"Love Story” music video “Love Story” live performance
“Love Story” live performance with Def Leppard (AWESOME!!)
Taylor Swift is one of most significant artists in popular music.
She is not a Disney artists like Miley Cyrus. She is not an American Ideal like Kelly Clarkson. She is not a pop queen like Britney Spears. Taylor Swift is something completely different.
What is unique about Taylor Swift is not so much the fact that she writes her own songs (which is an accomplishment) but that she sings more genuinely about teenage experiences than any modern artists. Like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Swift has captured the complexity, pain and optimism of what it means to be a young adult. She is singing on a level deeper than Cyrus, is far more reflective than the Clarkson and lacks the over-sexualization of teenage lust that Britney Spears displayed when she was Swift’s age
Taylor Swift’s second album Fearless that debuted at the top the Billboard album charts. This great album that features songs straight from the teenager heart talking about first day of high school in “Fifteen” to how much Swift loves her mom with “The Best Day.” Her first single from this album is Swift at her best telling a “Love Story.”
In “Love Story,” Swift spins a tale of teenage romance based on Romeo & Juliet. The allusion to the Shakespeare tragedy is fitting as most high school students read Romeo & Juliet their freshmen year. This song follows the story of the play but instead of the tragic ending there is a happy conclusion.
Swift’s creativity as a writer shines through in her use of form. She uses the standard sections of the verse: “we were both young when I first saw you,” pre-chorus: “that you were Romeo, you were throwing pebble,” chorus: “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone,” and bridge: “I got tired of waiting.” Swift interestingly uses of the sections have an narrative as well as a musical purpose.
The verses of the song are the story-telling potions of the song sung in the past tense. The pre-chorus sections describe the tension between the dad and Romeo. The choruses are sung in the present tense where Swift asks Romeo to take her away and save her, while the bridge extends the feeling from the pre-chorus, as Swift describes her pain.
In the bridge, Swift describes how she got tired of waiting and how her hope was fading. She asks her Romeo as the chorus softly builds to save her and if their love is real. There is an inkling of a happy conclusion as Swift previously uses the chorus to affirm their love. Right after the line “pulled out a ring and said,” the song modulates (changes key) up a whole step taking the song into a whole new level as we hear from Romeo's words for the first time.
Every other verse ends with “It’s a love story, baby just say yes,” asking Romeo to embrace the fact their love but when Swift replies yes to the question of marriage, there is a slight hesitation as relishes being asked before she accepts the proposal.
Within "Love Story," Swift describes profound feelings of being misunderstood, lonely and wanting to be taken away. These feelings aren't limited to teenagers and it is in these emotions that we find ourselves.
“Love Story” revels in the magic of falling in love, expresses the pain of doubt and the celebrates the promise of true love. Listening to Taylor Swift is like reading the diary of a teenager like many I have met who are honest, thoughtful and hopeful.
I look forward to following Taylor Swift’s career. Her music is beautiful and like this love story, it’s real.
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