Speak Now Review

I'm just as surprised as you are
Date Of Release : October 25, 2010

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans over multiple genres, mainly pop, country, and rock. She has a narrative writing style for songs that is often inspired from her personal life.

Having sold over 200 million records worldwide, Taylor Swift is one of the best selling musicians of all time. Eight of her songs have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, even her concert tours are some of the highest grossing in history. She's received 11 Grammy awards, an Emmy award, 34 American music awards and 25 Billboard Music Awards.

Ok so, I didn't see myself ever writing a review for a Taylor Swift album, yet here are lol. I guess what drove me to start listening to her music was when I was re-listening to her hit song, You Belong With Me and being filled with great nostalgia as it was a song I liked when I was a kid. Auto-play started playing more of her songs and as I kept listening to them I realized, I really liked her music. The first album I listened to was Fearless an album that leaned more towards Country Pop with a little rock sprinkled in. In short I really liked it.

So that brings us to her next album and the one I'll be reviewing, Speak Now. An album that dives, for the most part into themes of love. That country pop style from the previous album Fearless returns but is mixed in with symphonic instruments on some songs.

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Songs

Mine
The opener for the album and as any good opening song should do, it let's you know the overall tone, style, and sound of the album. This song is pretty simple but I like that. The electric guitar and bass on this song is catchy. Lyrically this track is about a couple, the woman in the relationship has been apart of awful past relationships so she doesn't completely set her guard down around her partner. All she knows is "goodbyes" to her surprise though her partner tells her she'll never leave her.

Sparks Fly
The chorus to this song is explosive and gets stuck in your head. The bass, electric guitar, and drums while simple still sounds great and is catchy. Taylor's singing on this album is just superb. I also like how descriptive the lyrics are for example, "The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm and I'm a house of cards", and "Get me with those green eyes, baby as the lights go down. Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around. It easily paints an image in your mind.

Back To December
This is one of the songs that have symphonic instruments mixed in with the country sound. The reverb pedal for the electric guitar nails down the emotional feel this song goes for. The acoustic guitar on this song sounds lonely and it compliments Taylor's breathtaking singing well. I love how in the lyrics she uses summer as reminiscing on happier days filled with joy and the December winter as darker, dreary days. One of my favorites off the album.

Speak Now
The acoustic guitar on this song is sweet like sugar, the guitars on this song in general are really good. The drums really pop on this song. Lyrically this song is a story about a girl stopping her crush from marrying a terrible girl and running away together. Great story telling on this one, it reminds me a lot of the MLP episode A Canterlot Wedding . From Twilight stopping a wedding to save Shining Armor from Chrysalis, it almost kinda matches the song.

Dear John
Starting off I already love the acoustic guitar on here, it makes you feel lonely. This song also features what I like to call "Country twangs" kinda hard to describe it but you'll know what I mean when you hear it, I always did love that sound affect. The chorus just makes you want to ascend. This song is a slow burner and makes me just want to sway side to side to the beat of the song.

Mean
This song introduces a banjo among the other instruments and what a great addition to the lineup! This song leans heavily towards that country sound, which I like a lot. Another thing I like about this song is despite the lyrics being pretty spiteful the song, musicly sounds sweet and innocent. Lyrically this song is about a person continuously having another person put them down, ridicule them, etc. But as the lyrics go, "Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me and all you'll ever be gonna be is mean".The way she sings this song sounds like a person who's had enough of the bullying and decided to talk back. I have huge nostalgia for this song as well, as it was often used in Vines back when it was still relevant.

The Story Of Us
This song along with another one I'll be talking about shortly are tied for my favourite song for this album. This is a fast-paced catchy country rock song that features some great guitar work, seriously the guitars on here sound great. The drums don't fall behind either they're fantastic on here. The lyrics on this song are pretty sad but also don't shy towards calling somebody out. This is about a once healthy relationship that went awry because the guy in the relationship stopped communicating with his partner. I can't stress how much I love the lyrics on this song.

Never Grow Up
This is another slow paced song that features very little instruments aside from an acoustic guitar. Because of that it makes it feel more personal and sweet even, like if Taylor's singing to you. This also makes it easy to hear every word she sings. Lyrically this song is about not forcing your parents out of your life, as they aren't always gonna be there for you so treasure them while they're still here. As well as parents watching their kids grow up and wishing they would stay young forever. Taylor does a great job at painting an image of childhood nostalgia in your mind, great message as well.

Enchanted
If I could describe this song with only one word it would be "Magical". The build up to the chorus is just so good, it's just Taylor's raw singing with palm muted strums from the acoustic guitar, along with a faint synthesizer. When it does get to the chorus it just explodes into pure bliss. Later on it adds symphonics into the song as well. A sweet guitar solo is also played towards the end of the song. This song is about a girl crushing insanely hard for a guy she just met, again I love the lyrics on this song as well. This song as well as The Story Of Us are tied for my favorite song for this album.

Better Than Revenge
Like The Story Of Us this song leans more towards fast-paced country rock. The drums are tight and just plain awesome on this track, especially the banging that starts the song off. The guitars and bass are fantastic on here as well. Lyrically this song is pretty vicious, rightfully so. As this song is about two girls fighting over a guy. Taylor takes some serious shots at this other girl, it's unusual but I love it.

Innocent
This song feels haunting. Especially so when the piano starts playing. The bass and drums are a highlight on this song. Symphonics also make a return on here. This song is about not letting your past mistakes define you, as everybody is human and we make mistakes.

Haunted
Funny how the previous song feels more haunting than this one. Right off the bat this song kicks it off with violins and electric guitars, as well as the tolling of bells. The chorus just explodes on this track, when she yells the verse, "Come on, Come on, don't leave me like this" it just makes you want to sing along. The symphonics really shine on here, this track is just beautiful. That abrupt end is really cool and sticks with you.

Last Kiss
I absolutely adore the beginning to this song. It starts off with an acoustic guitar and a melancholy piano along with light drumming, a soft, sweet, opening. As the song progresses the instruments intensify and more get added, a very cool idea. I also like how when you near the chorus for the first time it doesn't explode like the rest of the songs, it carries that chill, soft, sound throughout until towards the ending. This song is very emotional with lyrics to back it up. This song is about a girl reminiscing on a ex boyfriend, longing for him and not knowing what to do about it.

Long Live
The final song off the album. I like the minimal instruments at the start of the song, as the song progresses and reaches it's climax they burst to life only to die down afterwards, repeating the cycle throughout. Lyrically this song takes on a more fantasy vibe. It's about love but it incorporates dragons, castles, etc. I don't got a lot to say about this one, it's alright. It at least doesn't leave a bad aftertaste when you finish the album.

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Final Thoughts
In conclusion Speak Now by Taylor Swift was a phenomenal, beautiful, album. A great blend of country, rock, and pop, with a bit of symphonics sprinkled in as well. You can't have a bad time listening to this album. There's something here for everybody, seriously this album fully convinced me to check out her discography. It's a nice surprise really, I can see why she's so popular. I highly recommend this album, it's very accessible too so anyone can enjoy it.

If I had to rate it out of 10: 10/10

Songs I Liked:

• Mine
• Sparks Fly
• Back To December
• Speak Now
• Dear John
• Mean
• The Story Of Us
• Never Grow Up
• Enchanted
• Better Than Revenge
• Last Kiss

Songs I Disliked:

• None!

For those interested in checking it out here's a preview song: