My mom and I were driving home a few weeks back. I wanted to play a few new CDs I had burned for the occasion.

In particular, I wanted to play Taylor Swifts’ two CDs for her. I admit it: I have become a Taylor Swift fan.

I find this rather embarrassing, but her music is just so catchy. It plays on repeat in my head all day long.

So I was upset when my mom objected to listening to two hours of sweet and fluffy cotton candy music. Yes, her lyrics are repetitive and at times nonsensical, but they’re fun and feel good.

Some of her songs are genuinely sweet and moving. “The Best Day,” for instance, is Swift’s love song to her mom. “You Belong with Me” has turned into the anthem for every semi-geeky pre-teen girl in the country. And “Fifteen” is a reminder that nothing is as important as it may seem in high school.
Taylor Swift is a tour de force on the music scene right now. Not a week goes by that I don’t read an article about someone who begrudgingly fell in love with her music. It’s just that addicting.

This week, Hans Eisenbeis (a former editor at Spin and Request magazines) writes on doublex.com about his fears that Swift would over-sexualize his 11-year-old daughter.

He took his daughter to a Swift concert and was pleasantly surprised that her music helped him to connect with his daughter. He says, “I realized that, far from corrupting my daughter, Taylor Swift may be making me a better dad.”

His story is typical of Swift convertees. We all start listening to her music somewhat begrudgingly and then get caught up in its incessant perkiness. And suddenly, you just can’t quit. You find yourself listening to it all day long, and that it’s perfect for any occasion.

So I’m going public. I am indeed a Taylor Swift fan. And I’m OK with it.