Several months ago, the announcement of the release of Fearless (Taylor Version) got me super excited. I was initially contemplating on pre-ordering a vinyl, however, I began wondering if having one would do me any good.
The truth is, as much as I want to have a copy of her sophomore album and sing my heart out, buying the album for the sake of nostalgia is not a sound reason to purchase one. After all, I'm done with my Taylor Swift phase. I still listen to her songs, ok, but it feels as if listening to her songs is listening to someone else's favourite singer, not mine.
The realisation about the end of my Taylor Swift phase led me to write this blog post where I'll share how I see Fearless now that I'm in my early 20s. I'm excited to share this because I know that I'll probably cringe at my younger me and question where in the world I got my teenage POV. At the same time, this is also exciting because, despite the cringe worthy stuff I'll unearth about my younger self, this will also be a reflection of how my experiences changed my perspective about love- the album's main theme.
1. You Belong With Me
I used to really love this song because it has a very cute music video. As someone who can relate to the studious Taylor Swift character, it gave me this tiny hope that the cutest or the smartest guy will like me too. Sorry to inform you but that's not always the case. It turns out, the cutest guy wanted me to be his group mate while the smartest guy did not want me at all.
Also, isn't it weird to compare yourself to someone and consider yourself as more deserving to be a guy's significant other just because you know his favourite songs? I mean, there's so much more going on in a relationship, and knowing your crush's favourite song, though sweet and thoughtful, is not the sole basis for a relationship to work. You can see someone's potential, know their favourite songs, but still remain friends.
2. Fifteen
Just recently, I was working on a project when this song finally made sense. Back in high school, I associated this song to a movie we were watching during one of our classes. The movie is a romantic comedy intended for teenagers who were having their first crushes.
I tried rewatching the movie last month and sadly, the movie did not age well. It's cute, yes, but as a young adult, I realised that not all high school relationships stand the test of time. When I was young, I was very much like the song's narrator: " I'd gonna marry my high school crush someday." However, I realised, thanks to this song, that there's more to my life than my high school crush- " I realised I have some bigger dreams." As much as I want my high school crush to see what I've become, I know that our lives will never cross paths anymore and that's perfectly ok. Life's like that anyway.
Compared to You Belong With Me, this song is something I'll still listen to because it's lessons are still applicable. My present-self see this song, not just one about crushes and dreams, but also about being rational when it comes to relationships- not giving everything to someone who would change his mind eventually.
3. Hey Stephen
If I had the talent to write songs, I'm certain that my younger-self would've written songs similar to Hey Stephen. This is the kind of songs that young girls would write to their crushes- professing their admiration and the great lengths they'll partake to show how much they admire their crushes. In general, this is a feel good song about liking someone.
Now that I'm older, I smile whenever I hear this song. This remains to be as one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs because it's a testament of what a person would do to show their admiration to someone they like or look up to. I used to see this as a romantic song, but now I think this song is also applicable to a person who inspires us to be better. Before, I used to think that when someone inspires you, it automatically means you love them and you'll end up together. I learned later on that inspiration and love are two different things. Like I mentioned earlier, you can see someone's potential, admire what they do, and still not pursue romantic relationship with that person.
4. You're Not Sorry
This song, like Fifteen, is one of the songs I'll still listen to. I see this song as a reminder for everyone out there not to allow anyone to treat you like a rug. This lesson is not just applicable to romantic relationships since platonic relationships can be toxic and unhealthy as well. During my teenage years, due to my lack of social skills, I used to accept whatever kind of treatment I got from people. I thought that's how you get to have friends- by allowing them to do whatever they want. The thing is, my younger self found it really hard to let go of unhealthy relationships because I thought I'll end up alone. Turns out, keeping them close did not change a thing or two about the loneliness I was feeling. Again, Thank God for ageing.
Overall, Fearless is one of those albums that defined my teenage years. However, like I mentioned earlier, although there are songs from the album that I'll still listen to, I will not, like my younger self, look at relationships based on the songs from this album. Sometimes, I feel so grateful that ageing is a thing- it allows humans to grow up and realise that there are things from their youth that are not as rose-colored as songs describe them.
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