"Should've Said No" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
for her
self-titled debut studio album (2006). The song was released to US
country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...
as the album's fifth and final single on May 19, 2008, by
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...
. Produced by
Nathan Chapman, "Should've Said No" combines
country rock
Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
,
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
, and
post-grunge
Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...
with
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
and distorted guitars. The lyrics are about Swift's contempt for a cheating ex-lover.
Music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting. "Should've Said No" was Swift's second number-one single on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart and peaked at number 33 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single was certified platinum, for exceeding one million digital copies sold, by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It entered the singles charts in Canada and New Zealand.
Swift performed "Should've Said No" live at the
43rd Academy of Country Music Awards; the performance was recorded and released as the official music video. The song was also included in the set list of her first headlining tour, the
Fearless Tour
The Fearless Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, launched in support of her second studio album, ''Fearless'' (2008). Big Machine Records announced the first 52-date North American leg in Januar ...
(2009–2010). She also sang the song as a guest star on
the Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in ...
' Burnin' Up Tour; the performance was featured in the concert film ''
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''. In 2018, she included a
mashup of "Should've Said No" and "
Bad Blood" in the set list of her
Reputation Stadium Tour
The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album ''Reputation'' (2017). The all- stadium tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, and concluded on ...
.
Background and writing
"Should've Said No" was a last-minute addition to
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's 2006
self-titled debut studio album; she wrote it two days before the album was
mastered
Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
and published and completed the track with producer
Nathan Chapman overnight.
She said she wrote it as a reaction to something "dramatic and crazy" that happened to her, and she felt that she needed "to address it in the form of music".
The first line that came to her was the title, and she wrote the
refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...
in five minutes. Swift said that many of the lyrics were based on actual words that she used when confronting her ex-boyfriend.
The whole song took her 20 minutes to compose.
Swift commented that "Should've Said No" and "
Picture to Burn
"Picture to Burn" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her self-titled debut studio album (2006). Swift and Liz Rose wrote the track, which was produced by Nathan Chapman. The song was released as the album's four ...
" are the two songs on the album that depict a vengeful attitude towards those who wronged her;
whereas "Picture to Burn" has an angry attitude, "Should've Said No" is "more of a moral statement. It's an 'I love you, we were awesome and great together, but you messed this up and I would still be with you' kinda thing. You said yes, and you should've said no."
Music and lyrics
"Should've Said No" is an
uptempo
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
country rock
Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
song
that incorporates a
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
and opens with a
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
.
Roger Holland of ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' categorized the track as
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
and said that the
country-music arrangement was minimal.
Brittany Spanos from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' remarked that "Should've Said No" stands out as a pop-rock-leaning tune in a country-music album.
In ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'',
Alexis Petridis described it as a "
post-grunge
Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...
stadium rock anthem".
Musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
James E. Perone commented that "Should've Said No" features a production incorporating textured guitars that resembles a rock
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...
, and includes elements of
American folk music
The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...
through the use of the
pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale).
Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancien ...
in the melody and the
fiddles
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, ...
in unison with other instruments.
In the lyrics, the narrator chastises a cheating ex-boyfriend and tells him that she would have forgiven him if he had said no to the girl with whom he cheated on the narrator. She has no intention to get back with him, no matter how much he pleads. Before ending their relationship, the narrator asks the ex-boyfriend, "Before you go, tell me this: Was it worth it? Was she worth this?" to which she answers herself, "No," repeatedly. Some authors remarked that the song has an empowering message to young female listeners, who listen to Swift's music to find power to control their own lives. In ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'',
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
wrote that the song is "a little vicious ... animated by something sharper than traditional teenage angst".
Release and commercial performance
"Should've Said No" was the fifth and final single from Swift's debut album.
It was released to US
country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...
on May 19, 2008, by
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by fo ...
.
An alternate version of the song was released on her extended play ''
Beautiful Eyes'' (2008). A remix was included in the international edition of Swift's second studio album, ''
Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
'', released in March 2009. In October 2019, following the
Taylor Swift masters controversy
The Taylor Swift masters controversy refers to the dispute of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift with her former record label, Big Machine Records, its founder Scott Borchetta, and new owner Scooter Braun, over the ownership of the master ...
