Taylor.
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Post by Taylor. on Nov 1, 2010 15:05:16 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been noted already but iTunes is now offering the Complete My Album feature for this. $8.83 to purchase the rest of the album.
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Post by jumpupandburst on Nov 1, 2010 15:15:18 GMT -5
love those rumors! can't wait to hear/read the final numbers!! whatever it is, it's a success!!!
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Post by passionformusic on Nov 1, 2010 15:24:25 GMT -5
prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/albumreviews/speaknowALBUM REVIEW: Taylor Swift – Speak Now 84 — [Rating Scale] The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. It was only a few days ago when I first discovered mine. I found myself bewildered, ashamed, and more than a bit unsettled. This kind of thing happens to regular people. Philistines, actually. I, however, am sophisticated, erudite, a Man of Good Taste. But, denial is futile. (As is resistance, it turns out.) So, in the spirit of the truth setting me free, I’ll say it: I love the new Taylor Swift album. I’m being facetious, of course. Not about my high admiration for Speak Now – that’s very real – but about the implied notion that there should be at least a dash of shame added to the enjoyment of twangy pop songs about boys whose names end with the letter “Y.” If you need the modifier “indie” slathered over the word “pop” to make it palatable, stop reading now. If layers of irony, distortion, and/or electronic beats are required to swallow a catchy melody, this review, and this album, is not for you. The rest of us will be perfectly happy to feast on Speak Now’s bounty of pleasures without you. In 2006, while her 16-year-old peers were spending their free time trying to get laid, high, or, at the very least, a perfect GPA, Taylor Swift was busy crafting a brilliant country-pop tune called “Tim McGraw.” Using the eponymous country star as a totem for nostalgia was a masterstoke, a winking, postmodern novelty that instantly distinguished Swift from the chaff regularly spat out by the mechanized Harvester of Pop also known as Nashville. The rest of Swift’s self-titled debut had a few songs that matched “Tim McGraw” – the banjo-driven, middle-finger flip of “Picture to Burn,” the searing “Should’ve Said No,” and the spirited hillbilly anthem “Our Song” – but as a whole, it was more endearing than it was accomplished. On her excellent 2008 follow-up, Fearless, Swift delivered a record-shattering pop behemoth, albeit one with a country accent. It redefined her as a precocious geek, an outsider hero looking in. “You Belong With Me” exemplified Swift’s new persona, and its accompanying video earned her the award that prompted Kanye West’s ridiculously ballyhooed VMA stunt. (Which is nonsensically “addressed” in the otherwise great Speak Now track “Innocent.”) Too much has been written about Speak Now’s supposed tell-all confessions, particularly the details of Swift’s failed celebrity relationships. Though her record company, Big Machine, is mostly to blame, the music media haven’t exactly turned away from such an obvious marketing ploy. Sensationalism will sell records, but it distracts from the fact that Speak Now is, song for song, Swift’s strongest album. What difference does it make if “Dear John” is about John Mayer or some fictional John Doe? Or that “Back to December” may or may not be about that Teen Wolf who shares a first name with Swift? I know, Speak Now is just a pop album, which means it will get more attention from US Weekly than it will from Pitchfork, but Swift deserves better. Speak Now is a career-defining album. It not only lacks a dud, but it also reminds you that a radio hit can be held to a higher standard and still exceed expectations. The album’s first single and opening track, “Mine,” firmly plants Swift in the fertile ground between Shania Twain and Kelly Clarkson, though closer to the latter. Swift’s marriage of pop and rock, with just a bit of country, is effortless and thrilling. Lean verses lead to explosive and exuberant choruses, with one impeccably crafted melody following another. “Sparks Fly” may be your absolute favorite song right now, but “Mean” or “Better Than Revenge” will surely replace it in a couple of days. The album suffers from a couple of flaws common to most pop albums. It’s exactly two tracks too long: “Enchanted” and “Last Kiss,” fine songs both, slow down the pace of the record. The far-superior acoustic versions of “Back to December” and “Haunted,” found on the deluxe edition of the album, underscore the fact that most of these songs are heavy with too many tracks of instrumentation. Still, griping about a pop album’s overproduction is like complaining that rap music is too misogynistic or that experimental music is too weird. Well, duh. Speak Now was solely written by Taylor Swift, which seems completely insane. The impressive popcraft of these fourteen songs could have been created by a small army of career songwriters. Well done, Ms. Swift. Speak Now is a well-earned tiara atop of Taylor Swift’s blonde tresses, an album that deserves to sell zillions of records. As it no doubt will.
