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"Speak Now" is the fourth track from the standard edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift’s third studio album, Speak Now, released on October 5, 2010, through Big Machine Records. It is also the fourth track from Swift's third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), released on July 7, 2023, through Republic Records.

Background[]

Swift said of the song:[2]

This song was inspired by one of my friends who was telling me about her childhood sweetheart, crush guy. They were kind of together in high school and went their separate ways, and it was kind of understood that they were gonna get back together. Then, she one day comes in and tells me he's getting married. He had met this girl who was just this mean person who made him completely stop talking to all of his friends, cut off his family, had him like so completely isolated. And I just, kind of randomly, was like, "So, you gonna speak now?" She was like, "What do you mean?" And I was like "Oh, you know, like storm the church, speak now or forever hold your peace? I'll go with you. I'll play guitar. It would be great." She was just kind of laughing, and later on I just was wrapping my mind around that idea of how tragic it would be if someone you loved was marrying somebody else.

Later I had a dream about one of my ex-boyfriends getting married, and it just all came together that I needed to write this song about interrupting a wedding. For me, I like to think of it as good versus evil, and this girl is so completely painted as the evil one. So this is "Speak Now."

"Speak Now" was written by Swift, as were all the tracks for the album.[3] Swift entitled the album after "Speak Now" because it fit the album's concept, each song being a different confession to a person, well.[3] "It's called Speak Now, and that pertains to the album as a concept and as an entire theme of the record more than I can even tell you", she said.[4] A 30-second clip of the song was previewed on Comcast's Xfinitytv.com on October 4, 2010.[5] "Speak Now" was released as a promotional single from Speak Now on October 5, 2010, as part of Countdown to Speak Now, an exclusive campaign launched by the iTunes Store.[6][7] On a promotional tour to promote the album "Speak Now", Taylor Swift performed "Speak Now" on The Late Show With David Letterman

In her Thanksgiving NBC special, she explained:

Real life is a funny thing you know. In real life, saying the right thing at the right moment is beyond crucial. So crucial, in fact, that most of us start to hesitate - for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately, what I've begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything. I think you deserve to look back on your life without this chorus of resounding voices saying 'I could've. But it's too late now'. So there's a time for silence, and there's a time for waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel and you so clearly know what you need to say, you'll know it. I don't think you should wait. I think you should speak now.

Composition[]

"Speak Now" is a country pop track with a length of four minutes and two seconds.[8] It has a predominant pop music composition, intertwined with various country elements.[9] The song is set in common time and has a fast tempo of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the key of G major and Swift's vocals span two octaves, from A3 to D5.[10] Swift's vocals begin in a hushed tone, gradually turn grow, and at one point belt the song's title.[11] The song features different twangy, up-and-down vocal hooks might, in similarity to "You Belong with Me".[9] It follows the chord progression G–D–Am–C.[10] The song's instrumentation is based on acoustic guitar; it eventually has its own gentle solo.[11]

In the lyrics of "Speak Now", Swift narrates about crashing her former love's wedding in attempt to win him back.[11] The opening lines acknowledge that, although out of character, Swift still in love with her ex-boyfriend and wants to make sure he does not marry the wrong girl. Throughout the song's verses, Swift sneaks in the wedding and describes her observations, such as the bride-to-be's bearing of a poofy wedding gown, her cumulative family, and an organist playing "Bridal Chorus".[9][12] In "Speak Now"'s refrains, Swift pleads her ex-boyfriend to not say his vows in order to run away with her.[11][12] The bridge has Swift responding to the priest's calling of "Speak now or forever hold your peace" before repeating the opening lines. The last refrain is altered to tell that the groom and Swift indeed run away together.[12]

Critical reception[]

Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly deemed "Speak Now" one of Swift's best songs yet. He also said, "Her expressive delivery of the lyrics makes up for any shortcomings as a technical vocalist" and that it was "expertly catchy". He concluded that he unable to stop playing the song after he heard it.[9] Bill Lamb of About.com said the song was "brilliant". He continued, "The song is sweet, funny, bratty, and edgy all at the same time. Taylor Swift remains one of our most gifted young lyricists."[13]

Chart performance[]

On the week ending October 23, 2010, "Speak Now" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight due to the sales of 217,000 digital downloads. With that week's appearance on the chart, "Speak Now" became Swift's sixth top ten debut and, therefore, set the mark that made Swift the artist with most top ten debuts in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing the five top ten entries earned by Mariah Carey from 1995 to 1998.[14] It also charted at number sixty on the Hot Country Songs Chart on the week ending October 23, 2010.[15] Elsewhere in North America, the track debuted at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100.[16] In Australia, "Speak Now" debuted at number twenty.[17]

Charts[]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart

[17]

20
Canadian Hot 100

[16]

8
New Zealand Singles Chart

[18]

34
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] 8
U.S. Hot Country Songs[19] 58

Hidden message[]

Hidden message: You always regret what you don't say.

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion
But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marrying the wrong girl
I sneak in and see your friends
And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel
And she is yelling at a bridesmaid
Somewhere back inside a room
Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry

[Pre-Chorus 1]
This is surely not what you thought it would be
I lose myself in a daydream
Where I stand and say

[Chorus]
Don't say, "Yes", run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "Speak now"

[Verse 2]
Fond gestures are exchanged
And the organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death march
And I am hiding in the curtains
It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be

[Pre-Chorus 2]
She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen
But I know you wish it was me
You wish it was me, don't you?

