Our Song (Taylor Swift song)
"Our Song" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Taylor Swift | ||||
from the album Taylor Swift | ||||
Released | September 10, 2007 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Big Machine | |||
Songwriter(s) | Taylor Swift | |||
Producer(s) | Nathan Chapman | |||
Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Our Song" on YouTube |
"Our Song" is a song by the American singer-songwriter
Music critics lauded Swift's songwriting on "Our Song" for incorporating conversational lyrics and a memorable
Trey Fanjoy directed the song's music video, which premiered on CMT on September 24, 2007, and won Video of the Year at the 2008 CMT Music Awards. Swift performed the song on televised programs and during many festivals, and included it in the set lists of the Fearless Tour (2009–2010) and the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012). The song was part of Swift's concerts on certain dates of the Red Tour (2013–2014), the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), and the Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Production and release
In 2004,
Months after the talent show, her classmates came up to her and recited the melody and lyrics, which made her think, "There must be something here!"
Swift's debut album was released on October 24, 2006, through Big Machine Records.
Music and lyrics
"Our Song" has narrative lyrics about a young couple's love life.
Built on a banjo
Critics debated whether "Our Song" is country music.[31] J. Freedom du Lac from The Washington Post and Nick Jones from Vulture noticed influences of hip hop and rhythmic music on the phrasing and the final refrain's compressed drums.[10][32] Maura Johnston from Pitchfork commented that apart from country-music fiddles and twang, the melody was influenced by "millennial teen pop".[33] Grady Smith from Rolling Stone selected it as one of Swift's "countriest songs", noting the instruments and Southern accent.[34] In an article for JSTOR, linguist Chi Luu argued that Swift employed a Southern accent as a means to signify her authenticity in country music. Because Swift came from an upper middle class background, which differentiated her from other female country musicians singing about overcoming hardships and poverty, the Southern accent was an important means for her early image as a country-music artist.[30] The musicologist Nate Sloan pointed to the conversational lyrics drawing on mundane daily-life experience as Swift's embodiment of country-music songwriting tropes.[31]
Critical reception
"Our Song" was one of the "Award-Winning Songs" at the 2008
Other critics praised the theme and conversational lyrics. Sasha Frere-Jones in The New Yorker was impressed by the simple phrases "so conversational that on first hearing they fly by without registering" and said the song was Swift's first to "stop [him] in [his] tracks".[20] Billboard's Deborah Evan Price deemed the conversational lyrics appealing to those who want to revisit the "tender memories of uncomplicated young love".[40] In a review for Blender, Sheffield found the narrative full of "personality and poise".[41] In Pitchfork, Johnston selected the track as one of Swift's early songwriting demonstrations for earnestly portraying teenage sentiments.[33] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian said the "snappy, self-referential lyrics" predicated Swift's success beyond country music,[42] and Hannah Mylrea from NME found the lyrics vivid.[29] In a ranking of Swift's discography, Roisin O'Connor of The Independent picked "Our Song" among her five best songs: "[Her] making a song about a song based on sounds from real-life is all kinds of perfect."[25]
Chart performance
"Our Song" was a success on country radio.[43] It reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart dated December 22, 2007, giving Swift her first chart topper.[44] The song's jump from number six to number one marked the biggest jump to the top since Tim McGraw's "Just to See You Smile" (1998), which also ascended five spots to the top.[44] With this achievement, Swift became the youngest person—17 years old at the time—to single-handedly write and sing a Hot Country Songs number one.[45] It spent six consecutive weeks at number one[46] and 24 weeks in total on the chart.[47] The success of "Our Song" on country radio turned Swift into a rising star in the genre, which had been predominantly dominated by adult male musicians in the early 2000s decade.[43]
On the all-genre
In Canada, "Our Song" peaked atop the
Music video
In the video, Swift performs in different outfits for different settings; in one scene, she performs with a glitter-encrusted guitar.
"Our Song" was the number-one video on CMT for seven weeks.
Live performances
During promotion of her debut album, Swift included "Our Song" in the set list of a US promotional tour in 2008.
Swift and English band
Swift included "Our Song" on the set list of her first headlining concert tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010);[85] she sang the song on a sparkling silver guitar, in a sparkly silver dress and boots.[86][87] The track was part of the set list for the North American and Oceanic shows for Swift's next tour, the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012); during the performance, she played the song on a banjo in front of a porch setting, dressed in white.[88][89] She sang an acoustic version of the song on select dates of her later tours, including the Red Tour (Pittsburgh, July 2013),[90] the Reputation Stadium Tour (Chicago, June 2018),[91] and the Eras Tour (Las Vegas, March 2023; Los Angeles, August 2023).[92] The song also made the concert movie released in October 2023.[93] Swift performed it a cappella after a technical malfunction during the Philadelphia concert of the Reputation Stadium Tour on July 14, 2018.[94]
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Taylor Swift (2006).[11]
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, guitar, harmony vocals
- Nathan Chapman – producer, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmony vocals, additional recording
- Chuck Ainlay – mixing
- Chad Carlson – recording
- Aaron Chmielewski – assistant engineering
- Greg Lawrence – assistant mixing
- Bruce Bouton – Dobro
- Nick Buda – drums
- percussion
- Rob Hajacos – fiddle
- Tim Marks – bass
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time chart
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[100] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[54] | Platinum | 80,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[101] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[50] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[102] Mastertone |
Gold | 500,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | September 10, 2007 | Country radio | Big Machine | [14] |
March 10, 2008 | Contemporary hit radio |
|
[15] | |
October 24, 2019 | 7-inch vinyl
|
Big Machine | [19] |
See also
- List of number-one US country singles of 2007 and 2008
- List of number-one Canadian country singles of 2007 and 2008
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Cited literature
- Perone, James E. (2017). The Words and Music of Taylor Swift. The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection. ISBN 978-1440852947.
- Sloan, Nate (2021). "Taylor Swift and the Work of Songwriting". Contemporary Music Review. 40 (1): 11–26. S2CID 237695045.
- Spencer, Liv (2010). Taylor Swift: Every Day Is a Fairytale – The Unofficial Story. ISBN 978-1550229318.