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Mark
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Post by Mark on Nov 1, 2010 15:34:22 GMT -5
Does anyone happen to have a link to the full episode of Ellen today? I thought it was on a 4pm here, but it's on at 11am. I'd really love to see it though.
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Post by jumpupandburst on Nov 1, 2010 15:42:27 GMT -5
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nightshade
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Post by nightshade on Nov 1, 2010 15:54:48 GMT -5
prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/albumreviews/speaknowALBUM REVIEW: Taylor Swift – Speak Now 84 — [Rating Scale] The album suffers from a couple of flaws common to most pop albums. It’s exactly two tracks too long: “Enchanted” and “Last Kiss,” fine songs both, slow down the pace of the record. It is not two tracks long. Enchanted is so perfect.
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Post by Carriefan1190 on Nov 1, 2010 15:55:44 GMT -5
^I agree with you 1000%. I listen to that song over and over and over and it never gets old. It's a beautifully written song.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2010 15:57:25 GMT -5
prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/albumreviews/speaknowALBUM REVIEW: Taylor Swift – Speak Now 84 — [Rating Scale] The album suffers from a couple of flaws common to most pop albums. It’s exactly two tracks too long: “Enchanted” and “Last Kiss,” fine songs both, slow down the pace of the record. It is not two tracks long. Enchanted is so perfect. I understand criticisizing Last Kiss but Enchanted is definetely one of the highlights of the album. If it had a 4 minute remix, it could definetely be a successful single.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Nov 1, 2010 15:59:13 GMT -5
Last Kiss is now my favorite on the album. At one point towards the end she sounds like if she's fighting back tears and it KILLS me.
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Taylor.
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Post by Taylor. on Nov 1, 2010 16:00:28 GMT -5
Last Kiss is now my favorite on the album. At one point towards the end she sounds like if she's fighting back tears and it KILLS me. The "you can plan for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind. So..." part gets me. Every. Time.
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Post by Carriefan1190 on Nov 1, 2010 16:01:51 GMT -5
My favorites are: Enchanted, Last Kiss, The Story of Us, Innocent, Back To December and Haunted.
Last Kiss makes me think of me and my boyfriend. Even though we haven't broken up. lol.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2010 16:02:10 GMT -5
Sparks Fly has quickly become one of my favourites. I swear: my favs for this album keep rotating .
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Post by jumpupandburst on Nov 1, 2010 16:06:03 GMT -5
^yay more sparks fly fans!!!
enchanted...long live...sparks fly...they so stand out!!
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Mark
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Post by Mark on Nov 1, 2010 16:11:46 GMT -5
Sparks Fly has quickly become one of my favourites. I swear: my favs for this album keep rotating . Agreed! I keep thinking I have my favs figured out, but the next day they change. Current top 5: Sparks Fly Back to December Enchanted Long Live If This Was a Movie
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👑 Eloquent ™
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Post by 👑 Eloquent ™ on Nov 1, 2010 16:15:18 GMT -5
Last Kiss is now my favorite on the album. At one point towards the end she sounds like if she's fighting back tears and it KILLS me. Yes. That's why "Last Kiss" has been one of my favorites since the album leaked. The song may not be extremely melodic (which is probably why it doesn't rank high on most people's lists), but its the most emotive vocal on the album. <3
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Post by jumpupandburst on Nov 1, 2010 16:27:03 GMT -5
^during the chorus to "Last Kiss," there's a part where I thought she sounded like Miley:
"Never imagined we'd end like this;" towards the end...
it's a great song that never gets old because it doesn't drone a pop lullaby over and over again. it is in perfect harmony...but i feel it's overshadowed by "Long Live" and "Enchanted."
i really like the tracks toward the beginning and end of her album....a lot of great tracks near the back end!
