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Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Love Story
| cover = Taylor Swift - Love Story.png
| alt = Cover artwork of Taylor Swift's single "Love Story"
| type = single
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = Fearless
| released =
| recorded = March 2008
| studio = Blackbird (Nashville)
| genre = Country pop
| length = 3:57
| label = Big Machine
| writer = Taylor Swift
| producer =
* Nathan Chapman
* Taylor Swift
| prev_title = Should've Said No
| prev_year = 2008
| next_title = White Horse
| next_year = 2008
| misc =
}}
"'Love Story'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released as the lead single from Swift's second studio album, 'Fearless', on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records. Swift was inspired to write the song by a love interest unpopular to her family and friends, using William Shakespeare's 16th-century play 'Romeo and Juliet' as a reference point. The lyrics narrate a troubled romance between two characters who end up with a marriage proposal, contrary to Shakespeare's tragic conclusion. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the midtempo country pop song features a key change after the bridge and uses acoustic instruments including banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.
In contemporaneous reviews, music critics praised the catchy production but deemed the literary references ineffective. In retrospect, critics have considered it one of Swift's best singles. "Love Story" peaked atop the chart in Australia, where it was certified ten times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and reached the top five on charts in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, and the U.K. In the U.S., it peaked at number four on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, Swift's first top-ten hit, and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); the single was the first country song to top the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It has sold over six million copies in the U.S. and 18 million copies worldwide.
Trey Fanjoy directed the accompanying music video starring Swift and model Justin Gaston as two characters who meet in a university campus and imagine themselves as lovers in a prior era. It won Video of the Year at both the Country Music Association Awards and CMT Music Awards in 2009. The song became a staple in Swift's live concerts and was part of the set lists to all of her headlining tours, from the Fearless Tour (20092010) to the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). A re-recording, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", was released on February 12, 2021, through Republic Records. It topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making Swift the second artist after Dolly Parton to reach number one with both the original and re-recorded versions of a song.
Background and writing
's 'Romeo and Juliet' as a reference point for "Love Story"; the balcony scene '(pictured)' is referenced in the song's opening lines.|alt=A painting of Romeo and Juliet kissing on the balcony
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift relocated from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 to pursue a career as a country-music artist. She released her self-titled debut album in 2006, at 16 years old. The album spent more weeks on the US 'Billboard' 200 chart than any other albums released in the 2000s decade. Its third single, "Our Song", made Swift the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart. Her success was rare for a female teenage artist, as the 2000s country-music market had been dominated by adult male musicians.
While promoting her debut album on tour in 2007 and 2008, Swift wrote songs for her second studio album, 'Fearless'. She developed "Love Story" late into the production of 'Fearless'. Answering fan questions on 'Time' in April 2009, Swift said it was one of the most romantic songs she had written. She was inspired to write it by a love interest whom she never officially dated. She said when she introduced him to her family and friends, "[They] all said they didn't like him. All of them!" This made Swift relate to the narrative of William Shakespeare's 16th-century play 'Romeo and Juliet', which she described as a "situation where the only people who wanted them to be together were them". Reflecting on the event, Swift thought, "This is difficult but it's real, it matters," and developed the second refrain, and subsequently the whole song, around that line.
As she was writing, she felt 'Romeo and Juliet' could have been "the best love story ever told" if the two characters did not end up dead. She thus made the two characters in "Love Story" end up with a marriage proposal, which she deemed a happy ending that they deserve. Swift wrote the track on her bedroom floor in approximately 20 minutes, feeling too inspired to put the song down unfinished. According to Swift, the song represented her optimistic outlook on love, inspired by her fascination with fairy tales as a child. Looking back on "Love Story" after she released her seventh studio album 'Lover' (2019), which is about the first time she experienced "love that was very real", Swift said the track was "stuff I saw on a movie, like Shakespeare, like stuff I read mixed in with some like crush stuff that had happened in my life".
