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Enchanted

Speak Now (2010) | Speak Now (Taylor's Version) [2023]

“Enchanted” is track nine on Taylor’s third studio album, Speak Now (2010). It is a power ballad about infatuation with someone after first meeting them, and worrying about whether the initial feelings will be reciprocated. The song was used as the theme song for Taylor’s fragrances Wonderstruck and Wonderstruck Enchanted. The re-recording of the song, “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)”, was released on July 7, 2023, on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

Background and Lyrical Theme

“Enchanted” was written by Taylor and produced by Nathan Chapman. The lyrics feature a fairy tale undertone to describe the magic of romance, which is musically underlined by crescendos each time Taylor sings “I was enchanted to meet you”, leading up to a harmony-layred coda towards the song’s conclusion. Taylor said the bridge was her favorite part of the song because it represents her stream of consciousness when she was writing it. She revealed the story behind the song in an interview:

«I had talked to him on email before, but I had never met him. And meeting him, it was this overwhelming feeling of: I really hope that you're not in love with somebody. And the whole entire way home, I remember the glittery New York City buildings passing by, and then just sitting there thinking, 'Am I ever going to talk to this person again?' And that pining away for a romance that may never even happen, but all you have is this hope that it could, and the fear that it never will. I started writing that in the hotel room when I got back. Because it just was this positive, wistful feeling of, 'I hope you understand just how much I loved meeting you. I hope that you know that meeting you was not something that I took lightly, or just in passing.' And I think my favorite part of that song is the part where, in the bridge, it goes to a stream of consciousness of, 'Please don't be in love with someone else/Please don't have somebody waiting on you.' Because at that moment, that's exactly what my thoughts were. And it feels good to write exactly what your thoughts were in a certain moment.»

Taylor Swift

The guy in question had yet to hear the song at the time of the interview. However, Taylor added that she expects him to recognize that it’s about their brief encounter when he does hear it, as she threw in a certain word to give him a clue: “I got home, and I opened my email, and he had emailed me, and said something like, ‘Sorry I was so quiet, I was wonderstruck meeting you.’ And so I incorporated the term ‘wonderstruck’ into the song as a, ‘Hey, this one’s for you.’ ‘Cause I don’t think that he knows that I…feel this way at all. So…” She even went a step further: In the album booklet, the hidden message for the song is “A-D-A-M”.

Receiving a Public Response

The song describes Taylor’s unrealized crush on Owl City’s Adam Young and any lingering doubt about the mystery man’s identity were removed when Young responded to her song on his website. Addressing Taylor in a 2011 Valentine’s Day missive, Young confessed that he too felt sparks fly when they first met: “You are a true princess from a dreamy fairy tale, and above all, I just want you to know, I was enchanted to meet you too.” Young also attached his own version of “Enchanted” featuring a new verse at the end, which was a direct response to Taylor’s original lyrics. Taylor never replied to him (publicly, at least).

Original Album Title

Speak Now was not the original album title, as at one point Enchanted was going to be the title track. Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta told Billboard at the time: “We were at lunch, and she had played me a bunch of the new songs. I looked at her and I’m like, ‘Taylor, this record isn’t about fairy tales and high school anymore. That’s not where you’re at. I don’t think the record should be called Enchanted.” Taylor then excused herself and returned a few minutes later, having decided on the new album title, Speak Now.

Live Performances

Taylor’s first live performance of “Enchanted” was for an NBC Speak Now Thanksgiving Special, which broadcast on November 25, 2010. The TV special showcased the making of the album along with live performances on a rooftop in New York City. A few months later, Taylor included “Enchanted” on the set list for her “Speak Now World Tour” (2011–2012). For her shows on the “1989 World Tour” (2015), she included a stripped-down mashup of “Enchanted” and “Wildest Dreams” performing on a grand piano. Taylor also included “Enchanted” on select dates of her other tours. During “The RED Tour” (2013–2014), she performed “Enchanted” at shows in Denver and Portland. She further sang it as a surprise song at the “reputation Stadium Tour” show at MetLife Stadium on July 22, 2018. On “The Eras Tour” in 2023, “Enchanted” is the only song from Speak Now Taylor performs as part of the regular setlist.

Critical Reception

In a Rolling Stone review of Speak Now, Rob Sheffield commented that Taylor’s “voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer”. He included “Enchanted” among the best songs released by Taylor, highlighting the harmony-layered coda as a “coup de grace”. Alex Macpherson from The Guardian praised the song for showcasing “Swift’s instinct for capturing emotion with astonishing exactitude – right down to the dread sneaking in at the song’s close”. Slant Magazine critic Jonathan Keefe lauded the production for exhibiting Taylor’s songwriting craftsmanship, and selected “Enchanted” as one of the album’s highlights. In a ranking of Taylor’s discography, Jane Song from Paste placed “Enchanted” among the top ten best songs released by Taylor, lauding the track for her songwriting resulting in a captivating narrative.

Commercial Performance

After Speak Now was released, on November 13, 2010, “Enchanted” entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 75 and the Country Digital Song Sales chart at No. 11. It entered at No. 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. In 2014, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified “Enchanted” gold for surpassing 500,000 track-equivalent units, based on sales and on-demand streaming.

In October–November 2021, “Enchanted” experienced a popularity resurgence after it went viral on the TikTok video sharing app. In the United States, for the week of October 27, 2021, it amassed over one million streams; the following week, it gained over three million streams. The song’s unexpected popularity was part of “SwiftTok”, a hashtag for the collection of TikTok videos using Taylor’s songs. “Enchanted” peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Global 200. It reached a new peak on the Canadian Hot 100, at No. 47. The song charted on the singles charts of Australia (No. 50) and Singapore (No. 14). It reached the top ten on Billboard’s Country Streaming Songs, and entered two other Billboard’s component charts: Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs.

Fragrance Line

Not many songs can boast of having a perfume line named after them, but “Enchanted” does. Taylor teamed up with beauty company Elizabeth Arden for the fragrances called Wonderstruck and Wonderstruck Enchanted, which are both named after a line in the song. Taylor said:

«I wrote the lyric, 'I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home,' for the song 'Enchanted' about the first time you meet someone. A fragrance can help shape someone's first impression and memory of you. It's exciting to think that Wonderstruck will play a role in creating some of those memories.»

Taylor Swift

Taylor's Version

The re-recording of the song, “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” was released on July 7, 2023. In the prologue for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Taylor mentioned that the song still means a lot to her:

«I made sure to say it all in these songs. [...] It was an album that was the most precious to me because of its vast extremes. It was unfiltered and potent. [...] My most wistfully romantic [song] is 'Enchanted'.»

Taylor Swift

Upon the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” debuted and peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the week ending July 13, 2023.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
There I was again tonight
Forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity
Shifting eyes and vacancy
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

[Verse 2]
Your eyes whispered, “Have we met?”
Across the room your silhouette
Starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks
Like passing notes in secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you

[Chorus 1]
This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go
I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

[Verse 3]
The lingering question kept me up
2am, who do you love?
I wonder ’til I’m wide awake
Now I’m pacing back and forth
Wishing you were at my door
I’d open up and you would say,
“It was enchanting to meet you,
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you”

[Chorus 2]
This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go
I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don’t you let it go
I’m wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

[Bridge]
This is me praying that
This was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again
These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don’t be in love with someone else
Please don’t have somebody waiting on you
Please don’t be in love with someone else
Please don’t have somebody waiting on you