WASHINGTON – Look what you made us do, senators.
Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Ticketmaster’s disastrous Taylor Swift sale was rife with awkward moments as “Fearless” lawmakers made repeated references to the superstar when they really “Should Have Said No.”
Though the hearing tackled serious allegations that Ticketmaster has monopolized the industry after merging with LiveNation in 2010, several lawmakers just couldn’t leave a “Blank Space” where a T-Swift pun could fit.
Before we “Shake It Off”, The Post has compiled the most bizarre Swift shoutouts from the hearing. Are you ready for it?
Senators made repeated Taylor Swift puns during a Senate judiciary hearing. APSen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) kicked off the hearing with a reference to one of the most popular songs from Swift’s 2012 album, “Red,” to illustrate the principles of capitalism.
“All Too Well” was first released more than a decade ago but gained popularity again last year when Swift put out a 10-minute version with previously unreleased lyrics. Swifties insist the song is about the artist’s brief romance with movie star Jake Gyllenhaal.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) reached back to Swift’s second album, “Fearless,” for his questionable — and misquoted — quip about returning to the Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights Subcommittee as ranking member after Republicans failed to win a Senate majority in the midterm elections.
Senators accuse Ticketmaster has monopolized the industry after merging with LiveNation in 2010. FilmMagicLee’s comment referenced Swift’s song “You Belong With Me,” whose lyrics go in part: “She wears short skirts/I wear T-shirts/She’s cheer captain, and I’m on the bleachers.”
Giving his thoughts on a proposal that lawmakers ban ticket buyers from transferring their ducats to other people in order to crack down on scalpers, Lee shamelessly referenced the lyrics of “Blank Space” from Swift’s fifth album, “1989.”
“But you’ll come back each time you leave/Cause, darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream,” Swift sings in the 2017 hit.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal suggest Ticketmaster own up to its faults after blaming high demand, ticket scalpers and bots for last fall’s debacle. APIn Lee’s third and final Swift-themed wisecrack at the hearing, he admitted his witticisms were inspired by his teenage daughter. In the remark directed at LiveNation CEO Joe Berchtold, the senator used the chorus of “Karma” to scold the company for its seemingly monopolistic practices.
“Karma” appears on Swift’s tenth album, “Midnights,” which was released last year.
Growing tired of Berchtold’s reluctance to take responsibility for the ticket sale fiasco, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) referenced lyrics to Swift’s “Anti-Hero” to suggest Ticketmaster own up to its faults after blaming high demand, ticket scalpers and bots for last fall’s debacle.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar kicked off the hearing with a reference to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well.” AP“It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me,” Swift croons in the chorus of “Anti-Hero,” the most popular song on her latest album, “Midnights.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared to reference Swift’s sixth album, “Reputation,” while noting how the hearing united both Republicans and Democrats on the ticket sales and antitrust issue.
“We are in a new Congress the chance to start over and move forward hopefully in a productive fashion,” he added, sans Swift references. “I think this hearing today represents the best of the committee.”