, Big Machine Records re-released "Should've Said No", along with other singles from Swift's debut album, on limited-edition
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
.
In the United States, the single peaked at number 33 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was Swift's second number-one single on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart, following "
Our Song"; both singles were solely written by Swift.
It spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.
The song was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in 2009 and, by November 2017, had sold 1.5 million digital copies in the United States.
"Should've Said No" also charted on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
(peaking at number 67)
and the
Official New Zealand Music Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Musi ...
(peaking at number 18).
Critical reception
Roger Holland of ''PopMatters'' lauded the song's production and felt that it proved Swift's potential success beyond her country-music identity.
Chris Neal of ''
Country Weekly
''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''.
Overvie ...
'' and Jon Caramanica of ''The New York Times'' both selected "Should've Said No" as one of the best songs on Swift's debut album.
Reviewing the international edition of ''Fearless'', Fiona Chua of
MTV Asia
MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA.
History
MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...
selected the track as a highlight, lauding its upbeat production and emotional sentiments that resonated with many
tween
Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is ...
females.
New Zealand magazine ''
The Spinoff
''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...
'' Sam Brooke placed it at number five on a list of the best songs of 2009. The song was one of the 50 award-winning songs at the 2009
BMI Country Awards.
In retrospect, Ed Masley of ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...
'' considered "Should've Said No" one of the better songs in Swift's discography.
Spanos picked it as one of Swift's 10 best deep cuts, deeming it a precedent to Swift's experimentation beyond country music that would later turn her into a household name.
Jonathan Bradley from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' commented that the song's theme of anger set a precedent for some of Swift's later songs.
On a less positive side, Valerie Megan of ''
Consequence
Consequence may refer to:
* Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment''
* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior
* Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' praised the production but criticized the lyrics as clunky.
Live performances
![Taylor Swift 13 (18910808648)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Taylor_Swift_13_%2818910808648%29.jpg)
Swift included "Should've Said No" in the set list of a promotional tour for her debut album in 2008. She sang the song as the opening act to
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...
' 2008 tour. Swift performed the song live at the
43rd Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2008. The performance was recorded and later released as the song's live music video. In the video, the performance begins with Swift playing the guitar in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, and after an on-stage costume change, she is seen in a black dress. Swift sings the song and drapes her arm around the guitar player during a guitar solo. Towards the end, she performs the last lines of the song in the pouring rain onstage, and the crowd receives with a standing ovation. She also performed the song with
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...
on the Burnin' Up Tour; the performance is included in the concert film ''
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience'' (2009).
Swift included the song in the set list of her first headlining tour, the
Fearless Tour
The Fearless Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, launched in support of her second studio album, ''Fearless'' (2008). Big Machine Records announced the first 52-date North American leg in Januar ...
(2009–2010). She later performed the song on select dates of
the Red Tour
The Red Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012). The tour started on March 13, 2013, at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska and concluded on June 12, 2 ...
(
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, March 2013, and
East Rutherford
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census. , July 2013) and
the 1989 World Tour
The 1989 World Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her fifth studio album, ''1989'' (2014). Swift announced the tour's first dates in North America, Europe, Japan, and Oceania in November an ...
(
Santa Clara, August 2015). On her 2018
Reputation Stadium Tour
The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album ''Reputation'' (2017). The all- stadium tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, and concluded on ...
, she included a
mashup of "Should've Said No" and "
Bad Blood" in the set list.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
of ''
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
'' (2006).
*
Nathan Chapman – producer, additional engineering, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmony vocals
* Taylor Swift – harmony vocals
* Chad Carlson –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
, recording
* Jeremy Wheatley – additional recording engineering, additional mixing, additional programming
* Richard Edgeler – assistant engineering, assistant mixing
* Richard Adlam – additional programming
* Alexis Smith – additional programming
* Gordon Hammond – assistant engineering
* Jeff Balding –
mixing
* John Wills –
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
* Tim Marks –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
*
Nick Buda – drums
* Rob Hajacos –
fiddle
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
*
Eric Darken –
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
* Scotty Sanders –
steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
2008 singles
2006 songs
American pop rock songs
Taylor Swift songs
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer)
Big Machine Records singles
Songs about infidelity
Country rock songs
Post-grunge songs