I think Speak Now is probably the most honest depiction of Taylor because it shows us more of her dark side and her flaws. The drama and spontaneity encapsulate her personality really well and the hypocrisy demonstrated in songs like Mean, Better Than Revenge and Innocent makes her relatable. I'd argue it was a more realistic teenage girl/young woman perspective at the time than Fearless was.
As a newer fan.. Speak Now is amazing. Dear John? Best track 5. Haunted? Vocals are on point. Enchanted? A masterpiece. The world tour? One of her best. Can't wait for the new version. 💜💜💜
I was a casual fan but finally admitted I was a Swiftie with Midnights (I think lots of us had that happen), and I haven’t listened to Speak Now yet. Of course I know the singles (and it’s the era I first started liking HER as a celeb to follow) I’m avoiding listening to any of the stolen albums for now, mostly because I am excited and interested to have my first full play through of them be the TVs. It will give a different perspective. I didn’t know how much I’d like this one but your comment makes me excited about it!
Last Kiss came out when I was about 15 and dating a guy who’s birthday was July 9th. He passed away in 2020 and ever since then it just hits different.
I listened to taylor’s entire discography for the first time last year and I was so pleasantly surprised by speak now. It’s just so magical and the LYRICISM??? It’s actually too much for me- 😩
Aah I bet you were waiting all this time for blondie to release speak now (Taylor's version) to have the full moment and then just frustrated and just decided to do it anyway lol.
@@theswiftologist 19:38 "why should she talk badly about herself in her own art" i don't think that's an excuse for not taking the blame in your relationship, i'm not saying she should have taking all the blame but if she did do something wrong then she should take accountability for it (doesn't have to be a song). Sorry, i don't want to sound mean or anything, that's just my personal opinion😅
She really did risk it all with dear John, feel like she wasn't popular enough yet to fully be confident that it didn't backfire - I guess she got some blowback about just writing about exes all the time but still this was definitely an overall win
I love what you said about Speak Now being an immersive album. I feel like because Speak Now didn't have any radio hits, she unintentionally didn't have to appease any public interests. With songs like Last Kiss, Dear John, and even Better than Revenge, you can feel the atmosphere she is trying to express. With other albums like 1989 and especially Lover, there are songs that kind of take you away from the feeling of the listening experience.
the speak now tour was my first concert and god i still remember hearing enchanted live was such a WONDERFUL experience, and tbh before folklore and evermore came i always held onto speak now being her best album and a big favourite of mine. it's just so special
As a post-Red stan, Enchanted, Dear John & Back to December are my fave standout tracks from Speak Now! Totally agree that it’s some of her best written work. Thank you for yet another iconic video! 💖
I remember when Speak Now first came out. I really, really loved the singles, especially Mine and Back To December and never got why most people overlook this album. Haunted and Better Than Revenge were my absolute favs.
As an old Swiftie, speak now is my favorite album! (Also, while super man def isn’t my fav song, I do love that we have it since it’s where the secret message from dear John is from. I like that we know what song she’s referring to when she says “the girl who wrote you a song”
I love how you did the speak now breakdown even first than Emily and Bonny was, cause I always waiting for a speak now breakdown. Speak now means a lot to me and it's my fav album from her💜✨ SPEAK NOW STAN! WE RISE!💜 (I hope Taylor would do this justice and give the recognition it deserves on rerecording)
i feel like speak now kind of has gotten the evermore treatment, but it's my fav album of hers. it's incredible, and i've loved it since i was a kid and it first came out
You have such amazing insight. I’d love to hear you go through her albums with a TV and give your opinions on which version of each song is superior. I need more playlists! ❤
i never saw myself as a speak now stan, but enchanted is now my most listened to song of all time and im obsessed with last kiss and dear john. watching this video was my conversion
Speak now is my favourite Taylor Swift album. I think most old swifties have a special attachment to this album. I can agree that red,1989 and folklore all are better produced bodies of work but speak now will always remain my fav. I think it is an album just for the fans not for gp. It turned me from a Taylor is cool I guess person to a full blown swiftie. I disagree with the term that her songs sounded same. The production on many of these songs was different. I just don't think it's country though. The only country song on the album was mean. In my opinion, speak now is a pop punk album masquerading as a country album. Also the speak now tour??? Her best tour after 1989. The outfits from that tour are out of this world. The performances so good, the theatre theme. This era was something else. I also disagree that SN couldn't have had good singles. If she had released enchanted, haunted and better than revenge as singles with really beautiful music videos, the singles would have been pretty successful
You’re clairvoyant like Ts. I’ve gone through and rewatched a few videos of yours (anticipating the new snake podcast 2016 ep 😩) and you’ve said verbatim some lyrics from the midnights album… months and years ago you’ve said some things Ts has now said in midnights. Either you’re truly clairvoyant or she watches your vids bro
So I was aware and liked Taylor Swift as these albums came out, but I really didn't know anything about her personally/what she was going through as a person until reputation came out. So I sort of absorbed Speak Now in my own bubble and through my own experiences as I listened to the CDs on repeat (I didn't do radio, so whatever singles were released did not hit my radar, yes I lived under a rock). So Haunted and Long Live ended up being my favorites for how different Haunted sounded, and how much I wanted to go on an adventure and fight dragons (lol), which is what Long Live made me feel like. I love your videos and podcast because it helps me see what was up when I was busy being the main character in my life and not paying attention to literally anything but the songs. Not to mention I have a new appreciation for songs like Mine and Forever and Always. And potential video idea: since you've done some judging of fashion/tour outfits, I'd love an exploration/ranking of your thoughts on the different album covers (with TV and deluxe covers included because I care about if people are team purple dress or red dress).
