Welcome to Eras. (Saahir’s Version), the series where I go through all of Taylor Swift’s re-released albums chronologically, analyze the era and rank the songs. This installment will cover “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Swift’s final country album.
Album Synopsis
“Speak Now,” Swift’s third studio album, was originally released on Oct. 25, 2010. Following speculation that she did not write all of her own music, Swift wrote every single song on this album while touring for her “Fearless” album.
“Speak Now” is a storybook retelling of Swift’s final teenage years, a spectrum ranging from country-folk clapbacks (“Mean”) and heartfelt apologies (“Back To December.”)
Vault Track Review
“Electric Touch ” opens the “Speak Now” vault with a collaboration with rock band Fall Out Boy (FOB). When announcing the tracklist, Swift explained how the collaborations were with people who inspired the sound of the album. This song describes the feelings Swift and FOB felt before a first date. Swift sings in the bridge, “maybe the stars align, and maybe I call you mine, and you won’t need space,” depicting how this may be the one. Initially, this song was not my favorite, but four months after it was released, it has grown on me.
“When Emma Falls in Love” is speculated to be written about one of Swift’s close friends, Emma Stone, and her relationship with Andrew Garfield. It describes what the character Emma does when she falls in love, like “pacing the floor, closing the blinds and locking the door.” Swift also writes about how, once Emma falls in love with a boy, he will “never be the same.” She whispers a secret to the listeners, saying that, between us and her, she wishes she was Emma. While I do enjoy this song here and there, I don’t always yearn to listen to it.
Concluding the first half of the vault, “I Can See You” is a pop-punk track about a forbidden romance hidden from the public eye. The track opens with a darker version of the intro compared to the opening track of the album: “Mine.” A shockingly sensual song from that era, it has become my favorite vault track from this album.
Alluded to in her “Bejeweled” music video, “Castle’s Crumbling” was the second collaboration in the vault. Featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore, they depict the fear of losing the loyal fanbase she has worked to build. She sings in the first verse, “they used to cheer when they saw my face, now I fear I have fallen from grace,” saying that the people no longer want to know her. This idea of losing who she has become is sung again in her next studio album, “Red” on the track “Nothing New.” I feel indifferent about this song, especially because it has a slower tempo.
I must be the “Foolish One” for believing this song would not be one of the most generally relatable songs on the album. Swift portrays an older sister, reminding the listener that they “are not the exception” when referring to a “deluluship” (an intense crush believed to be reciprocated.) I absolutely love the feeling of yelling those lyrics as if I were giving advice to some of my best friends.
To conclude this “Timeless” album, this track describes the feeling of meeting someone for the first time and instantly knowing this could become your person. Swift says, despite the circumstances, they “would have found each other.” This is a beautiful love song, describing how committed Swift was to her lover. This song requires a certain mood for me to listen to, but when I’m in it, it is one of my favorites.
This album depicts so many different feelings in a relationship, and it was truly jaw-dropping when I first found out that they were all written by Swift and Swift alone. While I wasn’t aware of Swift during the original era, I thoroughly enjoyed living through it during the re-recording.
