Fearless by Taylor Swift

         

Title:  Fearless   Format:  CD
ASIN:  B001EYGOEM   Artist:  Taylor Swift 
Studio:  Big Machine Records  Release Date: November 11, 2008

Artist Information:
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She is a country pop singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. After the release of her debut album Taylor Swift in 2006, the Recording Industry Association of America certified it as multi-platinum. Taylor Swift earned four Grammy Awards for her second album Fearless. By 2008, Swift became the best-selling musician of the year when her albums sold a total of four million copies. Her third album, Speak Now, was released on October 25th, 2010, and sold over one million copies in its first week.

Some of Taylor's musical influences are Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, and her maternal grandmother. Swift enjoys participating in many philanthropic endeavors. In 2007, she assisted in a campaign to protect children against online predators. She also donated $500,000 to a flood relief telethon for the victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods.

Contents:  Fearless, Fifteen, Love Story, Hey Stephen, White Horse, You Belong With Me, Breathe, Tell Me Why, You're Not Sorry, The Way I Loved You, Forever & Always, The Best Day, Change

Music Summary:
Fearless, a county pop album, topped the Billboard 200 for eleven non-consecutive weeks, which has not happened since 2000. This studio album also had the largest opening sales week in the United States in 2008 by a female artist in all music genres, and the overall fourth largest sales among all musicians. The most popular songs on the album are "Love Story",  "White Horse", and "You Belong With Me". In fact, "You Belong With Me" was nominated for a Grammy, and it's Swift's second best-selling single. The corresponding music video directed by Roman White won the 2009 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. The music itself is a combination of classic country and soft rock, which has seen a resurgence in popularity in the 1990's.

Critical Evaluation: 
On the heels of country pop music's rise to popularity, Taylor Swift represents a perfect combination of the quintessential pop star and the girl-next-door. As she was a teenager when she first came onto the music scene, adolescents are enamored with her singing talent. Swift's songs take on classic country elements such as song lyrics that tell a story over a simple melody. Swift, a songwriter herself, composes songs that she says are inspired by actual life events. For instance, the song "Forever & Always" refers to her relationship with Joe Jonas, "Hey Stephen" is about a boy she once toured with, and "Fifteen" talks about her freshman year of high school. This autobiographical spin allows her audience to closely identify with much of her music. While the straightforward lyrics and melodious music are attractive to a wide crossover audience, Swift's subtle country twang help establish her as one of country music's biggest stars.


Genre: Music, County Pop

Curriculum Ties: Music Appreciation

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14 +

Challenge Issue: none

Why I chose this item: I wanted to include a female artist in my music selection, and Taylor Swift is very popular among adolescents.

 Taylor Swift's You Belong To Me