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Love Story

Lead Single | Fearless (2008) | Fearless (Taylor's Version) [2021]

“Love Story” is the lead single of Taylor’s second studio album, Fearless (2008), and is one of her biggest hits. Taylor was inspired to write the song when she was going through a difficult situation with a boy she liked, whom she wasn’t “officially” dating. The re-recording of the song, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)”, was released on February 12, 2021, as the lead single off of Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Background and Lyrical Theme

Like most of Taylor’s songs, “Love Story” is in part 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 first draft of 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, Taylor replaced Romeo and Juliet’s original tragic conclusion with a happy ending. She said:

«I used to be in high school where you see [a boyfriend] every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t 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 said that, at first, 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 revealed that she was supposed to work on 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 eventually 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 Performance

“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 has sold more than 10 million copies in the US, making it eligible for a diamond certification from the RIAA. Nowadays, it is 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.”

Taylor's Version

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. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, a huge achievement for a 13-year old song.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I’m standing there, on a balcony in summer air
See the lights; see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know

[Pre-chorus 1]
That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you, “Please don’t go”
And I said

[Chorus 1]
“Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I’ll be waiting
All that’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby, just say, ‘Yes'”

[Verse 2]
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet, ’cause we’re dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while

[Pre-chorus 2]
Oh, Oh
Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said “Stay away from Juliet”
But you were everything to me
I was begging you, “Please don’t go”
And I said

[Chorus 2]
“Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I’ll be waiting; all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby, just say ‘Yes'”

“Romeo, save me, they’re trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it’s real
Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess
It’s a love story, baby, just say ‘Yes'”

[Bridge]
Oh, oh
I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
And I said

“Romeo save me, I’ve been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head, I don’t know what to think”
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

[Chorus 3]
“Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone
I love you, and that’s all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It’s a love story, baby, just say… ‘Yes'”

[Outro]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
‘Cause we were both young when I first saw you