Taylor Swift | Speak Now | 10.25.10 (1M Debut!)

[tsr]

This made my day!

[Modern Myth]

I'm def getting this at Target. The cover looks SO much better in red IMO. I hate girly colors like purple or pink so to me this is better.

[Gravity.]

Sept 13, 2010 20:19:31 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

No Targets in Canada... wonder what store will carry that here.

The cover doesn't look that great in red.

I think it looks better in red.

[Taylor.]

Sept 13, 2010 20:56:58 GMT -5 Gravity. said:

Sept 13, 2010 20:19:31 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

No Targets in Canada... wonder what store will carry that here.

The cover doesn't look that great in red.

I think it looks better in red.

Yeah, I changed my mind after looking at it again.

[Peaches. [Ch, r. is]]

Sept 13, 2010 21:55:20 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

Sept 13, 2010 20:56:58 GMT -5 Gravity. said:

I think it looks better in red.

Yeah, I changed my mind after looking at it again.

Flippy floppy ho!

I keed. I keed about keeding.

Never looked the purple one, so I don't mind the red one, at lest it matched the lipstick!

[like2throw]

Damn the album doesnt come out till October 25th its already at #2 on the Amazon album sales chart.

[Cerbius]

Sept 13, 2010 23:55:50 GMT -5 like2throw said:

Damn the album doesnt come out till October 25th its already at #2 on the Amazon album sales chart.

Wow! The first week is gonna be MASSIVE. Biggest opening week of the year, I hope.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2010 0:05:05 GMT -5 Cerbius said:

Sept 13, 2010 23:55:50 GMT -5 like2throw said:

Damn the album doesnt come out till October 25th its already at #2 on the Amazon album sales chart.

Wow! The first week is gonna be MASSIVE. Biggest opening week of the year, I hope.

I'm still sticking with my original 400 K prediction. I still think she'll end up selling 2.5-3 million :).

[Cerbius]

400k seems rather low. I mean, this is the same fanbase that got "Mine" to #1 in less than 6 hours. We'll see, I guess.

[Joe1240]

Well Taylor is at the Easy A Premiere Tonight. :)

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2010 0:13:04 GMT -5 Cerbius said:

400k seems rather low. I mean, this is the same fanbase that got "Mine" to #1 in less than 6 hours. We'll see, I guess.

I just think she's peaked in popularity. Not even her "fanbase" could get Fifteen to win @ the VMAS. She will still outsell the majority but I think in terms of popularity, she has peaked.

[👑 Eloquent ™]

I'm so glad she didn't win with "Fifteen" (that would be like the worst possible scenario).

I'm thinking the album will open with around or a little less than what Fearless opened with (somewhere between 540-600k). I certainly don't think it'll sell anywhere near a million copies first week out (referencing some articles that questioned its chances for achieving the feat).

[hilbertkc]

Seriously I love this song already!! (Innocent) Great lyrics and while I am not the biggest fan of Taylor (but love her personality!) I thought she did good/great at the VMA's:D

[Modern Myth]

Sept 14, 2010 7:34:49 GMT -5 @drag27 said:

Sept 14, 2010 0:13:04 GMT -5 Cerbius said:

400k seems rather low. I mean, this is the same fanbase that got "Mine" to #1 in less than 6 hours. We'll see, I guess.

I just think she's peaked in popularity. Not even her "fanbase" could get Fifteen to win @ the VMAS. She will still outsell the majority but I think in terms of popularity, she has peaked.

"Fifteen" had no chance of winning at the VMA's even if her fans voted. It was a country song nominated for a Pop award. Thinking it had any chance of winning is just naive.

I really wish they'd just move the album up. "Mine" will probably be done way before the album release. It's gonna suck if her singles don't even make top 10.

[tsr]

^I still don't understand why "Mine" isn't doing better. I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinion but personally, I think it's a great lead single. Is there really still a backlash over something that happened 7 months ago? So she doesn't have the greatest voice, so what? Her songwriting more than makes up for it.

[Mack]

Sept 13, 2010 19:12:25 GMT -5 Gravity. said:

My faves from her debut were Cold As You, Mary's Song, The Outside, and Tim McGraw.

I used to hate 'The Outside' with a passion (it was the only track on the album that I would skip), but I re-discovered it a few weeks ago and it's now my favorite Taylor song.

Sept 13, 2010 20:05:34 GMT -5 @dbt said:

Target has a Deluxe Edition of Speak Now with a special cover, 3 unreleased bonus songs, 3 remixed songs, and 30 minutes of video.

