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''Taylor Swift'' is the debut studio album 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 ...
. It was released in North America on October 24, 2006, and
reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...
d multiple times in 2007–2008, by Big Machine Records. Inspired by Swift's teenage outlook on life, the lyrics address themes of love, friendships, and insecurity. Swift relocated from
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
to
Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...
at 14 to sign a songwriting contract with Sony/ATV Tree Music Publishing. Her
recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...
with Big Machine in 2005 enabled her to work on the album with the producer Nathan Chapman during her
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
year of high school. She wrote or co-wrote all tracks of ''Taylor Swift''; co-writers include
Robert Ellis Orrall Robert Ellis Orrall (born May 4, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene ...
, Brian Maher, Angelo Petraglia, and
Liz Rose Elisabeth Wagner (born September 6, 1957), known professionally as Liz Rose, is an American country music songwriter, best known for her work with Taylor Swift. She has co-written 17 of Swift's officially released songs, including " You Belong wi ...
. Musically, ''Taylor Swift'' is a
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, ...
album with pop and
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 ...
elements, and its acoustic arrangements are instrumented with guitars,
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. ...
s, and
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 ...
s. Five songs were released as singles; " Our Song" and " Should've Said No" peaked atop the
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. ...
chart, and "
Teardrops on My Guitar "Teardrops on My Guitar" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, originally released as part of her debut studio album, Taylor Swift (album), ''Taylor Swift'' (2006). Big Machine Records released the song to country radio on Fe ...
" charted in the top 10 on the
Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...
chart. Swift embarked on a six-month radio tour in 2006 and opened tours for other country artists throughout 2006–2007. By promoting ''Taylor Swift'' via the social networking site
Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
, she reached a teenage audience that had been excluded as a target demographic for country music. Initial reviews praised the production for its crossover appeal and Swift's earnest depictions of adolescent feelings. ''Taylor Swift'' was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards. In the United States, ''Taylor Swift'' spent 24 weeks at number one on the
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
chart, became the longest-charting album of the 2000s decade on the ''Billboard'' 200, and made Swift the first female country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum-certified debut album 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 and received platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. ''Taylor Swift''
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 ...
sound and autobiographical songwriting set a blueprint for Swift's next albums and became an inspiration for other confessional singer-songwriters. ''
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 ...
'' featured it in their 2022 list "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time".


Background

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 ...
had an interest in the
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
as a child. While acting in a children's musical theatre company, she developed a fondness for singing and would perform
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 ...
on the company's
karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...
machine during the cast parties. After watching a documentary about
Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American Country music, country singer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide ...
, she felt sure she needed to move to
Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...
—the center of country music—to become a country singer. At 11, Swift broadened her performing capabilities by
opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...
for Charlie Daniels and singing the national anthem of the United States, "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
", at local sports games. She traveled from her hometown in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
to Nashville with her mother to pitch demo tapes of karaoke covers to
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
s, who did not give her a
recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...
, believing that her teenage songs were unfit for country music's target middle-aged demographic. The rejections made Swift become determined to distinguish herself from other aspiring country singers. At 12, she started writing songs and learned to play the guitar with the help of a computer repairman who had fixed her family's computer. Her performance of "
America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...
" at the 2002 US Open caught the attention of Dan Dymtrow, a music manager who helped 13-year-old Swift get an artist development deal with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
in Nashville. To assist Swift's artistic endeavors, her father transferred his stockbroking job to Nashville, and her family relocated to the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, where she enrolled in Hendersonville High School before being homeschooled after two years.