I think Speak Now is in my top 3 Taylor albums. I was aware of her with debut and Fearless and liked her songs just fine but when Mine and Back to December came out I remember thinking "Okay she really has something special here." And I could really see her potential to continue growing as an artist and I got really excited about her career from then on. And I'm the same age as her (born in 1989) so I feel like I've grown up with her in some ways.
thank you for this! i very much enjoyed your dissection of this album. for the longest time (before folklore hehe) speak now was my all time favorite album from taylor. it didn't get the praise it deserved, especially with taylor writing this entire album herself and the very young age of 19-20. i've pretty much spent this entire day listening to Speak Now and watching her live performances from the world tour. Haunted i think has got to be my favorite song and the crazy thing is i almost forgot how freakin amazing that song actually is because its been so long since i've really listened to it. im trying to manifest the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) ASAP because i am really excited to see this album get the attention that it should've gotten over 10 years ago. PS im kinda new to your channel and i just gotta say i love the approach you take towards your videos. definitely my favorite swiftie channel. gotta check out your podcast next
Just found your channel and I really like your perspective. You seem like we would vibe so well. As a long time fan, who was 9 at the time of release, this has a special place in my heart because the world building (especially that Wonderstruck commercial omfg) just enveloped me in such a fantastical way. As I’ve grown with it it still remains my favorite (tied with 1989) and one of her best in my opinion. It captures everything that keeps me coming back, the keenness for production, lyrics, and world building throughout songs and albums. Omg also, I know she clearly doesn’t care about Speak Now as much as Red (at least not at the point in her life rn) but she’s shown she’s willing to make music videos. All I’m saying is Enchanted should get its justice…
Im a new fan (joined the fray post-evermore) and speak now is right up there for me in my favourites. I’m not really a younger generation bc I was 13 when it came out, but the only song I knew from it back then was ‘mean’ which I always thought was a tad bit cringe lol. I listened to the album through like a month or so ago and couldn’t belIEVE how good it is??? Every song bar mean, superman and innocent (and sometimes never grow up if I’m not in the mood) is just offENsive
I LOVE the song speak now specifically becuase it’s hilarious and camp. My mom used to LOVE the line “and her snotty little family all dressed in pastel” because we knew so many people like that lol.
i love your videos sm and i feel like the journalist pov makes them so great. also, kind of unrelated but you got me out of my unhealthy “taylor can do no wrong phase” which has been good for me. speak now is just so great, and it’s no surprise, but this was so fun to watch.
Speak Now has always and will always be my Desert Island disk...I could live without listening to the rest ( it would be hard )....But I just could not live with listening to Speak Now....Some of my most fav songs are on this album...Love it
Ah yes, a Speak Now breakdown! I was very excited to see a Speak Now analysis / deep dive from you, and per usual with your videos, you slayed it. Great job king! Personally, I also consider Speak Now to be one of Taylor’s greatest works, and I actually rank it second out of all of her discography, right behind Red. As you stated (I’m paraphrasing though), it’s full of whimsy, nostalgia, and grown-up motifs that she hadn’t yet explored, and I love all of those aspects from this album. Additionally, songs like Haunted, The Story Of Us, and Better Than Revenge make me crave a rock-inspired album by Taylor more than any other tracks she’s released. Maybe one day, we’ll get an album full of songs like them! Overall, Speak Now truly is an underrated album, and I understand why you call her the “undiscovered supermodel.” She is one of a kind, mesmerizing, and truly enchanting to experience. Long live the Speak Now era!
I´m a "new" swiftie (the first complete album I heard was Lover. Yes, lover) and when I was listening her discography I wasn´t so sure about the speak now album, I mean, no memorable songs (in charting sense) and I left this and debut for last. BUT, when I heard the album ?? My god I was FREAKING OUT it´s SO good In fact It´s on my top 3 now and I agree about the "closeness" between speak now and folklore/evermore. I´m hoping a release of SN TV this year but it doesn't seem very possible.. pd: I LOVE your videos, the quality and work behind each one is amazing! I dare say it's my highlight of the week! Thank you ♡
Okay I'm not a Tayvis Stan, but I was just binging your channel and saw your scale of swooning to scorning and just thought it is so accurate. How do you just know.. I'm so glad you do the work so we don't have to 🧠🤯
Thanks for a great, spot-on analysis. You are an articulate, intelligent, entertaining Swiftologist. I m certain that if you continue utilizing your many talents then you will achieve great things. Keep being you!
My galaxy brain has been working since speak now omg. Speak Now came out when I was 10 and at the time, my school was doing the scholastic book order where we got to pick and pay for random books/ packages from a catalog. Keep in mind I had only heard “you belong with me” at this point, but one of the selections to order was Speak Now, the album with some activity book and I remember begging my mom to get it for me simply because she looked like a stunning princess and I was in my Disney princess era , I don’t think I ever played it once , but I became a stan right before rep dropped and heard it then , now it’s my all time favorite swift album. So my first album of all time was speak now by taylor before I ever became a Stan, my MIND.
