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Fearless (Taylor Swift song)

"Fearless" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the title track of her 2008 second studio album. Swift wrote the song with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey while promoting her 2006 self-titled debut album, and she produced it with Nathan Chapman. She placed it first on Fearless's track listing because she thought it encompassed the album's overarching theme; the song's lyrics are about a perfect first date despite its uncertainties. The production is country pop and pop rock and incorporates dynamic guitars. Big Machine Records released "Fearless" to US country radio as the album's fifth and final single on January 4, 2010.

"Fearless"

January 4, 2010 (2010-01-04)

2008

Blackbird (Nashville)

4:01

Big Machine

Music critics praised the production and lyrics of "Fearless" for portraying earnest adolescent feelings that appealed to a broad audience. In the United States, the single peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song charted in Canada and Spain and was included in the set list of Swift's first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010). Footage from the tour were used in the music video for "Fearless", released on February 17, 2010. After a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song and released it as "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" for her 2021 re-recorded album of Fearless.

Background and release[edit]

"Fearless" was written by Swift in collaboration with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey and produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman. Swift conceived the song while touring as opening act to promote her eponymous debut album, Taylor Swift (2006). Despite the song describing the perfect date, Swift was not dating anyone or even "in the beginning states of dating anybody" while writing the song. Swift was inspired to write the song based on the perfect first date she wished she had experienced. While developing "Fearless", Swift explained the writing process: "I think sometimes when you’re writing love songs, you don’t write them about what you’re going through at the moment, you write about what you wish you had."[1] Swift described the song's greater concept to be about "the fearlessness of falling in love", writing that "no matter how many times you get hurt, you will always fall in love again."[1] After completing the song, Swift deeply deliberated her personal definition of the word "fearless". To her, "fearless doesn't mean you're completely unafraid and it doesn't mean that you're bulletproof. It means that you have a lot of fears, but you jump anyway", an idea that convinced her to title the album Fearless.[2] The song was first released as a promotional single from the album on October 14, 2008, as part of Countdown to Fearless, an exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store;[3] it was later released as the fifth and final single from Fearless on January 4, 2010.[4][5][6]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"Fearless" is a country pop[7] and pop rock[8][9] song written about the fearlessness of falling in love.[1] Lyrically, the song narrates Swift's ideal first date.[1][10] The song is four minutes and one second in length.[11] Musically, "Fearless" is set in common time and the key of F major with a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute. Swift's vocals span from F3 to C5 and the song follows the chord progression of F–C–Gm–B♭-C.[12] Some critics, such as Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, noticed that the song features various of Swift's most commonly used tropes, such as rain, cars, fancy dresses, and overcoming timidity.[13] Writing for Blender magazine, Sheffield opined the lyrics "And I don't know why but with you / I'd dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless" demonstrated how Swift enjoyed making a scene, adding that she would not wear "anything else to go ride around in a storm".[14]

Critical reception[edit]

"Fearless" has received critical acclaim. Alice Fisher of The Guardian praised "Fearless" for its "perceptive lyrics about universal truths that can be enjoyed at any age."[15] Jim Harrington of The San Jose Mercury News expressed a similar sentiment in a review of Swift's Fearless Tour: "Moms and daughters, as well as groups of teens and couples out for a date night, [can sing] along with equal gusto."[16] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone chose the song as a highlight from Fearless, applauding its "loud, lean guitars and rousing choruses." Retrospectively, critics have remained favorable towards the imagery and passion of the lyrics. Nate Jones of Vulture ranked the song as her 25th best song (out of 173 ranked in total), highlighting that the emotion Swift invested into the lyrics "is matched in the way she tumbles from line to line into the chorus."[13] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield ranked it 29th, opining that Swift makes even some of her most common tropes feel fresh.[17] Jules Lefevre of Junkee ranked it as the third best song on Fearless, similarly praising the presence of Swift's most common imagery and describing the song as captivating.[7] In a review of Fearless (Taylor's Version), a reviewer for Clash Magazine retrospectively described "Fearless" as a "first kiss soundtrack".[18]

Commercial performance[edit]

After its digital release, on the issue dated November 1, 2008, "Fearless" debuted and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of 162,000 digital downloads.[19] It made Swift the first female artist since Madonna in 1998 to have two top-10 debuts in one calendar year.[20]


Following its single release, the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 on the week ending February 20, 2010.[21] Its highest position on the chart while being released as a single was number 76 on the week ending April 10, 2010;[22] it ultimately spent 15 weeks on the Hot 100.[23] The song is one of 13 songs from Fearless charted within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record for the most top 40 entries from a single album.[24] "Fearless" also peaked at number 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart and spent 19 weeks on the chart, making it Swift's tenth consecutive top 10 hit but also her lowest-charting single,[25] and 27 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart, where it spent 15 weeks.[26] The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sale of over 500,000 units on October 12, 2009, before its official release as a single on January 4, 2010,[27] therefore becoming the first single to be certified gold before being released as an official single.[10] "Fearless" was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 23, 2012,[27] and had sold a million copies in the United States by November 2017.[28]


On the week ending November 29, 2008, "Fearless" debuted and peaked at number 69 in Canada, spending a total of five weeks on the chart.[25] It eventually reached number 7 on the Canadian Country Airplay chart.[29] The song peaked at number 32 in Spain.[30]

Music video[edit]

Various performances from the Fearless Tour were used to comprise a music video for "Fearless", directed by Todd Cassetty. The video premiered on February 17, 2010, on CMT.[34] It begins when Swift tells her band before they step onstage, "You guys, this tour has been the best experience of my entire life." The video intermingles footage from the tour itself with fans excitedly showing off signs to Swift with behind-the-scenes footage of Swift and her band as they travel on the Fearless Tour. The video ends with Swift waving goodbye as she exits the stage.[40] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News interpreted it to be "Swift's love letter to her fans", as it showed an "inside view of what it's like to go on tour".[40] As of July 2021, the video has accumulated over 58.4 million views on YouTube.[41]

"Fearless (Taylor's Version)"

April 9, 2021 (2021-04-09)

4:01

Republic