Taylor Swift charted with “Love Story”

Love Story Taylor Swift

Writer(s): Taylor Swift (see lyrics here) Released: September 12, 2008 First Charted: September 27, 2008 Peak: 4 US, 11 RR, 16 AC, 3 A40, 12 CW, 2 UK, 4 CN, 12 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.68 UK, 18.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.7 radio, 1245.33 video, 845.33 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: With her debut album, teen singer Taylor Swift became a major country star, landing two songs atop the country charts and another three in the top 10. While setting up a seemingly inevitable sophomore slump, Swift opted instead to conquer the pop world as well. “Everything you need to know about Taylor Swift’s talent is summed up here in four star struck minutes. Wide-eyed innocence served up in slick, perfectly calibrated Nashville pop? We’ll take four million, please.” MX Swift wrote the song about a love interest but she never had a relationship with him. He was not popular with her friends and family. Swift wrote the song from the perspective of Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As she said, “The only people who wanted them to be together were them.” WK She replaced the play’s tragic ending with a happy one – the ending she felt the characters deserved and the one which females hoped for. WK Paste magazine’s Kate Kiefer said it is impossible not to sing along with the song. WK Slant magazine’s Jonathan Keefe saw the song’s success hinging on its prominent hook while The Boston Globe’s James Reed saw its strength in the songwriting. WK The BBC’s Fraser McAlpine said that the song, “although obvious, a bit dramatic, and probably targeted towards younger audiences, was just lovely and that Swift proved herself a true princess of pop with the song.” WK About.com’s Sean Dooley deemed the song responsible for transitioning Swift from a “fresh-faced star to crossover star.” WK “Love Story” was only the fifth song to top both the adult contemporary and country charts, following Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most”, Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance”, Faith Hill’s “Breathe”, and Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One”. SF It became Swift’s best-selling single WK and was once the best-selling country single of all time. WK Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) declared it the Country Song of the Year while it took Video of the Year honors at the CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Taylor Swift MX Atlanta Metromix (11/24/09). “Best songs of the decade” SF Songfacts.com WK Wikipedia.org Related Links: First posted 9/27/2011; last updated 11/6/2022.