7 Years of Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’

Seven years ago on October 25, 2010, Taylor Swift released an album she had written all by herself and it would become her first to sell over 1M copies in the first week. That album has become one of the best in country music and one of the most brilliant. It’s a piece of art that will stand the test of time with its brave emotion, skillful songwriting, and fearlessness to wear her heart on her sleeve. Speak Now is a compilation like none you have heard before.

There’s something beautiful about the rawness that comes from knowing Swift’s heart during this era. It was special and beautiful and magical. Nothing was hidden as she wore it all on her sleeve in songs like “Dear John,” “Last Kiss,” and “Haunted”. There was no stopping the force of Taylor Swift and her brave and brilliant mind. While she had two albums prior, Speak Now was one of the most defining albums of Swift’s country music career.

The album debuted at No.1 on the U.S Billboard 200, giving Swift her second consecutive chart-topper. Speak Now went to become the fifth biggest debut in history for a female artist after selling 1,047,000 copies in its first week. It also went to make history for claiming the biggest one-week sales for an album by a country artist. The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA and has sold well over 6 million copies to date. Speak Now is also the tenth best selling album of all time.

"I actually wrote all the songs myself for this record. It didn’t really happen on purpose, it just sort of happened. Like, I’d get my best ideas at 3:00 am in Arkansas, and I didn’t have a co-writer around and I would just finish it.” – Taylor Swift"

Swift covers everything from heartbreak to love to experience growing up on songs like “Never Grow Up,” “Mine,” and “Story of Us”. Each track portrays a story, effortlessly penned in Swift fashion. It also includes some of the best power ballads in the modern day era including the fan favorite “Enchanted”.

Something magical was instilled into the Speak Now era that will never be forgotten. There was hope, love, and a sense of bravery when Swift encouraged us all to not wait but to speak now. It left a burning message for all of us that still sticks with us to this day. Speak Now was beautiful, incredible, and magical. It was something that will never be forgotten.