‘Midnights’ Mayhem at Creek

Students and teachers buzz about Taylor Swift following release of her tenth album

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Taylor Swift Club co-founders and Creek seniors Gauri Thaliyil (left) and Julia Gralla (right) with sophomore Norah Armstrong (middle) after Armstrong won the club’s Taylor Swift gift basket raffle at the club’s kickoff. (Jude Gorden)

Jude Gorden, Staff Writer

With the release of Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights, polarizing opinions have emerged at Creek regarding Swift and her music.

“Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey, one of the more controversial songs, has gotten a lot of backlash for the lack of Del Rey’s voice.

“I think the song was meant to be a Taylor song and Lana was included for marketing,” sophomore Shriya Sriram said.

A “Favorite Taylor Swift Song” poll recently done in Creek English teacher Mhari Doyle’s classes revealed that most of her students didn’t have a favorite. Instead, the option that got the most votes was a write-in commentary: “She’s overrated.”

“I think she peaked back in 2010,” sophomore Owen Bebarta said.

Despite hate surrounding Swift, Creek still hosts a large Swiftie population of teachers and students.

“Oh there’s some haters…which just means that their brains have not [completely] developed,” said Jonathan Johnson, an avid Swift fan and history teacher at Creek.

Johnson sponsors the new Taylor Swift club co-founded by seniors Gauri Thaliyil and Julia Gralla due to the success of their Instagram page @cchsswifties13.

“I think the club is a good way to bring people together,” sophomore Gabe Christeson said.

The club’s kick-off on Thursday, Oct. 13 brought in over 60 students, and their second meeting was a Midnights listening party.

The release of the Midnights music videos and further promotion will no doubt feed this clash of opinions. It’s very likely Creek’s Midnights Mayhem isn’t calming down anytime soon.

Most everyone has feelings for Taylor Swift whether they love or hate her. Regardless of personal opinion, it’s hard to argue against her impact.

“She is U.S. history,” Johnson said.