I powered through the TV of Speak Now today! I am so determined to get to her later albums that everyone keeps telling me are the best. I will admit that I cheated a little bit with this one. For most of the songs that were on the OG album, I only listened to the first 30 seconds before skipping ahead. I wanted to listen long enough to hear the similarities and differences. Some songs that stood out to me when I listened to the OG the first time, I listened all the way through to see which version I liked better. Honestly, I think I much prefer the TV. I’ve added some to my “inspirational” playlist already and it was the TV that I added.
Here are my general thoughts:
- The music sounds richer, almost like listening to a high definition version. Comparable to watching a 4k tv versus standard definition.
- Once again, I appreciate the more mature sound of her voice.
- The deeper voice really enhances “Dear John”. Which, now that I listened to it again, it makes me wonder what she said to him in real life to end it. Or did she really just stop picking up the phone like the song says. For the ‘written by’ it’s just Taylor Swift this time. On the OG, it was Taylor Alison Swift. Maybe her feelings have mellowed a little bit.
- On “Better Than Revenge”, I do like the moth to the flame substitution. It’s still a powerful, don’t-mess-with-me kind of song even with that change.
Here’s what I thought about the other tracks:
15. Ours*—Is this about being on tour? Has to be about her critics. “Ghosts from your past.” Was she being criticized for who she was dating? I love how she knows there’s criticism and faces it head on. “Snide remarks” from her father. She’s made comments like that before. Is she not as close with him? Or is he just being a protective dad? *The book explained that the song is about she and the guy she was dating and how she wanted a song that was private and special for just the two of them.
16. Superman*—I feel like this could be about her brother. She has a brother right? “Very 1st day”—the day he was born? “Flowers” and “love struck”. Can’t still be about her brother? *O.k. I thought I was smart for figuring out a song myself, but I was way off, lol! Absolutely not about her brother (does he have one for real?). It’s about wanting to be swept off her feet by a guy she compared to Superman because he left super quick one time when they first met.
17. Electric Touch (featuring Fall Out Boy)—First date? “Fill this ghost town up”—that’s an interesting way to describe herself. I really like the sound of his voice with hers. His is very unique and distinct. Very specific with times in these songs. 1:58, now 8:05. This sounds like it could be in a movie.
18. When Emma Falls in Love*—I like the sound of the piano on this one in the beginning. Is there a real Emma? I always think these songs are based on real people. It reminds me of a time when I was in middle school and I read a poem that I had written at a talent show. The poem was about my best friend dying and everybody kept asking me if it was true. It absolutely wasn’t, it was just something I made up. Emma sounds like a cool, self-confident chick. I like the idea/description of Cleopatra in a small town. *And fans think it’s about Emma Stone. I love her! I could absolutely see this song being about her.
19. I Can See You—I like the rhythm of the words, repetition of “I”. Imagined a school at first with the use of “hallway”, but then the word “professional” came up. Oh wow! Scandalous, lol! A forbidden work romance? Kind of a sexy, breathy voice to her description of her fantasy.
20. Castles Crumbling (featuring Hayley Williams)—Is this her fear about failure? Is she afraid this will happen to her? Her fame and popularity will go away? Or maybe she’s afraid of her ego getting the best of her. Haunting with the ha, ooh, aah between verses. She’s being vulnerable here if these really are her fears.
21. Foolish One—The battle between your rationale mind and what your heart wants. My mom told me one time that I’ll know what to do when my mind and my heart say the same thing. “Goodbye screaming in the silence”—that’s powerful imagery . The very end of her songs are often “drop the mic” kind of lines/endings.
22. Timeless—I love that she found inspiration in some old photos at an antique store. I feel like I would have been inspired by that too. This is so sweet and beautifully written. I really like this. Aw! It ends with her own memory and how they’ll be timeless in the future.
Starting Red next. I’m excited! Just from reading the summary/description on the first page of this section in the book makes me think this is going to be a really fun listen. It’s talking about a lot of different sounds on this album.
Here I go…
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