Mike Portnoy, the legendary drummer known for his work with Dream Theater, might be the only person who hasn’t heard Taylor Swift’s 2014 hit “Shake It Off.” However, this blind spot makes for a fun moment in Drumeo’s online video series, where drummers attempt to guess and create parts for songs they’re not familiar with.
After learning from Portnoy’s drum tech, Jose, that the Dream Theater drummer isn’t very familiar with pop music, the Drumeo host played a version of Swift’s song without its drum tracks. Without even listening through the song once, Portnoy began adding his own drum fills and double-kick drumming, quickly picking up on elements of the track.
Following his first attempt, he asked, “Is that something that’s popular?” When informed that the song had over 3 billion Spotify streams, and assuring the host he’d never heard it, he said, “It sounds like something out of Disneyland in Japan or something.”
Curious about the song’s origins, Portnoy was asked to learn it first before being told who was behind it. However, he struggled to take notes. “I don’t think I can improve on what I did spontaneously,” he admitted, before expressing his frustration with the song’s structure, which featured repetitive verses, choruses, and raps.
“I can’t make heads or tails of it, so I’m just gonna jam to it, I guess,” he said, before giving it an official try, adding his improvised drumming to the track.
After two listens and delivering his take, Portnoy was finally told the artist behind the catchy tune. “Oh my god, that’s Taylor Swift?!” he exclaimed. “The biggest artist in the world, and I don’t know a single one of her songs. My daughter is gonna get a kick out of this.”
Portnoy seemed particularly intrigued by the rap breakdown and even identified a drum pattern resembling Toni Basil’s ‘80s hit “Mickey.” “Actually, that’s a pretty cool kick drum pattern, pretty syncopated,” he noted during the playback.
“Taylor, I’m really sorry,” he joked. “I still would play with you in a heartbeat. I swear I wouldn’t do that.”
While Portnoy won’t be joining Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour anytime soon, he is back with Dream Theater. His first album with the band since his return, Parasomnia, is set for release on February 7.
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