Beautiful Eyes
Encyclopedia
Beautiful Eyes is the second extended play
(EP) by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift
. The EP was released on July 15, 2008 by Big Machine Records
exclusively to Wal-Mart
stores in the United States and online. The limited release
EP has a primarily country pop
sound and features alternate versions of tracks from her debut album, Taylor Swift
(2006), and two original tracks, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", songs which she had previously written; a DVD
, featuring music videos of singles from Taylor Swift, is also included on the physical release of the EP.
Beautiful Eyes peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200
and topped Billboard' s Top Country Albums chart, succeeding her self-titled debut album. "I Heart Question Mark" was released as a promotional single
in June 2008. Though the EP was not heavily promoted, Swift performed the title track at some venues.
(2006), and began working on her second studio album, Fearless
(2008), in 2007. During that time, she received a number of e-mails from fans requesting for new material to be released, which drove Swift into releasing Beautiful Eyes: "I thought this might tide them over till the new album comes out in the fall." Beautiful Eyes is musically oriented to country pop
and contemporary music. It includes new versions of tracks from Taylor Swift: an alternate version of "Should've Said No
", the fifth single from the album, an acoustic
version of "Teardrops on My Guitar
", the second single from the album, a radio edit of "Picture to Burn
", the fourth single from the album, and "I'm Only Me when I'm with You", a promotional single from the album. The EP also features two original songs, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", which she previously wrote in 2003. The EP's DVD features music videos from the singles from Taylor Swift, as well as a music video
made for "Beautiful Eyes" from footage from Swift's eighteenth birthday party.
Swift did not want any misconceptions of Beautiful Eyes as her second album and therefore partnered with the American retail
company Wal-Mart
to make the EP an exclusive release. The album was only made available through American Wal-Mart stores and Wal-Mart's website. Furthermore, it was made a limited release
because Swift only allowed Big Machine Records to manufacture a certain amount of copies of the EP. She said, "I’m only letting my record company make a small amount of these. The last thing I want any of you to think is that we are putting out too many releases."
due to sales of 45,000 copies. The EP spent a total of twenty weeks on the Billboard 200. On the same week, it debuted at number one on Top Country Albums, replacing her own album Taylor Swift as the chart's number one album. With Taylor Swift charting at number two, Swift became the first artist to hold the first two positions on Top Country Albums since LeAnn Rimes
charted in 1997 with Blue
(1996) and Unchained Melody: The Early Years
(1997). The following week, the EP slipped to number two and, in total, it spent twenty eight weeks on Top Country Albums. As of March 2011, the EP has sold over 257,000 copies in the United States.
from Beautiful Eyes on June 23, 2008. Swift promoted Beautiful Eyes minimally for the reason being she did not want for misconceptions of the EP being her second album, although she did perform the title track at different venues. She first performed "Beautiful Eyes" on January 23, 2005 at the 2005 NAMM Show
, an annual music product trade show
held in Anaheim, California
at the Anaheim Convention Center
. The performance featured Swift, dressed in a red blouse and blue jeans, performing acoustically
with a guitar, sitting on a bar stool
. "Beautiful Eyes" was later performed as part of Swift's set for Stripped on August 5, 2008; she wore a black, one-shoulder dress
and performed with a back-up band while playing a rhinestoned acoustic guitar
.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. The EP was released on July 15, 2008 by Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...
exclusively to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
stores in the United States and online. The limited release
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
EP has a primarily country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
sound and features alternate versions of tracks from her debut album, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift (album)
Taylor Swift is the eponymous debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The album was released on October 24, 2006 by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote songs for the album during her freshman year of high school and has writing credits on all of the albums' songs including those...
(2006), and two original tracks, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", songs which she had previously written; a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, featuring music videos of singles from Taylor Swift, is also included on the physical release of the EP.
Beautiful Eyes peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and topped Billboard
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
in June 2008. Though the EP was not heavily promoted, Swift performed the title track at some venues.
Background
Swift received much success with the release of her self-titled debut album Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift (album)
Taylor Swift is the eponymous debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The album was released on October 24, 2006 by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote songs for the album during her freshman year of high school and has writing credits on all of the albums' songs including those...
(2006), and began working on her second studio album, Fearless
Fearless (Taylor Swift album)
Fearless has been well-received by music professionals, with many praising Swift for her introspective lyrics, as well as her mature sound. According to the music review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an...