My aunts were swifties, and gosh, I'll NEVER forget them blasting Sparks Fly, Back To December, The Story Of Us, and Enchanted everyday. Those songs became my childhood and gave me an appreciation of Taylor's art.
Best 50 minutes of my life oh my god. This video is doing more than just justice to the legend that is speak now!!!! you will always be famous user swiftologist
I love everything you do! You are so thoughtful and eloquent and manage to put so many of my thoughts about Taylor’s psyche into perfect words I could never come up with. Your podcast and twitter are also hilarious!! I will keep up with everything you do forever so please keep it up!
This Vlog and New York Time's popcast are my favourite venues when I need to supplement my knowledge and love for Taylor. Vlog Suggestion- You can Dissect her speech when she was awarded Billboard's Woman of the Decade. a deeper understanding
YESSS I'VE BEEN EXCITED FOR THIS ONE!!! i only became a swiftie during quarantine, but to me, red has always been THE taylor swift era, but speak now will always be THE taylor swift album. speak now just has everything that makes taylor swift who she is -- it shows love from all different perspectives through amazing storytelling and lyricism the story of us is totally my stan song because while i love soo many speak now songs, i feel like the story of us is so underrated even though it has moments of lyrical GENIUS and is such a bop. its totally cheesy, but i also love the way she says "next chapter" and "the end". i will stand by this belief (and i have high hopes that the story of us tv will be AMAZING because she has the ability to go all the way off in the vocals) but there are only like two skips on this album for me (innocent and superman) and i think it just shows how the quality of the album is pretty insane?? at least 50% of this album is top tier for me and i simply cannot account for the person i will become when speak now tv is released as for how it has affected/will affect her reputation, i think it has been more overlooked by the casual fans than the stans, so i think tv could really make people realize what a masterpiece the album is. now that she has a huge following (the entire world tbh) i think it has an opportunity to really grow
I think Adam's reply to Taylor is cute I think it's nice that he responded to a romantic song so many times when you see people respond to a song about them it's often a song that is mean that people respond too
This has been in my top 2 Taylor albums since it came out. And I have to ask, do you think this album is a spring/summer album or a fall/winter one? I think it’s spring/summer but the amount of people I see saying it’s fall/winter is crazy because I just don’t see it. The only argument is back to December and haunted. Even though back to December clearly takes place after winter you even said it has a summery vibe. I feel like this album just has way more summer imagery then winter or fall. I think People just truly forget that the story starts when it was hot and it was summer.
Teenage swiftie here. Last year I ranked speak now my fifth favorite(behind folklore, evermore, red, & rep). I absolutely adore this album and would probably rank it higher now.
Actually, less that a week ago I talked with a stranger at a party in my town, it was an intimate, full of beverages party. And the conversation was short and satirical, the fact that brain was playing enchanted throw out the entire night says also something about me and my point of view, and I’m like 22 so, I feel a little ashamed of admitting it
I became a Swiftie when she released Blank Space. I went back and listened to her old discography & Speak Now IMO is her best work!! Keep up the great content 💚
My fourth grade teacher had a whole unit about bullying and we listened to Mean and watched the video every day. We had to write a whole essay about it. It will always be special bc of that.
i'm so excited to watch ur channel grow and have been here from the jump since u are so well-spoken and clearly educated and analytical omfg just wow these videos really scratch a pop culture/taylor swift itch in me hahaha cheers
so i've taken my folklore/evermore mixtape off rotation and put Speak Now on top, in preparation for TV. not making a prediction! I'm too old for that, but i enjoy watching the other swifties on the hunt.
Last kiss is like better man to me. If better man was on the original red it would’ve been 100% overshadowed by atw (tbh still was during tv era) but if it was on literally any other album it would’ve been paid its dues 🙄🙄🙄. Anyways I feel like last kiss definitely suffered from being on the same album as the wonderful mystical entity that is dear john and it’s NOT ACCEPTABLE to me that it gets NO GODAMN respect from the new stans that think daylight is peak writing.
Not a Daylight defender, it's not her best work, but I still gotta stand up for the new fans. I can never remember Last Kiss. It doesn't have a hook. I have TRIED with that song, and its magic alludes me. I wish I saw what the old shoolers see in it, because to me it's kind of bland, and I would like to love it like you do.
