Taylor Swift covered “September” for sentiental reasons. (GabboT)
Taylor Swift’s take on a classic Earth Wind & Fire song hit a sour note with Black music fans and they let her have it.
As part of the Spotify Singles series, Swift removed the horns and guitars from the 1978 song and replaced it with a banjo in a stripped-down version. The falsetto “hey hey hey” is exchanged for a breathy take on the lyric. This in addition to Swift switching the “21st night of September” to the “28th night of September.
And the general country vibes of the track has Black Twitter longing for the R&B harmonies of yore.
“Raisins in a potato salad, but make it music,” one person tweeted.
“No one who respects Earth Wind and Fire or funk music would ever cover a song like that with banjos,” someone remarked. “No one who loves that song takes a classic and makes it sound like unseasoned chicken.”
“Can she pick it back up?” someone asked of a tweet mentioning Swift dropped the new track. “Because infinite no. I won’t even blame the devil for that Earth, Wind, & Fire cover that I’m never going to subject my ears to. Even he has his limitations.”
“Apparently Taylor Swift is putting out a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September.'” another user said. “This is the one time I give all you fake deep people permission to start wylin out. Don’t let that s—y cover see the light 😂.”
“I don’t really want to hear Taylor Swift mess around with a classic like ‘September,’” said music journalist Touré. “I’m good.”
“Literally no one asked for this,” another summed up.
See and I wasn’t even gonna comment on her having the audacity to cover soul LEGENDS like Earth, Wind, & Fire but now that they done threw it in my face here we are pic.twitter.com/O5NiWkqe4W
— Sylvia Obell (@SylviaObell) April 13, 2018
As for why Swift chose to cover the song, a press release said that it was for “sentimental reasons.” Fans noted the date change is a nod to when she began seeing her boyfriend Joe Alwyn — Sept. 28, 2016. Additionally, the presser stated the country-turned-pop-star “always loved” the Maurice White, Al McKay and Allee Willis-penned tune.
