A few days ago in Nashville, Taylor Swift announced that the re-recording of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be released on July 7th. This immediately caused uproar amongst the “Swiftie” community due to how highly anticipated the album is. Fans have expected this album, or the release of another Swift album, “1989,” for months now. During Swifts Nashville show night 1, the “Speak Now” announcement flooded the big screens and the fans were overjoyed.
In honor of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), it’s important to reevaluate the original songs and tracklist. Originally released in October of 2010, the standard edition consisted of 14 songs about naivety, heartbreak, and falling in love.
Though it’s hard and controversial to rank this album, as a fellow Swiftie whose favorite album is “Speak Now,” I consider myself equipped to attempt.
(Time Magazine)
Starting at 14th place, track 11, “Innocent”. As amazing and tragic as “Innocent” is, compared to the rest of the songs on the album, unfortunately, is bottom tier. Despite this, the message is extremely important which is about how easy it is to mess up when you are younger as opposed to when you’re an adult and how you have to forgive yourself for the mistakes you make.
(Speak Now World Tour on Youtube)
Next at 13th place is track 10, “Better Than Revenge.” As much of a banger as this song is, in comparison to the rest of the songwriting on the album, this song doesn’t measure up. This song got lots of negative attention following its release due to the “slut shaming” that appears in the lyrics. Swift writes in the song about her love being stolen by another girl and claims, “She’s better known for the things that she does/ On the mattress.” This negative message isn’t the whole reason this song is this low on my ranking, but it definitely doesn’t help.
(Never Grow Up Vevo music video)
At 12th place is track 8, “Never Grow Up.” This particular song is perfect for older siblings and has been expressed in that community as especially relatable. The song is about Swift advising a child who is eager to get older and make their own decisions to take their time. Being the younger sibling, I didn’t connect to this song as much as a lot of other “Swifties” did.
(Wikipedia)
In 11th place is track 6, “Mean.” The nostalgia that comes from this song transports me back to kindergarten and elementary school. It pains me to put the song so low but in comparison to the rest of the album, it’s not as well written. I’ll never not like this song and be transported back to my earlier years, but nostalgia can only take you so far when ranking one of the best Taylor Swift albums.
(Sparks Fly Vevo music video)
In 10th place is track 2, “Sparks Fly.” This song captures the feeling of young love in a way that’s so important to many listeners. The chorus of the song is arguably one of Swift’s catchiest. The song will stay in your head for days, years when it comes to me. The lyrics, though good, aren’t the strongest on the album, and thus why it’s ranked at 10th.
In 9th place is track 1, “Mine.” Without a doubt, this song was a strong and great choice for the opener to the album. Much like lots of Swift’s writing, especially shown in the album before this one, “Fearless,” the songs tell a story. “Mine” is an example of this by painting a couple who gets older and starts facing the issues of being adults but never loses the love they shared. There’s a noticeable perspective change towards the end of the song that makes the writing even better. This song is just a case of being great, but not as great as others on the album.
(Wikipedia)
In 8th place is track 7, “The Story of Us.” This song once again inspires so much nostalgia for me and other “Swifties” who listened to the radio in 2010. Swift sets this song up like a book and sings “next chapter” after every section of the song. The song talks about a couple who are slowly leading up to a fallout. The writing on this song is genius and keeps the listener engaged in each “chapter.”
(Wikipedia)
In 7th place is track 4, the title track, “Speak Now.” Once again Swift tells a great story with the song by describing herself interrupting a wedding. This song as the title track was without a doubt the right choice and gives the listener a feeling as if they could stop a wedding if they wanted to.
(Wikipedia)
In 6th place is track 3, “Back to December.” It was so hard ranking this song due to the childhood-like connection I have to it. The love I feel for this song is immense. I’ve never felt more nostalgic than when I hear the first three notes of this song. The lyrics, the regret, everything about this song is so special. Swift writes many songs about her heart being broken, but rarely, especially at the time this album was released, had she written songs about being the heartbreaker. The song bridge of this song is so powerful and makes everyone feel for Twilight’s Taylor Lautner (the supposed inspiration for this song).
(Youtube “Speak Now Tour”)
In 5th place is track 14, “Long Live.” The storytelling in this song is insane. Swift arranges words and feelings into a fairytale-like song that captures the audience like a children’s book. The song details a relationship that blossomed and how fate often gets in the way of love. “Long Live” is truly one of Swift’s best-written songs.
In 4th is track 13, “Last Kiss.” I truly wish I could put this song higher due to its incredible and unforgettable bridge. The song is heartbreaking and perfect for those who recently went through a breakup or loss of some sort. The lyricism in the song is perfection and the sadness within Swift’s voice reaches the listener in a deeper way. The song goes through Swift reflecting on the love she shared with someone else and how she never thought it would end until it did. This was once my favorite song on the album and only recently have other songs surpassed it.
In 3rd place is track 9, “Enchanted.” This song, with help from the app “Tiktok,” is probably the most popular song on the album, and deservedly so. With it being the only song of “Speak Now” that’s on Swift’s permanent setlist, it’s special. This beautifully detailed song about meeting someone special for the first time and hoping they aren’t already romantically involved with someone has a special place in many “Swiftie’s” hearts. This song has evoked a sense of belief in me of “love at first sight,” it deserves top 3 without a doubt and is a perfect song to scream in the car with your friends.
In 2nd place is track 12, “Haunted.” This song has to be the most underrated song on the album if not of all of Swift’s songs. The instrumentals on this song are unmatched and some of the best I’ve ever heard from Swift. The song opens with powerful strings and the energy stays throughout the song. Swift takes a more subtle rock as well as a pop idea with this song and it turns out better than anyone could imagine. This song was a breakthrough moment for Swift and introduced a more alternative side of her that never left after this album.
(Billboard)
Finally, drum roll please….in 1st place is… track number 5, “Dear John.” This song is absolutely breathtaking. I can barely find the words to describe how tragically written this song is. Widely known for being about singer-songwriter, John Mayer, and his relationship with Swift when she was 19 and he was 32, this song has a whole other level of sadness. Personally, I believe Swift’s voice is the most vulnerable it’s ever been in this song and it makes it such a hard song to listen to, but so incredibly perfect. This is arguably one of her best songs ever and deserves more attention. Swift has previously said this song brings back too many bad memories which is why she hasn’t and might not perform it live. Despite this, there couldn’t be a song that deserves first place more.
Regardless of your view on Taylor Swift, you cannot deny her songwriting skills, and this album showcases her talents. “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” has 6 vault tracks Swift wrote during the time she wrote the rest of the album. I for one, joined by many Swift fans, am ecstatic for this “Taylor’s Version” album to come out in July.
BY: Mackenzie Frost
The Gambit 
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