“We were both young when I first saw you,” then 18-year-old Taylor Swift sang in her 2008 hit song “Love Story.” It was — and still is — one of the most iconic intro lines in her entire discography, and even non-Swifties know this song by heart.
“Love Story” was written by Swift and released as the lead single of her second studio album, Fearless. Swift produced the song along with Nathan Chapman under Big Machine Records, and it was a major success that ultimately changed the course of her career. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even reached the top 5 across worldwide charts. On top of that, it was also the first country song to become a number-one hit on the pop charts.
Following her masters’ dispute with her former record label, its founder Scott Borchetta, and new owner Scooter Braun (who also ultimately sold it to Shamrock Holdings). In 2019, she confirmed that she plans to re-record her first five albums. Then, finally, in 2021, she re-released the song as (Taylor’s Version).
Meaning Behind the Song
In Taylor Swift’s reimagined version of Romeo and Juliet, the Shakespearean tragedy that inspired this track, no one dies.
As she explained in 60 Minutes, the story started when she was 17. At the time, she thought this one guy was amazing, but her parents didn’t want her to date him. So, she ran to her room and wrote a song about it on her bedroom floor.
For You
In an interview with the LA Times, young Swift said that she could relate to the whole story of Romeo and Juliet. “I was going through a situation like that where I could relate. I used to be in high school where you see [a boyfriend] every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t so easy for me.” She felt that, just like Romeo and Juliet, the only people who wanted them to be together were them. And that was where the line from her pre-chorus, “You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles and my daddy said stay away from Juliet,” came from.
But if there was one thing she couldn’t really relate to was the ending. So, instead of having the star-crossed lovers meet their demise, she turned it into a happy ending with a marriage proposal.
Her rerecord stayed faithful to the original release, and she even invited Caitlin Evanson to do the background vocals again. Her touring band, who has been playing the song for years, as it’s one of the staple Taylor Swift country songs on the setlist, played on this version.
Feel the magic of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” once again in the video below.