I was born in 1990 and am a new-ish fan. I liked her enough to actively seek out her music videos from Love Story and onwards, which was rare for me. I was aware of her as a persona, but did not keep up with the celebrity news cycle, and since I live in Sweden we didn't have the full Taylor media experience. I remember listening to Red on Spotify and not really connecting with it at the time, and when her music left Spotify I kind of tuned out. I knew her hits, and that was it. Then I slowly got back in again through the Miss Americana doc and the rep tour on Netflix, so I was kind of primed to be in her corner, and then folklore dropped and I have never looked back. All of this is to say, I had no clue about Speak Now until I started watching fandom vids like this. And I gotta say, she is not my girl. I hope I'll get on board for the re-recording, but at the moment Speak Now is battling it out with Lover and Debut in my three bottom slots. The main problem is that I can't keep these songs apart for the life of me. Last Kiss just makes me think of The Last Time and Ours gets me to Our Song or The Story of Us. I've done my due dilligence, listening through the full album a bunch, but it just doesn't stick for me. I respect the project of it though, and appreciate all the context around it. I think I might have loved it if I was there at the time. That being said, Dear John is a top five song she's ever written, it's immaculate, and I adoooore Mine. For many years that was my favourite music video in the world, and it lowkey still kind of is. I aldo really like Back to December, and Long Live has it's moments, especially the line "please tell them my name" always gets me in my feelings. Mean is kind of fun, if a little immature, and that's kind of it for me. The rest range between fine and forgetable, and Superman is a top five worst song she ever wrote. My one solid take is that I vastly prefer the standard edition over the deluxe, I don't like any of the bonus tracks. I'm not opposed to the pop country though, my top three albums are folklore, Fearless TV and Reputation. So unfortunately I'm just one of the new fans who don't get it.
Speak Now truly established Taylor's brand that she sowed the seeds for particularly in the Fearless era. Speak Now Taylor is what the general population thought of Taylor before the 2013 sexist boy crazy backlash. It was a period of mental space, perhaps that of a 21 year old, that I would argue Taylor stayed frozen as for a good 7 years. Taylor says in Right Where You Left Me that she was stuck at 23 but I'd argue it was post-Jake Speak Now era brain, so arguably 20-21.
As a fellow swiftie since fearless days, I'm really enjoying your pov although I might disagree on somethings. I've also started listening to your podcast. I think speak now is her most under appreciated album because it's more like book. There are just somethings you really have to understand to really appreciate it. It's actually a bit of precursor to folklore, a more unedited and unfiltered version. My fav tracks are enchanted, back to december, story of us. To this day I'm still waiting for Taylor to release a pop punk album.💜
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I think Speak Now is probably the most honest depiction of Taylor because it shows us more of her dark side and her flaws. The drama and spontaneity encapsulate her personality really well and the hypocrisy demonstrated in songs like Mean, Better Than Revenge and Innocent makes her relatable. I'd argue it was a more realistic teenage girl/young woman perspective at the time than Fearless was.
exactly! it's very well-rounded, you can tell she went inward
“It kinda sounds like a Fearless song”… months later Taylor puts it on Fearless.
As a newer fan.. Speak Now is amazing. Dear John? Best track 5. Haunted? Vocals are on point. Enchanted? A masterpiece. The world tour? One of her best. Can't wait for the new version. 💜💜💜
speak on it!!!!
@@theswiftologist speak now if u will
im a new fan too and i love haunted sm!
I was a casual fan but finally admitted I was a Swiftie with Midnights (I think lots of us had that happen), and I haven’t listened to Speak Now yet. Of course I know the singles (and it’s the era I first started liking HER as a celeb to follow) I’m avoiding listening to any of the stolen albums for now, mostly because I am excited and interested to have my first full play through of them be the TVs. It will give a different perspective. I didn’t know how much I’d like this one but your comment makes me excited about it!
You saying “would’ve could’ve should’ve” at 25:45 not knowing you were PREDICTING THE FUTURE
I THOUGHT THE SAME THING
OMG SWIFTOLOGIST DEFINITELY HAS CONNECTIONS INSIDE
he didnt said would could should he said the words of the song not wcs track 19
Last Kiss came out when I was about 15 and dating a guy who’s birthday was July 9th. He passed away in 2020 and ever since then it just hits different.
Taylor probably heard you and now we have a song named 'hits different'
Her best album. This album is is at the very top of my my ranking in terms of Taylor Swift albums. I lived, I laughed, I loved.
and that is your god given right Sandra dee
I listened to taylor’s entire discography for the first time last year and I was so pleasantly surprised by speak now. It’s just so magical and the LYRICISM??? It’s actually too much for me- 😩
yessss it’s incredible im so happy you delved in
Aah I bet you were waiting all this time for blondie to release speak now (Taylor's version) to have the full moment and then just frustrated and just decided to do it anyway lol.
THAT is exactly what happened. enough waiting I need to gossip.
@@theswiftologist 19:38 "why should she talk badly about herself in her own art" i don't think that's an excuse for not taking the blame in your relationship, i'm not saying she should have taking all the blame but if she did do something wrong then she should take accountability for it (doesn't have to be a song).
Sorry, i don't want to sound mean or anything, that's just my personal opinion😅
Speak Now is the thesis statement of who Taylor is as an artist and a person - there is no other album like this and may never be
I really feel like you are an underrated creator on this platform, the quality and work behind making this videos is top-notch.
that means so much to me. thank you!
She really did risk it all with dear John, feel like she wasn't popular enough yet to fully be confident that it didn't backfire - I guess she got some blowback about just writing about exes all the time but still this was definitely an overall win
SUCH a win. if it was a bad song, big risk
let out an audible gasp hearing you predict 'would've, could've, should've in relation to dear john at 25:43
I love what you said about Speak Now being an immersive album. I feel like because Speak Now didn't have any radio hits, she unintentionally didn't have to appease any public interests. With songs like Last Kiss, Dear John, and even Better than Revenge, you can feel the atmosphere she is trying to express. With other albums like 1989 and especially Lover, there are songs that kind of take you away from the feeling of the listening experience.
