"Sparks Fly" is a song by the American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

from her third studio album, '' Speak Now'' (2010). Swift had written the track in 2006 and occasionally performed it live, and she produced it with Nathan Chapman for ''Speak Now'' after receiving fan requests. "Sparks Fly" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

song with influences of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

; its production incorporates dynamic

electric guitars Electric Guitars were an English band formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport (vocals, lyrics) and Richard Hall (bass, vocals) who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Sander ...

and subtle

fiddles A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syn ...

. The lyrics are about temptations and reluctance caused by a dangerous love affair. Big Machine Records released "Sparks Fly" to

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. T ...

in the United States on July 18, 2011, as the fifth single from ''Speak Now''. The accompanying music video was released on August 10, 2011, and it features footage from the Speak Now World Tour. Some critics praised the catchy production and lyrics that demonstrated personal emotions with specificity, but several others deemed the lyrical imagery somewhat unoriginal. "Sparks Fly" won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Country Song. In the United States, the single peaked at number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number one on

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

, and it was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. It also charted in Australia and Canada. Swift performed "Sparks Fly" on the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012) and the Red Tour (2013–2014), and she occasionally performed it on her later tours. Following the 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "Sparks Fly (Taylor's Version)" for her re-recorded album ''

Speak Now (Taylor's Version) ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' is the third re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on July 7, 2023, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the 2019 dispute over the ...

'' (2023).

Background and release

wrote "Sparks Fly" when she was 16 years old, around the time she was conceiving her debut album, ''Taylor Swift'' (2006). She recalled that she performed the song occasionally for bar shows and small concerts, and in 2008, a recorded video of a performance circulated on the internet and gained traction among her fans. "Sparks Fly" became a fan favorite, and Swift decided to rework the song for her third studio album, ''Speak Now'', after she received fan requests to release it at the 2010 CMA Music Festival backstage. This version, produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, includes some changes to the lyrics but keeps the original arrangement. ''Speak Now'' was released on October 25, 2010. According to Swift, by the time the album was scheduled for release, she had performed "Sparks Fly" live "at maybe one or two shows". Big Machine Records released the song to

in the United States on July 18, 2011, as the album's fifth single. CD single variants were released as part of exclusive packages via Swift's online store; each package included ''Speak Now''-themed merchandise. The single was also bundled with another exclusive package that included the Target-exclusive deluxe edition of ''Speak Now'' and related merchandise; this packaged included one of the three options for the CD single: "Sparks Fly", " The Story of Us", and "

Mean A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote "Sparks Fly" alone. According to Swift, the song is about an irresistible but dangerous love affair with strong connection and chemistry. It is a

and

country pop Country pop (also known as urban cowboy or even urban country) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends g ...

song. In '' Taste of Country'', Amanda Hensel commented that "Sparks Fly" straddles the perceived boundary between

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and pop. Ed Masley of ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'' called the song "a perfect blend of '70s

and country". The production incorporates dynamic

and subtle

. In the lyrics, which feature fairy-tale imagery, the narrator talks about her obsession with a green-eyed boy, wanting to kiss him in the rain and waiting for him to lead her to private spaces. In the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

, the narrator begs her love interest to "Drop everything now" and meet her in the pouring rain; Jonathan Keefe in ''Country Universe'' deemed this part the track's

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

. The lyrics mentioning love under the rain recall many of Swift's previous songs from her second album '' Fearless'' (2008), including the title track, " Hey Stephen", and " Forever & Always". The second verse of the 2010 album version replaces some lyrics in the original version such as, "Cause my heart is beating fast and you are beautiful," and includes new lyrics such as, "My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea." Chris Willman from Yahoo! Music commented that the new lyrics portray the narrator as more confident. Additionally, the album version leaves out the

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

on the original. According to Theon Weber of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', the lyric, "Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around," is an allusion to sex.

Critical reception

In a review of ''Speak Now'' for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'',

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Blen ...

selected "Sparks Fly" as an example where Swift improved as a singer. ''Country Universe'''s Jonathan Keefe was unimpressed with Swift's vocals, which he deemed technically weak and limited, but lauded the song for its production and simplicity. Though Keefe remarked that the lyrical imagery was generic, the song "proves how evocative those turns-of-phrase can be in the right context". Keefe gave the track an A rating. Larry Rodgers of ''

'' thought that the song showcased a grown-up side to Swift's songwriting, and Michael McFall of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

picked it as a highlight of ''Speak Now'', lauding how Swift was "at her most vocally and lyrically expressive". In the ''

Daily Breeze The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor". Early history The paper was found ...

'', Sam Gnerre described "Sparks Fly" as a "first-rate guitar-powered ocker. Elysa Gardner of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' deemed the song a "witty confession" and recommended it for download. There were some less complimentary reviews. Bobby Peacock of ''Roughstock'' and Amanda Hensel of ''Taste of Country'' both gave "Sparks Fly" a three-and-a-half rating out of five. Peacock welcomed the lyrical revisions from the original version and said that although the refrain is catchy, the song begins to trail off by the second half. Hensel similarly commended the catchy production but felt that it lacked the originality of ''Speak Now'' previous single "Mean". On a more negative side, Erin Thompson of ''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...

'' commented the rain imagery on "Sparks Fly" represented Swift's lack of repertoire in her songwriting. John J. Moser from '' The Morning Call'' and Mikael Wood from '' Spin'' considered it one of the album's weakest tracks. Sean Dealy, in the '' St. Petersburg Times'', criticized the track as one of the album's "factory-line label-pleasers" and wrote that Swift should write fewer songs in that manner. In a retrospective review, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' Hannah Mylrea lauded the "euphoric" production and described the song as a "toe-tapping head-banging anthem". Sheffield picked it as an example where Swift "shows off her uncanny power to make a moment sound gauchely private and messily public at the same time". In '' Consequence'', Mary Siroky opined that "Sparks Fly", which "fervidly showcased Swift's maturing approaches to songwriting and romance", should have been ''Speak Now'' lead single replacing the "safe and reflective" " Mine". Finley Liu, in a ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'' ranking of Swift's discography, picked "Sparks Fly" as one of the album's underrated songs.

