Musical phenom Taylor Swift released her 11th album this year and has already broken records for the most pre-saves, the most streamed album in a single day, and the first album to reach 1 billion streams in a week. But YouTuber Allen Parr warns parents and all Christians about her “explicit” content on “The Tortured Poets Department,” calling the album “anti-Christian.”
“Are we going to be those types of Christians that basically just go along with the world because that’s what the world is doing,” asked Parr in a recent video, “or are we going to be the type of Christian that stands up and stands out and calls out the evil that’s going on in our culture?”
Allen Parr Warns Parents—And All Christians—About Taylor Swift’s Music Content
From sold-out concert tours to being in the spotlight at Super Bowl LVIII as Travis Kelsey’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift is talented, successful, and admired by her adoring fans. Her latest album has received some criticism alongside its applause.
In a recent YouTube video, Parr was clear from the beginning that he wasn’t trying to attack Swift. “I’m not against Taylor Swift as a person,” Parr explained. He said she seemed “sweet” and like a “nice young lady.” He also said that he’s not against secular music.
But he explained the difference between being secular and anti-Christian. Parr described Swift’s new album as “anti-Christian, secular music” and felt compelled to speak up against the content—specifically listing lyrics from five of her songs.
Parr pointed out that many of Swift’s songs in “The Tortured Poets Department” are labeled as “explicit.” Parents, especially, need to be aware of this label if their kids are free to listen to her songs, according to Parr.
‘Fortnight’
“Fortnight” (literally meaning a period of two weeks) describes a “two-week affair that she had with a married man” that caused her to be “confused” and “depressed,” Parr said. Throughout the song, Swift sings about turning to alcohol to deal with negative emotions.
Swift painted a picture of her ex-lover as also being a neighbor. “Your wife waters flowers, I want to kill her,” the song says.
“And I love you, it’s ruining my life / I touched you for only a fortnight / I touched you, but touched you,” the lyrics say. In the song, Swift continues contact and entices her former partner, saying, “I call you up, but you won’t pick up.”
“Something is wrong with that,” said Parr. “Is this the type of music that a Christian parent should be allowing their kids to listen to?”
‘But Daddy I Love Him’
“But Daddy I Love Him” is a song that tells the story of a young lady willing to “fall in love—no matter what.” Parr surmises that the song is one “encouraging resisting authority.”