"Get Taylor Swift's Speak Now Deluxe Edition CD/DVD Available Only at Target! The Deluxe Edition includes all 14 tracks from Speak Now + 3 Never before heard bonus Tracks, 3 remixed tracks, a DVD with over 30 minutes of bonus videos and more!"

www.target.com/Speak-Now-Deluxe-CD-DVD/dp/B004008F58/

Thank God. The red is so, so much better. They should make that the standard cover instead of the purple.

[Mack]

Sept 14, 2010 15:39:17 GMT -5 tsr said:

I still don't understand why "Mine" isn't doing better. I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinion but personally, I think it's a great lead single.

I think a lot of people were expecting some kind of huge, catchy event single, and that isn't 'Mine'. It actually sounds like something that most artists would release as a third or fourth single. It is a terrific song, though.

[Kyla]

Wasn't really able to see people's reactions to the VMA's before now. Kinda shocked that she's gotten a mixed reaction.

I thought it was amazing. Great song, first off. And I just thought it was the perfect way to deal with it. It's not as if she's milked the situation. She's done her best to push it under the rug. But it was obviously going to be addressed at the VMA's in some way. And I'm glad she did it her way, and didn't do Kanye's song like he wanted. Vocally she wasn't perfect, but she wasn't bad either. She sounded fine I thought. She did look nervous as hell, though. (Can't blame her...)

Also, I doubt the whole song is specifically about the Kanye thing. They said it was written earlier this year. So it could be about other things that she's gone through as well. Unfortunate that it will now always be labeled 'the Kanye song'. And people will respond to it as such.

[Modern Myth]

Poor girl can't get a break it seems anymore.

Either the idea of her Kanye VMA performance was too much or her vocals were off?

I personally think the VMA performance was perfect, minus the beginning video. I thought the song was perfect, not too Kanye, but enough to understand it could be about him, and her vocals weren't perfect. When are they? I really liked how she sounded on it though, it just sounded so real, and raw, and emotional. I doubt the studio version will sound THAT different. IMO she sounds better than a lot of people on the radio nowadays. I mean sure there are some people that are better (i.e. Kelly, Pink, etc) but what does it matter? There's always a better singer. I like the little voice she has and what she does with it. Funny how I've been a HUGE Taylor fan since way before she was popular, and if her popularity fades away, I'm still going to be a huge fan. I was never a fan because of her popularity.

[Eqbk]

Sept 14, 2010 18:48:36 GMT -5 Modern Myth said:

Poor girl can't get a break it seems anymore.

Either the idea of her Kanye VMA performance was too much or her vocals were off?

I personally think the VMA performance was perfect, minus the beginning video. I thought the song was perfect, not too Kanye, but enough to understand it could be about him, and her vocals weren't perfect. When are they? I really liked how she sounded on it though, it just sounded so real, and raw, and emotional. I doubt the studio version will sound THAT different. IMO she sounds better than a lot of people on the radio nowadays. I mean sure there are some people that are better (i.e. Kelly, Pink, etc) but what does it matter? There's always a better singer. I like the little voice she has and what she does with it. Funny how I've been a HUGE Taylor fan since way before she was popular, and if her popularity fades away, I'm still going to be a huge fan. I was never a fan because of her popularity.

It wouldn't have mattered how great her voice is or if the Kanye incident didn't happen, people would have found another reason to pick on her. A backlash was inevitable as it is for all stars who achieve an immense amount of popularity. The difference between someone who ends up being a fad vs a superstar w/ longevity is that the superstar is able to overcome the backlash. I hope she can do it as she's become one of my favorite artists.

As for the song, even if it was written a long time ago or wasn't about Kanye, by airing that incident before her performance, she made it about Kanye. What she did was basically the equivalent of an author telling the reader what all the metaphors, imagery, etc. in their literature stand for instead of letting the reader interpret it for themselves. The lyrics didn't scream Kanye but playing the video beforehand took away all speculation. I wish she would have just performed the song and let it stand on its own merit. All that did was give her detractors more fuel. I hope she doesn't do something like that again, she's above that.

[heartbreaklullaby]

to some extent, I thought Innocent also applies to herself, but the kanye thing simply overshadowed this part.

[tsr]

twitter.com/taytorswift13

Before I reexamined the username, I actually thought this was Taylor for a moment.

[BurnItUp (with Kerosene)]

I just went back to rewatch the VMA performance on MTV.com, and noticed the intro is cut out. That's new, right? I swear it was up earlier when I watched it there.