Production and release
After finished writing, Swift recorded a rough demo of "Love Story" within 15 minutes the next day. She recorded the album version in March 2008, with record producer Nathan Chapman at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. For her vocals, Chapman tried different microphones until Swift came across an Avantone CV-12 multi-pattern tube microphone built by country-music artist Ray Kennedy when they were working on her debut album. After growing fond of the Avantone CV-12 upon testing her vocals, Swift chose it to record "Love Story" and many other songs with. She sang the song live backed by her band playing acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Chapman played other instruments, including nine acoustic guitars, and overdubbed them on the track; he also recorded background vocals singing "Ah".
Record engineer Chad Carlson recorded the track with Pro Tools, and Justin Niebank mixed it on two consoles: Solid State Logic 9080 K series and Genelec 1032. Drew Bollman and Richard Edgeler assisted in the mixing process. "Love Story", as with the rest of 'Fearless', was mastered by Hank Williams at MasterMix Studios in Nashville. The country-music version including instruments such as banjo and fiddle was released to US country radio as 'Fearless' lead single on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records.
Chapman mixed another version of "Love Story" for pop radio; he edited Nielbank's mix on Apple Logic and muted the acoustic instruments such as banjo and fiddle. The pop-radio version features an opening beat generated on Apple Logic's Ultrabeat, and the electric guitars created with the Amplitube Stomp I/O. 'Rolling Stone' described the electric guitars as "suitably gargantuan" and louder than those on the country-radio version. Big Machine in partnership with Republic Records released "Love Story" to US pop radio on October 14, 2008.
Music and lyrics
"Love Story" is a midtempo country pop song, driven by acoustic instruments including banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Critic Jon Bream from the 'Star Tribune' described the single as "pure pop with a minimalist vibe" that suits both country and pop radio. According to 'The New York Times', despite the banjo and fiddle, the song could "easily be an emo rocker". Swift's vocals feature a slight twang. The mix and master, according to 'Billboard' Kristen He, are loud and "dynamically flat ... designed to burst out of FM radio speakers".
The lyrics of "Love Story" narrate a troubled romance between two characters drawing from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet and Romeo. According to psychologist Katie Barclay, the song explores what love feels like in the context of both pain and joy. "Love Story", save for the final refrain, is narrated from Juliet's perspective. In the verses, Juliet tells the story of her and Romeo's challenged courtship, with her father disapproving of their relationship. The first verse introduces Juliet in a scene, "We were both young when I first saw you / I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standing there / On a balcony in summer air," referencing the "balcony scene" in Act II, scene ii of Shakespeare's original play. In the refrains, which alter slightly as the song progresses to accompany the narrative, Juliet pleads for her love interest to appear, "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone/ I'll be waiting/ All there's left to do is run."
In the second verse, Juliet meets Romeo again in a garden and learns that he must leave town because of her father's disapproval. Their relationship encounters difficulties, " 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter," referencing Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' (1850). According to media and film scholar Iris H. Tuan, whereas Hawthrone's "scarlet letter" imagery represents the female protagonist Hester Prynne's sin and adultery, Swift's use symbolizes the forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet. Juliet pleads, "This love is difficult, but it's real;" Swift recalled that it was her favorite lyric on the song.
After the bridge, with accelerated drums and the harmonization of melody and vocals, the final refrain incorporates a key change up a whole step. Narrated from Romeo's perspective, the final refrain tells his marriage proposal to Juliet after he has sought her father's approval, "I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress." Whereas Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet are secretly married without parents' approval and both end up dead in a suicide, the characters on "Love Story" depart from that tragic conclusion. Tuan analyzed that by projecting her feelings and fantasy on a 'Romeo and Juliet'-inspired narrative, Swift created a song that strongly resonated with an audience of teenage girls and young females. Journalist Deborah Evans Price of 'Billboard' agreed, but also commented that "one doesn't have to be a lovestruck teen" to enjoy the emotional engagement.
