TAYLOR SWIFT - LOVE STORY

LOVE STORY

TAYLOR SWIFT

SONGWRITER: TAYLOR SWIFT

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: FEARLESS

LABEL: BIG MACHINE RECORDS

GENRE: COUNTRY POP

YEAR: 2008

 

           "Love Story" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless(2008). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the song was inspired by a love interest of Swift who was unpopular to her family and friends. Swift based the song's narrative on the plot of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet(1597), as told from the perspective of Juliet, but replaced the play's tragic conclusion with a happy ending. Musically, "Love Story" is a midtempo country pop song featuring soprano vocals and a slow-building melody.

          The song received widespread critical praise with many complimenting Swift's writing style and the song's catchiness. The single peaked atop the chart in Australia, where it was certified ten times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It reached the top five on charts in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, and the U.K., and was one of the best-selling singles of 2009 worldwide. In the U.S., "Love Story" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A success on pop radio, "Love Story" was the first country song to top the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. It has sold over six million copies in the U.S., and over eight million copies worldwide.

            The accompanying music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy. The video is a period piece that drew influences from the Medieval, Renaissance, and British Regency eras. It follows Swift and model Justin Gaston as they meet in a university campus and imagine themselves in a prior era. "Love Story" was included in the set lists of all of Swift's headlining tours: the Fearless Tour (2009–2010), the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012), the Red Tour(2013–2014), the 1989 World Tour(2015) and the Reputation Stadium Tour(2018).

       The re-recording of the song, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", was released on February 12, 2021. Critics praised it for its crisper production, nostalgic emotion, and Swift's matured vocals. The song topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making Swift the second artist after Dolly Parton to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs with both the original and re-recorded versions of a song.

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes and the flashback starts

I'm standin' there

On a balcony in summer air

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

See you make your way through the crowd

And say, "Hello"

Little did I know

 

That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

And I was cryin' on the staircase

Beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

 

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

 

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while, oh oh

 

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

But you were everything to me

I was beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

 

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel

This love is difficult, but it's real

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Oh, oh

 

I got tired of waiting

Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

 

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you, but you never come

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, "Marry me, Juliet

You'll never have to be alone

I love you and that's all I really know

I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you.