Taylor Swift By: Jennifer Lindorff

 Grew up is Wyomissing, PA. on a Christmas tree farm  Loved performing, and has been singing since she was 3  She was given a guitar by a man that came to fix her computer and she soon learned how to write music  Once her family realized her skills they moved to Nashville so she could pursue her dreams Early Years

 Received a development deal from RCA records  Learned to write songs and was watched for a year before they decided she wasn’t ready  She performed everywhere she could  In early 2005 she was discovered by Scott Bruschetta, and was signed to his label Getting Started

 Taylor Swift released her first single, “Tim McGraw,” in late 2006  By the end of the year she had released her self titled debut album which sold more than 65,000 copies the first week  Her biggest hit off that album was “Teardrops on my Guitar” First Album

 Her first single released from this album was “Love Story”  Sold 592,000 copies in the first week  A year after release it had gone triple platinum  She gained her own headlining tour from the album Second Album

 She wrote every song on this album.  Her first single, “Mine,” was leaked two week before she had planed on releasing it  During the first week of distribution it sold over 1 million copies, she was the first artist to do this in almost over a decade Third Album

 In late August of 2012 Taylor released her first single from her senior album. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”  Within 10 minute of being on iTunes it was at number one in the U.S. and the U.K  In the first week alone she beat her previous record by selling 1.2 million copies  Currently she is headlining the “Red Tour” for this album Fourth Album

 Nominated for 182 different awards, she was won 150 of them  Her most prized awards would be the 7 Grammy’s, and 3 Entertainer of the Year awards Awards

 Tim McGraw (3:55):  0:00- It gives its first notice that this is going to be a sad song because the chords are minor. You also notice that it’s a rather slow song. Another thing that gives it a hint of sadness is the lyrics are all in past tense signifying that the song is about something that has already happened. The melody uses lots of scales. First descending then ascending then back to descending giving it a bittersweet feeling.  0:27- You notice that she has written the music in such a way that the verses are all major and the chorus is in minor chords. This creates a feeling of nostalgia. When she begins her chorus the music switches from medium soft to soft. Listening Guide: “Tim McGraw”

 0:52- During the chorus you get what the song is about. You notice that it’s not a “you broke up with me and now I’m sad song,” it’s more like “you broke up with me and yeah it sucked but I’m glad it happened song.” The melody changes here also switching from scales to more of a polyphony sound bringing in harmonies and changing the phrasing.  1:24- You notice that she started adding drums into the mix and singing a little bit louder giving you the feeling that she is pleading with the guy to remember what happened. The song also begins to pick up its tempo just a little bit.  2:01- She starts to add more harmonies to the verses giving it more texture and making it sound more pleasing. She stays at a medium soft tone throughout the verses and breaks into the chorus again.  2:32- She starts the bridge to the song here. She leads up to slowly taking away instruments until it’s just her and the guitar. She begins into it soft then gradually gets louder. The harmony once again changes to a descending scale, and goes back to being soft at the end.  3:07-She sings the chorus again, but this time she draws out the notes to melody slowing it down even more. She creates emphasis on what the point of the song is; she wants him to not forget about her after he leaves.  3:35- She sings the last line of the chorus twice, “think of me” giving it the bittersweet touch. It also starts to dissipate by getting rid of the different instruments and then the song has a short moment of silence, so you can take in the message. She then ends the song with the same line that she began the song with. This makes the song feel complete.  3:55- The song ends with the simple melody of the guitar playing, leaving you with the feeling of completeness. It made the song feel whole and not like something was missing. She also draws out the last five notes of the song to give the listener extra time to process the bitter sweetness of the message.

 Fearless (4:03):  0:00- It starts with an upbeat tempo in a major key. It’s got a happy earthy sound to it. The melody begins very simple, but then grows to a more complex sound jumping notes. She begins the lyric of a girl who is on a date.  0:38- She elaborates on the story to make you believe that this could be the first date with somebody. The tempo stays the same throughout the verse. The bass and drums tend to keep the rhythm steady almost like they are a built in metronome. As she leads into the chorus she begins to add harmonies.  1:07- She begins her chorus by gradually increasing the tempo. She also adds more harmonies into the mix. She also gets to what the point of the song is in her lyrics. She wants people to believe that when she is around this person he makes her feel fearless, like she can do anything that she wants.  1:45- After her last line in the chorus she has just music playing giving us a moment to take in her message. The tempo stays the same, happy and upbeat. She gives us about three measures of this instrumental, and then begins her next verse. Listening Guide: “Fearless”

 2:07- She begins the chorus again changing the tempo just a little bit faster. She emphasizes the guy harmony a little more than the girl harmony during this chorus. Maybe to signify that it is a mutual feeling between the two. It gives the song more depth and unity.  2:32- Most of this she gives us an even longer instrumental break with a few “oh’s“ and “ah’s.” This gives the listener the longing to know what’s going to happen next. The tempo is medium fast and steady. They emphasize the sound of the guitar during this break.  3:04-She leads into the bridge strong and loud. Her lyric suggest that something dramatic is going to happen. Towards the end of the bridge she slows down the tempo and even gives us a tiny moment of silence before she says the word “fearless.”  3:24- She leads the song back into the chorus but slows the tempo down and has nothing but the drums and guitar playing really lightly. As she gets further into the chorus she begins to get louder and goes back to the steady, fast tempo. She repeats the chorus again, to emphasize the story that she is trying to tell.  4:03- The song finishes with it going back to the instrumental piece. This lets the listener think about the lyrics as she finishes the chorus. It also slows tempo towards the end. She ends the last few notes with a simple guitar riff that is happy and upbeat. This makes the song end on a happy and complete note.

