The Stories Behind Speak Now (Taylor's Version) Part 1

Cameron and Lisa, hosts of the fan-made Taylor Swift podcast "Swiftly Spoken," delve into the narratives and inspirations behind the songs on Swift's album "Speak Now" in anticipation of its re-recorded release. They credit Tumblr user Taylor on your dash for their chronological compilation of sources and discuss the album's intimate creation with Nathan Chapman. They highlight "Sparks Fly," originally penned in 2006 and the journey it took to be included on the album. The hosts also explore tracks rumored to be about Joe Jonas, such as "Haunted," with its secret message and thematic connection to "Forever and Always," and "Better Than Revenge," noted for its direct response to the Jonas Brothers' song "Much Better." They touch on "If This Was a Movie" and "Never Grow Up," reflecting on Swift's personal growth and experiences. The podcast promises further analysis in upcoming episodes, inviting listeners to join their deep dives into Swift's diaristic songwriting and the emotional landscapes captured in her music.

• "Swiftly Spoken" is a fan-made Taylor Swift podcast hosted by Cameron and Lisa.
• The podcast features deep dives into Taylor Swift's lyrics, album retrospectives, and theories about future releases.

welcome to swiftly spoken a fan-made Taylor Swift podcast in which we break down her lyrics Deep dive into full album retrospectives and theorize about what may be coming next

This quote introduces the podcast and outlines its focus on analyzing Taylor Swift's work and speculating on her future projects.

• The podcast plans to release three episodes over the next month and a half to celebrate "Speak Now Taylor's Version."
• The episodes will discuss songs from "Speak Now" in the chronological order they were likely written by Taylor Swift.

we're revisiting our speak now Story series by discussing Taylor's Inspirations and hidden secrets behind the songs on her third studio album we're going to be dividing this task into three episodes released over the next month and a half as a way to celebrate and count down to speak now Taylor's version

The quote explains the podcast's upcoming series dedicated to "Speak Now Taylor's Version," intending to explore the album's songs and their origins.

• Credit is given to the Tumblr user "Taylor on your dash" for compiling sources related to "Speak Now" chronologically.

we also wanted to give some credits before we start off to the Tumblr user Taylor on your dash for compiling the sources related to speak now chronologically

This quote acknowledges the contribution of a Tumblr user in gathering chronological information about "Speak Now," which the podcast hosts will use in their discussion.

• "Speak Now" is described as a personal and diary-like album.
• Taylor Swift worked closely with Nathan Chapman during the album's creation.
• Taylor was constantly writing and recording at Nathan's home studio.

speak now is a very personal and diaristic album and almost every song seems to link to very specific events that Taylor lived through in her personal or professional life

The quote characterizes "Speak Now" as an intimate album reflecting Taylor Swift's experiences, highlighting its personal nature.

• "Sparks Fly" was the first song written for "Speak Now," dating back to 2006.
• The song underwent many changes and almost didn't make it onto the album.
• It was ultimately the last song added to "Speak Now," completing the album.

the first song written which technically wasn't written for speak now but the first song that ended up on speak now that was written was Sparks Fly which was written back in 2006

The quote provides background on "Sparks Fly," noting its early creation and its eventual inclusion on "Speak Now."

• A handful of early songs written in mid-2009 are rumored to be about Taylor Swift's relationship with Joe Jonas.
• These songs were some of the initial ones written for "Speak Now."

so there are a handful of Songs written early on in mid-2009 that are rumored to be about Joe Jonas and these are the initial songs that were written for speak now

The quote mentions rumors about the inspiration behind some early "Speak Now" songs, suggesting a connection to Taylor Swift's past relationship with Joe Jonas.

• "Haunted" is compared to "Forever and Always" but with a more depressive and less angry tone.
• The song's secret message in the CD booklet is linked to Taylor Swift's experience of a fading relationship.
• Taylor Swift's quote from the "Speak Now track by track" video reveals that "Haunted" is about the realization of a love that is fading.

haunted seems to Echo many of the kind of doubts of forever and always but much in a much more kind of depressive and slightly less angry tone

The quote draws a parallel between "Haunted" and "Forever and Always," indicating a shift in emotional tone from anger to depression.

it's about the moment that you realize that the person you're in love with is drifting and fading fast and you don't know what to do

This quote from Taylor Swift explains that "Haunted" captures the painful realization of a love that is ending.

• Taylor Swift's habit of writing songs in the middle of the night is a key aspect of her songwriting process.
• This practice continues to be relevant, as seen with the release of "Midnights."

I ended up waking up in the middle of the night writing and writing this song about it

The quote illustrates Taylor Swift's nocturnal songwriting process, highlighting how personal experiences often lead to the creation of her music.

• "Haunted" gained a second life during Taylor Swift's tour, with its theatrical production and use of a bell becoming an iconic part of the "Speak Now" era.

it also has a second life really during tour when it the production of it I know a lot of people really really enjoy that version with the Bell

The quote discusses the live performance of "Haunted" and how it resonated with audiences, becoming a memorable element of the tour.