Critical reception
"Love Story" featured on 2008 year-end lists by 'Blender' at number 73 and 'The Village Voice' Pazz & Jop critics' poll at number 48. In 'Fearless' album reviews, Sean Daly from the 'St. Petersburg Times', Rob Sheffield from 'Blender', and Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic selected the track as a highlight. Deborah Evans Price of 'Billboard' praised the "swirling, dreamy" production and said that Swift's success in the country-music market "could only gain momentun". In 'The Boston Globe', James Reed highlighted "Love Story" as an example of Swift's songwriting: "She knows how to write a hit." 'USA Today' Elysa Gardner deemed "Love Story" an example of Swift's talents at such a young age to earnestly portray teenage feelings "rather than a mouthpiece for a bunch of older pros' collective notion of adolescent yearning".
Musicologist James E. Perone found the narrative formulaic and less dramatic than that of the original 'Romeo and Juliet', but contended "the melodic hooks are strong enough to overcome the
predictability of the lyrics". In an article for the BBC, Fraser McAlpine gave the single a four-out-of-five-stars rating. McAlpine deemed the Shakespearean reference not as sophisticated as its premise and the lyrics generic, but praised the production and wrote: "It's great to see a big pop song being used as a method of direct story telling." Jon Bream from the 'Star Tribune' deemed the single inferior to Swift's debut country-music single, "Tim McGraw" (2006), but commended the production as catchy. Jonathan Keefe of 'Slant Magazine' was impressed by Swift's melodic songwriting for creating "massive pop hooks", but found the references to 'Romeo and Juliet' "point-missing" and 'The Scarlet Letter' "inexplicable". Keefe deemed the lyrics overall lacking in creativity, and disapproved of Swift's "clipped phrasing" in the refrain.
In retrospective reviews, Hannah Mylrea from 'NME' and Nate Jones from 'Vulture' considered "Love Story" one of Swift's strongest songs in her entire discography; Jones disapproved of the reference to 'The Scarlett Letter', but wrote: "Swift employs a key change so powerful it literally rewrites Shakespeare." Alexis Petridis from 'The Guardian' placed "Love Story" second, behind "Blank Space" (2014), on his 2021 ranking of Swift's singles. Petridis wrote that "Love Story" was where Swift's songwriting prowess first "fully revealed" and reflected on the literary references: "[If] the references to Shakespeare and Hawthorn seem clumsy, they are clumsy in a believably teenage way". 'Taste of Country' listed the song at number 17 on its 2016 list of greatest country songs of all time. It ranked at number 24 on 'Billboard' 2022 list of the "Top 50 Country Love Songs of All Time". English-language professor Robert N. Watson selected "Love Story" as an epitome that proves Swift as "the twenty-first-centurys most popular songwriter of failed love affairs", specifically praising the Shakespearean narrative.
Commercial performance
, "Love Story" surpassed "You're Still the One" (1998) by Shania Twain '(pictured)' as the highest-charting country crossover to pop radio in the United States.|alt=Shania Twain performing
In the United States, "Love Story" debuted at number 16 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and number 25 on the Hot Country Songs chart, both dated September 27, 2008. The next week, it reached number five on the Hot 100. The single peaked at number four on the Hot 100 chart dated January 17, 2009, and spent 49 weeks on the chart. It spent two weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart. On the Mainstream Top 40 chart, which tracks US pop radio, "Love Story" reached number one on the week ending February 28, 2009. In doing so, it became the first song to top both the country-radio and pop-radio charts and surpassed the number-three-peaking "You're Still the One" (1998) by Shania Twain as the highest-charting country crossover to pop radio.
On other 'Billboard' airplay charts, "Love Story" peaked at number one on Adult Contemporary and number three on Adult Top 40. It was the top-performing single on US airplay of 2009, ranking number one on the year-end Radio Songs chart. By February 2009, with three million downloads sold, it was the all-time best-selling country single. "Love Story" was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2015, and had sold 6.13 million copies in the United States by February 2021, becoming Swift's highest-selling single in the nation.
"Love Story" was Swift's first number-one single in Australia, where it was certified ten times platinum. It peaked within the top five of singles charts in Japan (three) and the Anglosphere countries including the United Kingdom (two), Ireland (three), New Zealand (three), Canada (four), and Scotland (five). In mainland Europe, the single peaked at number ten on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, number four in the Czech Republic, number six in Hungary, number seven in Norway, and number ten in Sweden. "Love Story" was certified double platinum in Canada and the United Kingdom, platinum in New Zealand, and gold in Denmark and Japan. It was the sixth-best-selling single of 2009 worldwide, selling 6.5 million copies. By February 2021, estimated worldwide sales of "Love Story" stood at 18 million.