 Dear John (6:46):  0:00- The very first note that she plays is an Em, giving it a minor sound. She comes in with an acoustic guitar then with the riff of an electric guitar. Her lyrics begin in past tense, signifying that the song is about something that happened to her. The tempo is very slow.  0:44- She has yet to add any other instruments to the guitars, giving the listener the feeling that the song is really on a personal level. The melody is simple, but the lyrics are more direct and harsh like she is accusing someone of doing something.  1:19- You notice that she doesn’t rush to get to the chorus she sings another verse before she begins her chorus. Her lyrics cut deep, accusing the man of basically controlling her. The tempo increases just a little toward the end of each verse. She mixes up the melody by adding an ascending the descending scale.  1:51- She begins her chorus by increasing the tempo. She uses an ascending scale then descending scale throughout the entire chorus. She also is able to use harmonies in this part as well. She still has minimal usage of instruments, but does decide to add in some drums to the chorus to give it a stronger effect of the listener.  2:33- You notice toward the end of her chorus that she begins to slow the tempo back down and gives the moment of silence before ending her sentence with “you should’ve known.” This gives the listener the feeling that she is directly blaming him for whatever happened. The lyrics tend to get darker in the next verse. It is still very slow and eerie. Listening Guide: “Dear John”

 3:12- In these verses she adds the harmonies of a man with hers. She still keeps her acoustic sound throughout the verses. She times her phrasing perfectly to give it that sad, but very true feeling. She leads into the chorus by giving us just a few moments of the guitar increasing in tempo and also in loudness.  3:38- She repeats the chorus for a second time but changes the lyrics to it, giving the listener a whole new meaning and perspective towards what happened. The tempo increases just a little. You also notice that during the chorus she sings louder and then the end gets softer, but when she repeats for the second time her last notes of the chorus are loud and clear.  4:12- She gives us a break to process what is going on by having an electric guitar solo here. It increases in tempo and creates the feeling that she is really mad that she fell for whatever his game was. After the solo it returns to the slow melody to lead into the bridge.  4:37- Her lyrics here are especially crucial to the song. She is telling him of every little thing that he did to her and how he does it to every girl that he is with. The tempo stays at a medium pace and stays steady towards the end of the bridge.  5:14- She slows down the tempo and sings really quiet as she tells him how she saved herself from his mindless game. She gives us a little pause before belting out how she is now. This creates tension and drama to the piece and get resolved because of how it ended.  5:45- As she sings the chorus to the song again she keeps the tempo up, but is singing it louder, as if to declare that she’s the one in control now not him. The guitar, bass, drums, and even harmonies also get louder with her.  6:19- She slows the song down towards the end of her chorus and takes away everything except the two guitars that she started out with. She gives the listener little moments of silence between her phrases to give them more emphasis of what is going on. She goes back to the simple, yet powerful melody.  6:46- She slows the tempo down so that it is the slowest that it has been throughout the entire song. It is just she and the acoustic guitar towards the last few lines that she sings. Her last phrase wraps the song up and summarizes everything that had happened in there relationship. The song exits with the melody played at the beginning.

 Everything Has Changed (4:05):  0:00- You start the song by hearing Ed Sheeran say “you good to go” followed by the strumming of two acoustic guitars. This gives the listener the feeling that it was originally an acoustic set up, giving the song a very earthy tone. The song is at a medium tempo and has a melody that involves a lot of scales and jumping.  0:32- The first verse is sung by Taylor talking about someone she just met and how she can’t stop thinking about them. They added some bass and drums to round out the sound, but it still has that earthy tone. The tempo stays at a medium pace.  1:19- She leads into the chorus by repeating the line “I just wanna know you better now.” As she sings this line it starts soft and gradually gets louder by the fourth time she sings the line Ed Sheeran comes in with the harmonies. They both sing the lines in the chorus. When they sing the last line to the chorus it is a’capella. Listening Guide: “Everything Has Changed”

 1:50- Ed Sheeran sings the first part of the next verse, and then Taylor comes in to finish it. Sheeran is singing from the boy’s point of view. The song begins to pick up-tempo here as well. The melody also remains the same.  2:16- This time instead Taylor singing a few lines by herself the Ed joining her. They both start the lead up to the chorus in perfect harmony. They both start soft and grow louder. The chorus begins to start and they both sing it at the same time.  2:40- The bridge begins with them singing about them wanting to know why they are always thinking about that other person. The melody here is very simple with the occasional jump. The tempo gets slowed down a little to emphasize the phrasing of the lyrics.  3:14- Ed fades out towards the end of the bridge and the music gets softer. They return to just the sound of the guitars. Taylor then sings the line before the chorus starts, very soft and breathy. It almost makes you feel like she doesn’t want the other person to know that she is thinking about them.  4:05- The chorus starts again and both of them sing it rather loud to give the lyrics emphasis. The melody goes back to how it originally was played in the first chorus. The tempo stays the same until the very end line where they sing it a’capella together. It ties the song together and makes it seem very cohesive. It also helps it end on a happy note, leaving you feeling resolved.

 She is here to stay by writing and composing very relatable songs  She is always looking forward and has a deep love of music  We can expect many great things from her as her young career continues to blossom The Future