• Cameron expresses excitement for hearing Taylor Swift's song "Haunted" again, especially live.
• They hope for a grand production and strong vocal performance from Taylor Swift.
• "Haunted" is characterized as an exciting song from the album.

"my favorite from speak now. but I guess it's up against some big big competition as we're going to be seeing as we get into these songs. yeah. no I definitely love that it did have that big moment on tour. and I cannot wait to hear it Again Taylor for the first time."

This quote reveals Cameron's anticipation for the live rendition of "Haunted" and acknowledges the strong competition among songs on the "Speak Now" album.

• "Better Than Revenge" is considered the most debated song from the "Speak Now" album.
• The song reflects Taylor Swift's anger and is inspired by the Jonas Brothers' song "Much Better," which it directly quotes.
• The hidden message in the song suggests that Swift has not forgotten being wronged in the past.
• Cameron and Lisa discuss their feelings about the song and its controversial messaging.

"the most debated song out of all of speak now which of course is better than revenge we've spoken about this song time and time again I think it's a big big thing and a big talking piece when it comes to this album so again this song represented Taylor's more of the anger side of things uh inspired a lot by the Jonas Brothers song much better which it directly quotes."

This quote highlights the controversy surrounding "Better Than Revenge" and its connection to Taylor Swift's personal experiences, as well as its direct quoting of another song.

• Taylor Swift often references other artists' songs and literature in her music.
• Cameron appreciates Swift's ability to incorporate direct quotes and references into her songs.
• The act of quoting other works is seen as a significant aspect of Swift's songwriting.

"I love when she takes other artist songs that maybe about her or maybe not. but she felt called out. or she felt like she wanted to mention that one in specific she sometimes does it with also writing and literature in some of her latter songs but in these ones where she literally quotes the direct moment of that song love that."

The quote explains Cameron's admiration for Taylor Swift's songwriting technique of including direct quotes from other songs that have personal significance to her.

• Cameron and Lisa discuss the possibility of Taylor Swift changing lyrics in the re-recorded "Taylor's Versions" of her songs.
• They reference a Rolling Stone article that argues against changing past lyrics, suggesting it would be dishonest and compromise the goal of devaluing her old records.
• The discussion includes the potential impact of changing lyrics, such as the Streisand effect, where attention is drawn to the original version.

"changing the past for speak now Taylor's version or using it to make some kind of grand feminist statement will not only feel dishonest but it would compromise her goal of devaluing her old records."

This quote from the Rolling Stone article, referenced by the speakers, argues that altering lyrics from the past would undermine Taylor Swift's efforts to reclaim her music and could appear disingenuous.

• The Streisand effect is mentioned as a potential outcome if Swift changes lyrics in her "Taylor's Versions."
• Cameron and Lisa speculate that changes might drive listeners to compare the new and original versions, potentially increasing the original's listenership.
• They discuss the fans' curiosity about the differences and the stories behind them.

"I think it's like the Bible strikes down effect I think we've mentioned before that it's like if she just releases it then there's no difference whereas I think you'd only give better than revenge more attention if you changed it."

Cameron uses the term "Bible strikes down effect" as an analogy for the Streisand effect, suggesting that not altering the song would avoid drawing additional attention to the original controversial lyrics.

• Cameron expresses a desire for more songs in the style of "Rocky Taylor," referencing Swift's punk-pop sound.
• They note that Swift's "Taylor's Versions" allow her to rewrite elements of her discography, including adding Vault tracks and changing song arrangements.
• Lisa and Cameron are curious to see how the release of "Taylor's Versions" will impact fans' reception and commentary.

"Rocky Taylor we don't really get enough of it you know slightly like Punky pop Paramore retailer basically I just don't think we get enough of."

This quote reflects Cameron's enthusiasm for a specific musical style of Taylor Swift that they feel is underrepresented in her body of work, likening it to a punk-pop genre similar to Paramore.

• Taylor Swift's journey from non-explicit albums like "Red" to explicit content in later works.
• The evolution of her music reflects changes in her artistic choices and public persona.
• Controversy surrounding certain songs, such as "Better Than Revenge," and the decision whether to alter them in re-recordings.
• The creative process and chronology of writing albums, with early tracks from "Speak Now" being discussed.
• The significance of co-writing on tracks like "If This Was a Movie" and the rarity of such collaborations in Swift's early career.
• The transition of songs between albums, such as "If This Was a Movie" moving from "Speak Now" to "Fearless (Taylor's Version)."
• The emotional tone of songs like "Last Kiss" and their importance to fans and the artist herself.
• The impact of re-recordings and release dates on fan celebrations, such as the "Last Kiss" July 9th holiday.

now like an album like red which was not an explicit album now the Taylor surgeon is explicit.

This quote highlights the transition from Taylor Swift's earlier, non-explicit albums to her later work, which includes explicit content. It signifies her growth as an artist and the changing nature of her music.

so it'd be intriguing how much she chooses to do that and whether the negative the kind of negative may be controversial Association to better than revenge is enough to Warren changing it.