Development and conception

Dymtrow's management led to Swift's early exposure to show business—she had an advertising tie-in with
Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) is an American lifestyle store, lifestyle retailer, founded in 1892 which focuses on contemporary clothing targeting customers in their early 20's to mid 40's. Headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, the company operate ...
, a music compilation CD with
Maybelline Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as and commonly known as simply Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care company, based in New York City. ...
, and a 2004 appearance in ''Vanity Fair''. With a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Publishing House at 14, she became the youngest signee in the publishing company's history. Swift commuted from Hendersonville to Nashville every afternoon after class to practice writing with experienced
Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as ...
songwriters. After one year on the development deal with RCA Records, Swift performed self-written songs to the label's executives, who decided to hold her off an official contract and keep her in development until she was 18. She left the label and recalled: "I genuinely felt that I was running out of time. I'd written all these songs and I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album while they still represented what I was going through." Swift invited record label executives to her showcase concert at Nashville's Bluebird Café on November 3, 2004; among the invitees was
Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Records#Imprints, Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with Taylor Swift as its first signed artist and 13 employees, he served ...
, a music executive who had worked for MCA Nashville and
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Mo Ostin, his son Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label opera ...
. Borchetta was planning to establish an
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
that needed financing. Impressed by Swift's performance, he offered to her and her parents that as soon as the label was set up, she would have a recording contract with him. Two weeks later, Swift called Borchetta to accept the offer. The label was Big Machine Records, who partnered with
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
for music distribution. According to Swift, she signed with Big Machine because the deal allowed her to write all songs that would feature in her albums. Her contract finalized by July 2005, when she ended her partnership with Dymtrow, and her father purchased a three-percent stake in the company. Swift wrote over 40 songs for the album, and 11 made the standard edition. Seven songs were co-written by
Liz Rose Elisabeth Wagner (born September 6, 1957), known professionally as Liz Rose, is an American country music songwriter, best known for her work with Taylor Swift. She has co-written 17 of Swift's officially released songs, including " You Belong wi ...
, who became an important collaborator and formed a lasting working relationship with Swift on later albums. According to Rose, they had productive sessions because she respected Swift's vision and did not want to put her in the "Nashville cookie-cutter songwriting mold".
Robert Ellis Orrall Robert Ellis Orrall (born May 4, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene ...
and Angelo Petraglia co-wrote " A Place in This World", and Brian Maher co-wrote "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" with Rose. Three tracks—"The Outside", " Should've Said No", " Our Song"—were written solely by Swift. The deluxe edition features three additional songs—"I'm Only Me When I'm with You", "Invisible", "A Perfectly Good Heart"—co-written by Orrall, Petraglia, Brett James, and Troy Verges. After experimenting with different producers, Swift persuaded Big Machine to recruit Nathan Chapman, who had produced demos for other Nashville artists in a converted one-car garage behind the Sony/ATV offices. Big Machine was skeptical about hiring Chapman because he had never produced a commercially released album but conceded because Swift felt they had the "right chemistry". Before approaching Chapman, Swift conceptualized how her songs should sound: "I know exactly where I want the hook to be and ..what instruments I want to use." He has sole production credits on all songs but one, "The Outside", which credits Orrall as the producer and Chapman as an additional producer. Recording took place for four months near the end of 2005 and was completed by the time Swift had finished her
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
year of high school.


