Review Summary: While these flaws prevent Fearless from being one of the outstanding pop/country records of the decade, this album will forever be iconic in the history of Taylor Swift and country-pop at large
“This album is called Fearless, and I guess I'd like to clarify why we chose that as the title. To me, Fearless is not the absence of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, Fearless is having fears, Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. Fearless is falling madly in love again, even though you've been hurt before. Fearless is walking into your freshman year of high school at fifteen. Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again... even though every time you've tried before, you've lost. It's Fearless to have faith that someday things will change. … I think allowing yourself to cry on the bathroom floor is Fearless. Letting go is Fearless. Then, moving on and being alright. … That's why I write these songs. Because I think love is Fearless.”
What you’ve just read is a short extract from a lengthy essay penned by Taylor Swift herself, contained within the liner notes of her second album, regarding the reason why that title was chosen and how it encompasses the essence of the album. This was before Red (her defining album and one that confirmed her status as the pop superstar for our age), 1989 (her first “officially documented pop album”), before the birth of her squad and before her feminist musings. For an artist who was 18 years old at the time the album was released, the essay was impressively articulate and managed to summarise the album effectively yet also managed to openly showcase her weaknesses during that time (mainly a love-centric worldview on life and an insane amount of repetition). This conveniently represents the album: brilliant for an 18-year-old but it was merely a sign of things to come for today’s omnipresent pop master.
The primary thing you’ll notice throughout the album is that Taylor definitely had an eye on her primary demographic at the time: love-struck, teenage females. Love is viewed from an idealistic framework that consistently compares the rush of it to fairy tales and the type of movies that are likely to be viewed by the aforementioned demographic. Not to mention that Taylor Swift was, at the time, every parent’s daydream as her glamorously modest persona was translated to record (one subtle reference to her friend losing her virginity at Fifteen and an ambiguous invitation for Stephen to “come feel this magic” aside). This savviness also infiltrated its way through the actual music: despite coming under the umbrella of country-pop, which is a nebulous genre, to say the least, none of the songs would be out of place on the radio even today. Each song has a laser-guided focus on being firmly implanted in your brain thanks to each song being magnificently captivating (with my personal expectation of The Best Day although musical tastes are diverse). Even 8 years after the release of Love Story, for example, the song doesn’t sound dated at all and you’ll still get swept up by the grand finale and happy ending which will make you yearn for your first love all over again. Even at its most disheartening (I’m looking at you White Horse and You’re Not Sorry), you’ll struggle to get the hooks out of your head. It’s pretty clear that Taylor also considered how best to structure the songs to best fit the chaotic feeling, both musically and vocally.
The best example of this comes when we get to “The Way I Loved You” which describes Taylor’s desire to get back with her ex-boyfriend even as she’s in a more stable relationship (presumably). The music matches the chaotic feeling of “screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain” with a rock-inspired chorus that you’ll struggle to forget. Her vocals also manage to effectively communicate her emotions, especially during the bridge when her pronunciation of “frustrating” emphasises the annoyance caused by the relationship and the start of the final chorus when she sounds close to tears as she's accommodated by nothing more than some subtle piano. Vocally, however, “White Horse” manages to deliver some of the most convincing singing on the album. You can hear the gasps in her voice as she recounts the betrayal she felt throughout the relationship and it ends up sounding like she was ready to just give the whole song up and start brawling in the studio.
I’ve been rambling on about what’s good about the album and how clever Taylor Swift was even back when she first started out in the industry. So much so that you’re probably wondering why this hasn’t got a higher rating. Well, her biggest strengths are also her biggest weaknesses. Vocally, Taylor Swift has never been the best, more like mediocre, not that we expected any better of her of course at her young age as her homely persona did all the heavy lifting for her and she still manages to create good music today and display a kind and caring (if a bit too media savvy) persona. But this means that, depending on your preferences vocally, the album might be too unbearable for some people to listen to. However, what cannot be argued is that Taylor Swift isn't a vocalist and as a result has to rely on her brilliant and unique phrasing and pronunciation in order to camouflage any vocal flaws, which, for the most part, does an outstanding job at it although you can still hear the cracks in her voice (although the resulting lack of digital editing is admirable).
Also, her love-centric worldview did, at the time, reduce her reach although that has improved with time as well. This also means that there is a lot of repetition and mixed metaphors in the lyrics to Fearless. For example, "Hey Stephen" and "White Horse" are next to each other on the tracklist yet both describe guys with faces of an angel. The iconic "Love Story" randomly drops in a Scarlet Letter reference during a Romeo & Juliet themed song and standing in the rain has to be mentioned in at least two or three songs. The only time we get any sense of Taylor Swift independent of other people on the album is when we get to the album closer "Change", an anthem dedicated to perseverance above all odds which ends the album on a high note.
While these flaws prevent Fearless from being one of the outstanding pop/country records of the decade, this album will forever be iconic in the history of Taylor Swift and country-pop at large. It is recommended if you're feeling nostalgic for Taylor Swift's earlier music or if you want to introduce your child to country/pop in an (mostly) age appropriate way.
