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"Our Song" is the eleventh track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's self-titled debut studio album, Taylor Swift, released on October 24, 2006, through Big Machine Records. The song became the third single from the album on September 9, 2007.

Background[]

Swift self-penned "Our Song" for the talent show of her freshman year in high school with no intentions of including it on her debut album.[1] She thought to herself that to be appropriate for the talent show, the song she would write needed to be upbeat and relatable to her classmates.[2] "I wrote it about this guy I was dating, and how we didn't have a song. So I went ahead and wrote us one", she said.[3] The writing process, as with her lead single "Tim McGraw", took place in approximately twenty minutes.[3] Several months after performing it at the talent show, some of her peers approached her to inform her that they enjoyed the song she played at the talent show, singing a few lines.[2] "They'd only heard it once, so I thought, 'There must be something here!'", Swift recalled.[2] When choosing tracks to record for Taylor Swift, Swift "stood by" "Our Song", repeatedly insisting album producers to record it with her. She claimed she "knew there was something about it."[3] She concluded, "I think there's just some sort of magic in the way the track sounds like it's bouncing."[3] Swift said she desired for the song to be placed as the closing track on Taylor Swift due to its last lyrics repeating the phrase "Play it again", which she thought would subliminally request audiences to replay the album. Big Machine Records executives chose "Our Song" to be the third single from Taylor Swift, which Swift was surprised[1] yet glad about.[3] The song was released as a CD single on August 22, 2007.[4] "Our Song" was introduced to countries outside of Canada and the United States in the international version of Swift's second studio album, Fearless.

Composition[]

"Our Song" is a country music song with a length of three minutes and twenty-two seconds.[5] It is set in compound time with eight eighth notes per bar and has a moderately fast tempo of 96 beats per minute.[6] However, Sean Dooley of About.com described "Our Song" as a snappy midtempo number.[7] The song is written in the key of D major and Swift's vocals span one octave, from G3 to B4.[6] Jody Rosen of Slant Magazine considers Swift's vocal performance to be twangful.[8] It follows the chord progression D–Em7–G–A.[6] The song's instrumentation relies mainly on banjo[9] and, after the completion of the break, a violin solo arrives.[10]

The lyrics are in first person.[7] In the first verse, the protagonist realizes she and her boyfriend do not have a song of their own as he drives his car.[9][7] The young couple come to using the events in their lives in place of a regular song in the song's refrains.[9] Those events are described in sharp detail and include slamming screen doors to sneak out late.[8] Dooley identified Swift's role in "Our Song" to be a narrator.[7]

Critical reception[]

A female teen with blond hair and blue eyes, clothed by a sparkly dress, faces forward and plays a koa wood guitar.

Swift performing "Our Song" when opening for Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang Tour.

"Our Song" was met with great appraise from contemporary critics. Sean Dooley of About.com listed "Our Song" as Swift's fifth best song to date. He identified Swift's "uncanny ability, especially at such a young age, to write a compelling narrative" as the song's highlight, referencing the opening lines "I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car / He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel / The other on my heart."[7] Rob Sheffield of Blender magazine described the track as gem that hit hard.[11] Rick Bell of Country Standard Time said Taylor Swift's best efforts were Swift self-penned song, including "Our Song", which "she sings with stirring conviction."[12] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine said the song "follow[s] time-tested narrative conventions and, more often than not, build to massive pop hooks."[13] Fiona Chua of MTV Asia selected the track as a choice cut from Swift's second studio album, Fearless.[14] Kate Kiefer of Paste magazine recognized the song to be Swift's "first great hit" and believed it became many couples' song.[15] In 2008, "Our Song" was listed as a "Winning Song" by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).[16]

Chart performance[]

On the week ending October 13, 2007, "Our Song" debuted at number eighty-six on the Billboard Hot 100.[17] In the following week, the song ascended to number sixty-seven on the chart and, on the week ending January 19, 2008, reached its peak at number sixteen.[18] "Our Song" spent a total of thirty-six weeks upon the Billboard Hot 100.[18] On Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart, it debuted at number fifty-five and charted at number six on the week ending December 15, 2007.[19] In the succeeding week, the song jumped to number one on Hot Country Songs, becoming the largest leap the top position since Tim McGraw's "Just to See You Smile" in January 1998, which ascended from number six to number one.[19] The song's appearance at number one on Hot Country Songs also became Swift's first and made Swift, then eighteen, the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one country song.[20] "Our Song" remained in the top position on Hot Country Songs for six consecutive weeks, marking Swift's best-charting single on the chart and the longest-running chart-topper there since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" reigned for the same period in January 2006.[21] "Our Song" charted on Hot Country Songs for a total of twenty-four weeks.[18] The single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipment of over 2,000,000 copies.[22] On the Canadian Hot 100, "Our Song" peaked at number thirty, becoming Swift's best-charting single from Taylor Swift in Canada.[18]

