If artists mentioned on Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department can experience big streaming boosts, who’s to say it can’t do the same for authors like Dylan Thomas?
After Taylor mentioned the song “Downtown Lights” by the Scottish band The Blue Nile in her TTPD song “Guilty as Sin,” streams of the 1989 song experienced a 1,400% increase. And mentioning the pop-punk band The Starting Line in the song “The Black Dog” led to a 55% increase in their streams.
Actor Matthew Rhys, who portrayed Thomas in a onetime production called Dear Mr. Thomas: A New Play for Voices, says he’s hoping that Taylor mentioning the late Welsh poet and author in the album’s title track leads to increased awareness of Thomas’ career.
“I just hope that a number of people Google Dylan Thomas, and an entirely new generation have their eyes open to this incredible poet,” Rhys told the BBC of Taylor’s song. “I’m thankful for the fact she’s hopefully opened up an entirely new generation to his work.”
Rhys also provided a real-life example, telling the BBC, “There was a 12-year-old girl in our household and when the album dropped, there was great reverence on that day when we’re all told to be quiet so that lyrics can be listened to.”
“When I heard Dylan mentioned I went ‘woohoo,’ and was told to be quiet straightaway,” he continued. “Then what happened was the greatest gift to me: a 12-year-old went, ‘Well, who is Dylan Thomas?’ And wow, did she ever regret asking that question. Eight hours later, I was still orating some of his greatest poems.”
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