Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
Encyclopedia
"Love Story" is a 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...

 song performed 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 song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman
Nathan 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...

, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 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...

, as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

 from Swift's 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...

. The song was written about a love interest of Swift's who was not popular among Swift's family and friends. Because of the scenario, Swift related to the plot of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

(1597) and used it as a source of inspiration to compose the song. However, she replaced Romeo and Juliets original tragic
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...

  conclusion with a happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....

. It is a midtempo song with a dreamy tenor, while the melody continually builds up. The lyrics have Swift narrating from the perspective of Juliet Capulet
Juliet Capulet
Juliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself....

.

The song was a critical success with critics complimenting Swift's writing style and the song's plot. It was also a commercial success, selling over 6.5 million copies worldwide since January 2010, therefore establishing itself among of the best-selling singles of all time. In the United States, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and sold over 5 million digital downloads, becoming Swift's best-selling single to date. It was also deemed one of the best-selling singles in the United States and was once the best-selling country single of all time. The single was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 (RIAA). Internationally, "Love Story" became Swift's first and only number one single in Australia thus far and certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

 (ARIA).

The song's accompanying 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...

 was directed by Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...

, who directed all of Swift's prior videos. The video is a period piece
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...

 that drew influences from Medieval, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

, and Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...

(1813) eras. It follows Swift and model Justin Gaston
Justin Gaston
Justin Michael Gaston is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actor who was also a contestant on Nashville Star on season 6. He finished 10th overall out of 12 contestants.-Career:...

 as they meet in a university campus and imagine themselves in a prior era. "Love Story" was promoted through numerous live performances. The song was included on Swift's first and second headlining tours, the Fearless Tour
Fearless Tour
The Fearless Tour was the first concert tour by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The tour was in support of her second studio album, Fearless. On the tour, she was joined by guests Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Teen singer, Justin Bieber joined her for the tour when she went to...

 (2009–10) and the Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour is the second concert tour by American country singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, in support of her third studio album, Speak Now. The tour visited Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia...

 (2011), respectively; the song was used as the final performance on the latter. "Love Story" has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 by several artists, including Joe McElderry
Joe McElderry
Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...

 and Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas, who have yet to be signed to a new label after the closure of Universal Motown Records. In issue 228 of Alternative Press, the group was named the number one underground band in the "22 Best Underground Bands". Their first...

.

Writing and inspiration

"Love Story" came along late into the production of 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...

. Swift wrote "Love Story" about a male who was never officially her boyfriend
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed relationships, where other titles A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed...

. When she introduced him to her family and friends, they did not become fond of him. "His situation was a little complicated, but I didn't care", said Swift. Swift also felt like it was the first time she could relate to the plot of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

(1597), one her favorite narratives, which she described as, "The only people who wanted them to be together were them." She conceived the idea for the song when she reflected about the scenario: "I thought, 'This is difficult but it's real, it matters—it's not simple or easy but it's real'." She then centered the song on the line, which was ultimately placed in the "Love Story"'s second refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

. All events, with the exclusion of the end, narrated in the song regarded Swift's actual story. The song's conclusion differed from that of Romeo and Juliet. "I feel like they had such promise and they were so crazy for each other. And if that had just gone a little bit differently, it could have been the best love story ever told. And it is one of the best love stories ever told, but it's a tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...

." Instead, she chose to write a happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....

. She took her favorite characters and conceptualized the ending she believed they deserved. She perceived it to be the ideal ending that females hoped for, including herself. "You want a guy who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, what anyone says." Although it was fictional, Swift said it was an enjoyable experience to write about. Swift wrote the track on her bedroom floor in approximately twenty minutes, feeling too inspired to put the song down unfinished.

Swift and her love interest continued their relationship, but then went their separate ways because it was hard for them to see each other. To Swift, the song resembles much optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...

 regarding love and how encountering the right person could surpass skepticism. She deemed "Love Story" one of her most romantic songs, although she was never in an official relationship with the subject of the song. In retrospect, Swift said about the song, "It’s about a love that you've got to hide because for whatever reason it wouldn't go over well. I spun it in the direction of Romeo and Juliet. Our parents are fighting. I relate to it more as a love that you cannot really elaborate on — a love that maybe society wouldn't accept [or] maybe your friends wouldn't accept."

