Fun Facts about Previous Songs and Albums from Taylor’s Journals
The Outside was written Feb. 13, 2004 and finished Feb. 14, 2004. Taylor wrote that she finished it on Valentine’s Day only because she was single and had nothing better to do that day
Red (the song) was written on September 7th - 8th, 2011 on a red-eye flight home to Nashville Taylor took because she was homesick and missed Andrea and Austin
Red (the album) got its name on September 8th, 2011 when Taylor recorded Red (the song) with its producer Nathan. She recorded another song the following day for the album (song name not given)
Long Live was started in June 2010
Smoky Black Nights (unreleased) was written on May 17, 2003
Not One Day (unreleased) was written on May 17, 2003
White Horse was written in December 2006
Speak Now (the album) got its title on April 13, 2010
Taylor was dissatisfied with “half” the songs she wrote for Speak Now and kept reworking them and writing better songs before finalizing the album
Two songs for Speak Now were written the week of June 10th, 2010 (names not given) and then recorded two weeks later
“Nothing New,” an unreleased song for Red, was written March 2, 2012. It’s about being scared of growing older and losing what you have. It has the lyrics: “I’m getting older and less sure of what you like about me anyway…how can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22? And will you still want me when I’m nothing now?” It was inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You”
Shake It Off was written on Feb. 22-23, 2014. The chorus came first and came spontaneously to Taylor after hearing Max and Johan play a beat. Taylor knew it would be the first single off the album as soon as they finished it
Taylor wrote that she finished writing Speak Now (the album) on June 16, 2010 when she wrote a song about being in the same room as someone you love but there are walls up. The song is unnamed but it sounds like The Story of Us
WANEGBT was written and recorded the week of June 10, 2012
Taylor got the idea for 22 around June 10, 2012 on a flight to L.A. and wrote the entire chorus on that flight
Taylor had the chorus to IKYWT written about the same time as 22. She brought the chorus of IKYWT to its producers the day after they finished writing 22
Holy Ground was written in Feb. 2012
1989 had a different cover that Taylor wasn’t sure about. She went with its current cover after having a nightmare that the first cover wasn’t good enough. This was on May 30, 2014
Come In With the Rain was written on October 12, 2006
The first draft of All Too Well was written on Feb. 11th, 2011 and originally had details about blowing out candles, where she left the scarf in the house, and the box with her things was sent to her with no note from her ex
The final draft of All Too Well was written on March 2011
Taylor wrote two unnamed songs for Red around October 30, 2011. She also got Meredith the next day
Taylor moved to NYC on March 24, 2014 (inspiring Welcome to New York)
Taylor first saw her former long-timer co-writer Liz Rose on April 20, 2004
This Love was really written in the Speak Now era on October 17, 2012. This was 5 days before Red (the album) came out