Music video
Development and filming
in a ballroom scene. Swift envisioned "Love Story" as a period piece-styled video drawing influences on different historical eras.|alt=Taylor Swift and Justin Gaston in a scene from the "Love Story" music videoTrey Fanjoy, who had worked with Swift on previous music videos, directed "Love Story". Swift was inspired by historical eras such as Medieval, Renaissance, and Regency to make a period piece-styled video with a timeless narrative that "could happen in the 1700s, 1800s, or 2008". She spent six months searching for the male lead and chose Justin Gaston, a model and former contestant of 'Nashville Star', upon recommendation from an acquaintance. After Gaston was eliminated from 'Nashville Star', Swift contacted him to film the video. She believed Gaston was a perfect choice for the male lead, "I was so impressed by the way his [expressions] were in the video. Without even saying anything, he would just do a certain glance and it really came across well."
Filming took two days in August 2008 in Tennessee. The crew considered traveling to Europe to find a castle for the video's setting, but settled on Castle Gwynn in Arlington; Castle Gwynn was built in 1973 and is part of the annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival. Wardrobe for the video was supplied by Jacquard Fabrics, except Swift's dress for the balcony scene, which was designed by Sandi Spika with inspiration and suggestions from Swift. On the first day, the balcony and field scenes were shot. On the second day, the ballroom scene was filmed with 20 dancers at Cumberland University in Lebanon; Swift learned the choreography 15 minutes prior to filming. She invited some fans who were university students from other states to fly to Nashville and film the video with her. "Love Story" premiered on September 12, 2008, on CMT. Behind-the-scenes footage of "Love Story" aired on Great American Country on November 12, 2008.
Synopsis
The video starts with Swift in a black sweater and jeans walking through a college campus and spotting Gaston reading under a tree. As they make eye contact, the video transitions to an earlier era; on a balcony, Swift is seen wearing a corset and gown. The video switches to the ballroom scene, where Gaston and Swift dance together. After dancing, Gaston whispers into Swift's ear and Swift is then seen walking into a garden at night with a lantern. There, she meets with Gaston and the two have a date before parting ways. Later on, Swift stands on the balcony again, looking out from the window. She sees Gaston running towards her across a field and she immediately runs down the staircase to meet him. The video then transitions back into the modern-day college campus as Gaston walks toward Swift and they gaze into each other's eyes, where the video concludes.'Spin' noted that the video appears as if it were filmed on an "HBO-looking budget" with "elaborate, pseudo-medieval set pieces"; according to the magazine, rather than alluding to Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', the narrative resembles 'Rapunzel', especially with the part where Swift's character waits for her lover atop a castle. Meanwhile, 'Glamour' opined that Swift's fashion in the video reinforces the lyrical theme: "[She] literally wore a medieval ball gown while playing the Juliet to an actor's Romeo." In a 2010 'Billboard' interview, Swift reflected on the video's fairy-tale-inspired wedding setting: "I'm not really that girl who dreams about her wedding day. It just seems like the idealistic, happy-ever-after [moment]."
Awards and nominations
"Love Story" won Song of the Year at the Country Awards in 2009 and Pop Awards in 2010, both held by Broadcast Music, Inc.; Swift was the youngest songwriter (20 at the time) to win the Pop award. At the Australian APRA Awards, the single was nominated for International Work of the Year. At the 35th People's Choice Awards, it was nominated for Favorite Country Song, which went to Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" (2008). The song received nominations for Favorite Song at Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2009 and Choice Love Song the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, which respectively went to the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" and David Archuleta's "Crush".
The music video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards, but lost to Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman" (2008). At the 2009 CMT Music Awards, the video won two awards: Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year. It also won Music Video of the Year at the 43rd Country Music Association Awards and Favorite International Video at the Philippine Myx Music Awards 2010.