Exactly Jordan!! That’s why speak now feels like such a special, secret thing for the fans
Imagine if she named it Mine cus she wrote it all? 🤯
And yet she doesn't own it 😭😭😭
@@faegibb4043she will soon!!!
@@faegibb4043LMFAO ur unhinged
@@faegibb4043 oh wow............................................................
@@kevstone7652 tonight
the speak now tour was my first concert and god i still remember hearing enchanted live was such a WONDERFUL experience, and tbh before folklore and evermore came i always held onto speak now being her best album and a big favourite of mine. it's just so special
enchanted live moved mountains
@@theswiftologist IT REALLY DID !!!
As a post-Red stan, Enchanted, Dear John & Back to December are my fave standout tracks from Speak Now! Totally agree that it’s some of her best written work. Thank you for yet another iconic video! 💖
Your taste is impeccable. Thanks for watching!
I remember when Speak Now first came out. I really, really loved the singles, especially Mine and Back To December and never got why most people overlook this album. Haunted and Better Than Revenge were my absolute favs.
Mine is one of her best singles of all time imo
As an old Swiftie, speak now is my favorite album! (Also, while super man def isn’t my fav song, I do love that we have it since it’s where the secret message from dear John is from. I like that we know what song she’s referring to when she says “the girl who wrote you a song”
I love how you did the speak now breakdown even first than Emily and Bonny was, cause I always waiting for a speak now breakdown. Speak now means a lot to me and it's my fav album from her💜✨ SPEAK NOW STAN! WE RISE!💜
(I hope Taylor would do this justice and give the recognition it deserves on rerecording)
Video idea: people send in theories and you rate them on two scales how much you want it to be true and how much you think they are true
I’ll probs haven aneurysm live on camera
i feel like speak now kind of has gotten the evermore treatment, but it's my fav album of hers. it's incredible, and i've loved it since i was a kid and it first came out
screaming at you saying would’ve and could’ve at 25:54 when talking about dear john
You have such amazing insight. I’d love to hear you go through her albums with a TV and give your opinions on which version of each song is superior. I need more playlists! ❤
i never saw myself as a speak now stan, but enchanted is now my most listened to song of all time and im obsessed with last kiss and dear john. watching this video was my conversion
Speak now is my favourite Taylor Swift album. I think most old swifties have a special attachment to this album. I can agree that red,1989 and folklore all are better produced bodies of work but speak now will always remain my fav. I think it is an album just for the fans not for gp. It turned me from a Taylor is cool I guess person to a full blown swiftie. I disagree with the term that her songs sounded same. The production on many of these songs was different. I just don't think it's country though. The only country song on the album was mean. In my opinion, speak now is a pop punk album masquerading as a country album.
Also the speak now tour??? Her best tour after 1989. The outfits from that tour are out of this world. The performances so good, the theatre theme. This era was something else.
I also disagree that SN couldn't have had good singles. If she had released enchanted, haunted and better than revenge as singles with really beautiful music videos, the singles would have been pretty successful
speak now actually is a pop punk-ish album, but it's also got very pop-country songs! diverse queen
My favorite Taylor album ever since I've listened to it
You’re clairvoyant like Ts. I’ve gone through and rewatched a few videos of yours (anticipating the new snake podcast 2016 ep 😩) and you’ve said verbatim some lyrics from the midnights album… months and years ago you’ve said some things Ts has now said in midnights. Either you’re truly clairvoyant or she watches your vids bro
Yess! Again it will be a pretty good video for sure! Love to know more about speak now!💜💜💜
❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Thank youuuu for the breakdown!! So helpful for newer swifties ❤
So I was aware and liked Taylor Swift as these albums came out, but I really didn't know anything about her personally/what she was going through as a person until reputation came out. So I sort of absorbed Speak Now in my own bubble and through my own experiences as I listened to the CDs on repeat (I didn't do radio, so whatever singles were released did not hit my radar, yes I lived under a rock). So Haunted and Long Live ended up being my favorites for how different Haunted sounded, and how much I wanted to go on an adventure and fight dragons (lol), which is what Long Live made me feel like. I love your videos and podcast because it helps me see what was up when I was busy being the main character in my life and not paying attention to literally anything but the songs. Not to mention I have a new appreciation for songs like Mine and Forever and Always.
And potential video idea: since you've done some judging of fashion/tour outfits, I'd love an exploration/ranking of your thoughts on the different album covers (with TV and deluxe covers included because I care about if people are team purple dress or red dress).
will for sure do an album cover video thank you for suggesting that!!
I think Speak Now is in my top 3 Taylor albums. I was aware of her with debut and Fearless and liked her songs just fine but when Mine and Back to December came out I remember thinking "Okay she really has something special here." And I could really see her potential to continue growing as an artist and I got really excited about her career from then on. And I'm the same age as her (born in 1989) so I feel like I've grown up with her in some ways.
rewatching this with the speak now tv rumours and omg your mind at 25:40 !!! the way you just casually predicted would've could've should've
thank you for this! i very much enjoyed your dissection of this album. for the longest time (before folklore hehe) speak now was my all time favorite album from taylor. it didn't get the praise it deserved, especially with taylor writing this entire album herself and the very young age of 19-20. i've pretty much spent this entire day listening to Speak Now and watching her live performances from the world tour. Haunted i think has got to be my favorite song and the crazy thing is i almost forgot how freakin amazing that song actually is because its been so long since i've really listened to it. im trying to manifest the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) ASAP because i am really excited to see this album get the attention that it should've gotten over 10 years ago.
