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

[Joe1240]

Love the preview of "Mean". Can't wait to hear the full song tomorrow.

[musicintervention]

Heard on the radio today that some are predicting a million in the first week, hasn't happened since Lil Wayne in 2008. Here is a article...

Taylor Swift: Could 'Speak Now' sell a million in a week?

Nearly everyone agrees that Taylor Swift‘s third album, Speak Now, is destined to be a hit. The only question is how big. Some people are openly raising the possibility that Speak Now could sell as many as one million copies in its first week — a feat no one has accomplished since Lil Wayne in 2008. Could she really pull this off? The Music Mix found out what a few retail experts have to say.

“I would expect it to be probably the best-selling record of the year for any artist,” says Rob Baker, head of the music department at Nashville’s Great Escape, where Swift herself has been known to shop. Great Escape mostly sells vinyl LPs and used CDs, but Speak Now is one of the few new CDs they’ll be stocking. “If the Beatles put out a new record, we’d be carrying that one too,” Baker jokes. He wouldn’t be surprised to see this one hit the million mark: “Anything’s plausible. I’d say there’s a high probability.”

Across town at Nashville’s Ernest Tubb Record Shop, store manager Stephen Bowen says customers have been asking about Speak Now “quite regularly,” especially the younger female ones. “We’re always excited about a new Taylor Swift,” says Bowen. “Each album, she gets bigger and bigger.” That said, Bowen isn’t sure the current commercial climate will allow for a million-plus debut: “I would say it will be in the hundreds of thousands, but whether it breaks a million — that would be great to hear.” His conservative first-week estimate is somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 copies sold.

Carl Mello, director of purchasing for New England’s Newbury Comics chain, agrees that instant-platinum status for Speak Now is unlikely. “If the first single ['Mine'] was a ubiquitous classic, then that could have happened,” Mello says. “The first single has reacted okay, but it doesn’t lead me to believe that [the album] will sell a million.” Instead, he’d bet on a first-week total in the mid-600,000s range, a modest step up from Fearless‘ 592,000 debut two years ago. But regardless of how well Speak Now does in its first week, Mello is confident it will remain on the charts for a long time. “The good thing looking at [Swift's] last couple of releases is that the things are usually deep with singles,” he says. “They just live on for a year and a half, selling like crazy. She’s as big of a mainstream music star as we have these days, really.”

Source

[👑 Eloquent ™]

Anyone expecting this to sell one million copies in its first week is delusional.

On a side note, I'm loving the clip of "Mean"! It sounds insanely catchy.

[danny1999]

I only hope 'Speak Now' can top album chart for at least 2 consecutive weeks
Until Susan Boyle's album out ^^

[desertfloods]

When she started talking in that preview, I thought "Mean" would be about her haters and all those backlash. Darn, I was disappointed when it turned out to be about a mean boy instead

Like the clip a lot. Much prefer her in simple country songs like this.


ETA: The cover doesn't seem to match the song.

[Kyla]

I agree with that article. I think the album HAD 1M first week potential. But she needed another huge pop smash for that to happen.

That said, I still think the sales will be higher than Fearless. 800k wouldn't surprise me. But I don't think it will do more than that.

And don't forget she'll have an extra day of sales count, since the album's released on a Monday. So that's another 50k-100k there.

[fullonrainstorm]

More behind-the-scenes footage of the Speak Now photoshoot:

[👑 Eloquent ™]

Oct 18, 2010 9:08:49 GMT -5 desertfloods said:

When she started talking in that preview, I thought "Mean" would be about her haters and all those backlash. Darn, I was disappointed when it turned out to be about a mean boy instead

I interpreted that the song was written about a particularly harsh critic.

[ListenToItTwice]

PLEASE tell me these lyrics aren't real... They are atrocious.

www.directlyrics.com/taylor-swift-better-than-revenge-lyrics.html

[Kyla]

Oct 18, 2010 12:51:42 GMT -5 👑 Eloquent ™ said:

I interpreted that the song was written about a particularly harsh critic.

Not sure why she talked so much about the critics, etc. Since that doesn't seem to be what the song is about. "What you don't know.... someday I'll be living in a big old city" sounds like this is about something/someone before she was famous.
Maybe it's another song about the 'Tell Me Why' guy.

Oct 18, 2010 12:58:44 GMT -5 ListenToItTwice said:

PLEASE tell me these lyrics aren't real... They are atrocious.
www.directlyrics.com/taylor-swift-better-than-revenge-lyrics.html

You seriously think those might be real? lol

[ListenToItTwice]

^^Lol you're right... They're so obviously a tongue-in-cheek hoax. Haha I just panicked a little when I was reading them.

[austin]

Oct 18, 2010 12:58:44 GMT -5 ListenToItTwice said:

PLEASE tell me these lyrics aren't real... They are atrocious.

www.directlyrics.com/taylor-swift-better-than-revenge-lyrics.html

HAHAHA, definitely not real, but it's HILARIOUS.

And yeah, I think the song is just another about a boy, and definitely reminds me of "Tell Me Why", but I like the clip. I am going to wait to download this one since the record is just 6 days away now.