[Joe1240]

Taylor Swift's Post-VMA Plan
Following her 'Innocent' VMA performance, singer is gearing up for the release of her third album, Speak Now.
By James Dinh

Fresh off the heels of her much-talked-about performance at the 2010 Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift is about to take the rest of the year by storm after a relatively low-key summer. The 20-year-old is gearing up for the release of her new album, Speak Now. And if "Innocent," the song she debuted at Sunday's VMAs, is any indication of her upcoming material, Swift scorners should beware: She may be singing about you.

"For me, I write everything that I live, so you've got to give yourself a little bit of time to live a lot of things so you can write about a lot of things. And my only option is to write about what I've been through and what I've lived," Swift told fans of her new album. "Each song is a different confession to a different person, and I'm very excited for you to hear them."



The album may not be out until October 25, but the singer has already given fans a taste of her new music with the release of the first single, "Mine," which many have said conveys a more mature lyrical vision. The songstress chose Roman White (who also directed "You Belong With Me" and "Fifteen") to direct the clip, which depicts Swift and her lover from their first interaction through their marriage. The song, which the singer says is about "finding someone who would make you believe in love and realize that it could work out," had a bright start due to her ever-dependable fanbase.

In early August, "Mine" made history as the singer became only the second female artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut multiple songs ("Mine" and "Today Was a Fairy Tale") in the top five within a one-year time frame.

But the songstress hasn't just been working on her album. Swift also made time this past year for some other important priorities. During the days immediately following the catastrophic Nashville floods, the country superstar helped her hometown by donating $500,000 and later performing as part of the Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery charity concert. "Being at home during the storm, I honestly could not believe what was happening to the city and the people I love so dearly," Swift wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Nashville is my home and the reason why I get to do what I love. I have always been proud to be a Nashvillian, but especially now, seeing the love that runs through this city when there are people in crisis."

Despite her role in the movie "Valentine's Day," Swift told MTV News earlier this year that she's staying clear of the acting gigs for now and remains focused on her music, saying, "I'm not making movies right now. I'm making music. That's always been my number-one love."

One question many ponder is whether or not the teen sensation will be able to match the sales and critical reception of 2008's Grammy-winning album Fearless. Some have even predicted that Swift may be the one to shake up the current state of the music industry with U.S. debut week sales of 1 million units.

"It feels like if anybody can do it now, she could be the one," Will Botwin, president/CEO of Red Light Management and ATO Records told Billboard. "She has the sales base and heat from the last few albums. And with all the amazing things she has going on, she is as likely as anybody to reach a million units, especially with the efforts of Big Machine and Universal behind her."

Until then, Swift will continue her media blitz for the release of Speak Now, which hits stores October 25. The songstress is reportedly set to hit the stage the same day of her album drop for a performance on the "Today" show and will also grace the November cover of Glamour magazine.


www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647829/20100914/swift__taylor.jhtml

[neally]

Taylor Swift's VMA Performance: Experts Analyze 'Innocent'
'Sometimes forgiveness is the sweetest revenge,' one expert says.

By Gil Kaufman

Revenge is a dish best served cold — unless you're country darling Taylor Swift, in which case you warm that dish up in the microwave and slather some honey on it before you fling it into the world.

We've spoken to fans and Swift's fellow Video Music Awards attendees to gauge their reactions to her new song, "Innocent," which she debuted at the big show Sunday night. Now, we turn to some music-industry experts to get a sense of whether Swift succeeded in exacting sweet revenge on Kanye West for last year's VMA incident.

Veteran country-music journalist and CMT editorial director Chet Flippo said he was not at all surprised by the way Taylor handled herself at the show. "Everyone was waiting to see how she would do it, and that's what she does: She writes songs based on what's going on in her life," Flippo said of the ballad, which mixed forgiveness and pathos with a touch of pity. "It's not unique. Some of the best country music writers do that, but typically those songs are self-directed and not about someone else."

Flippo said Swift's ability to address her feelings about a real person in an artful way puts her in the tradition of such country legends as Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams — who also occasionally wrote openly about others — while placing her in the minority of most contemporary country songwriters. "There aren't many writers today who do that, because there's so much co-writing in Nashville done with old-timers, and they tend to deal with generalities," he said. "Especially on songs that are written to be country hits, which tend to be uptempo and happy."