Live performances and other use
in 2011|alt=Taylor Swift singing on a flying balcony on the Speak Now tour
During promotion of 'Fearless' in 2008 and 2009, Swift performed "Love Story" on many television shows including 'Good Morning America', 'Late Show with David Letterman', 'The Today Show', 'Dancing with the Stars', 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', and 'Saturday Night Live'. At the 2008 Country Music Association Awards, she reenacted the music video for "Love Story", performing the song on a ballroom-influenced stage setting with Gaston playing the love interest. Swift and English band Def Leppard performed "Love Story", among other tracks from each artist's discography, for a 'CMT Crossroads' episode taped in October 2008; the performance was recorded and released on DVD in 2009. In the United Kingdom, Swift sang "Love Story" on the charity program 'Children in Need', to which she donated 13,000 afterwards.
"Love Story" was part of the set lists for many festivals Swift headlined in 2009, including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Florida Strawberry Festival, Sound Relief, the CMA Music Festival, and Craven Country Jamboree. She included the song in the set list to the concerts on her first headlining concert tour, the Fearless Tour (20092010). The performances begun with backup dancers, dressed in Victorian clothing, dancing to Pachelbel's Canon, as a castle backdrop was projected onto the stage. Swift emerged to upper level of the stage from below, dressed in an 18th-century-styled crimson gown with golden accents. For the final refrain, Swift hid behind backup dancers as she changed to a white wedding dress and a jeweled headband. The live performances of "Love Story" were recorded and released on the DVD 'Journey to Fearless' in 2011.
version of "Love Story" on the 1989 World Tour in 2015|alt=Taylor Swift on the 1989 tour
"Love Story" was the final song on the set list of Swift's second headlining tour, the Speak Now World Tour (20112012). Swift donned a white sundress and sang the song roaming throughout the stage on a flying balcony, as confetti rained down and fireworks exploded on stage. The song was part of Swift's performance at the BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards in October 2012; she appeared in a white dress before changing to silver hot pants and a sheer black top. Swift sang the song later the same month, as part of a 'VH1 Storytellers' episode taped at Harvey Mudd College in California. On January 25, 2013, Swift performed an acoustic version of "Love Story" at the Los Premios 40 Principales in Spain.
In 2014, Swift performed a new arena-rock rendition of "Love Story" during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival. She performed the version again, transformed into a synth-pop ballad, at the 1989 World Tour. The song was performed on Swift's fifth headlining tour, the Reputation Stadium Tour, as part of a medley alongside "Style" and "You Belong with Me". On April 23, 2019, she performed a piano rendition of the song at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts during the 'Time' 100 Gala, where she was honored. On September 9, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover one-off concert in Paris, France. On November 24, she performed the song as part of a medley at the 2019 American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Swift teamed up with rapper T-Pain for a parody of the song titled "Thug Story", which premiered at the 2009 CMT Music Awards. American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids covered "Love Story" for the 2009 deluxe edition of their debut studio album 'Underdog Alma Mater' (2008). English singer Joe McElderry, winner of the sixth series of the United Kingdom talent competition 'The X Factor', performed a live cover of "Love Story" on The X Factor Tour in 2010. "Love Story" was featured in the romantic comedy 'Letters to Juliet' (2010), as well as its official trailer and in the pilot of the television series 'Hart of Dixie' (2011). The song was covered by post-hardcore band Sky Tells All featuring Chris Motionless. In August 2020, an unofficial house remix of "Love Story" by American DJ Disco Lines became popular on TikTok and garnered viral challenges on the platform; additionally, it gained radio airplay in Poland."[http://bestsellery.zpav.pl/airplays/top/archiwum.php?year=2020&idlisty=3553#title Listy bestsellerw, wyrnienia :: Zwizek Producentw Audio-Video]". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved October 26, 2020. In December 2020, a snippet of Swift's re-recorded version of "Love Story" was featured in a Match.com advertisement directed by Ryan Reynolds. The song appears in the video game 'Band Hero' featuring Swift as a playable character. In 2022, it was covered by British rock band Black Midi.
