Bob Lefsetz | |
|---|---|
 Bob Lefsetz at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2009 | |
| Born | Robert Scott Lefsetz April 22, 1953 Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Middlebury College Southwestern Law School (JD) |
| Occupation(s) | music industry analyst and critic |
Robert Scott "Bob" Lefsetz (born April 22, 1953) is an American analyst and critic. He is the author of The Lefsetz Letter, an email newsletter and a blog.
Lefsetz grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and is a graduate of Middlebury College where he majored in art history. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s. After earning his J.D. degree from Southwestern Law School, Lefsetz worked as an entertainment business attorney, and briefly as head of Sanctuary Music's American division. He has worked as a consultant to major record labels. [1] He is based in Santa Monica, California.
The newsletter has tens of thousands of subscribers. [2] [3] From April 2013 through December 2015, Lefsetz wrote a weekly column for Variety's weekly print edition and its website. [4]
In 2007, Lefsetz and Kid Rock engaged in an email feud but have since reconciled. [5] [6] [7]
In 2009, Lefsetz and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons exchanged insults via e-mail and in person at the Canadian Music Week conference, and they debated officially at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. [8] [9]
In 2010, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released a song titled "Mean" which is rumored to be about Lefsetz and his critical review about her performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards with rock and roll legend Stevie Nicks. [10]
Gene Simmons is an American musician. Also known by his stage persona "The Demon", he was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss, which he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s until their disbandment in 2023. Simmons was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her songwriting, artistry, and entrepreneurship have influenced the music industry and popular culture, and her life is a subject of widespread media coverage.
Taylor Swift is the debut studio album by American singer Taylor Swift released on October 24, 2006, by Big Machine Records in the United States and Canada, and March 18, 2008, internationally. Swift had signed with Sony/ATV Tree publishing house in 2004, at age 14, to pursue a career as a country musician. Her contract with Big Machine Records in 2005 enabled her to work on the album during her second year of high school.
"Our Song" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the third single from her self-titled debut studio album (2006). Swift wrote "Our Song" for a high school talent show during ninth grade; the lyrics are about a young couple using the regular events in their lives to create their own song. She included the song on the track list because it was popular among her classmates. Big Machine Records released the song to US country radio on September 10, 2007. Produced by Nathan Chapman, "Our Song" is an uptempo banjo-driven country track incorporating fiddles and drums.
Fearless is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Under Big Machine Records imprint, it was released in the U.S. and Canada on November 11, 2008, and elsewhere on March 9, 2009. Written predominantly by Swift while she was promoting her 2006 self-titled debut album in 2007–2008, Fearless features additional songwriting credits from Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, Colbie Caillat, and John Rich. Swift wrote seven of the standard edition's 13 tracks by herself and, in her debut as a record producer, co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman.
"Love Story" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, Fearless, on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records. Inspired by a boy who was unpopular with her family and friends, Swift wrote the song using William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet as a reference point. The lyrics narrate a troubled romance that ends with a marriage proposal, contrary to Shakespeare's tragic conclusion. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the midtempo country pop song includes a key change after the bridge and uses acoustic instruments including banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.
"Fifteen" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her second studio album, Fearless (2008). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, it is a country pop song with narrative lyrics inspired by Swift's freshman year of high school. In the lyrics, Swift and her high school friend Abigail Anderson, both at 15, go through teenage love and heartbreak together. Swift included the track on Fearless after Anderson consented to the personal references. The lyrics mentioning Anderson's disappointment after she "gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind" received criticism for its allegedly sex-negative connotation.
"Crazier" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from the soundtrack to the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Swift wrote the song with Robert Ellis Orrall and produced it with Nathan Chapman. A country ballad, the song has lyrics about falling in love. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Swift makes a cameo and performs the song. "Crazier" was released on Radio Disney and Disney Channel.
Taylor Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, and is one of the largest manufacturers of acoustic guitars in the United States. They specialize in acoustic guitars and semi-hollow electric guitars. The company was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.
Speak Now is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself within two years while touring to promote her second studio album, Fearless (2008).
"Back to December" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Big Machine Records released the song for download onto the iTunes Store on October 12, 2010, and sent it to US country radio as the album's second single on November 15, 2010. "Back to December" is a power ballad combining country and pop, and it incorporates orchestrated strings; an acoustic version was included on the deluxe edition of Speak Now. The lyrics are about a remorseful plea for forgiveness from a former lover.
Red is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records. The album's title refers to the tumultuous, "red" emotions Swift experienced during the album's conception; its songs discuss the complex and conflicting feelings resulting from fading romance.
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead single from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Big Machine Records released the song for download and to U.S. pop radio on August 13, 2012. Written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is an upbeat incorporation of many pop styles. Its production contains pulsing synthesizers, processed guitar riffs, bass drums, and a spoken-word bridge. Its lyrics express Swift's frustration with an ex-lover who wants to rekindle their relationship. An alternate version was released to U.S. country radio on August 21, 2012.
"I Knew You Were Trouble" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Swift wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. A dance-pop, pop rock, and teen pop song with a dubstep refrain, "I Knew You Were Trouble" features electric guitars and synthesizers, with lyrics that talk about self-blame after a toxic relationship. The dubstep production divided music critics, who noted it as a radical move from Swift's previous country pop songs.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2013.
"Highway Don't Care" is a song recorded by American country music singers Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift on vocals, featuring Keith Urban on guitar. It was released to US country radio on March 25, 2013, as the third single from McGraw's first album for Big Machine Records, Two Lanes of Freedom (2013). The song was written by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and Brad and Brett Warren. McGraw and Swift recorded their parts separately. To date, this is Swift’s seventh number one hit on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.
"Innocent" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the song was written in response to Kanye West's interruption of her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, feeling the need to sympathize with him after the public outrage he received. A gentle pop ballad with tender vocals, its lyrics are about a protagonist's encouragement of someone who has committed wrongdoings, claiming them to hold innocence and believing that they could redeem themself.
1989 is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, Swift conceived 1989 to recalibrate her artistry to pop after critics disputed her status as a country musician when she released the cross-genre Red (2012) to country radio. She titled 1989 after her birth year as a symbolic artistic rebirth and enlisted Max Martin, who produced Red's electronic-influenced pop tracks, as co-executive producer.
"Blank Space" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the second single from her fifth studio album, 1989. Swift wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback. Inspired by the media scrutiny on Swift's love life that affected her girl-next-door reputation, "Blank Space" portrays a flirtatious woman with multiple romantic attachments. It is an electropop track with a minimal arrangement consisting of synthesizers, hip hop-influenced beats, and layered vocals.
"Champagne Problems" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and produced it with Aaron Dessner. "Champagne Problems" is a lo-fi tune driven by oom-pah piano and a guitar riff. Lyrically, the song is a sentimental ballad written from the perspective of a troubled girlfriend who turns down her lover's earnest marriage proposal due to her not feeling ready. It depicts a narrator taking responsibility for the breakup and mourning the faded relationship.