(2008), in 2007. During that time, she received a number of e-mails from fans requesting for new material to be released, which drove Swift into releasing Beautiful Eyes: "I thought this might tide them over till the new album comes out in the fall." Beautiful Eyes is musically oriented to country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
and contemporary music. It includes new versions of tracks from Taylor Swift: an alternate version of "Should've Said No
Should've Said No
"Should've Said No" is a country song written and recorded by American country-pop singer Taylor Swift. It is the fifth and final single released from her first self-titled studio album. It has also become her second Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August...
", the fifth single from the album, an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
version of "Teardrops on My Guitar
Teardrops on My Guitar
"Teardrops on My Guitar" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift, alongside Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman with Swift's aid. "Teardrops on My Guitar" was released on February 24, 2007 by Big Machine Records, as the second single...
", the second single from the album, a radio edit of "Picture to Burn
Picture to Burn
"Picture to Burn" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was co-written by Swift and Liz Rose, and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on January 29, 2008 by Big Machine Records as the fourth single from Swift's eponymous studio album, Taylor Swift...
", the fourth single from the album, and "I'm Only Me when I'm with You", a promotional single from the album. The EP also features two original songs, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", which she previously wrote in 2003. The EP's DVD features music videos from the singles from Taylor Swift, as well as a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
made for "Beautiful Eyes" from footage from Swift's eighteenth birthday party.
Swift did not want any misconceptions of Beautiful Eyes as her second album and therefore partnered with the American retail
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
company Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
to make the EP an exclusive release. The album was only made available through American Wal-Mart stores and Wal-Mart's website. Furthermore, it was made a limited release
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
because Swift only allowed Big Machine Records to manufacture a certain amount of copies of the EP. She said, "I’m only letting my record company make a small amount of these. The last thing I want any of you to think is that we are putting out too many releases."
Chart performance
On the week ending August 2, 2008, Beautiful Eyes debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
due to sales of 45,000 copies. The EP spent a total of twenty weeks on the Billboard 200. On the same week, it debuted at number one on Top Country Albums, replacing her own album Taylor Swift as the chart's number one album. With Taylor Swift charting at number two, Swift became the first artist to hold the first two positions on Top Country Albums since LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
charted in 1997 with Blue
Blue (LeAnn Rimes album)
Blue is the debut album by American country singer LeAnn Rimes, released in the United States on July 9, 1996 by Curb Records. It reached #3 on Billboard 200, and #1 on Top Country Albums....
(1996) and Unchained Melody: The Early Years
Unchained Melody: The Early Years
Jose F. Promis of Allmusic gave the album two and a half out of five stars stating that it's "a tad bizarre" due to the album consisting of recordings released prior to Blue, that were recorded when Rimes was eleven years old, as a flow up to her debut album....
(1997). The following week, the EP slipped to number two and, in total, it spent twenty eight weeks on Top Country Albums. As of March 2011, the EP has sold over 257,000 copies in the United States.
Promotion
"I Heart Question Mark" was released as promotional singlePromotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
from Beautiful Eyes on June 23, 2008. Swift promoted Beautiful Eyes minimally for the reason being she did not want for misconceptions of the EP being her second album, although she did perform the title track at different venues. She first performed "Beautiful Eyes" on January 23, 2005 at the 2005 NAMM Show
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center...
, an annual music product trade show
Trade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
held in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
at the Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim Convention Center
The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. Much of the Anaheim Convention Center has been renovated in recent years with state-of-the-art facilities...
. The performance featured Swift, dressed in a red blouse and blue jeans, performing acoustically
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
with a guitar, sitting on a bar stool
Bar stool
Bar stools are a type of tall stool, often with a foot rest, which because of their height and narrowness are designed for seating in a public house or bar...
. "Beautiful Eyes" was later performed as part of Swift's set for Stripped on August 5, 2008; she wore a black, one-shoulder dress
Little black dress
A little black dress is an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel, intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral...
and performed with a back-up band while playing a rhinestoned acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
9 |
| U.S. Top Country Albums | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
192 |
Chart procession and succession
Personnel
- Scott Borchetta - executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
- Nathan ChapmanNathan Chapman (record producer)Nathan Chapman is an American record producer who works in the field of country music. He is known primarily for working with Taylor Swift, having produced her albums Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now. The former was also the first album that he produced...
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Robert Ellis OrrallRobert Ellis OrrallRobert Ellis Orrall 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 Carter...
- producer - Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
- lead vocals