Content

• Background
• Singles
• Track listing
• Hidden messages

Background

Taylor Swift is the self-titled debut album of American singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift. The album was released by Big Machine Records on October 24, 2006 with 11 tracks (12 for those who purchased the album at American Best Buy’s). Swift is the main songwriter on all eleven tracks on the album and all the songs on the album are told from her perspective of life as a teenager dealing with romance, friendship and insecurity. Primarily a country album, the album also contains pop and pop rock elements. Five songs were released from the album as singles to help promote the album, two of which skyrocketed to number one on the Hot Country Charts in the US and one becoming Swift’s first song to enter the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On November 6, 2007 a deluxe edition was released for a limited time and included a bonus DVD with Swift’s current music videos released at the time and some behind the scenes makings of two of the videos and some televised documentaries with the Target version included bonus performances by Swift on the 2007 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Tour. It also consisted of three new songs and Swift’s first telephone call with Tim McGraw and replaced two songs with their radio edits, “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Our Song”. The album was re-issued again on March 18, 2008 with the same 14 tracks as the deluxe edition, including the radio edits of the previously mentioned songs and the radio edit of “Picture to Burn”. The re-issue replaced Swift’s phone conversation with McGraw with a pop version of “Teardrops on My Guitar”. A karaoke edition featuring the 14 tracks from the deluxe edition as a CD+G and DVD version was released on January 27, 2009.

The album was praised by critics who for its mainstream sensibility and Swift’s songwriting capabilities at such a young age. The album would spend twenty-four weeks atop the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and was the longest charting album on the Billboard 200 in the 2000s. The album was certified seven times Platinum by the RIAA, making Swift the first solo female artist to write or co-write every song on a debut album that went Platinum.

Singles

Five singles released to promote the album. The first was “Tim McGraw“, on June 19, 2006, which peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Teardrops on My Guitar” was released as the second single on from the album on February 19, 2007. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, 7 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 and 6 on the Billboard Adult Top 40. The third single, “Our Song”, was released on September 10, 2007 and became Swift’s first single to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 1. The song peaked at number 18 the Billboard Hot 100 and 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. “Picture to Burn” was released on February 3, 2008 and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and 28 on Billboard Hot 100. The fifth and final single, “Should’ve Said No”, was released on May 18, 2008, where it became Swift’s second single to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart while peaking at 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

Hidden messages

• Tim McGraw – Can’t tell me nothin’
• Picture To Burn – Date nice boys
• Teardrops on my Guitar – He will never know
• A Place In This World – I found it
• Cold As You – Time to let go
• The Outside – You are not alone
• Tied Together With A Smile – You are loved
• Stay Beautiful – Shake N Bake
• Should’ve Said No – Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam
• Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) – Sometimes love is forever
• Our Song – Live N Love

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