Product Details
-Audio CD (October 25, 2010)
-Original Release Date: 2010
-Number of Discs: 1
-Label: Big Machine Records
Track Listings
1. Mine
2. Sparks Fly
3. Back To December
4. Speak Now
5. Dear John
6. Mean
7. The Story Of Us
8. Never Grow Up
9. Enchanted
10. Better Than Revenge
11. Innocent
12. Haunted
13. Last Kiss
14. Long Live
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
SARAH
i'm a huge taylor swift fan. while im older than she is her music brings me back to the days when i was learning what she is singing about. her lyrics definitely show a lot of maturity. for the people who say its about the same thing over and over please keep in mind she is like 20 years old. she is learning life. and yes she does sing about love a lot. i think a lot of people talk about love or the opposite sex in daily conversation. and in life all of us have been known to make the same mistakes over and over again (maybe with different consequences), so please stop complaining about how she always sing about the same thing.
the reason i took two stars off, is because in my opinion i wasnt too impressed with the music itself. its hard to explain, but the music fit the lyrics perfectly on fearless. here, its kinda awkward. and in some songs, while i love the lyrics the music itself got a little boring. some are actually forgettable.
here is a rundown of the songs:
*1. Mine: great song. very catchy. defiantly download.
*2. Sparks Fly: another great song. this song has the "matching song and lyrics" that i loved from fearless.
*3. Back to December: very beautiful ballad. the lyrics are amazing and the music is so beautiful with the orchestra.
*4. Speak Now: this song has the usual taylor charm. love it.
*5. Dear John: this song has very beautiful lyrics but the music can get a little boring. esp. at almost 7 minutes. download for the lyrics.
*6. Mean: i love how country this song is. and the lyrics are perfect for an anti bullying campaign, esp with all the recent bullying suicides.
7. The Story of Us: not worth downloading. this has the awkwardness i was talking about earlier. boring song.
*8. Never Grow Up: in my opinion the strongest song on the cd. the music is very simple and while her voice is not the strongest on this song, the rawness of the song makes this the strongest one of the whole cd.
*9. Enchanted: the lyrics are amazing but its very boring. as a poem this is amazing to read. download for lyrics.
10. Better Than Revenge: this doesnt sound like taylor. more like kelly clarkson.
11. Innocent: it's an ok song. not my personal favorite.
12. Haunted: boring. very awkward.
13. Last Kiss: again not another favorite.
*14. Long Live: this song kinda reminds me of Change, but not as great as Change. I lovew the lyrics though.
*if you just want to download a few songs cause your not a huge taylor fan, i recommend these.
ELIZABETH
Okay. First let me start out this review by stating that I'm not your typical Taylor fan. I consider her music a guilty pleasure mainly because the country-pop thing has never caught on with me, I grew up on country and like -some- pop, but Carrie Underwood's version of country is certainly FAR from my favorite. Even so Taylor's music is so catchy that almost all of her stuff appeals to me. When I downloaded Fearless from iTunes, I almost immediately bought a physical copy just in support. Having said all of that, I REALLY wanted to fall in love with this one. And I did, a little. When 'Mine' was released I was so excited, never mind that it sounded as Fearless-esque as it did, it was more of the catchyness that I've come to expect. Well, not that the rest of the album was garbage or anything like that, but in retrospect, Fearless only had 2, maybe 3 max songs that I didn't care for. "Speak Now" is almost a polar opposite for me in that only 3 to maybe 5 songs really stand out to me. Again, not that a majority of it was trash, but it was kind of a let down after reading all the positive hyped up responses on amazon. As I listened to it more I began to realize that maybe she's starting to better fit the said country-pop genre that she's going for, and maybe that was the reason why I wasn't as impressed by it. To her credit, I do believe this album is a step forward originality wise and vocally. The only tracks that I got deja vu thinking about previous albums were as I said before 'Mine' and I thought 'Live On' sounded like a sequel to Fearless' 'Change.' Something I disagree with other reviewers is on the track 'Last Kiss.' A lot of people are saying it's a weak song, but that was one of my favorites. I think that's completely based off of what kind of music you like, it's something you'd like if you enjoy ballads. Other songs I enjoyed are 'Enchanted' and 'Back to December.' 'Better than Revenge's chorus gave me a laugh and the track itself was enjoyable, but the lyrics sounded heavily inspired by Paramore's 'Business of Misery' (seriously, if you like this song go find Paramore's version, it's just as wonderfully, if not more, blunt). Not necessarily a bad thing, I went through a Paramore phase myself. Contrarily, 'Dear John,' something many loved and I thought I'd enjoy myself, literally made my face scrunch up with semi-disgust. It sounded like whining to me. I know a lot of people are like wow someone actually dissed J-May and called him out... etc etc.. but you don't go after someone who's a -known- player and expect the happy ending. At 19, that's something even I would have known better than to persue and I don't really have any sympathy for her towards that. Perhaps it's one of those songs that will grow on me, but I won't hold my breath. At any rate, I know this all sounds like a negative review, but even though a lot of these songs are lackluster to me, "Speak Now" is a pretty great album vices included. It's something that the listener has to decide on for themselves, so don't get your hopes up.. but don't completely discard any chances of liking it either because you might be missing something fantastic. Miss Swift still continues to present material that is originally Taylor without having to resolve to the desperate measures that many artists today use (Ex: skimpy clothes, immoral lyrics). So I still respect and support her simply for being the role model that she is for the younger girls that enjoy her so much :)
JEN
I wondered if I was the only one who was getting tired of Taylor Swift and her lack of originality of song lyrics on her album? When the first single to "Speak Now" was released, all I could think was this song sounds like all the other songs Taylor has sung. And then I began to doubt the maturity of "Speak Now." I wondered if she had ever grown as a musician and if we were just going to get another album similar to "Fearless"?