Charts[]

Chart (2007—2008) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100[18] 30
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] 16
U.S. Hot Country Songs[18] 1
U.S. Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)[18] 18

Music video[]

Taylor Swift - Our Song music video

Swift seen in different scenes in the music video for "Our Song"

The accompanying music video for "Our Song" was directed by Trey Fanjoy.[23] While listening to "Our Song", Fanjoy shared her ideas for a music video with Swift. "She had this idea for a front porch performance and then a field of flowers for another performance, then a black-and-white performance shot. It all came together in her head. She was able to translate that so well onto film. It just shows what a truly great director she is", Swift informed CMT News.[1] The video begins with a shot of Swift's toenails as she paints them. Swift, casually wearing a blue tank top, white hot pants, and straightened hair is revealed to be engaging in a phone conversation in a bedroom. A cut-scene shows Swift affront a restroom mirror, which she writes the word "Love", before furtively approaching a front porch, seen in a blue dress and curly hair. Swift then sits near the edge and performs "Our Song". The scene transitions to Swift lying on a bed of flowers and wearing an orange evening gown. She holds a card that spells her first name. Then, clothed in a long, black dress, black cowboy boots, and black gloves, Swift sings with a microphone and a backup band behind her in front of a white backdrop. Throughout the remainder of the video, scenes alternate between previous settings and concludes giggling while sitting on the front porch. The video was shot on a sound stage. The video premiered on September 14, 2007, on CMT.[23] The video received a nomination for "Number One Streamed Music Video" at the web-hosted 2008 CMT Online Awards, but lost to Carrie Underwood's video for "All-American Girl".[24] At the 2008 CMT Music Awards, the video won the CMT Music Award for "Video of the Year" and "Female Video of the Year".[25] In 2019, Taylor sold roses used in the music video on her merchandise website.

Behind the scenes[]

Hidden message[]

Hidden message: Live in love.

Audio[]

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
I was ridin' shotgun with my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel
The other on my heart
I look around, turn the radio down
He says, "Baby, is something wrong?"
I say, "Nothin', I was just thinkin'
How we don't have a song"
And he says

[Chorus]
Our song is the slammin' screen door
Sneakin' out late, tappin' on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'Cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date, "Man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

[Verse 2]
I was walking up the front porch steps
After everything that day
Had gone all wrong and been trampled on
And lost and thrown away
Got to the hallway, while on my way
To my lovin' bed
I almost didn't notice all the roses
And the note that said

[Chorus]
Our song is the slammin' screen door
Sneakin' out late, tappin' on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'Cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date, "Man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again

[Bridge]
I've heard every album, listened to the radio
Waited for somethin' to come along
That was as good as our song

[Chorus]
'Cause our song is the slammin' screen door
Sneakin' out late, tappin' on his window
When we're on the phone and he talks real slow
'Cause it's late and his mama don't know
Our song is the way he laughs
The first date, "Man, I didn't kiss him, and I should have"
And when I got home, 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again
Play it again

[Outro]
I was ridin' shotgun with my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
I grabbed a pen and an old napkin
And I wrote down our song

Taymoji pack[]

Expand/collapse gallery

Awards and nominations[]

"Our Song" received 3 awards from 3 nominations.

Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2008 BMI Country Awards Award-Winning Songs Won [26]
CMT Music Awards Female Video of the Year Won [27]
Video of the Year Won

Live performances[]

Taylor-tour-4

Taylor preforming Our Song At Fearless Tour 2009-2010

She performed "Our Song" as she opened for Rascal Flatts on several dates, from October 19 to November 3, 2006, included on the Me and My Gang Tour (2006–07).[28] Swift opened the concert with the song and dressed in a black, knee-length dress and red cowboy boots with a design of a scull and cross bones across it, playing an acoustic guitar.[29] She also performed the song when she served as opening act on twenty dates for George Strait's 2007 United States tour,[30] and selected dates for Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour in 2007.[31][32] During mid-2007, Swift engaged as the opening act on several dates for Tim McGraw's and Faith Hill's joint tour, Soul2Soul II Tour (2006–07), where she again performed "Our Song".[33] Swift performed the song while she was again opening for Flatts for his Still Feels Good Tour in 2008.[34]

Swift's first televised performance of "Our Song" was on October 10, 2007, on Regis & Kelly.[35] She continued promotion for track at the 2008 Country Music Association Awards,[36] The Engine Room,[37] and a concert at the Apple Store in SoHo, New York, which was recorded and released as a live extended play (EP), iTunes Live from SoHo, exclusively sold through the iTunes Store.[38] Since completing promotion for Taylor Swift and its corresponding singles, Swift has performed "Our Song" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[9] on Studio 330 Sessions,[39] on The Today Show,[40] at the 2009 CMA Music Festival,[41] as a duet with English rock band Def Leppard on CMT Crossroads, the episode was released as a DVD exclusively through Wal-Mart stores in the United States,[42] at the 2009 V Festival,[43] and at the Australian charity concert Sydney Sound Relief.[44]