Themes and lyrics

''Taylor Swift'' follows the confessional songwriting practice of country music, and its lyrics were inspired by Swift's observations and reflections to depict her adolescent perceptions of her life, revolving around romantic relationships, friendships, and self-identity; she viewed her lyrics as atypical to country music's emphasis on rural lifestyles. To capture real-time feelings in songs, she wrote anytime and anywhere, from studio sessions to school breaks. This practice resulted in straightforward lyrics that ''The Daily Telegraph'' found to have "an earnest naiveté". Narrated from the perspective of a teenage girl in an American small town, the songs have their settings confined within high-school hallways and rural backroads, resulting in a personal and contemplative tone. Much of ''Taylor Swift'' is about teenage love, inspired by both Swift's relationships and her observations of others'. In "
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...
", inspired by a senior boyfriend during her freshman year of high school, Swift's narrator hopes that after ending the relationship and leaving for college, the boyfriend would reminisce about her every time he hears their mutual favorite song by the country singer
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...
. "Stay Beautiful", addressed to a character named Cory, describes Swift's admiration for him from afar without him knowing. "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)", written in
third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to del ...
from the perspective of a character named Mary, portrays a love that has survived its trials and tribulations, and it ends with a marriage received by a supportive crowd. In "Our Song", which Swift wrote for her high-school
talent show A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are p ...
, her character sings about creating a song drawing from her and her boyfriend's daily experiences.
Unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep affection, or may consciously reject it knowing that the admirer admires them. Me ...
is the theme of "
Teardrops on My Guitar "Teardrops on My Guitar" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, originally released as part of her debut studio album, Taylor Swift (album), ''Taylor Swift'' (2006). Big Machine Records released the song to country radio on Fe ...
", in which Swift's narrator is disappointed upon learning that Drew, the boy she dreams about, is in love with another girl; and "Invisible", inspired by a childhood crush of Swift who would talk to her about other girls that he liked. Breakup songs are also prominent on ''Taylor Swift''. " Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No" both depict a vengeful attitude towards boys who cheat. In "Picture to Burn", the narrator criticizes her ex-boyfriend as self-centered and lying, and she vows revenge by dating his friends and burning photographic evidence of him. Its original version included the lyric, "That's fine; I'll tell mine you're gay", but the
radio edit In music, a radio edit, or a "clean version," is a modification, typically truncated or censored, intended to make a song more suitable for airplay. It may be censored for profanity, vulgarities, or subject matter; or adjusted for length, instr ...
and subsequent versions modified it to: "That's fine; You won't mind if I say." In "Should've Said No", the narrator confronts a cheating ex-lover that he should have not done so: had he declined the other girl, he might still have her without having to beg for forgiveness. "Cold as You" laments a fruitless relationship in which the lover does not appreciate the female protagonist. Swift said it was her favorite song lyrically on the album, highlighting its
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 ...
("I've never been anywhere cold as you"): "I love a line in a song where afterward you're just like... ''burn''." In other songs, Swift sings about insecurity and self-consciousness. "The Outside", which Swift wrote at 12, describes the loneliness she felt when her love of country music alienated her from her friends at school. "A Place in This World", written by Swift at 13 when she first moved to Nashville, expresses her uncertainty about where she truly belongs. Swift wrote "Tied Together with a Smile" the day she learned one of her best friends had an
eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
. The song describes a young girl who lacks self-esteem and disguises her inner turbulence with a smile, but Swift's character tells her that she will never overcome her struggles until she learns to love herself. In "I'm Only Me When I'm with You", Swift's narrator appreciates a loved one for their understanding, which makes her comfortable enough to share her insecurities and secrets.