The speaker is curious about whether Taylor Swift will alter her song "Better Than Revenge" due to its controversial nature in the context of her re-recordings.

the next track is if this was a movie and we've recently been speaking a lot about this one as obviously as has now been taken off of speak now and if you've seen our recent episodes you'll know how we feel about this especially myself um but this was a track that's always kind of stuck out to fans for being the only co-write and it was obviously written with Martin uh Johnson from Boys Like Girls.

This quote discusses "If This Was a Movie," a notable track for being a co-write with Martin Johnson, which is an exception in Swift's early discography that typically featured her as the sole songwriter.

but there's not really that much that Tate has really ever said about the track there's not a hidden message there are a couple of fake ones out there um.

The speaker notes that Taylor Swift has not provided much insight into the meaning behind "If This Was a Movie," and there are no confirmed hidden messages within the song.

and it is just a nice wistful sad song about the ending what about the ending well there really wasn't one.

This quote reflects on the emotional content of "If This Was a Movie," describing it as a wistful, sad song about an ending that never truly occurred.

• Taylor Swift's albums are often paired in thematic or stylistic trilogies.
• The transition from one album era to the next can be seen as a reflection of Swift's artistic growth and changes in her personal life.
• Fans and critics alike observe patterns in Swift's discography, grouping albums based on common elements.
• The concept of the "Taylor's Version" re-recordings has added a new layer to the discussion of album pairings and eras.
• The speaker's personal perspective on how to categorize Swift's albums into groups of three or pairs.

I've always distinguished Taylor helmets like that to be fair I've always seen them in pairs of three like. right I see the first three I see red to reputation.

The speaker shares their personal method of categorizing Taylor Swift's albums, viewing them in groups of three, such as grouping the first three albums together and then "Red" to "Reputation" as another trio.

and then I see like lover folklore and Evermore is very as a three.

This quote indicates the speaker's view of "Lover," "Folklore," and "Evermore" as a thematic trilogy within Swift's body of work.

and then uh Taylor's version and midnights Taylor's versions midnights. yeah actually that's true.

The speaker acknowledges the "Taylor's Version" re-recordings and the album "Midnights" as a new era in Swift's career, suggesting a reevaluation of how the albums are paired.

• "Last Kiss" is a deeply emotional song that holds a special place in the hearts of Taylor Swift's fans.
• The song has inspired a fan-created holiday on July 9th, celebrated annually.
• Swift's decision to release the re-recorded version of "Speak Now" before July 9th is seen as an acknowledgment of this fan tradition.
• The enthusiasm and vindication felt by fans who have advocated for recognition of "Last Kiss" and its significance.

So Last Kiss it's such a like fundamental song to the album and now it's re-recorded version I feel Vindicated once again I think I've said this before.

The speaker expresses a sense of vindication and joy over the re-recorded version of "Last Kiss," emphasizing its fundamental role in the album and its emotional resonance with fans.

July 9th if you know you know uh we do know.

This quote alludes to the fan-created holiday centered around "Last Kiss," indicating that those who are aware of the song's significance celebrate it on July 9th.

and so I'm so happy. but. yeah that's the first time that Taylor has actually really taken notice of the door.

The speaker is happy about Taylor Swift taking notice of the fan culture surrounding "Last Kiss" and feels that the artist's release strategy for the re-recorded album is a direct response to fan traditions.

• Fans have a deep emotional connection to specific moments in music.
• The "shaky breath" in the song is a raw moment that resonates with listeners.
• Fans believe that Taylor Swift understands their desires for these authentic elements in her music.

"Yes, I hope so. I've seen a lot on Tick Tock I'm thinking about it where everyone's like I know I need that shaky breath."

This quote indicates the anticipation and hope that Taylor Swift will include a particular emotional detail in her music that fans have expressed a desire for on social media.

• The song "Never Grow Up" is inspired by Taylor Swift's experience of moving out and growing up.
• The song captures the complicated feelings associated with growing up and the nostalgia for childhood.
• Lyrics often reflect on the passage of time and the bittersweet nature of maturing.

"Never grow up is a song about the fact that I don't quite know how I feel about growing up."

This quote from Taylor Swift explains the theme of her song "Never Grow Up," highlighting the ambivalence and complexity of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

• There is a common theme of abrupt endings and the surprise of reaching the end of something.
• The song "Never Grow Up" evokes feelings of sadness and nostalgia for the past, especially childhood.
• Listeners often relate to the emotions conveyed in the song, reflecting on their own experiences of growing up.

"It just does capture that feeling of like God I wish I was you know eight years old again or 14 years old again."

This quote captures the sentiment of longing for the simplicity and innocence of childhood, a feeling that is common among adults reflecting on their past.

• Taylor Swift's music often resonates with fans because it addresses universal experiences.
• The song "Never Grow Up" is particularly relatable to those who have experienced moving out and the transition to independence.
• Swift's ability to articulate these shared experiences is a key aspect of her songwriting appeal.

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