Personnel
Credits adapted from 'Fearless' album liner notes
* Taylor Swift vocals, songwriter, producer
* Nathan Chapman producer
* Drew Bollman assistant mixer
* Chad Carslon recording engineer
* Richard Edgeler assistant recording engineer, assistant mixer
* Justin Niebank mixer
* Tim Van der Kull additional guitar
* Jeremy "Jim Bob" Wheatley additional recording engineer, additional mixer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
"Love Story (Taylor's Version)"
{{Infobox song
| name = Love Story (Taylor's Version)
| cover = Taylor Swift - Love Story (Taylor's Version).png
| alt = Cover artwork of "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" featuring Taylor Swift in a white dress
| caption = DTC-exclusive digital cover
| type = single
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = Fearless (Taylor's Version)
| released =
| recorded =
| studio = Black Bird (Nashville)
| genre = Country pop
| length = 3:56
| label = Republic
| writer = Taylor Swift
| producer =
* Christopher Rowe
* Taylor Swift
| prev_title = Coney Island
| prev_year = 2021
| next_title = Gasoline
| next_year = 2021
| misc =
}}
A re-recorded version of "Love Story", subtitled "(Taylor's Version)", was included on Swift's first re-recorded album, 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'. It was released for download on February 12, 2021, through Republic Records. The release was part of Swift's re-recording her Big Machine Records albums after the label was acquired by talent manager Scooter Braun in 2019.
Music critics received "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" with positive reviews, praising it for featuring Swift's mature vocals and the enhanced production while remaining faithful to the original's emotion. The song peaked in the top 10 on charts of Canada, Ireland, Latvia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was Swift's eighth number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Background and release
Swift re-recorded her first six studio albums starting from November 2020, as a reaction to talent manager Scooter Braun's acquisition of Big Machine Records; the masters of her Big Machine-released albums were part of the deal. A snippet of the re-recorded "Love Story" featured in a Match.com advertisement, written by actor Ryan Reynolds, in December 2020. On February 11, 2021, Swift announced on 'Good Morning America' that the re-recorded song was titled "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", which was the lead single from 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)', the re-recording of her second studio album, 'Fearless' (2008).
"Love Story (Taylor's Version)" was released for download and streaming on February 12, 2021, preceding 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)' release in April. A lyric video was released on YouTube simultaneously. On March 26, 2021, an electronic version of "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" remixed by Swedish producer Elvira was released.
Production
"Love Story (Taylor's Version)" was produced by Swift and Christopher Rowe, a Nashville-based producer. It was recorded by David Payne at Black Bird Studios, with additional recording by Rowe at Prime Recording and Studio 13, all in Nashville, and Swift's vocals recorded by Sam Holland at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. The re-recording was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Swift invited some musicians from the original 2008 version to re-record with her, including Jonathan Yudkin on fiddle, Amos Heller on bass guitar, and Caitlin Evanson on harmony vocals; they were part of her touring band who had played "Love Story" with her many times.According to critics, the production of "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" remains faithful to that of the 2008 version. They noticed changes in the timbre of Swift's vocals, with a "rounder and fuller" tone and an absence of the country-music twang. The instruments are sharper and more distinct, with clearer sounds of the banjo strums, cymbals, and fiddle, stronger drums, clearly defined bass, less harsh electric guitars, and lowered harmonies in the mix.
Critical reception
'Rolling Stone' critic Simon Vozick-Levinson described "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" as a "brilliantly bittersweet update on a classic", equipped with more emotion, polished instrumentals, and vocal technique. 'Pitchfork' writer Vrinda Jagota praised Swift for her commitment to revisiting her teenage work without embarrassment, and branded it "an adult woman's display of ownership and agency". Mikael Wood of 'Los Angeles Times' opined that "Love Story" remains a classic, noticing how the rerecorded version is "virtually indistinguishable" from its 2008 counterpart. While describing this similarity as somewhat a "disappointment" since Swift achieved artistic maturity with her 2020 albums 'Folklore' and 'Evermore', Wood acknowledged that the rights to "Love Story" could completely belong to the singer, in doing so.Hannah Mylrea, writing for 'NME', called it a "charming blast of nostalgia" with improved production, where Swift manages to preserve the "sparkle and warmth" that made "Love Story" a success. Mylrea added that Swift used her newly powerful vocals to channel her younger self in the 2021 version, whereas, the 2008 version had a more "earnest" tone to it. Lauding Swift's vocal performance, 'The Atlantic's Shirley Li wrote that the singer's voice at age 31 is "much richer", with a controlled tone and precise staccato. Li concluded that the 2008 version contained Swift's "eager, breathless vocals captured that thoroughly teenage sensation of fantasizing over a new crush", while the 2021 version "conjures a mature, amused wistfulness".