PS im kinda new to your channel and i just gotta say i love the approach you take towards your videos. definitely my favorite swiftie channel. gotta check out your podcast next
Enchanted 💕💫
I've been obsessed with this song since the day I heard it!
Definitely wonderstruck 🥰
Just found your channel and I really like your perspective. You seem like we would vibe so well. As a long time fan, who was 9 at the time of release, this has a special place in my heart because the world building (especially that Wonderstruck commercial omfg) just enveloped me in such a fantastical way. As I’ve grown with it it still remains my favorite (tied with 1989) and one of her best in my opinion. It captures everything that keeps me coming back, the keenness for production, lyrics, and world building throughout songs and albums. Omg also, I know she clearly doesn’t care about Speak Now as much as Red (at least not at the point in her life rn) but she’s shown she’s willing to make music videos. All I’m saying is Enchanted should get its justice…
Hahahahaha, “Scott Borachetta, may he never find peace again…” love you so 💜😂
Thank you so much for this detailed video! Love your content sm. You really need to do this with all her albums❤❤❤
Im a new fan (joined the fray post-evermore) and speak now is right up there for me in my favourites. I’m not really a younger generation bc I was 13 when it came out, but the only song I knew from it back then was ‘mean’ which I always thought was a tad bit cringe lol. I listened to the album through like a month or so ago and couldn’t belIEVE how good it is??? Every song bar mean, superman and innocent (and sometimes never grow up if I’m not in the mood) is just offENsive
PRAYING speak now is the next re-recording we get😩 also yes I have been binging all ur hour long videos, don’t mind me😂
25:42
The fact that he says this BEFORE Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve came out 😮😮😮
I LOVE the song speak now specifically becuase it’s hilarious and camp. My mom used to LOVE the line “and her snotty little family all dressed in pastel” because we knew so many people like that lol.
i love your videos sm and i feel like the journalist pov makes them so great. also, kind of unrelated but you got me out of my unhealthy “taylor can do no wrong phase” which has been good for me. speak now is just so great, and it’s no surprise, but this was so fun to watch.
thank you so much for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the content
Speak Now has always and will always be my Desert Island disk...I could live without listening to the rest ( it would be hard )....But I just could not live with listening to Speak Now....Some of my most fav songs are on this album...Love it
so true David!
Ah yes, a Speak Now breakdown! I was very excited to see a Speak Now analysis / deep dive from you, and per usual with your videos, you slayed it. Great job king!
Personally, I also consider Speak Now to be one of Taylor’s greatest works, and I actually rank it second out of all of her discography, right behind Red. As you stated (I’m paraphrasing though), it’s full of whimsy, nostalgia, and grown-up motifs that she hadn’t yet explored, and I love all of those aspects from this album. Additionally, songs like Haunted, The Story Of Us, and Better Than Revenge make me crave a rock-inspired album by Taylor more than any other tracks she’s released. Maybe one day, we’ll get an album full of songs like them!
Overall, Speak Now truly is an underrated album, and I understand why you call her the “undiscovered supermodel.” She is one of a kind, mesmerizing, and truly enchanting to experience. Long live the Speak Now era!
thank you for watching!! and yes speak now is mesmerising
definitely my fave album, this is the album that made me a swiftie, super relate during my 20s lol last kiss is my fave song of all time too...
I´m a "new" swiftie (the first complete album I heard was Lover. Yes, lover) and when I was listening her discography I wasn´t so sure about the speak now album, I mean, no memorable songs (in charting sense) and I left this and debut for last. BUT, when I heard the album ?? My god I was FREAKING OUT it´s SO good In fact It´s on my top 3 now and I agree about the "closeness" between speak now and folklore/evermore. I´m hoping a release of SN TV this year but it doesn't seem very possible..
pd: I LOVE your videos, the quality and work behind each one is amazing! I dare say it's my highlight of the week! Thank you ♡
25:43
Foreshadowing for “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve”
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO COMMENT LOL
@@EllaGrossTruffles same LOL holy
Okay I'm not a Tayvis Stan, but I was just binging your channel and saw your scale of swooning to scorning and just thought it is so accurate. How do you just know.. I'm so glad you do the work so we don't have to 🧠🤯
Thanks for a great, spot-on analysis. You are an articulate, intelligent, entertaining Swiftologist. I m certain that if you continue utilizing your many talents then you will achieve great things. Keep being you!
My galaxy brain has been working since speak now omg. Speak Now came out when I was 10 and at the time, my school was doing the scholastic book order where we got to pick and pay for random books/ packages from a catalog. Keep in mind I had only heard “you belong with me” at this point, but one of the selections to order was Speak Now, the album with some activity book and I remember begging my mom to get it for me simply because she looked like a stunning princess and I was in my Disney princess era , I don’t think I ever played it once , but I became a stan right before rep dropped and heard it then , now it’s my all time favorite swift album. So my first album of all time was speak now by taylor before I ever became a Stan, my MIND.