Though the tune fell flat with some critics, Flippo said it resonated with Swift's audience, and with him. "For me, the song works," he said. "Three's a section where it could be interpreted to be about herself on Grammy night when she had pitch problems, but obviously most of it is directed at Kanye, and I think it worked because a lot of her fans didn't like her being attacked, and they wanted to see something done about it. It's her effective way of addressing it. Sometimes forgiveness is the sweetest revenge, and it's what she achieved."

Jeff Rabhan, chair of recorded music and an arts professor at NYU's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, agreed with Flippo that Swift achieved sweet revenge in the song but said she also did something else that was important for her. " I think if you're Taylor or if you were watching, where she shines is onstage, and it was wise of her to shape her response to this situation musically," said Rabhan, a 20-year veteran of the music business who has worked with everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Lil' Kim, Linkin Park and Jennifer Lopez. "It showed tremendous maturity to use that as a forum, rather than doing an interview or going online, rather than giving that quick reaction."

He also liked how she delivered the comeback in an artistic, entertaining way that kept the message positive and professional, which he said was a very smart move. "That's the safest, smartest position and the best position she should take," he said.

And, most importantly of all, by waiting to comment and doing it in song one year to the day of the incident, and on a night when West would also be performing, Swift and her team shrewdly capitalized on the still-simmering hype about the 2009 bum-rush. "The comparison that comes to mind is the Dixie Chicks," Rabhan said of the country trio, who waited almost three years to release "Not Ready to Make Nice," a response song to the venom they faced after singer Natalie Maines made critical comments about then-president George W. Bush.

"It felt like, 'We've all moved on except for you,' " he said of the reaction to the Chicks' biting song. "I don't think people have moved past this one, and they were waiting for a response, and it was very effective." As for the "Innocent" lyrics, Rabhan said they were interesting in that they put the blame squarely on West for setting himself up for ridicule ("I guess you really did it this time/ Left yourself in your war path/ Lost your balance on a tightrope/ Lost your mind trying to get it back").

"She talks about how when you're a kid, things are easier, because your parents can help you out, but when you're an adult, you have no one else to blame but yourself and there are repercussions," he said of lines referring to "lunch box days" and a pointed lyric about being "32 and still growing up now."

The forgiveness, he noted, comes in the line in which she sang, "Who you are is not what you did/ You're still an innocent," which he said "is about how we all have our moments." From a musical standpoint, Rabhan said the song was just OK, but that wasn't really the point.

"It accomplished everything it needed to," he said. "She didn't need a hit, she needed to get a message across, and she did."

www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647823/20100914/swift__taylor.jhtml

[heartbreaklullaby]

^a very good read.

It showed tremendous maturity to use that as a forum, rather than doing an interview or going online, rather than giving that quick reaction.

[SHOOTER]

I like the read.

[Mack]

Sept 15, 2010 0:57:21 GMT -5 Joe1240 said:

Despite her role in the movie "Valentine's Day," Swift told MTV News earlier this year that she's staying clear of the acting gigs for now and remains focused on her music, saying, "I'm not making movies right now. I'm making music. That's always been my number-one love."

I'm glad to hear that. I hate it when my favorite singers branch out into acting or something else and neglect their music.

[fullonrainstorm]

Sept 14, 2010 7:34:49 GMT -5 @drag27 said:

Sept 14, 2010 0:13:04 GMT -5 Cerbius said:

400k seems rather low. I mean, this is the same fanbase that got "Mine" to #1 in less than 6 hours. We'll see, I guess.

I just think she's peaked in popularity. Not even her "fanbase" could get Fifteen to win @ the VMAS. She will still outsell the majority but I think in terms of popularity, she has peaked.

Just an insight into the prevailing sentiment in Taylor's fanbase:almost no one in her forums wanted her to be nominated for the VMAs since 1)they thought the Fifteen video sucked in comparison to her previous videos 2)they didn't want her exposed to charges of overexposure and 3)thought MTV nominated her just to use her to increase viewership ratings.

No one was surprised or disappointed about Taylor not winning.

Talk to them however about their anticipation for Speak Now and it's a very different picture."Through the roof" would be an understatement.Especially after the Innocent performance.

[maria4hitz]

Talk to them however about their anticipation for Speak Now and it's a very different picture."Through the roof" would be an understatement.Especially after the Innocent performance.

That's true. I'm not a member of any Taylor forum, but a lot of people (including me) have said here that they want to listen to Speak now even more after the Innocent performance. If the song, which is really good, is any indication of what the album's going to be like, then I'm sure it'll be an excellent album.