Recording

"Love Story" was recorded in March 2008 at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, alongside record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Nathan Chapman
Nathan 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...

 and various personnel. Chapman produced all but one song on Swift's 2006 eponymous debut album
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...

, Taylor Swift, and co-produced all songs on Fearless. Swift sang into an Avantone CV-12 multi-pattern tube microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...

, manufactured by Avant Electronics. The microphone had a new old stock tube that was designed and built by country singer, record producer, and audio engineer Ray Kennedy
Ray Kennedy (country singer)
Ray Kennedy is an American country music artist. He has recorded three studio albums: one on Columbia Records and two on Atlantic Records...

 for Chapman. Chapman had received the microphone from Kennedy as a loan, as a "try this for a while" experiment. Although he previously had tested numerous microphones on Swift, he was had not been able to find one to match her voice match perfectly. When Swift came to Chapman's home to record a radio edit for one of singles from Taylor Swift, she immediately grew fond of the microphone. "When she put on the headphones and said, 'Test,' completely unprompted, she said, 'This is my mic. I love this mic. I just wanna use this one from now on!' She had no idea what it was, just loved it, and I went along with something that felt right for her. We've been using it ever since, and it sounds great on her voice", Chapman said.

"Love Story" was recorded with Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...

 and tracking vocals, which Swift sang live with the band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

. The band consisted of 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...

s, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

s, and drums. All other instruments were overdubbed
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....

 by Chapman. He said, "I think there are nine acoustic guitars on that track, and I stacked several background vocals — me singing, 'Ah's'." Audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...

 was executed by Chad Carlson in Blackbird Studios' Studio D, with the usage of the API Legacy Plus equipments: Avantone CV-12, Neve 1073, and Tube-Tech CL-1B. Audio mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

 done by Justin Niebank and was set in Studio F, with the usage of the console Solid State Logic 9080 K series and Genelec 1032 console. In between, overdubs were executed in Studio E by Chapman. "Love Story", along with the rest of the album, was mastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...

 by Hank Williams at MasterMix Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The song was mixed for mainstream airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...

 by Chapman. He pulled Niebank's stems into his Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...

 laptop and used Apple Logic to create the pop version. Chapman made mix tweaks and created new elements with his laptop. In order to do so, he muted the country instruments and replaced them with new elements characteristic to pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, replacing banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...

 and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...

 with electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

. The pop version's opening beat is a Logic loop in the Ultrabeat beat generator. All the new electric guitars were done with the Amplitube Stomp I/O.

Composition

"Love Story" is a 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...

 song with a length of three minutes and fifty-seven seconds. It is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...

 and has a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...

 of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...

 of D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....

 and Swift's vocals span one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

, from A3 to B4. Swift croons "Love Story" softly and sweetly, with a slight twang
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...

 that defines the song to be country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

. It follows the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...

 D
(add)9–Asus5–Bm–G69. The song is of a swirling and dreamy tenor, and is based upon a pop hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...

. The melody is simple, containing a rushy pace which continually grows and concludes with a key change.

The lyrics of "Love Story" are written in first person, in which Swift refers to herself as the fictional Romeo and Juliet female lead Juliet Capulet
Juliet Capulet
Juliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself....

 and her love interest as Romeo Montague
Romeo Montague
Romeo is one of the fictional protagonists in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is the son of old Montague and his wife, who secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet...

. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 described the song as a narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...

, in which Swift is the narrator. The song's plot revolves a youthful romance foiled by parental disapproval. In the end, love prevails and the coupled find their happily ever after. The first verse introduces the characters at a ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...

, where they meet. In the second verse, the story transitions to the couple sneaking about after dark and references Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...

's The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an...

(1850). The song's refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...

s have Swift waiting for her love interest to appear: "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone/ I'll be waiting/ All there's left to do is run." The song's final refrain has Swift narrating from Romeo's perspective and proposing marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 to Swift.

