Taylor Swift Fearless Album Overview

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Fearless was released in the fall of my senior year of high school. Upon revisiting this album it was incredibly familiar to me (besides the from the vault tracks of course.) It's hard to remember how I knew all the songs. I didn't have the CD, or the album downloaded to my iPod. I have come to the conclusion that Taylor Swift must have been so popular back in the day that I heard all the songs on the radio enough times that 15 years later I can still easily recall them. 

For me Fearless really leans into the fairy tales and the fantasy. It's about being young and believing in whatever world you want to believe in. It is the space before the heartbreak. It's finding your footing and being curious and living in the moments. It's wanting to experience love for the first time. It's full of hope and optimism. And I love leaning into that space. 

It's wanting to experience love for the first time...

I'm going to jump back into these songs one by one over the course of the next few months and talk about what they all mean to me. I invite you to share your insights and what these songs mean to you. At the end of the album we will reconvene and discuss favorite songs, favorite lyrics, how this album ranks and any fun other fun facts we come across. Thanks for joining me and for sharing your voice.

Mallory Hazel
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Taylor Swift's Debut Album Wrap Up

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So I just finished listening to the whole album, taking notes, doing a write up for each song individually, and here are a few of my takeaways from this album as a whole.

First I want to address that I went into this album thinking it would just be fun silly vibes, remind me of my high school years, and generally that it would take me back but not mean much to my present self. I was incredibly wrong and very surprised how many of the songs spoke to me 15+ years later. They were empowering and vulnerable and I really really enjoyed diving deep into each song and realizing that themes like being brave and vulnerable and heartbreak and love really stand the test of time. I'm glad I went back here with an open heart because there were some real gems among these 15 songs. I am even more excited for the re-release to see what changes are made and what she adds to this collection.

5 Star Songs - Song that for me are just practically perfect no notes.
1. Tim McGraw
2. A Place in this World
3. I'm Only Me When I'm With You

The Song That Surprised Me the Most
Picture to Burn- This song was just so empowering I absolutely loved it.

Favorite Lyrics
"There's no time for tears I'm just sitting here planning my revenge... so watch me strike a match on all my wasted time."
"I don't know what I want, so don't ask me."
"Love was all you wanted."
"Take me back when our world was one block wide."

Places She Referenced
Georgia

People She Referenced
Tim McGraw, Drew, Cory, Mary

Album Ranking
1. Debut - It's the only album so for now it will hold the number one space :)
Mallory Hazel
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1.15 | Teardrops on My Guitar (Pop Version)

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Drew talks to me. I laugh cause it's just so funny.

I've already done a write up about the song Teardrops on My Guitar and since the pop version has the same lyrics I don't have too much else to add about this song. So instead of talking about what this song means to me I am going to highlight one of my favorite lines in this song. 

Let's set the stage. Taylor is singing along about this boy she loves and she says "Drew talks to me, I laugh cause it's just so funny." The way she says so funny in this song is unironically my favorite part of the song. I absolutely love it and think it is perfect in every way. It's feels right to me and I am thankful she dug deep to give us this treasure. I am very interested to see if she keeps the vibes of that line around for the rerecording. 

Feel free to share below if you agree with me on this hot take or if I'm simply way off and it's too ridiculous.

Mallory Hazel
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1.14 | A Perfectly Good Heart

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Why would you want to make the very first scar?
The first broken heart, the very first scar, it's just a part of being alive in this world. This song was an interesting listen for me. While I would say that I have felt broken-hearted before it's always been a mild case because I really struggle giving myself fully into any relationship. I'm too afraid of being hurt, and if you can keep a little bit of a separation, maybe you can avoid the pain of heartbreak. But I'll be the first to admit when you live life this way you also miss out on the joy of love. The best relationships of my life are the ones that I have been the most vulnerable in. I guess this is all to say that if you have been through real pain from a broken heart, it's likely because you have shown up in this world fully.

Although your heart "is not unbroken anymore," it was also allowed to experience a deep and fearless love. It's kind of the worst that the more you risk for the love the more love you can experience, and on the opposite side the more you risk for love the greater the pain if it doesn't work out. I think when I was younger I was more afraid of the pain, of loving something too much and losing it. I think I have carried that with me even into my adult years, it's so scary to love something so much. It is a practice for me to open myself up to love. To believe it, to seek it, to allow it into me in a real way. 

I know this song is more about someone feeling sad that they are going through heartbreak, but for me, right now, it's a reminder to risk more for love. The love of people and the love of life. While these lyrics said one thing, my listening to them communicated the message I needed. I love this about music. I love that what it means to you personally can change and transform depending on where you are in life and what you need. Even a song written by a teenager 15 years ago can still teach me something about myself years later. What a gift.
It's not unbroken anymore. How do I get it back the way it was before?
I love Taylor Swift’s music and have a deep curiosity about who it is so meaningful to so many people. If you have any thoughts about this song in particular please share it in the comments below so that me and the Swiftie community that finds this space can enjoy your insights.
Mallory Hazel
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