Richard S. He, reviewing for 'Billboard', was impressed with the song's mixing. He wrote that the original was "a loud, dynamically flat mix and master designed to burst out of FM radio speakers", while the re-recorded version offers a well-balanced, lush, "impressive" mix that elevates the song's dreamy atmosphere. He also pointed out that the instruments in the original's chorus "seemed to blend into one big wall of sound", whereas "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" boasts an ambience with individual instruments. In his BBC review, Mark Savage wrote that the two versions were barely different, praising the "crisper" quality of "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", which allows the listeners to pick up instrumental details that were lost in the 2008 version. He highlighted that Swift's matured vocals and enunciation add depth and warmth to the song, while still capturing the "romantic innocence" of a teenager. Robert Christgau believed "Swift's voice retains a great deal of freshness", but questioned the value of her reproducing past songs, saying that he "can't imagine even so that I'd lay out money for the re-recordings".
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" sold 10,000 digital downloads and garnered 5.8 million on-demand streams in its first day of release. While not actively promoted to radio, the version drew 144 plays across 89 radio stations for a total of 777,000 audience impressions.With 25,000 sales and 13.7 million streams, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" landed atop the US Hot Country Songs chart, giving Swift her eighth number-one single and first number-one debut on the chart; it marked her first chart-topper since "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (2012). She became the first artist to lead the chart in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s, and the second artist in history to send both the original and re-recorded version of a song to the top spot, after Dolly Parton with "I Will Always Love You". Elsewhere, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" topped Digital Song Sales (Swift's record-extending 22nd number one), Country Digital Song Sales (record-extending 15th number one), and Country Streaming Songs charts. The song debuted and peaked at number 11 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, marking her 129th entry on the chartthe most entries ever amongst women.
Credits and personnel
'Album version'* Taylor Swift lead vocals, songwriting, production
* Christopher Rowe production, record engineering
* David Payne record engineering
* John Hanes engineering
* Randy Merrill master engineering
* Serban Ghenea mixing
* Sam Holland vocal engineering
* Sean Badum assistant recording engineering
* Mike Meadows backing vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin
* Paul Sidoti backing vocals, electric guitar
* Caitlin Evanson backing vocals
* Amos Heller bass
* Matt Billingslea drums
* Max Bernstein electric guitar
* Jonathan Yudkin fiddle
'Elvira Remix'
* Taylor Swift lead vocals, songwriting, backing vocals
* Elvira Anderfjrd production, remixing, backing vocals, bass, drums, keyboards, programming, recording engineering
* Christopher Rowe vocal production
* John Hanes engineering
* Randy Merrill masters engineering
* Serban Ghenea mixing
* Sam Holland vocal engineering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*List of best-selling singles
* List of best-selling singles in Australia
*List of best-selling singles in the United States
*List of number-one singles of 2009 (Australia)
*List of 'Billboard' Adult Contemporary number ones of 2009
*List of Hot Country Songs number ones of 2008
*List of 'Billboard' Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2009
* List of top 10 singles in 2021 (Ireland)
* List of 'Billboard' number-one country songs of 2021
References
Cited sources
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Category:2008 songs
Category:2008 singles
Category:Taylor Swift songs
Category:Music videos directed by Trey Fanjoy
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift
Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift
Category:Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer)
Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Rowe
Category:Big Machine Records singles
Category:Works based on Romeo and Juliet
Category:2021 singles
Category:Republic Records singles
Buy Love Story (Taylor Swift song) now from Amazon
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