts of complete opposite genres shared the stage performing each other’s music. CMT was a country music television station. On the CMT Crossroads Show, one act would always represent a variety of country music styles, while the opposite performers always embodied a particular rock genre. For the most part, it made for very interesting and exciting performances. Many fans enjoyed watching their favorite artists singing songs outside their particular field of musical expertise. Some of the most successful album releases of the 2000’s have been duet albums between performers of contrasting styles. Who would have thought that Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett would have had the tremendous success they enjoyed after recording an album together.
The Taylor Swift and Def Leppard concert presented fans with an eight song performance of material from the catalogs of both artists. For many fans it was a great deal of fun to hear Def Leppard perform Taylor Swift songs such as “Picture to Burn,” “Love Story,” “Teardrops on my Guitar,” and “Should’ve Said No.” It was also very interesting to hear Taylor Swift sing Def Leppard classics like “Photograph,” “Hysteria,” When Love & Hate Collide,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” the latter in which she also sang with Def Leppard at the 2009 CMT Country Awards show.
The controversy that came out the show’s performance was fueled by hardcore fans of both acts. It was in part, due to an ignorance on fans behalf of accepting the concept of stretching one’s musical horizons. Some of the greatest artists of all time from both genres have recorded albums outsides of their recognized fields. Joe Elliot once told Rolling Stone magazine that it was great joy to sing with Taylor Swift because “it just gets you out of your homogenized bubble”[1]
We agree with Joe Elliott. Good music is good music. Its as simple as that. Taylor Swift and Def Leppard are two incredibly well respected artists. If you watch the Crossroads video, you will also observe the respect they had for each other and the fun they had on stage together. Is that not what it’s all about?
Why the Taylor Swift Def Leppard collaboration stirred controversy.
Written by Janey Roberts
Hi Janey. I’m new to this site and I’m JUST NOW reading this article. Def Leppard was the band that got me into heavy metal, so I’ve been a long-time fan in spite of losing touch in recent years. I had no idea this collaboration took place, but I think it would’ve been something to see! I totally agree with you that stretching boundaries and doing cross-collaborations is a good thing; too bad not everyone sees it that way.
Absolutely brilliant xx