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Gravity.
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Post by Gravity. on Nov 1, 2010 17:31:53 GMT -5
Last Kiss is now my favorite on the album. At one point towards the end she sounds like if she's fighting back tears and it KILLS me. Last Kiss is now my favorite on the album. At one point towards the end she sounds like if she's fighting back tears and it KILLS me. The "you can plan for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind. So..." part gets me. Every. Time. These. "Last Kiss" is so vulnerable and beautiful. I love it. Tay legend.
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Rurry
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Post by Rurry on Nov 1, 2010 17:35:42 GMT -5
That's how I feel about Never Grow Up, I love the emotion in the last chorus. TBH, I haven't really listened to Last Kiss since I first listened to the album because it didn't grab me - perhaps I should give it another shot.
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Gravity.
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Post by Gravity. on Nov 1, 2010 17:37:49 GMT -5
That's how I feel about Never Grow Up, I love the emotion in the last chorus. TBH, I haven't really listened to Last Kiss since I first listened to the album because it didn't grab me - perhaps I should give it another shot. You definitely should give it another shot. It's one of my favorites. My top five (as of today, probably changing tomorrow): 1. Dear John 2. Better Than Revenge 3. Never Grow Up 4. Last Kiss 5. Enchanted
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r.enato
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Post by r.enato on Nov 1, 2010 18:29:34 GMT -5
My top five (as of today, probably changing tomorrow): 01. Back To December 02. Dear John 03. Last Kiss 04. Enchanted 05. Mine
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Rurry
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Post by Rurry on Nov 1, 2010 18:32:57 GMT -5
1. Mean 2. Never Grow Up 3. Better Than Revenge 4. The Story of Us 5. Back to December
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Post by jumpupandburst on Nov 1, 2010 18:37:48 GMT -5
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maria4hitz
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Post by maria4hitz on Nov 1, 2010 19:29:31 GMT -5
I love the reviews for this album Thanks for posting!
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mrossp24
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Post by mrossp24 on Nov 1, 2010 19:51:51 GMT -5
This album hasn't gotten old at all yet...in fact, i'm listening to it more now than when it was first released. I really hope the predictions of it selling over 1 million are correct and she does. That would be awesome.
Top 5 right now are... 1. Enchanted 2. Dear John 3. Haunted 4. Better Than Revenge 5. Long Live
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r.enato
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Post by r.enato on Nov 1, 2010 20:26:47 GMT -5
Who do you guys think Last Kiss and Better To Revenge are about?
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Modern Myth
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Post by Modern Myth on Nov 1, 2010 20:34:00 GMT -5
^I wish I knew what every song was about.
Where's that list of who are the songs supposed to be about?
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Post by heartbreaklullaby on Nov 1, 2010 20:40:37 GMT -5
Country Songs Hot Shot Debut No. 55 "Mean" Taylor Swift
Did Back to December debut on the country chart when it was first released?
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arti87
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Post by arti87 on Nov 1, 2010 20:42:15 GMT -5
Last Kiss: Joe Jonas Better Than Revenage: Camilla Belle
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Gravity.
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Post by Gravity. on Nov 1, 2010 20:42:41 GMT -5
Who do you guys think Last Kiss and Better To Revenge are about? Last Kiss is about Joe Jonas. In the lyric booklet, the capital letters spell out "forever and always" which was her song about him on the last album. Better Than Revenge is about either Demi Lovato or Camilla Belle. My money is on Camilla, because she "stole" Joe away from Taylor.
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r.enato
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Post by r.enato on Nov 1, 2010 20:49:22 GMT -5
Who do you guys think Last Kiss and Better To Revenge are about? Last Kiss is about Joe Jonas. In the lyric booklet, the capital letters spell out "forever and always" which was her song about him on the last album. Better Than Revenge is about either Demi Lovato or Camilla Belle. My money is on Camilla, because she "stole" Joe away from Taylor. Oh!! How cool the spelling thing, LOL! Thanks! - what are the other spelled out messages? Does anyone have a list? lol
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