I’m glad that I have seen someone who likes speak now as much as I do ❤️🥺
read the comments , you’re among friends!
As always. on point and informative. love you Zack!!
UR THE BEST TAL!
My aunts were swifties, and gosh, I'll NEVER forget them blasting Sparks Fly, Back To December, The Story Of Us, and Enchanted everyday.
Those songs became my childhood and gave me an appreciation of Taylor's art.
My favourite Taylor album 💜💜💜 Red is a close second
I agree with essentially everything you said which rarely happens in the TSU : I love this take on speak now and it’s importance to her career
Best 50 minutes of my life oh my god. This video is doing more than just justice to the legend that is speak now!!!! you will always be famous user swiftologist
love u numba one tswizzle stan!
I love everything you do! You are so thoughtful and eloquent and manage to put so many of my thoughts about Taylor’s psyche into perfect words I could never come up with. Your podcast and twitter are also hilarious!! I will keep up with everything you do forever so please keep it up!
25:42 not Zachary predicting Would’ve, Could’ve Should’ve 👀
This Vlog and New York Time's popcast are my favourite venues when I need to supplement my knowledge and love for Taylor.
Vlog Suggestion- You can Dissect her speech when she was awarded Billboard's Woman of the Decade.
a deeper understanding
oooh great suggestion!
7:38 I loveee that you said that this was an impressive body of work. Totally true
YESSS I'VE BEEN EXCITED FOR THIS ONE!!! i only became a swiftie during quarantine, but to me, red has always been THE taylor swift era, but speak now will always be THE taylor swift album. speak now just has everything that makes taylor swift who she is -- it shows love from all different perspectives through amazing storytelling and lyricism
the story of us is totally my stan song because while i love soo many speak now songs, i feel like the story of us is so underrated even though it has moments of lyrical GENIUS and is such a bop. its totally cheesy, but i also love the way she says "next chapter" and "the end". i will stand by this belief (and i have high hopes that the story of us tv will be AMAZING because she has the ability to go all the way off in the vocals)
but there are only like two skips on this album for me (innocent and superman) and i think it just shows how the quality of the album is pretty insane?? at least 50% of this album is top tier for me and i simply cannot account for the person i will become when speak now tv is released
as for how it has affected/will affect her reputation, i think it has been more overlooked by the casual fans than the stans, so i think tv could really make people realize what a masterpiece the album is. now that she has a huge following (the entire world tbh) i think it has an opportunity to really grow
omg Abby what a great description - speak now is THE album and red is THE era. I’m gonna borrow that in the future
@@theswiftologist glad you agree!!
I think Adam's reply to Taylor is cute I think it's nice that he responded to a romantic song so many times when you see people respond to a song about them it's often a song that is mean that people respond too
I’m ready for class professor swiftologist. It is hours before Speak Now Taylor’s version is released and I’m ready for class, so school me!
This has been in my top 2 Taylor albums since it came out. And I have to ask, do you think this album is a spring/summer album or a fall/winter one? I think it’s spring/summer but the amount of people I see saying it’s fall/winter is crazy because I just don’t see it. The only argument is back to December and haunted. Even though back to December clearly takes place after winter you even said it has a summery vibe. I feel like this album just has way more summer imagery then winter or fall. I think People just truly forget that the story starts when it was hot and it was summer.
SUCH A DIFFICULT QUESTION. Now that I think about it, there are quite a few summery songs on this. I'd say its spring/summer for sure
That podcast sounds incredible 🐍 can’t wait to check it out bc you seem like a gold mine of knowledge
Teenage swiftie here. Last year I ranked speak now my fifth favorite(behind folklore, evermore, red, & rep). I absolutely adore this album and would probably rank it higher now.
Glad to hear you changed your mind :-)
You should do a very specific line by line analysis of original vs tv (ex. girl at home reaction, but more specific and more songs).
The fact that mine/mean, enchanted/haunted are my faves from the album says something about my point of view
Actually, less that a week ago I talked with a stranger at a party in my town, it was an intimate, full of beverages party. And the conversation was short and satirical, the fact that brain was playing enchanted throw out the entire night says also something about me and my point of view, and I’m like 22 so, I feel a little ashamed of admitting it
I am such a speak now girlie
I became a Swiftie when she released Blank Space. I went back and listened to her old discography & Speak Now IMO is her best work!! Keep up the great content 💚
the would’ve could’ve should’ve foreshadowing in this video >>>
Here after she announced Speak Now TV WOO
I felt every word, I dore this album so much and after this, I love it even more
i could listen to you talk for hoursssss
My fourth grade teacher had a whole unit about bullying and we listened to Mean and watched the video every day. We had to write a whole essay about it. It will always be special bc of that.
Speak Now is the princess and I’m a monarchist
Girl you were cracking me up in the live chat
Where I live, Mine Pop Mix is the version that opens the album and is on the standard edition
No other album can beat speak now! It owns my top 25 songs!
as it should!!