Swift performed the song on all venues of her first headlining concert tour, the Fearless Tour, which extended from April 2009 to June 2010. During each performance, she donned a sparkly cocktail dress and black, leather boots. Swift skipped across the stage performing, playing a rhinestoned acoustic guitar.[45] Jim Harrington of The San Jose Mercury News reported the song's performance at the April 11, 2010, at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California, received a large positive reaction from the audience: "Moms and daughters, as well as groups of teens and couples out for a date night, sang along with equal gusto as Swift detailed young romance in 'Our Song'."[46] Molly Trust of Billboard attended the performance at the tour's final concert on June 5, 2010, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and stated, "Swift contrasted her slower songs with intense performances of 'Forever & Always' [...] and 'Our Song'".[47]

Track listings[]

  • U.S. Maxi-CD single[4]
  1. "Our Song" (Radio Edit) – 3:27
  2. "Our Song" (Pop Remix) – 3:27
  3. "Our Song" (Album Version) – 3:22

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shelburne, Craig (April 15, 2008). "Taylor Swift Shares Story and Success of Award-Winning "Our Song"". CMT News. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1585582/taylor-swift-shares-story-and-success-of-award-winning-our-song.jhtml. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "11 Questions with Taylor Swift: No. 2". The Boot. p. 2. http://www.theboot.com/2007/11/05/11-questions-with-taylor-swift-no-2/. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Taylor Swift Proves Her Staying Power". Great American Country. Scripps Networks Interactive. August 23, 2007. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,3034,GAC_26063_5680314,00.html. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "allmusic {{{Our Song > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:f9fyxzqhldje. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  5. "allmusic {{{Taylor Swift > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gvfwxq9dldae~T0. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Digital sheet music - Taylor Swift - Our Song". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Dooley, Sean. "Top 10 Taylor Swift Songs". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://countrymusic.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/TaylorSwiftTop10Songs.htm. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Weiner, Jonah; Jody Rosen (January 28, 2010). "Track of the Week: Taylor Swift, "Today Was a Fairytale"". Slate. The Washington Post Company. http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2010/01/28/track-of-the-week-taylor-swift-today-was-a-fairytale.aspx. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Fabian, Shelly. "Taylor Swift - 'Taylor Swift'". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://countrymusic.about.com/od/cdreviewsmz/fr/TaylorSwift.htm. Retrieved January 26, 2010. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "about.com" defined multiple times with different content
  10. Fisher, Alicer (May 10, 2009). "Enough to make you scream". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/may/10/taylor-swifto2-review. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  11. Sheffield, Rob. "Fearless - Taylor Swift". Blender. Alpha Media Group. http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55348/fearless.html. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  12. Bell, Rick. "Taylor Swift review". Country Standard Time. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=3371. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  13. Keefe, Jonathan (November 16, 2008). "Taylor Swift: Fearless". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/taylor-swift-fearless/1574. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  14. Chua, Fiona (March 25, 2009). "Taylor Swift - Fearless (Asian Version)". MTV Asia. Viacom. http://www.mtvasia.com/Review/CD/C20090325001786.html. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  15. Kiefer, Kate (June 4, 2009). "Six Great Taylor Swift Songs". Paste. Paste Media Group LLC. http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/06/six-great-taylor-swift-songs.html. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  16. "Our Song (Legal Title)". BMI.com. Broadcast Music Incorporated. http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=7817964&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  17. "Hot 100: "Week of October 13, 2007"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?chartDate=2007-10-14. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 "Our Song by Taylor Swift". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/taylor-swift/our-song/8387779. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Cohen, Jonathan (December 13, 2007). "Keys Still The 'One' Atop Billboard Charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/keys-still-the-one-atop-billboard-charts-1003685079.story. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  20. "Taylor Swift No. 1 on iTunes". Great American Country. Scripps Networks Interactive. December 19, 2007. http://www.gactv.com/gac/cda/article_print/0,3008,GAC_26063_5769818_DS-ARTICLE-RIGHT-RAIL,00.html. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  21. Cohen, Jonathan (January 17, 2008). "Flo Rida's 'Low' Still Tops On Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/#/news/flo-rida-s-low-still-tops-on-billboard-hot-1003697534.story. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  22. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum: "Taylor Swift singles"". RIAA.com. Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Taylor%20Swift&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Taylor Swift - "Our Song"". CMT. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/videos/taylor-swift/177211/our-song.jhtml. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  24. "CMT Online Awards 2008: Nominees: Jessica Simpson, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, Sugarland". CMT Online Awards. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/cmt-online-awards/nominees.jhtml. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  25. "CMT Music Awards: Archives: 2008 CMT Music Awards". CMT Music Awards. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cmt-music-awards/archives/2008.jhtml. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  26. https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/hank_williams_jr_taylor_swift_casey_beathard_and_sony_atv_music_publishing_