Accolades

At the BMI Country Awards in 2012, "Sparks Fly" was one of the 50 award-winning songs and helped Sony Music Publishing earn the award for Publisher of the Year. It received a nomination for Favorite Song at the 2012

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in tel ...

and won Choice Country Song at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards. In 2019, '' Insider'' named "Sparks Fly" one of the eighteen best songs written by teenagers.

Commercial performance

After ''Speak Now'' was released, "Sparks Fly" debuted at number 17 (which also became its peak) on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated November 4, 2010. It was one of the ten ''Speak Now'' tracks that debuted on the Hot 100 the same week, making Swift the first act to have ten new Hot 100 entries at the same time. After its single release, it re-entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 84 on the week ending August 27, 2011. "Sparks Fly" spent a total of 20 weeks on the Hot 100. On ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

chart, which monitored US country airplay, the song peaked at number one on the chart dated November 26, 2011; it spent 21 weeks in total on the chart. It was Swift's fifth Hot Country Songs number-one single and her first since " You Belong with Me" (2009). "Sparks Fly" ranked at number 37 on the 2011 Hot Country Songs year-end chart. The single was certified platinum by the

(RIAA) for surpassing one million units and, as of November 2017, had sold 1.1 million digital copies in the United States. In Canada, "Sparks Fly" debuted and peaked at number 28 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

and number three on the

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart. The single reached the lower-tier positions on charts in Australia (number 97) and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

(number 17 on the Ultratip chart).

Live performances

Swift performed "Sparks Fly" as an unreleased song during a few live shows in 2007. She performed "Sparks Fly" for an NBC ''Speak Now''

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

Special, which broadcast on November 25, 2010. The television special showcased the making of the album along with live performances on a rooftop in New York City. On the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012), Swift included it as the opening song to the concerts. She sang the song wearing a gold dress and tall black boots as fireworks dashed through a three-staircase stage. The performance was recorded and released on Swift's live album, ''

Speak Now World Tour – Live ''Speak Now World Tour – Live'' is the first live album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 21, 2011, by Big Machine Records. The physical copy consists of an audio CD and a visual accompaniment on DVD ...

'' (2011). On January 11, 2011, Swift performed "Sparks Fly" as part of an exclusive concert for the '' Allure of the Seas'' cruise in Mexico. She later performed "Sparks Fly" at the 2011 CMA Music Festival, held in August, and at a showcase in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September 2012, with Brazilian singer-songwriter Paula Fernandes. Swift later included the track on the set list of the Red Tour (2013–2014); during the shows, she sang the song on a platform suspended from the ceiling. She performed it at the

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Grand Prix held on October 22, 2016, in Austin. "Sparks Fly" was also part of select shows for Swift's later tours, the 1989 World Tour (

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, August 2015), Reputation Stadium Tour ( Columbus, July 2018), and the Eras Tour (

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, May 2023 / Singapore, March 2024). She sang the song as part of a mashup with her song "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" (2024) on the May 29, 2024, concert in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

as part of the Eras Tour.

Music video

The music video for "Sparks Fly", directed by Christian Lamb, was released on August 10, 2011. It features footage from the Speak Now World Tour; much of the footage was captured at four tour date locations, including one from the show in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. Throughout the video, Swift is seen performing with many stage actors, dancers, and acrobats, through multiple costume changes, and slow motion is used extensively. Media publications praised the video's production quality with visually stimulating stage settings. During the week of its release, the music video accumulated over 400,000 views and helped Swift rise from number nineteen to ten on ''Billboard'' Social 50 chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

"Sparks Fly (Taylor's Version)"

After signing a new contract with

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020. The decision came after the public 2019 dispute between Swift and the music executive Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums the label had released. By re-recording her catalog, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, including the copyright licensing of her songs, devaluing the Big Machine-owned masters. A re-recorded version of "Sparks Fly", titled "Sparks Fly (Taylor's Version)", was released on July 7, 2023, via Republic Records as part of ''

'', Swift's third re-recorded album. The album was officially announced on May 5, 2023 at the Eras Tour in Nashville; after the announcement, Swift performed "Sparks Fly" on acoustic guitar as one of her "surprise songs". "Sparks Fly" (Taylor's Version) was revealed to be the second song on the album when the tracklist was officially released on June 5.

Personnel

Adapted from ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'' digital album inline notes * Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer * Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer * David Payne – recording

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Lowell Reynolds – assistant recording engineer, editor * Derek Garten – engineer, editor, programming * Serban Ghenea – mixing * Bryce Bordone – mix engineer * Randy Merrill – mastering * Matt Billingslea – drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

* Amos Heller – bass guitar * Paul Sidoti – electric guitar * Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar,

Hammond B-3 The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

, background vocals * Max Bernstein – electric guitar * Jonathan Yudkin –

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

* David Cook – piano

Charts

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks Fly (song) 2010 songs 2011 singles Taylor Swift songs Songs written by Taylor Swift Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer) Song recordings produced by Chris Rowe Big Machine Records singles American pop rock songs Country pop songs

Background and release

Music and lyrics

Critical reception

Accolades

Commercial performance

Live performances

Music video

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

"Sparks Fly (Taylor's Version)"

Personnel

Charts

See also

References

Sources