Music

''Taylor Swift'' incorporates country music elements, including a twang in Swift's vocals and acoustic arrangements composed of guitars,
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 ...
s,
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. ...
s,
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 ...
s, and
dobro Dobro () is an American brand of resonator guitars owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally a gui ...
, instruments that conjure the roots of
American folk music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...
popular in the
American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...
. Big Machine marketed the album 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 ...
, but music critics debated its genre classification. Some publications' reviews appeared in their columns for country music. Multiple others commented that the songs incorporate influences of pop, rock, and rap;
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called the overall sound "pop-minded country". Grady Smith from ''
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 ...
'' listed "Tim McGraw", "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", and "Picture to Burn" among Swift's "countriest songs" that evoke "classic country" in their instruments and
song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus ...
. According to Maura Johnston, in her review for ''Pitchfork'', the album is a "solid" country record, but many of its songs have a "deft melodic touch and conversational way" that make them seamlessly translatable to mainstream pop music. The opening track "Tim McGraw" is an understated acoustic guitar–driven
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
that incorporates the
'50s progression The 50s progression (also known as the "Heart and Soul (Frank Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael song), Heart and Soul" chords, the "Stand by Me (Ben E. King song), Stand by Me" changes, the doo-wop progression and the "ice cream changes") is a chord pro ...
(I–vi–IV–V); its melody is defined by repeated short motifs and variations of one
figure Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif * Noise figure, in telecommunication * Dance figure, an elementary dance patt ...
within a small pitch range, and its
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 ...
—and to a lesser degree, its verses—extensively uses
syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...
at the sixteenth-note level. According to the
musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
James E. Perone, these elements evoke diverse styles, such as the nostalgic feel of 1950s–1960s
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
and
doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
, and the melodic rhythms of contemporary
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
and
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
. The genre-agnostic sound of "Tim McGraw" informs the styles of other tracks. "Picture to Burn" similarly uses syncopation at the sixteenth-note level, and Swift's vocals in the song imitate the
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
–influenced flexibility of 1970s female singer-songwriters such as
Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...
,
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
, and
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
. Its arrangement features a mix of banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, and fiddle, and separate solos of banjo and
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
in the break. "Teardrops on My Guitar" has a tender production composed of hushed pedal steel, subdued banjo, and a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, with a sound that critics deem adaptable into pop, rock, or country. The version released to
pop radio Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
replaced the banjo with a drum loop; Perone commented that this change transformed the track from a genre-agnostic tune to a "rather anonymous pop ballad". "A Place in This World" is built on picked banjos and features influences of 1990s alternative rock, and "Cold as You" has a slow-tempo balladic production instrumented by sorrowful fiddles. "The Outside", similar to "Tim McGraw" and "Picture to Burn", uses 1970s jazz–influenced vocal flexibility and short musical motifs that evoke alternative rock; its
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
melody alternates between syncopated phrases at the eighth-note and sixteenth-note levels. The arrangement of "Tied Together with a Smile" is composed of prominent acoustic guitars, fiddles, and dobro, evoking
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
and country arrangements. "Stay Beautiful", similar to "Tim McGraw", follows the '50s progression; it incorporates traditional styles of folk and country. In "Should've Said No", the electric guitar tone evokes the texture of rock
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
s, while the fiddles in the introduction and break and the use of minor chords and the
pentatonic scale A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to heptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient ci ...
showcase influences of Anglo-American folk music. "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" is a mandolin–led
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 ...
track with influences of traditional country folk. The standard album's closing track, "Our Song", is built on a banjo
riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
with a dynamic contrast between the verses and the refrains: the verses use repeated pitches in the lower
register Register or registration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), ...
of Swift's vocals, with her singing at one pitch for a sustained period; the refrains emphasize the fifth scale-step with a wider-ranging melody and higher-pitched vocals, resulting in an upbeat and tuneful sound. Some critics identify elements of hip-hop and rhythmic music on the phrasings and the final refrain's compressed drums. "I'm Only Me When I'm with You" is driven by subdued pedal steel, lively drums, and interweaving fiddles. The version included on ''Taylor Swift'' is the same as the one that Swift recorded at 14 while she was still under RCA Records' development deal; the label had rejected it because they deemed it "too pop". "Invisible" is instrumented by melancholic fiddles, and "A Perfectly Good Heart" has a balladic, country pop production.


Release and promotion

Big Machine released "Tim McGraw" to US country radio on June 19, 2006, as Swift's debut single. Swift spent the summer of 2006 with her mother and Big Machine personnel putting CD copies of the single to pitch to radio stations across the United States. To promote the single and the album, she embarked on a six-month radio tour, continuing through the end of 2006. "Tim McGraw" peaked at number 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On the
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. ...
chart, the single reached the top 10 by December 2006 and peaked at number six in January 2007. Big Machine released ''Taylor Swift'' on October 24, 2006. Swift designed doodle graphics for the album packaging. In the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
, Swift included hints at the subjects of her songs: in the lyrics to each track, she capitalized certain syllables that would spell out the message; she was inspired by
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' practice of hiding secret messages in their records. On the day of the album's release, Swift performed live on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
'' and '' The Megan Mullally Show''. She performed on ''
America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...
'' and ''
Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...
'' and opened tours for other country musicians, including
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
in October–November 2006,
George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...
in January–March 2007,
Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...
in April–November 2007, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in July 2007. ''Taylor Swift'' was
reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...
d several times between 2006 and 2008; each edition contained different bonus tracks and music videos. A deluxe edition was released on November 6, 2007. It contains the three bonus tracks and a recording of Swift's first phone conversation with McGraw. Its
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
accompaniment includes the music videos of "Tim McGraw", "Teardrops on My Guitar", and "Our Song"; behind-the-scenes footage; and a home video. An "enhanced" edition was released in March 2008, containing the "pop version" of "Teardrops on My Guitar". Swift extensively used her
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
profile on
Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
to communicate with her audiences, sharing her daily blogs and song information. Her online marketing strategy boosted the album's popularity among teenagers and young adults, who had been excluded as the target demographics of country music. Four more singles were released: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn", and "Should've Said No". "Teardrops on My Guitar" had a crossover release to pop radio; it peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 10 on four of ''Billboard'' airplay charts: Hot Country Songs,
Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...
,
Adult Pop Songs The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...
, and
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
, becoming Swift's first crossover success on the pop charts. "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" reached number one on Hot Country Songs. With "Our Song", Swift became the first female solo country artist to single-handedly write and sing a number-one country song. In August 2019, Big Machine re-released the ''Taylor Swift'' singles on limited-edition
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
. This was met with backlash from Swift's fans in light of the dispute over the ownership of Swift's album masters, which had been sold by Big Machine to the talent manager Scooter Braun. The ownership of those masters was sold back to Swift on May 30, 2025; the singer also revealed on the same day that she had finished re-recording ''Taylor Swift''.