[Chorus]
Don't say, "Yes", run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "Speak now"

[Chorus]
Don't say, "Yes", run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
Your time is running out
And they said, "Speak now"

[Interlude]
Ooh (Run away now)
Ooh (Say a single vow)
Ooh

[Bridge]
I hear the preacher say
"Speak now or forever hold your peace"
There's the silence, there's my last chance
I stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me
Horrified looks from everyone in the room
But I'm only looking at you

[Verse 3]
I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion
But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marrying the wrong girl, ha-ha

[Chorus]
Don't say, "Yes", run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "Speak now"

[Chorus]
And you say, "Let's run away now
I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door"
Baby, I didn't say my vows
So glad you were around when they said, "Speak now"

Taymoji pack[]

Expand/collapse gallery

Live performances[]

Swift performed this song as the eighth song on the setlist of the Speak Now World Tour. During her performance, she portrayed a wedding singer with her dancers acting out the bride and groom. Swift performed "Speak Now" as the first surprise song in Tampa, Florida, on April 13, 2023, on The Eras Tour.

Trivia[]

  • While there has never been a "Speak Now" music video, most fans have said to remembering one, which could be due to Swift performing the song and acting it out on tour, and her appearance on the sitcom New Girl, where she played a character objecting to a wedding. This particular episode was recorded during the same time as the album release, adding to the illusion.

Covers[]

Wendy (Son Seung-wan) of Red Velvet covered "Speak Now".[20]

References[]

  1. https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1665767974857318401?s=20
  2. "Songs of Speak Now: Speak Now". Xfnitytv.com. Comcast. http://www.fancast.com/tv/Taylor-Swift/141083/1603972492/Songs-Of-Speak-Now%3A-Speak-Now-HD/videos. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Kreps, Daniel (July 21, 2010). "Taylor Swift Announces Third Album, 'Speak Now'". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/183729. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  4. Dinh, James (July 20, 2010). "Taylor Swift Reveals Next Album, Speak Now, Is Due October 25". MTV News. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1644110/20100720/swift__taylor.jhtml. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  5. Vena, Jocelyn (September 27, 2010). "Taylor Swift Rolling Out Speak Now Tracks Early". MTV News. Viacom. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1648777/20100927/swift__taylor.jhtml. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  6. "Speak Now - Single by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/speak-now/id396214115?i=396214117&v0=WWW-NAUS-ITSTOP100-SONGS&ign-mpt=uo%3D2. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  7. "Countdown to Speak Now". iTunes Store. Apple, Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-swift-countdown-to/id396466660. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  8. "allmusic {{{Speak Now > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://allmusic.com/album/speak-now-r1948200. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Vozick-Levinson, Simon (October 5, 2010). "Taylor Swift releases 'Speak Now' single: Like it?". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/10/05/taylor-swift-speak-now/. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Digital sheet music - Taylor Swift - Speak Now". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Lipshutz, Jason (October 5, 2010). "Taylor Swift Releases 'Speak Now' Title Track". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/taylor-swift-releases-speak-now-title-track-1004119004.story. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Vena, Jocelyn (October 5, 2010). "Taylor Swift Previews 'Speak Now'". MTV News. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1649313/20101005/swift__taylor.jhtml. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  13. Lamb, Bill (October 5, 2010). "Taylor Swift Drops Brilliant "Speak Now" Title Song From Upcoming Album and Storms the Charts". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://top40.about.com/b/2010/10/05/taylor-swift-drops-brilliant-speak-now-title-song-from-upcoming-album-and-storms-the-charts.htm. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  14. Caulfield, Keith; Pietroluongo, Silvio (October 14, 2010). "Chart Moves: 'Glee,' Mavis Staples, Stephen Colbert, 'Social Network,' Pink". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3id48ea20039ae74bdfcc9ebf4439e73c1. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  15. "Chart Highlights: Country, Dance/Club Play Songs & More". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 11, 2010. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-country-dance-club-play-1004120283.story. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Speak Now - Taylor Swift". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/taylor-swift/speak-now/22821647. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  17. 17.0 17.1 "Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Song)". Australian-charts.com. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 18, 2010. http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Taylor+Swift&titel=Speak+Now&cat=s. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  18. "Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Song)". Charts.org.nz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Taylor+Swift&titel=Speak+Now&cat=s. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  19. "Country Songs: Week of November 13, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Neilsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/charts/country-songs?chartDate=2010-11-13&order=gainer. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  20. https://youtu.be/H1C6S4HwRT4
Speak Now
"Mine" • "Sparks Fly" • "Back to December" • "Speak Now" • "Dear John" • "Mean" • "The Story of Us" • "Never Grow Up" • "Enchanted" • "Better Than Revenge" • "Innocent" • "Haunted" • "Last Kiss" • "Long Live"
Deluxe Edition
"Ours" • "If This Was a Movie" • "Superman" • "Back to December" (acoustic) • "Haunted" (acoustic) • "Mine" (Pop Mix)
Taylor's Version
"Electric Touch" (feat. Fall Out Boy) • "When Emma Falls In Love" • "I Can See You" • "Castles Crumbling" (feat. Hayley Williams) • "Foolish One" • "Timeless"
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