I just saw an album ranking and lover was ranked above Red and Speak Now< hold my scarf well I go cry
War crimes
Love love love Speak Now. It’s definitely in my top 3 of Taylor Swift albums
i'm so excited to watch ur channel grow and have been here from the jump since u are so well-spoken and clearly educated and analytical omfg just wow these videos really scratch a pop culture/taylor swift itch in me hahaha cheers
I’m a new(er) fan and Speak Now is my all time favourite album.
so i've taken my folklore/evermore mixtape off rotation and put Speak Now on top, in preparation for TV. not making a prediction! I'm too old for that, but i enjoy watching the other swifties on the hunt.
25:43 swiftologist knew about Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve way back in the summer of last year??
Returning to Innocent now in 2023. That song is about Taylor, no matter who she thought she was writing about at the time.
no freakig way, you predicted would've could've should've, talking about dear john 25:42
Last kiss is like better man to me. If better man was on the original red it would’ve been 100% overshadowed by atw (tbh still was during tv era) but if it was on literally any other album it would’ve been paid its dues 🙄🙄🙄. Anyways I feel like last kiss definitely suffered from being on the same album as the wonderful mystical entity that is dear john and it’s NOT ACCEPTABLE to me that it gets NO GODAMN respect from the new stans that think daylight is peak writing.
Ugh so true more respect on the last kiss legacy pls
was the Daylight slander necessary
@@edensylvester13 absolutely
Not a Daylight defender, it's not her best work, but I still gotta stand up for the new fans. I can never remember Last Kiss. It doesn't have a hook. I have TRIED with that song, and its magic alludes me. I wish I saw what the old shoolers see in it, because to me it's kind of bland, and I would like to love it like you do.
@@Elix90well you were either there or you weren’t - you either get it or you don’t 🤷
I was born in 1990 and am a new-ish fan. I liked her enough to actively seek out her music videos from Love Story and onwards, which was rare for me. I was aware of her as a persona, but did not keep up with the celebrity news cycle, and since I live in Sweden we didn't have the full Taylor media experience. I remember listening to Red on Spotify and not really connecting with it at the time, and when her music left Spotify I kind of tuned out. I knew her hits, and that was it. Then I slowly got back in again through the Miss Americana doc and the rep tour on Netflix, so I was kind of primed to be in her corner, and then folklore dropped and I have never looked back. All of this is to say, I had no clue about Speak Now until I started watching fandom vids like this.
And I gotta say, she is not my girl. I hope I'll get on board for the re-recording, but at the moment Speak Now is battling it out with Lover and Debut in my three bottom slots. The main problem is that I can't keep these songs apart for the life of me. Last Kiss just makes me think of The Last Time and Ours gets me to Our Song or The Story of Us. I've done my due dilligence, listening through the full album a bunch, but it just doesn't stick for me.
I respect the project of it though, and appreciate all the context around it. I think I might have loved it if I was there at the time. That being said, Dear John is a top five song she's ever written, it's immaculate, and I adoooore Mine. For many years that was my favourite music video in the world, and it lowkey still kind of is. I aldo really like Back to December, and Long Live has it's moments, especially the line "please tell them my name" always gets me in my feelings. Mean is kind of fun, if a little immature, and that's kind of it for me. The rest range between fine and forgetable, and Superman is a top five worst song she ever wrote. My one solid take is that I vastly prefer the standard edition over the deluxe, I don't like any of the bonus tracks.
I'm not opposed to the pop country though, my top three albums are folklore, Fearless TV and Reputation. So unfortunately I'm just one of the new fans who don't get it.
Last Kiss = Top 5 bridge , and I’ll fight that battle for the rest of my days
Maybe the best one
I can't believe that we will get to hear Dear John TV one day...
25:40 lol would’ve could’ve should’ve
speak now is my fav album and I like it way more than red.
2015 PART 2 IS COMINGG YEYY🎉🥳🥳🥳
🥰🥰🥰
No mention of this tidbit? “life is full of little interruptions” is a direct quote from Love Actually. Taylor LOVES movies
Speak Now truly established Taylor's brand that she sowed the seeds for particularly in the Fearless era. Speak Now Taylor is what the general population thought of Taylor before the 2013 sexist boy crazy backlash. It was a period of mental space, perhaps that of a 21 year old, that I would argue Taylor stayed frozen as for a good 7 years. Taylor says in Right Where You Left Me that she was stuck at 23 but I'd argue it was post-Jake Speak Now era brain, so arguably 20-21.
So true, she was definitely frozen in SN mode for a long time
Putting aside the ITWAS bridge lyrics, which song on Speak Now are you most excited to hear re recorded?
enchanted and dear John!! I think big girl vocals will shine
ok WHAT i had no idea holy ground was also about joe!!!! omg
Nothing will ever be as funny as John Mayer throwing a bitch fit over 'Dear John'.
He’s over
Proving he wasn't too old for by acting childish af
22:50 this was my secret song at ERAS and OMG the vocal growth is so real. It was so amazing and fun live
As a fellow swiftie since fearless days, I'm really enjoying your pov although I might disagree on somethings. I've also started listening to your podcast. I think speak now is her most under appreciated album because it's more like book. There are just somethings you really have to understand to really appreciate it. It's actually a bit of precursor to folklore, a more unedited and unfiltered version.
My fav tracks are enchanted, back to december, story of us. To this day I'm still waiting for Taylor to release a pop punk album.💜
so true about it being an unedited, unfiltered version of folklore