Critical reception


Reviews

''Taylor Swift'' received generally positive reviews. According to critical consensus, Swift's songwriting used familiar topics but succeeded in sounding original and novel. The review aggregate site
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
reported five published reviews and assigned the album an aggregated score of 67 out of 100. Laura Snapes of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' said that critics were impressed by Swift's "pure yet prematurely wise" portrayals of adolescent feelings; such reviewers include Ken Rosenbaum of '' The Toledo Blade'', Nick Cristiano of ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'', Jeff Tamarkin of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, and ''Rolling Stone''. Several critics, such as Rosebaum, Johnston, and '' Country Weekly'' Chris Neal praised Swift's abilities to convey different emotions that made her songs connect with people of all ages, not just teenagers. Tamarkin opined that the lyrical details were sophisticated. Reception of the album's sound was not as uniformly positive. In a laudatory review, ''
The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and '' The Palm Beach Daily News' ...
'' James Fontaine wrote that ''Taylor Swift'' had a musical maturity with catchy melodies that complemented the lyrical sentiments. Rosenbaum and '' The Morning Call'' Keith Groller praised Swift's vocals, and Cristiano complimented the acoustic country sounds for showcasing the "taste and restraint of the singing and writing". Johnston considered ''Taylor Swift'' a showcase of Swift's deft musical abilities to create catchy songs from different styles and not just country. In less complimentary reviews, Tamarkin criticized some unnecessary "gloss" to the songs, and Chrissie Dickinson of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' deemed ''Taylor Swift'' "pleasant enough" but not groundbreaking. Writing for ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'', Roger Holland argued that ''Taylor Swift'' limited Swift's creative outlook to country music despite her "very obvious pop sensibilities".
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
designated the album with a "cut" (), selecting "Tim McGraw" and "Picture to Burn" as highlights.


Accolades and reappraisal

''Taylor Swift'' helped Swift earn a nomination for New Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards and a nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that art ...
at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards (2008), and win a Horizon Award at the 2007 Country Music Association Awards. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards. Retrospective reviews have remained generally favorable, praising the album for featuring Swift early songwriting strengths. According to Perone, the songs evoke high-school sentiments while being "general and vague" about the characters' ages, suggesting that they could have been written by someone more experienced in life than the teenage Swift at the time. In July 2022, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''Taylor Swift'' at number 32 on its list "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time".


Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Taylor Swift'' debuted at number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart dated November 11, 2006, with first-week sales of 40,000. The album kept selling at a fairly consistent pace, contrary to the norm that albums would gradually drop in sales; it had sold one million copies by November 2007 and reached its peak at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart dated January 19, 2008. By October 2009, ''Taylor Swift'' had become the longest-charting album released in the 2000s decade after spending 157 weeks on the chart. On
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...
, it spent 24 nonconsecutive weeks at number one. 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 ...
, in December 2017,
certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
''Taylor Swift'' seven-times platinum for accumulating seven million
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s, and it had sold 5.871 million copies by January 2024. It made Swift the first female solo country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum–certified debut album. ''Taylor Swift'' peaked at number 14 in Canada and charted in several European markets, appearing on some charts years after its initial release. It peaked at numbers 81 in the United Kingdom, 59 in Ireland, 49 in Austria, 33 in Portugal, and 2 in Greece. In Asia–Pacific, the album peaked at numbers 33 in Australia, 38 in New Zealand, and 53 in Japan. ''Taylor Swift'' was
certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
platinum in Canada and New Zealand, double platinum in Australia, and gold in Singapore and the United Kingdom.


