For the second time since its release, Taylor Swift has discounted her single “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” to 69 cents, which is almost half the price of a regular single on iTunes. The song, which is from the movie 50 Shades Darker, is a duet with Zayn Malik that everybody thought was a surefire No. 1 hit.
Taylor Swift’s song came close to hitting No. 1 when she discounted it a month ago, but never quite hit the pole position. Most artists would love to have a hit like “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” but this is Taylor Swift we are talking about. Every new song from Swift has always been expected to hit No. 1. The song certainly hasn’t been poorly received by critics. Entertainment Weekly gave Swift’s song a “B+.”
“Perhaps she’s trying to change the conversation around her [after backlash], and she certainly succeeds on that front: Welcome to Taylor Swift’s Sexy Side™, courtesy of an electro-R&B duet with Zayn Malik called ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker).’ It’s a surprising step from an artist who doesn’t exactly make anyone’s idea of mood music and who generally prefers to keep her image on the squeakier side of clean.”
Taylor Swift’s latest didn’t become the blockbuster hit that was expected. [Image by Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images]
When the song didn’t excite listeners as much as Taylor had hoped in December, CNN reported that Swift was seen surprising a World War II veteran over the holidays.
“Taylor Swift met a unique fan of hers over the Christmas holiday. The singer surprised Cyrus Porter, a 96-year-old World War II veteran, at his Missouri home on Monday. The moment Swift walked through the door, his family erupted into screams and tears.”
The article added that the megastar posed for pictures and even did an acoustic rendition of her hit “Shake It Off.” Swift’s visit got a lot of notice from the media, but several on Twitter accused Swift’s visit of being nothing more than a publicity stunt
Still, Taylor Swift was able to turn her Fifty Shades Darker song into a hit, although not a huge one. The song has been dropping in sales of late, which could be the reason Swift discounted the song for a second time. Still, Twitter isn’t happy with Swift’s discount plan.
Laughing my frickin head off that Taylor Swift and Zayn have to discount their single to make more sales. ?
It seems as though no matter what Taylor Swift does these days, there are an army of critics ready to take her down. In late January, Swift thought she was doing a great thing by praising the Women’s March.
Taylor Swift didn’t actually participate in the Women’s March. [Image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images]
As the Huffington Post noted, not everybody was thrilled since Swift didn’t go to the march herself.
“In recent years, Swift has transformed herself into somewhat of a feminist icon, in part by surrounding herself with a ‘girl gang’ of famous female friends and crafting punchy lyrics about relationships. But, as many have pointed out, her public image also seems like a convenient marketing tool.”
The article points to another one from the now closed-down Gawker that pointed out Taylor Swift was using other women as tools for self-promotion and distilling feminism for her own benefit. However, many of the commenters disagreed. Perhaps people are being too harsh on Ms. Swift.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
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