With the amount of press coverage, retweets, and YouTube views of Taylor Swift’s new shticky-whatevers, you would think that the young songstress was singing the cure for Ebola.

It’s always surprising to me when people/the media/the Internet/your Mom flip their banana hammocks over Taylor Swift so much. I don’t hate her, that silly little Country girly girl, I really don’t. I mean – at least she’s better than Avril? (Shoot for the STARS, Tay!) It’s just that if I’m going to listen to Pop music, I want it to be fierce, artistic, funky, and strong. Some of those, or all of the above. I get it – there are far worse things our youngsters could be listening to, but then Lady Gaga covers 4 Non Blondes, baring her soul to the world in a performance that Tay or Taye or whatever could only dream of and I’m like…Taylor Who?

So yeah, I know: Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, but let’s be real here, kids. Safe Pop is boring Pop, and you all know how I feel about a killer cover. Gaga’s vocal control between her (flawless) singing voice and her freak-out-lose-your-fucking-mind screaming is unreal. This is a performance.

Sorry Swifties.