"My mom is the one who's seen everything. God, it takes so long to download somebody on the last 29 years of my life, and my mom has seen it all. She knows exactly where I’m coming from."
Since 2006, musician Taylor Swift has been amassing a fan base that spans the globe and her music has never failed to reach the top of American music charts, such as the Billboard Top 100. Winning numerous awards and having sold our concert venues, it seems like this 29-year-old singer has everything going for her. But for her, she wouldn't be where she is today without certain people in her life — her parents. Especially her mother, with whom she shares a really strong bond. This is why having to watch her mother fight cancer is a heartbreaking experience for Swift.
Since day one, Scott and Andrea Swift have believed in their daughter's dream to be a musician and share her music with the world. According to E!Online, the Red album singer told CMT that her parents weren't just humoring her dream. "My parents actually believed it," she said. From helping her go door-to-door selling CDs of her music and managing her so that her goals could be realized, Swift's parents were with her every step of the way. But for the Love Story singer, she had a special relationship with her mom.
To Swift, her mother was her therapist. Speaking to the Rolling Stones magazine, she said, "My mom is the one who's seen everything. God, it takes so long to download somebody on the last 29 years of my life, and my mom has seen it all. She knows exactly where I’m coming from. And we talk endlessly." Her 2008 song, "The Best Day" was about her mom who used to offer her daughter an "escape" when she felt down and out.
"[I was] remembering all the times that we had when she was my only friend when I was 13 and I couldn't understand why my friends were being so mean to me," Swift said. "She would just take me on these adventures, and we would drive around and go to towns we'd never seen before... You're not supposed to run away from your problems, but when you're 13 and your friends won't talk to you and they move when you sit down at the lunch table, and your mom lets you run from those problems, I think it's a good thing."
To Rolling Stone, she elaborated, "There were times when I used to have really, really, really bad days where we would just be on the phone for hours and hours and hours. I’d write something that I wanted to say, and instead of posting it, I’d just read it to her." So it's not an understatement to say that Taylor and Andrea were more than just mother and daughter. Their relationship ran far deeper.
Though the Grammy award winner is mostly private about her family affairs, this was one thing she knew she needed to write about as a way to provide a release for her turbulent emotions. Andrea, 61, was first diagnosed with cancer in April 2015. Swift took to Tumblr to share, "For Christmas this year, I asked my mom that one of her gifts to me be her going to the doctor to get screened for any health issues, just to ease some worries of mine. She agreed, and went in to get checked. There were no red flags and she felt perfectly fine, but she did it just to get me and my brother off her case about it. The results came in, and I’m saddened to tell you that my mom has been diagnosed with cancer."
After that, she never let others know when or if her mother had gone into remission. There was just no news. Until 2019 that is.
Writing a piece for Elle Magazine titled 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30, the artist said, "I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family. Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again. It’s taught me that there are real problems and then there’s everything else. My mom’s cancer is a real problem. I used to be so anxious about daily ups and downs. I give all of my worry, stress, and prayers to real problems now."
As a way to share her pain, Swift wrote Soon You’ll Get Better, a song part of her seventh studio album, Lover. It outlines her mother’s ongoing health issues and her fears of losing her. According to Country Living, the lyrics read, "And I hate to make this all about me / But who am I supposed to talk to? / What am I supposed to do? / If there’s no you."
References:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-rolling-stone-interview-880794/
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26628467/taylor-swift-30th-birthday-lessons/
