Love Story

Like most of Taylor’s songs, this song is based on a real experience. It was written about a love interest of her’s who was not popular among her family and friends. She wrote the song in 20 minutes on her bedroom floor after she had an argument over this boy with her parents. Because of the scenario, Taylor related to the plot of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (1597) and used it as a source of inspiration to compose the song. The lyrics are from the perspective of Juliet. However, she replaced Romeo and Juliet’s original tragic conclusion with a happy ending.

“I used to be in high school where you see [a boyfriend] every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t so easy for me, and I wrote this song because I could relate to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing. I was really inspired by that story. Except for the ending. I feel like they had such promise and they were so crazy for each other. And if that had just gone a little bit differently, it could have been the best love story ever told. And it is one of the best love stories ever told, but it’s a tragedy. I thought, why can’t you… make it a happy ending and put a key change in the song and turn it into a marriage proposal.” — Taylor Swift

Taylor added that the song was met with indifference from her record company and her parents, but she fought for it, which she says was a fun experience because she had something to prove. At a surprise gig in 2018, at the famous Bluebird Café in Nashville (where she was discovered), Taylor admitted that she was supposed to write the song with country writer Craig Wiseman. The two had a writing session when Taylor was seventeen, and Wiseman wasn’t interested in her ideas for the track. They wrote a different song that day, but Taylor went home and finished the song. It became one of the biggest country hits of all time. At the gig, Taylor joked: “I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea. I thought there was something to it. I really liked it.”

COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
“Love Story” was released as the lead single of “Fearless”. It peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, and at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, just weeks after its release. The song is one of the best-selling singles worldwide and one of Taylor’s signature songs.

MUSIC VIDEO
The song’s accompanying music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy, who directed the majority of Taylor’s prior videos. Taylor said the video’s plot was a timeless scenario that “could happen in the 1700s, the 1800s, or 2008.” It is a period piece that draws influences from the Medieval, Renaissance, and British Regency (1813) eras. It follows Taylor and model Justin Gaston as they meet in a university campus and imagine themselves in a prior era. The video won the CMT Music Awards for “Video of the Year,” as well as “Female Video of the Year.”

RE-RECORDING
On February 12, 2021, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” became the first official re-release from Taylor’s backcatalog following contractual disputes with music manager Scooter Braun. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in her career as she sought autonomy and freedom from a manipulative business relationship. Upon release, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” was universally acclaimed by music critics, who highlighted Taylor’s mature vocals, the enhanced instrumentation and mixing, while remaining faithful to the original recording’s emotion.