[heartbreaklullaby]

Roughstock : Taylor Swift's upcoming "Speak Now" album is already Double Platinum with stores buying 2 million copies of the CD from her label Big Machine Records. How many copies do you think will sell next Week? 300-900 thousand, 1million or more? what's your best guess?
2 hours ago

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=104923559573360&id=339793942156

[neally]

Oct 18, 2010 13:58:07 GMT -5 heartbreaklullaby said:

Roughstock : Taylor Swift's upcoming "Speak Now" album is already Double Platinum with stores buying 2 million copies of the CD from her label Big Machine Records. How many copies do you think will sell next Week? 300-900 thousand, 1million or more? what's your best guess?
2 hours ago

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=104923559573360&id=339793942156

Wow ! The upcoming sales data for this record will be VERY interesting. Unfortunately for Taylor, any sales that are less than mind-boggling will be a bit letdown for some folks, especially after reading all of the "industry insiders" articles. That being said, I think Taylor will sell well over 500K for the first week (US alone) because of the massive previous era and because she is a worldwide superstar.

[Kyla]

I knew "Dear John" was going to be about John Mayer! But wow. :o So excited!!

Album review and track by track descriptions: new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/ourcountry/62996/taylor-swift-confronts-mayer-laments-lautner-in-new-album/

[Stephen]

Did John Mayer ... rape her? I mean, those are some loaded lyrics. Excited rn, tbh.

EDIT: I'm not sure how I feel about the line "Talking about how I can't sing" in "Mean." Seems like a bad idea, tbh.

[Typo]

She's an actress better known for the things she does on a mattress. Please tell me that's Demi Lovato shade. Please.

Seriously. Can't wait.

[Kyla]

^Or Camilla. Kinda surprised that that seems to be the only Joe song, and it's not really about him. I think she wrote a bunch of songs about him, but they were written earlier in the songwriting process, and they got bumped off by better songs that she's written more recently.

Ah!! I'm so excited. Seems like they've saved the best, and more grown-up/controversial songs.

[circadian]

"She's an actress better known for the things she does on the mattress."

"And I can see you year from now in a bar talking over a football game/With that same big loud opinion, but no one's listening/Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things/Drunk and talking all about how I can't sing"

"It was wrong/Don't you think nineteen's too young/To be played/By your dark, twisted games/When I loved you so"

Now THAT'S the kind of evolution I was expecting from this album... No more fairytale bulls**t, but something more grown-up problems and confrontations... I just hope the explicit-obvious-controversial lyrics don't backfire...

[Kyla]

Oct 18, 2010 15:45:05 GMT -5 circadian said:

Now THAT'S the kind of evolution I was expecting from this album... No more fairytale bulls**t, but something more grown-up problems and confrontations... I just hope the explicit-obvious-controversial lyrics don't backfire...

x1 million!!

And yeah, the moms of her younger fans probably won't like it. But I think she'll earn some respect from people who think she's too boring/predictable/whatever.

[freeman]

The messages that people are posting below that article are harsh man!!! Must be a lot of haters.
I'm not sure how I feel about some of those lyrics...Seems very revealing...
I guess we'll see... That line about the actress better known for the things she does on a mattress is strange, but as of now it is out of context, so I guess I'll see how I feel when I listen to the song...

[justlurkingaround]

I've gotten to the "Story of Us" description in the article and I have to say, even though I haven't even read that one yet, the album is gonna be brilliant!

[averystepfon]

:oTaylor ripped John a NEW one. This album is going to take her to higher places, the lyrics are so juicy and already have people talking.

[dbt]

Loved the album description but was sickened by some of the comments posted under it. Sounds like the great album we were expecting is going to be even better. And certain people are getting what they deserved with the lyrics.

[Rurry]

WOW. That article really increased my anticipation for this album. Sounds so good!

[justlurkingaround]

I finished reading the article but forgot to post... yeah, I still stand by what I thought having read it halfway through

[Gravity.]

Uh oh. John Mayer and Taylor Swift going at it. Both of my faves. :( I'm gonna need to change my avatar.

[Kyla]

Oct 18, 2010 17:41:47 GMT -5 Gravity. said:

Uh oh. John Mayer and Taylor Swift going at it. Both of my faves. :( I'm gonna need to change my avatar.

I love them both too. And maybe I'll change my mind when I hear the song or if John reacts to it, but right now I love it. From the lyrics that were in the article, even though there are definitely some digs, it seems more sad that mean/bitter. I think one reason that people (John fans) are reacting so strongly against it, is the way the author of the article built up the song. "Ooh, John Mayer's going to hate this album. Taylor's totally trashing him". But I didn't get that so much in the actual lyrics.

And assuming something did happen with them more than just a crush/him leading her on (if you know what I mean), then possibly 'Haunted' or 'Last Kiss' is about him as well. If that one line in "Last Kiss" means what I think it means, I'm not really sure of who else it could be about. Surely not Joe or Lautner.

[nightshade]

I'm purchasing this album and Fearless when it finally drops.
I never did and feel bad because I had wanted it since last Christmas.

This album sounds good after looking at the lyrical content that's been shown on this page.

[applechic]

The lyrics about her watching someone sleep was...creepy. I love it. The fact that she writes about her own life makes her songs much more interesting. I do hope there is more diversity in her next album. It seems like a lot of people are getting turned off because most of her songs are about boys.