Transcript Taylor Swift

Mindy Usher
MUSC 1010-049
Semester Paper/PowerPoint
Taylor Swift Biography
Childhood
• Grew up in Pennsylvania
• Competed in horse shows
• Moved to Hendersonville, TN when she
was 14 years old
• Spent summers at her family’s summer
home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey
• She was a straight A student
• Graduated from high school in 2008
Taylor Swift Biography
Career
• Became interested in music theater when she was
9 years old
• Performed in Berks Youth Theater productions of
Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of
Music
• Won a talent competition for singing LeAnn Rimes’
song, “Big Deal”, when she was 11 years old
• Learned to play the guitar when she was 12 years
old – her first lesson was from a computer repair
man
Taylor Swift Biography
Career
• Performed for RCA Records and got an artist
development deal when she was 12 years old
• Hired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing House when
she was 14 years old
• Released her first self-titled album in 2006
• Released her second album, Fearless, in 2008
• Released her third album, Speak Now, in 2010
• Released her fourth album, Red, in 2012
1st
Album
Self-Titled
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Released October 24, 2006
14 Songs
– Tim McGraw
• Lead Single
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Picture to Burn
– 4th Single
– Teardrops on My Guitar
• 2nd Single
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A Place in This World
Cold as You
The Outside
Tied Together With a Smile
Stay Beautiful
– Should’ve Said No
• 5th Single
• #1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
– Mary’s Song [Oh My My]
– Our Song
• 3rd Single
• #1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
– I’m Only Me When I’m With You
– Invisible
– A Perfectly Good Heart
2nd
Album
Fearless
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Released November 11, 2008
13 Songs
– Fearless
• 5th Single
– Fifteen
• 4th Single
– Love Story
• Lead Single
• #1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
– Hey Stephen
– White Horse
• 2nd Single
– You Belong With Me
• 3rd Single
• #1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
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Breathe
Tell Me Why
You’re Not Sorry
The Way I Loved You
Forever & Always
The Best Day
– Change
3rd
Album
Speak Now
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Released October 25, 2010
14 Songs
– Mine
• Lead Single
– Sparks Fly
• 5th Single
•
#1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
– Back to December
• 2nd Single
– Speak Now
– Dear John
– Mean
• 3rd Single
– The Story of Us
• 4th Single
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Never Grow Up
Enchanted
Better Than Revenge
Innocent
Haunted
Last Kiss
Long Live
Promotional Single – released
November 8, 2011
– Ours
• #1 on Billboard Hot County Songs
Chart
4th
Album
Red
• Released on October 22, 2012
• 16 Songs
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State of Grace
Red
Treacherous
I Knew You Were Trouble
• 3rd Single
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All Too Well
22
I Almost Do
We Are Never Ever Getting
Back Together
• Lead Single
• #1 on Billboard Hot County
Songs Chart
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Stay Stay Stay
The Last Time
Holy Ground
Sad Beautiful Tragic
The Lucky One
Everything Has Changed
Starlight
Begin Again
• 2nd Single
You, with your words like knives and swords and
weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling
like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling
me out when I'm wounded
You, pickin' on the weaker man
Well, you can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know what you don't know
Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
You, with your switching sides and your walk-by lies
and your humiliation
You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't
already see them
I'll walk with my head down trying to block you out
'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again
I'll bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me
down that road
And you don't know what you don't know
Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking
over a football game
With that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean
All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean
But someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
Click here to listen to "Mean"
Someday, I'll be, living in a big old city
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
M
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Listening Guide - Mean
Mean (3:57)
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0:00
0:13
0:24
0:35
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1:00
1:07
1:10
1:17
1:43
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2:08
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2:16
2:38
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3:03
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3:17
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3:54
1st verse - voice and banjo
mandolin
clapping
chorus - voice, banjo, mandolin, guitar,
cello, tambourine and clapping
bridge
2nd verse - voice, banjo, mandolin
mandolin
clapping
chorus - voice, banjo, mandolin, guitar,
cello, tambourine and clapping
instruments only – banjo, mandolin and
guitar
3rd verse - voice, banjo, mandolin
3rd verse continues – guitar, cello and
tambourine begin to play
1st half of chorus - voice, banjo and
clapping
chorus - voice, banjo, mandolin, guitar,
cello, tambourine and clapping
(back up singers sing “Why you gotta be so
mean?” in between the lines
of the chorus.)
end
History
Taylor wrote her song titled “Mean” as a response
to criticism she received by the media following her
performance with Stevie Nicks at the Grammy
Awards. One critic in particular, Bob Lefsetz, was
really harsh and negative. He said, "Now,
everybody knows that Taylor Swift can't sing... Did
Taylor Swift kill her career overnight? I'll argue that
she did... In one fell swoop, Taylor Swift consigned
herself to the dustbin of teen phenoms." (Willman,
2011) Taylor explains, “There’s constructive
criticism, there’s professional criticism, and then
there’s just being mean. And there’s a line that you
cross when you just start to attack everything about
a person… This happens no matter what you do,
no matter how old you are, no matter what your job
is, no matter what your place is in life, there’s
always gonna be someone who’s just mean to you.
