Fearless (Taylor’s Version): What It Means To Me
The day I bought this album, I could never have known how it was going to guide me, follow me, and change me.
A song that perfectly describes something I had not yet experienced at the time. And now, 12 years later, it reminds me of what it felt like falling in love at 17 with the man I now fall asleep next to every night.
These song lyrics were EVERYTHING to me at age 13, so much so that I made them my Facebook status about 5 times a day. They actually became the ice breaker for me and a boy I had a crush on (seen in the comments below), who later broke my heart and became a little more “Forever & Always.”
Being 13 when this song came out gave me a lot to look forward to. When I turned 15, this song became my anthem. I started age 15 with a boy that said he loved me and entering high school. I ended 15 playing guitar and performing on my own. It was honestly one of the most formative years for me.
My mom, my best friend and the best human, was such a good sport about listening to me go on and on about my obsessions. T-Swift was one of the biggest. She fully invested herself into the things I loved. And while many young girls would be ~sooo~ embarrassed by it, I loved every second of it. She got the songs I would blare in the car stuck in her head, like Love Story.
This was one of my favorites. I felt every lyric in my soul at age 14. And looking back, its funny how applicable this song became. I’ve been with the man I love for 8 years now, but we were only 17 when we first started dating. And he had multiple girls chasing after him, so he had some choices to make. But I wrote a song. And he heard the song. And I think that’s when he really understood how strongly I felt towards him. So the lyrics really came true for me...
“All those other girls, well they’re beautiful, but would they write a song for you?”
And now I live in Nashville with this man, chasing my dreams in country music. I even got to meet THE Stephen. My teenage self would be on cloud 9.
It’s been 12 years and I still can’t play this song on guitar. But I’m going to learn soon, I swear.
The lyrics “My mistake, I didn’t know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand” STUCK WITH ME. I had really only known how to express any negative emotions through fighting, something my early relationships reinforced. But this man, the man I love, helped me learn early on how real communication works. And it makes life with him so wonderful.
OKAY, LISTEN. I first heard this song blaring from my CD player, alone in my room on a typical Tuesday night. The boy my heart ~ached~ for was dating someone else; someone that genuinely did not understand him the way I did.
“I’m in my room, it’s a typical Tuesday night. I’m listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like.”
When that line played, I was FLOORED. IT WAS LIT-ERALLY ME. my 13 year old self was s h o o k. About 6 months later, this boy would realize he did belong with me. So this song has a special place in my heart. (More on that relationship in my coverage of “All Too Well.” Stay tuned.)
I first learned about the phrase “clean break” while reading Twilight (New Moon). So to this day, this song always reminds me of Twilight. And I was, of course, a Twilight fanatic in 2008. So I had this song on repeat.
Remember “Fearless” guy? Well, he makes a comeback here, folks! Literally about 2 weeks after the Fearless statuses, he inspired some Tell Me Why statuses (please excuse the typo). Teenage love: burns bright, and burns fast.
Some days, I sit down at the piano and just sing this song. Because it feels so damn good. This song has a piece of my heart, because it is so raw and well-written. I will never tire of it. I can’t wait for 2021 Taylor to absolutely slay it.
This song is so funny for me to listen to now. Because it was very accurate for teenage me. I had a 7th grade boyfriend who was sweet, and nice, and polite. But the spark was NOT there. Nope - instead, I wanted to be with the moody, cynical, mysterious guy. And I was only 13! So, I’d listen to this in my headphones on car rides and create music videos in my mind starring these two boys. I am so thankful I found my man at 17, because I’ve learned that the deepest love doesn’t need a roller coaster to be exciting and wonderful.
I am not emotionally able to handle this one. I felt ALL THE THINGS when this came out. It was sassy, it was emotional, it was savage, it was real. I was #TeamTaylor. And the PIANO VERSION??? I was never the same.
I’ll never forget my dad constantly asking me, “But WHY does it rain in his bedroom??”
“Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide, like a scared little boy?” - My relationship at age 14 was one that really impacted me for years. It was exactly what this verse implies - I had to watch every word I said, for fear he would run away. Because it felt like I would say ONE word out of line, and it was emotional chaos. This song really got me through the rough days during that.
This song has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I recently played it on a Mother’s Day live stream I did, and I couldn’t get through it without crying. My mom is my best friend on this planet. When I felt like I had no one, I had her. And she’s supported everything in my life. There is absolutely no way I could ever thank her enough. And now she lives 900 miles away. When I need to cry about missing her and our car rides and our Netflix binging, I just listen to this song.
I wanted to print these lyrics out and put them in my locker freshman year. I had a good life: a good family, a couple close friends, stability. But I never really felt like I quite fit in at school. I didn’t feel like the people around me actually understood me at all. I had undiagnosed OCD and anxiety, and I knew I had dreams bigger than my suburban junior high could provide. But when I played this song, I felt inspired and hopeful.
And these things DID change. Hallelujah.
It’s the character development for me.
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Honestly, I would not be who I am personally or musically without this album. Seeing the Fearless tour showed me everything I wanted in my music career. Having these songs gave me an outlet for all the crazy teenage emotions I didn’t know how to handle. It’s nostalgic to hear all these songs again, 12 years later. But even more than that: it’s a beautiful opportunity to see the growth we’ve all experienced in the past 12 years.
(Catch me covering all 13 songs on my TikTok: @ katieraymusic )
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