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Pop Culture

Hilarious video shows Taylor Swift fans struggling to open a simple CD case

Her music is timeless. The technology? Not so much.

taylor swift, swifties, compact discs

Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards and some fans trying to open her CD.

Anyone who grew up listening to compact discs is bound to feel old after watching this video of 3 young Taylor Swift fans trying to figure out how to get a CD out of its case. Understandably, anyone under the age of 15 would be confused by the ‘90s technology because they’ve probably streamed music their entire lives.

CDs peaked in popularity in 1999 but began a steep fall after pirating music and streaming made physical media less practical. At their peak, compact discs made $22 billion a year, compared to 2022 when they accounted for $482 million in sales.


The video was initially posted by TikToker @shannonschmidtmn, who later made it private, and according to Comic Sands, even Swift herself liked the video.

@swiftiebabies13

Hahaha - what is a CD 🫶🫶 #1989 #swifties #taylorsversion #tweens #iamold

The girls all have a different way that they think will get the “1989 (Taylor's Version)” CD out of its case. One believes the center knob works as an eject button to dislodge the CD. While another thinks that spinning the disc will unscrew it from the jewel case.

A third is afraid that they will break the disc. Then they won’t be able to hear “Blank Space” in crystal clear quality! "You guys are making me laugh because this is how we listened to music,” an older person behind the camera quips.

Eventually, the girls were able to pry the disc out after pushing the knob in the center and gently lifting it out of the case. When the disc was released, one of the girls explained: “I knew that was a button!”

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Image by Tax Foundation.

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Images courtesy of Kelly Cervantes

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