And dealing with that is all that you can control, how
you handle it. This song is about how I handle it.”
(Bierly, 2010) The song also seems at least partly
directed toward people who’ve questioned her
singing ability. "Mean" is also a powerful message
to kid’s about anti-bullying and how to deal with
people who are mean to you.
H
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You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
but I never thought I'd live to see it break
It's getting dark and it's all too quiet
And I can't trust anything now
And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake
Oh, I'm holding my breath
Won't lose you again
something's made your eyes go cold
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
Won't finish what you started
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't go back, I'm haunted
Oh
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
Never ever thought I'd see it break.
Never thought I'd see it...
Stood there and watched you walk away
From everything we had
But I still mean every word I said to you
He would try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead
Oh, I'm holding my breath
Won't see you again
something keeps me holding on to nothing
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
I know, I know, I just know
You're not gone. You can't be gone. No.
Click here to listen to "Haunted"
Listening Guide - Haunted
Haunted (4:02)
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0:00
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0:25
0:38
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0:49
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1:24
1:36
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2:00
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2:35
2:46
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3:11
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3:35
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3:46
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4:00
introduction – piano, violin, cello,
electric guitars and drums
1st verse – voice, piano, drums
guitars (electric and acoustic)
accompaniment
chorus – voice, piano, violin, cello,
electric guitars and drums
strings, guitars and drums
2nd verse – voice, electric guitars
and drums
chorus – voice, piano, violin, cello,
electric guitars and drums
electric guitars and drums
3rd verse – voice, piano, violin, cello,
drums, guitars
chorus – voice, piano, violin, cello,
electric guitars and drums
voice singing “oh” - piano, violin,
cello, electric guitars and drums
4th verse – violin, cello, drums,
electric guitars
End
History
It is commonly believed that this song was
written as a result of Taylor’s break up with
Jake Gyllenhaal, but may also be about her
relationship with Joe Jonas. The sound of
the music in this song is as powerful as the
lyrics. She chose to use the string section to
give the impression of intense chaotic
feelings of confusion. “ ‘Haunted’ is about
the moment that you realize the person
you're in love with is drifting and fading fast.
And you don't know what to do, but in that
period of time, in that phase of love, where
it's fading out, time moves so slowly.
Everything hinges on what that last text
message said, and you're realizing that he's
kind of falling out of love. That's a really
heartbreaking and tragic thing to go through,
because the whole time you're trying to tell
yourself it's not happening. I went through
this, and I ended up waking up in the middle
of the night writing this song about it.” (Swift)
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
The lingering question kept me up
2 AM, who do you love?
I wonder 'til I'm wide awake
And now I'm pacing back and forth
Wishing you were at my door
I'd open up and you would say, "Hey,
It was enchanting to meet you,
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you"
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you know
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
Click here to listen to "Enchanted"
There I was again tonight
Forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired lonely place
Walls of insincerity,
Shifting eyes and vacancy
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you
Your eyes whispered "Have we met? "
Across the room your silhouette
Starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks
Like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you
This is me praying that
This was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again
These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you know
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
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Listening Guide - Enchanted
Enchanted (5:52)
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0:00 introduction – acoustic guitar,
keyboard
0:13 1st verse – voice, acoustic guitar
(rhythm), keyboard
0:48 2nd verse – voice, guitar chords,
acoustic guitar rhythm
1:12 electric guitar
1:35 chorus – voice, drums, guitars,
keyboard and back up singers
2:04 bridge – voice, drums, guitar,
keyboard
2:16 back up singer
2:51 chorus – voice, drums, guitar,
keyboard
3:07 3rd verse – voice, drums, guitar,
keyboard
3:38 guitar solo
3:58 4th verse - voice, drums, guitar,
keyboard
4:26 bridge – voice, acoustic guitar
4:36 back up singer - drums
4:49 chorus – voice, drums, guitar
5:35 back up singer – drums
5:52 end
History
Judging from clues included in the Lyric
booklet for her album, Speak Now, the
person she went to see in New York is
Adam Young, from the band Owl City.
Additionally Taylor said, "That song is sort of
about pining away for if you're ever going to
see someone again, walking away too early.
It was about this guy that I met in New York
City, and I had talked to him on email
before, but I had never met him. And
meeting him, it was just this overwhelming
feeling of: I really hope that you're not in love
with somebody. And the whole entire way
home, I just remember the glittery New York
City buildings passing by and then just
sitting there thinking, am I ever gonna talk to
this person again? It was that feeling of
pining away for a romance that may never
even happen, but all you have is this hope
that it could, and the fear that it never will."
(Willman, 2011)
Bibliography
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Bierly, M. (2010, October 19). Music Mix. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from EW.com
Entertainment Weekly: http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/10/19/taylor-swift-john-mayer-mean/
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Swift, T. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Taylor Swift: http://taylorswift.com
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unknown. (2012, October 12). Taylor Swift. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift
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Willman, C. (2011, March 31). Our-County blog. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Yahoo Music:
http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/taylor-swift-reveals-song-subjects-in-hiddenmessages.html