"Speak Now" 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 ...

. It is the title track for her third studio album, ''

Speak Now ''Speak Now'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely herself within two years, while she was promoting her second studio alb ...

'' (2010), and was released for digital download as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

on October 5, 2010, 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 Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Speak Now" is an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

-driven

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

song with its

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 ...

incorporating the 1950s rock chord progression. Lyrically, the track is about a protagonist interrupting a wedding in an attempt to win her ex-lover back. Swift was inspired to write it after learning that an ex-boyfriend of her friend would marry someone else.

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 ...

lauded the narrative lyrics and production of "Speak Now"; some picked it as an album highlight. The song peaked at number eight on both 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 ...

and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, marking Swift's sixth top-ten debut on the latter and making her the first artist with six US top-ten debuts. It also charted 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 was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

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) for 500,000 US digital sales. "Speak Now" additionally reached number 20 in Australia and number 34 in New Zealand.

Background and release

American singer-songwriter

wrote all tracks on her third album, ''

'' (2010), by herself. The title track was inspired by a story of a friend of hers. This friend parted ways with her high-school boyfriend with hopes that they would rekindle in the future, but one day the friend learnt that the boyfriend would soon wed another woman. Swift recalled, "He had met this girl who's just this horrible, mean person who made him completely stop talking to all of his friends, cut off his family. She had him so completely isolated." Swift asked her friend if she would interrupt the wedding and "speak now", drawing on the saying, "Speak now or forever hold your peace." After speaking with her friend, Swift became fixated on the idea of how tragic it would be for the person one loved to wed someone else. That night, Swift experienced a dream where one of her own ex-boyfriends married another girl. To her, this signaled that she had to compose a song about interrupting a wedding. In retrospect, she concluded, "For me, I like to think of it as good versus evil. And this girl is just completely – just the evil one." Swift entitled the album after "Speak Now" because it fit the album's concept, with each song being a different confession to a person. She explained that "Speak Now" served as a metaphor for her decision to express her thoughts or stay quiet forever, "

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

moment where it's almost too late, and you've got to either say what it is you are feeling or deal with the consequences forever." The song was released as a

on October 5, 2010, by

as part of "Countdown to ''Speak Now"'', an exclusive campaign launched by the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. During the opening week of ''Speak Now'', Swift performed the title track on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

''.

Composition

"Speak Now" is a

track with a length of four minutes and two seconds. It has a predominant pop music composition, intertwined with various

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

elements. The song is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

and has a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

and Swift's vocals span two octaves, from A₃ to D₅. Swift's vocals begin in a hushed tone, then gradually grow until, at one point, she belts out the song's title. The song features different twangy, up-and-down vocal hooks might, in similarity to "

You Belong with Me "You Belong with Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her second studio album ''Fearless (Taylor Swift album), Fearless'' (2008). Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and produced it with Nathan Chapman (record prod ...

". It follows the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

G–D–Am–C. The track is driven by

and features a guitar solo in the break. The

incorporates the '50s rock progression. In the lyrics of "Speak Now", the narrator crashes her former love's wedding in attempt to win him back because she thinks he is marrying an unsuitable woman. The opening lines acknowledge that, although out of character, Swift is still in love with her ex-boyfriend and wants to make sure he does not marry the wrong girl. Throughout the song's

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

s, Swift sneaks in the wedding and describes her observations, such as the

bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...

-to-be's wearing of a poofy

wedding gown A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...

shaped like a pastry, her cumulative family, and an organist playing "

Bridal Chorus The "Bridal Chorus" () from the 1850 opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a col ...

". In the refrain, Swift pleads her ex-boyfriend to not say his wedding vows in order to run away with her. The

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

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, with Swift narrating from the

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...

's perspective and inform Swift they will indeed run away together. Some critics compared the storyline of "Speak Now" to that of Swift's 2009 single "

"; both protagonists yearn for a love interest who is in love with another woman.

Live performances

The song was performed as part of the regular setlist on the

Speak Now World Tour The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and it was launched in support of her third studio album ''Speak Now'' (2010). The Speak Now tour began on February 9, 2011 in Singapore and the tou ...

(2011–12). Clips of the performance can be seen in the music video for Swift's single " Sparks Fly". According to Jocelyn Vena of MTV.com, the performance was "a very theatrical moment" in which "Swift acted out crashing a wedding. She eventually stole the groom away, as she sings in the song, and the pair ran through the crowd together." Swift performed the song on September 22, 2018, as the acoustic surprise song at the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

stop on the

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 ...

Critical reception

Simon Vozick-Levinson of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' deemed "Speak Now" a catchy song and opined that Swift's lyrical delivery makes up for her shortcomings as a vocalist.

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 (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

from ''

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 ...

'' lauded the production, saying that it proved Chapman to be "a first-rate producer, and not just of the pop-country that's made Ms. Swift one of the most important new musicians of the decade". Writing for the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'', Erin R. Danton commended the melody as "irresistible".

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

, in a radio episode for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, commended the track for appealing to casual listeners for its "meticulously detailed" production. In ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...

'', John J. Moser thought "Speak Now" was one of the album's most interesting songs because it features "a jaunty lilt, '50s-rock chorus and over-the-top snotty lyrics that are interesting precisely because they’re new for Swift". On a less positive side, Jonathan Keefe of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' thought that "Speak Now", with its theme about love and romance, proved Swift's lack of songwriting material other than "how great boys are or how much boys suck or how dreams about boys will take her somewhere better than where she is now". In a retrospective review for ''Billboard'', Jason Lipshutz highlighted the track's delicate lyrical details. Nate Jones from ''Vulture'' described the narrative as "nonsense" but praised the production, especially the "admittedly charming chorus", and remarked: "it's hard not to smile at the unabashed silliness."

Commercial performance

"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 Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

from 1995 to 1998. Elsewhere in North America, the track debuted at number eight on the

. In Australia, "Speak Now" debuted at number twenty.

Charts

Certification

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speak Now (Taylor Swift song) 2010 songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift songs Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer) Big Machine Records singles Songs about marriage Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift