Classical Composer Reacts to Listening to Taylor Swift Song for First Time

When the Queen of Pop (otherwise known as Taylor Swift) released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), on April 19, fans around the world went through a range of emotions upon first listen.

There was everything from heartache to grief, mourning and eventual recovery. Needless to say, Swifties felt it all, including classical composer Steve Hackman, who shared on social media his reaction to the first time he listened to the fan favorite "So Long, London."

Hackman, 44, told Newsweek that he's long been a "huge fan of Taylor" and admires her storytelling ability, which he considers unmatched by other artists.

"I am stunned by the impeccable craftsmanship and palpable soulfulness. Her ability to convey emotion through song is unsurpassed," he said.

Hackman recorded the moment he heard "So Long, London" and posted it on Instagram (@stevehackmanmusic). The video delighted and resonated with Swifties everywhere, amassing over 1.2 million views and more than 66,300 likes.

"Beyond the choral introduction, which again sets the dramatic stage in such a striking way, I love how the ending choruses bring back those choral elements from the beginning, contributing to an incredible swell of emotion," he said.

"It's a brilliant juxtaposition that sets the dramatic stage so elegantly. The song opens with what could easily be a classical choral madrigal, then bridges directly into the contemporary soundscape with an electronic kick, so I felt instantly connected to it."

Since its release, TTPD has been lauded as a masterwork, and it set records within its first week. In the first 12 hours of its release, the album became Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day, and it became the first album to amass over 300 million streams on the platform in one day.

On April 20, Apple Music said the album broke the platform's record for biggest pop album of all time according to first-day streams.

If you thought the hype was going to level off after the first few days, think again. Continuing to break records everywhere, TTPD became the first album on Spotify to surpass 1 billion streams in a week.

It seems that Swift fans worldwide cannot get enough of it, with many of the tracks added to her Eras tour's set list.

While Hackman loves all 31 songs on TTPD, his favorite album in Swift's discography is still Folklore, which came out in July 2020. He said that many of Swift's songs throughout her career feel like "a journal entry," making them deeply personal and emotive.

"She's the Bruce Springsteen of our time," he joked.

Since the video went viral on Instagram last month, Hackman has connected with countless Swifties to hear their thoughts on the new album. He's working on a Taylor Swift orchestral fusion piece, so it's helpful to start conversations and share ideas.

He told Newsweek: "The reaction has been so fun. What I'm so grateful for, as a result of this video, is that I can now have a dialogue with so many of her fans as I write. We've discussed which songs to include, what approach to take and how to interweave themes. I've never been able to have that dialogue while writing a piece before."

Many social media users loved seeing Hackman's honest and raw reaction as he processed "So Long, London," leading to more than 300 comments on the Instagram post.

One comment reads: "The fact you can just listen and play is so beautiful, and that's why all music is great."

Another responded: "Yesssss. It's my favorite off the album because of this intro and how it soars/rolls the entire song."

Another user joked: "Me nodding and agreeing to what you're saying as if I know classical music."

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