Can I say that Taylor genuinely surprised me with the release of her third album? (BTW...thank you Amazon for selling the MP3 download version of her album for four dollars). Taylor is not screaming as much on this album as "Fearless": she's finding the key to her voice that is soothing and not making the ears cry out in mercy. But "Speak Now" is more than her voice maturity: on this album, you have solid lyrics. The songs aren't about puppy love--she's sings about true emotion...love that is beautiful, and love that is hurtful. The songs are about cherishing what you had as a young child and to value parents (a lesson that can only be learned by growing up). Taylor is not just focusing on past relationships...she's focusing on all aspects of her life from these past few years.
Most of the tracks on this album will have you singing from the top of your lungs or tug at your heart. I'm not a huge fan of "Mean"... to me, this is a very petty song. But I am not surprised that she wrote and sang about this event of her life. So in a way it fits.
Thanks for surprising me Taylor. I believe this is the album that does deserve an award.
LOUIS
Ive always liked Taylor Swift's music,but ive never found myself constantly listening to more than half of FEARLESS or her debut album,well,with SPEAK NOW its different. Shes grown a lot as an artist in every aspect,her songwriting skills (which i found incredibly good from day 1) are simply astonishing this time around,and that shows in songs like Haunted and Enchanted,both of which are beautifully written and give me goosebumps every time i listen to them.
The hooks and melodies are catchier than ever,and the album in itself,though not perfect,is not diminished due to lack of editing like some people online are suggesting (some songs are longer than they should be, tho that doesnt bother me because i dont like artists cutting their songs to appeal to radios and masses),but rather the subject matter of songs like Mine and Last Kiss. Granted,they are also beautifully crafted and executed,but they are the same old taylor and dont show growth like the rest of the songs do.
Recommended: Sparks Fly (Catchy,Very Very Catchy),Haunted,Enchanted,Innocent (Astonishing production,lyricism and execution),The story of us,Back to december,Better than revenge (This last one is a side of Taylor we havent seen,and i like it,shes cocky,confident and still manages to keep her charm)
PS: I rarely write reviews for anything,specially albums since im very picky,but this deserved whatever review i could give it,even if its not the best review ever i think ive said what the album made me feel and hope others give themselves the opportunity to check this out without prejudice from her past albums
Overall: 5/5,its not a classic but its her best work to date and shes getting close to that masterpiece,hopefully shell give us just that the next time around.This however proves she is here to stay and is not just some overhyped pop diva,she can really sing,write and compose music that is timeless and appeals to the masses,shes making history
CLAY
First of all, I will admit that I was not a big fan of Taylor Swift before I listened to this album. I would confess that she is a decent songwriter and a decent singer. My complaint was that she lacked originality.
However, her songs were always so damn catchy! Every once in a while, there would be a song or two from her that I just couldn't get out of my head. This album made me respect her on a whole new level. Almost every song on here could be a radio hit, and the lyrics show incredible growth in maturity.
Many tracks are reminiscent of songs on her first two albums. "Mine" is particularly strong in it's poppy, giddy goodness. Also, "Enchanted" is very unique and "Sparks Fly" has an irresistible chorus.
The most impressive tracks on the album, however, show signs of Swift's maturing as an artist vocally and as a songwriter. "Dear John" and "Back to December" both bear ghosts of Swift's love life and are hauntingly emotive. "Never Grow Up" is a gorgeous track that brings nostalgic feelings with it, and "Innocent" is deeply reflective and carries wisdom. Her words are carefully chosen.
The album is not perfect however. Some of the weaker tracks, such as "Mean", "Speak Now", and "Long Live" show a lack of artistic ingenuity that Swift has worked so hard to develop on this album.
Overall, "Speak Now" is a CD that won't leave your iPod for a long time. You'll be humming the tracks in your sleep. Bravo! Color me impressed.
5/5 Stars, and probably the best album I've heard this year.
TRAVIS
I went to my local wal-mart at midnight to pick this up. This is a good album, finally someone who sings and wears clothes. I believe when people hear this album they will see a change in Taylor's voice, she has matured in vocal ability. I won't list a review on every song, but some of the ones I find good. We all know Mine, so I won't speak on it. The song sparks fly, is begging for a radio play, and could easily be a CMT music video. Back to december is such a beautiful song, this could easily be another radio played or video. Enchanted is good as well it talks about meeting someone, and instantly being attached and enchanted. How many of us has this happened to. Hauted, has a rock theme, but this song is simply put amazing. At the end of the song Taylor will prove that her vocal talent has improved. And the final song long live. Is a perfect way for the cd to end. All these songs I mentioned, could so easily and simply be radio as well as music video hits. This cd could easily serve her for years to come, if she is wise and chooses the right hits to show. I'm putting my money on this now, can anyone say platnum