Impact

When ''Taylor Swift'' was released, country music was welcoming a surge of young female artists. While Swift was part of this trend, her themes of adolescence and youth were considered novel for country music's middle-aged target demographic. Her album was met with doubts from Nashville music industry executives but its commercial success on country radio established her as one of the few successful female artists in a
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
traditionally dominated by male musicians. Its success helped the newly formed Big Machine Records sign
Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...
and Jewel to their artists cohort. Although there were disagreements over her identity as a country artist, according to ''Rolling Stone'', following the Dixie Chicks controversy in 2003 that left "a huge space opened up in the heart of the country audience", Swift "has completely filled it" with a country style that was as "rock-informed" as "teen-poppy". Analyzing Swift's early success in country music, the communication studies scholar Clementine Oberst thought that ''Taylor Swift'' lyrical focus on heterosexual
monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...
and religious belief contributed to her image as a wholesome all-American teenage girl, in line with country music's "hegemonic whiteness". Her personal songs and online marketing via Myspace resonated with teenagers—a demographic that had been neglected as a target audience in country music. This broad relatability contributed to her popularity on both country and pop radio. Many of ''Taylor Swift'' aspects set the blueprint for Swift's later albums—the country-pop sound, the autobiographical, confessional songwriting, and the online marketing strategy on social media sites—which helped her cultivate a loyal fan base known as Swifties. Besides shaping Swift's artistry, the confessional songs about unrequited love and heartbreak inspired a subsequent generation of singer-songwriters such as Conan Gray and Olivia Rodrigo. ''Taylor Swift'' also contributed to the popularity of a modernized country-pop sound; ''Rolling Stone'' thought that the album showcased "complete mastery of a genre hat Swiftwas also completely transforming".


Track listing


Notes

* signifies an additional producer * The deluxe edition contains a bonus
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
disc, featuring more than one hour of video content. A special deluxe edition, released at Target, contains an extended DVD content.


Personnel

*
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 ...
 – lead vocals, background vocals,
songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
,
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
* Nathan Chapman – acoustic guitar,
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. ...
,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
,
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
,
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 ...
, background vocals,
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 ...
, production *
Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Records#Imprints, Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with Taylor Swift as its first signed artist and 13 employees, he served ...
 –
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
* Chuck Ainlay – mixing * Jeff Balding – mixing * Bruce Bouton –
dobro Dobro () is an American brand of resonator guitars owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally a gui ...
* Mike Brignardello – bass guitar * Nick Buda – drums * Gary Brunette – electric guitar * Jason Campbell – production coordination * Chason Carlson – engineer * Aaron Chmielewski – assistant engineer * Eric Darken –
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 ...
* Allen Ditto – engineer * Dan Dugmore – pedal steel * Shannon Forrest – drums * Rob Hajacos –
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 ...
* Gordon Hammon – assistant engineer * Tony Harrell – keyboard * Jeffrey Hyde – banjo * Scott Kidd – mixing assistant * Greg Lawrence – mixing assistant * Andy Leftwich – fiddle,
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 ...
* Liana Manis – background vocals * Tim Marks – bass *
Robert Ellis Orrall Robert Ellis Orrall (born May 4, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene ...
 – background vocals, producer * Lex Price – mandolin * Lee Ann Ramey –
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
* Joshua Whitmore – dobro, pedal steel * Clarke Schleicher – engineer * Steve Short – assistant engineer * Sandi Spika – engineer * Whitney Sutton – production coordination * Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar, banjo * Wanda Vick – fiddle * Hank Williams – mastering * John Willis – banjo, mandolin, hi string acoustic guitar


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


Footnotes


References


Citations


Cited sources

* * * * * * {{authority control 2006 debut albums Big Machine Records albums Taylor Swift albums Albums produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer) Country albums by American artists