Revenge is a concept normally allocated for the likes of gangster movies, with mob bosses ordering hits on those who’ve done them wrong. In instances like this, violence is the only means to adequately portray their point. That or a horse’s head finding its way to someone’s bed. Take your pick.
“There’s nothing I do better than revenge,” sings country star Taylor Swift, who, on the other hand, deals with the concept of vengeance a little more differently.
Already with two monstrously popular albums behind her and the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Swift is subtly known for writing songs about those who’ve influenced her life ó and especially those who’ve played with her emotions.
On Oct. 25, Swift introduced her third album “Speak Now” to the world. The album takes listeners on a 14-track emotional ride unparalleled by any of her previous compilations, showing a drastically matured artist hidden behind a 20-year-old persona.
Basing a majority of her songs off of personal experiences, Swift adjusts her music as she gets older. On “Speak Now,” the tribulations of a young adult are clear. The notions of remorse, innocence and, of course, revenge, are infused in the overall feel of the album that can only authentically be felt in listening to it all at once; and believe me ó you’ll want to.
By starting off with a revamped and guitar-laden version of the single”Mine,” Swift† proves that she is indeed the† queen of the catchy Country/Pop genre.
While this song may be one of the most popular on the album and garner most of the radio time, it only gets better after this.
“Back to December” also released as a single a few weeks before the album’s scheduled premier, is rumored to be an apology to ex-boyfriend and tweenage heartthrob Taylor Lautner.
In it, she pours her heart out ó detailing some of the highlights of their relationship ó and apologizes for her inability to see how great he was. To my knowledge, this song plants itself as one of the only apologetic Swift songs. Normally she reprimands ó here she cries.
Two tracks later, Swift returns to her unapologetic roots in the number, “Dear John.”
In it, she throws her alleged love-interest John Mayer under the bus, singing, “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young/To be played/By your dark, twisted games/When I loved you so.”
All the while, she throws in some JohnMayer-esque guitar in the background as if to prove to him she’s got skills, too.
The stories, however, don’t stop there. In “Better Than Revenge,” Swift is thought to detail how exactly former boyfriend Joe Jonas was snatched from her grasp by actress Camilla Belle. Even worse, it’s rumored that Jonas broke up with her in a 27-second phone call.
“She took him faster than you can say sabotage,” Swift sings in one of the opening verses. “She’s an actress/But she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.” Yeah ó it’s safe to say Swift is getting a hang of this whole “revenge” concept.
Other highlights include such upbeat songs such as “The Story of Us,” the hauntingly beautiful narrative “Enchanted,” and the surprisingly self-loathing and passionate symphonic track “Haunted.”
While retaliation is slowly becoming the signature of a Swift album, one could classify her style as a more powerful means of revenge.
Instead of telling off her foes one-on-one, she captures their faults in poetic fashion and provides nothing but melodious harmonies that make her audience agree with her. Swift is what’s good about the music industry, and her album shows her capacity to deal with life’s joys and pitfalls.