The Humble Beginnings of a Superstar

 

    Taylor Swift. An international household name. A woman who has built a legacy that changed the music industry. But before her famous eras tour and celebrity boyfriends, she was just a normal high school girl.

Swift released her very first single, “Tim McGraw,” when she was just 16 years old and a sophomore in high school in 2006. This became the debut self-titled album's opening track and the song peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard 100. Swift wrote the hit in math class freshman year of high school and established herself in the country music world as a true singer-songwriter. 

There are a few tracks on the 14-song record that are young, relatable, romantic, and dreamy which suited her audience perfectly. From dreaming about building a family with your long-time friend in “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)” to the concluding track “Our Song” which paints a sweet picture of a boyfriend reassuring Swift of their romantic song, one that millions of people would belt out with southern twang. 

Taylor Swift - Our Song

Not to worry, for listeners who aren’t as mushy and emotional, there are also the classic woman-scorned tracks, perfect for letting pent-up emotions about your ex. Whether you need to scream about your old boyfriend letting his new girl drive his truck like in “Picture to Burn” or yell out and ask why he cheated on you as Swift does in “Should’ve Said No” there is a song for you here. For more of an in-depth summary and analysis of each track, feel free to check out Billboard’s article Taylor Swift’s Debut Album Turns 10: A Track-by-Track Retrospective of ‘Taylor Swift’. 

Should've Said No

Taylor Swift started her career with a bang and hasn’t let up since. While it has been incredible watching her career and songwriting talents grow, it’s always comforting to come back to her country beginnings. She opened up from the very beginning and became known for having vulnerable and real confessional lyrics that tell the story of her life and what she is going through. It is what set her apart from other random female singers that the industry wouldn’t remember, her writing and girl-next-door charm got her a foot in, and she took off from there to eventually win 10 Grammy awards. 

While Swift is pretty removed from her Country era now, she looks back with pride and has never forgotten her roots. And we shouldn’t either. This is why I would recommend listening to “Taylor Swift” by Taylor Swift if you are in the mood for a nostalgic, wistful, energetic, and youthful country album.