The latest edition to the Taylor Swift’s library of talent is the highly anticipated “Speak Now.” This latest installment, released on Oct. 25, contains 14 new tracks written by Swift, each one better than the last. This newest album hasn’t gone unnoticed, winning her a prestigious award at the Country Music Awards.
Many people believe her songs are about her ex-boyfriends, Joe Jonas and John Mayer. Some think that she is singing about Kanye West while others counter that her lyrics are directed towards her family.
On her website she says, “These songs are made up of words I didn’t say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person. To the beautiful boy whose heart I broke in December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a mean man I used to be afraid of. To someone who made my world very dark for a while. To a girl who stole something of mine. To someone I forgive for what he said in front of the whole world.”
Whether or not these lyrics are angry or sad, or are written to someone none of her fans personally knows, her loyal fan base still finds a way to relate.
“I feel like she writes her songs about everybody’s life. Anyone can relate to them,” Peter Morrison, junior Spanish education major, said.
For example, the song “Long Live” is dedicated to her ever-so-talented band. She sings about how the crowds and stands went wild and how she and her band were the kings and the queens.
The lyrics of the song “Dear John” are written about ex-boyfriend Mayer. Although her lyrics are quite angry, she shows emotion and speaks of a love that she felt was real. In one verse she sings, “Dear John/I see it all, now it was wrong/Don’t you think 19 is too young to be played by your dark twisted games/when I loved you so?/I should’ve known.”
Although she speaks of either clear pain or happiness in each track in “Speak Now,” many fans still feel as though they can relate to her heartbreaks, losses and sometimes even those enchanted moments.
“I like her lyrics because they basically go with every person’s life. She puts it into words that we don’t know how to say” Valerie Saar, senior social work major, said.
Despite the fact that Swift’s songs can be heard on pop and country radio stations, she still exceeds listeners’ expectations and pushes the boundaries with every word she belts.
“I think it’s her best CD yet. I downloaded it as soon as it was released and stayed up till 4 a.m. listening to it,” Morrison said.
Another song that is loved by fans is “Last Kiss.” This song was written about her ex-boyfriend, Jonas. Some fans scrutinize literally every second of the song because they love the lyrics so much. On one lyric website a fan said, “the introduction of the song is 27 seconds long and that was how long their breakup was.”
One thing that is sure is that “Last Kiss” is a sequel to the adored song “Forever & Always,” which appeared on her last CD, “Fearless.” This song was also written about Jonas immediately after their breakup. After giving her heart months upon months to heal, she then decided to write a beautiful love song about her ex.
On Nov. 10, Swift won Best Songwriter Award at the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn.
Swift 100 percent deserves this award. Contrary to everyone’s belief, Swift writes her own lyrics. Anyone who actually takes the time to listen to her lyrics and the emotion she has in her voice while she sings knows it. This CD, without a doubt, deserves four stars.
In every track she has released, you can tell that she loves what she does and feels passionate about what she is singing. Although most of her songs are about boys, heartbreak and love, her listeners can relate to them because most are her age.
Swift, keep up the awesome work. Your fans are extremely loyal and love you for your talent and personality that shines through your words. Keep writing with your head and singing with your heart.