  27. https://web.archive.org/web/20110607000011/http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cmt-music-awards/archives/2008.jhtml
  28. "Taylor Swift Joins Rascal Flatts Tour". CMT News. Viacom. October 18, 2006. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1543489/taylor-swift-joins-rascal-flatts-tour.jhtml. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  29. Smith, Bobbi. "Rascal Flatts Concert Review - Air Canada Center - November 1, 2006: Taylor Swift Opens the Show". About.com. The New York Times Company. p. 1. http://countrymusic.about.com/od/concertreviewsm1/a/RFConReview1106.htm. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  30. "Taylor Swift Joins George Straits 2007 Tour". CMT News. Viacom. November 17, 2006. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1546137/taylor-swift-joins-george-straits-2007-tour.jhtml. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  31. "Brad Paisley Plans Tour With Three Opening Acts". CMT News. Viacom. January 9, 2007. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1549598/brad-paisley-plans-tour-with-three-opening-acts.jhtml. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  32. "Brad Paisley Announces More Tour Dates". CMT News. Viacom. March 19, 2007. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1555074/brad-paisley-announces-more-tour-dates.jhtml. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  33. "Taylor Swift Joins Tim McGraw, Faith Hill on Tour". CMT News. Viacom. June 1, 2007. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1561014/taylor-swift-joins-tim-mcgraw-faith-hill-on-tour.jhtml. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  34. Fabian, Shelly. "Rascal Flatts & Taylor Swift in Concert - Sacramento, CA - April 10, 2008". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://countrymusic.about.com/od/concertreviewsm1/a/RFlattsConc08.htm. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  35. "Taylor Swift (center) with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa after performing "Our Song" and "Picture To Burn" on Live With Regis & Kelly on Oct. 10, 2007.". CMT. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/pictures/featured-photo/1536414/2626771/photo.jhtml. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  36. "2008 CMA Awards Performers". Country Music Association Awards. Country Music Association. http://www.acountry.com/music/2008_cma_awards_performers/.
  37. "Taylor Swift - Our Song Live (The Engine Room)". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. http://new.music.yahoo.com/engine-room/. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  38. "iTunes Live from SoHo by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/umbrella/id271249520?i=271249521&ign-mpt=uo%3D4. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  39. "Taylor Swift – Our Song (Studio 330 Sessions)". CMT. Viacom. http://www.cmt.com/videos/studio-330-sessions/taylor-swift/422334/our-song.jhtml?id=1617129. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  40. "Taylor Swift's You Belong with Me". MSNBC. NBC Universal. May 29, 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/30997295#30997295. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  41. "Taylor Swift "Belongs" on GAC". Great American Country. Scripps Networks Interactive. June 15, 2009. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,,GAC_26063_5944079,00.html. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  42. "CMT Crossroads: Taylor Swift / Def Leppard (Walmart Exclusive) (Music DVD)". Walmart.com. Wal-Mart. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11081246. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  43. "Oasis and Killers to headline V Festival". The New Musical Express. IPC Media. March 2, 2009. http://www.nme.com/news/nme/43140. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  44. "Sydney Relief: Sydney Info: Line-Up". Soundrelief.com.au. Sound Relief. http://soundrelief.com.au/sydlineup.php. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  45. McDonnel, Brandy (April 1, 2010). "Concert review: Taylor Swift brings "Fearless" show to Ford Center". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma Publishing Company. http://newsok.com/concert-review-taylor-swift-brings-fearless-show-to-ford-center/article/3450589?custom_click=rss. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  46. Harrington, Jim (April 12, 2010). "Review: Taylor Swift at HP Pavilion". The San Jose Mercury News. MediaNews Group. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2010/04/12/review-taylor-swift-at-hp-pavilion/. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  47. Trust, Molly (June 8, 2010). "Taylor Swift / June 5, 2010 / Foxboro, Mass". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/taylor-swift-june-5-2010-foxboro-mass-1004096153.story. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
Taylor Swift
"Tim McGraw" • "Picture to Burn" • "Teardrops On My Guitar" • "A Place in This World" • "Cold as You" • "The Outside" • "Tied Together with a Smile" • "Stay Beautiful" • "Should've Said No" • "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" • "Our Song"
Deluxe Edition
"I'm Only Me When I'm With You" • "Invisible" • "A Perfectly Good Heart" • "Teardrops On My Guitar" (Pop remix)
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