Critical reception

The song has been well received by music critics. Kate Kiefer of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

magazine recognized the song to be Swift's best and added that once the lyrics are learned, it is impossible to not sing along. Sean Dooley of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

 credited the song for transitioning Swift from a "fresh-faced star to crossover superstar". Dooley attributed the song's commercial success due to her departure from her past lyrical themes, which summarized "I wish this boy knew how I really felt about him”. While reviewing Fearless, Dooley selected "Love Story" as one of the best tracks on the album. Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

 admired how Swift attempted to incorporate sophisticated elements, like Romeo and Juliet and The Scarlet Letter, although it was not successful because of its awkwardness, inexplicable nature, and pointless conceit. Keefe credited its success to its prominent hook. James Reed of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...

thought otherwise, stating Swift's charm was in her songwriting skills.

Fraser McAlpine of the BBC stated, "'Love Story' is a stunning pop song and, because it really does tell a love story, it's heart-warming and draws the listener into the exciting and romantic fairytale world." However, she felt Swift's vocal performance was not incredible, but was passionate to complement the song's sentiments. McAlpine resumed by stating that "Love Story", although obvious, a bit dramatic, and probably targeted towards younger audiences, was just lovely and that Swift proved herself a true princess of pop with the song. Chris Neal of Country Weekly
Country Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...

called "Love Story" an "ebullient first hit." Deborah Evans Price of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine gave the single a favorable review and called it an "enchanting offering". Price noted that "Love Story" demonstrates one of Swift's appeals, her writing and singing of age-appropriate material that can be both relatble to her audience and others. As a result, she predicted the song would have much commercial success in the country music industry. Alex Macpherson of United Kingdom magazine The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

described the song to be fueled by a "joyous rush" that, according to him, was later replicated by Swift's own single "Mine
Mine (song)
"Mine" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift alone and produced by Swift along with Nathan Chapman. It was released as the lead single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now by Big Machine Records...

" (2010).

Awards and nominations

At the 35th People's Choice Awards
35th People's Choice Awards
The 35th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2008, was held on January 7, 2009 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Queen Latifah in her third straight year as host, and was broadcast on CBS...

, "Love Story" was nominated for the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Country", but lost to Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...

's "Last Name
Last Name
"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...

" (2008). The song was nominated for "Fave Song" at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2009
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2009
The 7th annual Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on 13 November 2009 at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne and was broadcast as LIVE in Australia at 7.00pm on Nickelodeon . The nominees for 2009 were announced on 20 September 2009....

, but lost to The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

' "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...

" (2009) and received the same outcome at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

, when it lost the nomination for "Choice Music: Love Song" to David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...

's "Crush
Crush (David Archuleta song)
"Crush" is the first single by American Idol season seven runner-up David Archuleta. It was first released to radio stations via New York City's radio station Z100 on August 1, 2008, and commercially in the United States on August 12, 2008, through digital distribution...

" (2008). In 2009, "Love Story" was declared the "Country Song of the Year" by Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...

 (BMI).

Chart performance

On the week ending September 27, 2008 "Love Story" debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, selling over 97,000 digital downloads. In the succeeding week, "Love Story" ascended to a new peak at number five, selling 159,000. After two weeks in the top ten, on the week ending October 18, 2008, the track descended to number thirteen and remained on the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks, returning to the top ten, at number seven, on the week ending January 3, 2009. On the week ending January 17, 2009, the song reached its peak at number four on the chart, becoming Swift's best charting single at the time. In the succeeding weeks, "Love Story" continued to sell strongly, spending fourteen weeks in the top ten and forty-nine weeks in total. The song is one of thirteen songs from Fearless charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record for the most top forty entries from a single album. It also peaked at number one on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

, Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...

 (marking the highest peak by a country song on the chart since Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...

's "You're Still the One
You're Still the One
"You're Still the One" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the third country single from Shania Twain's 1997 album, Come on Over, while it was the first to be released to pop and international markets. Released in 1998, the single peaked at number two becoming Twain's first top ten...

" peaked at number three in 1998), and Adult Contemporary. The single was certified quintuple platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 (RIAA) for shipments exceeding five million copies. As of May 2011, "Love Story" has sold over 5 million copies in the United States. Therefore, the song became Swift's best-selling single, was once the best-selling country single of all time (now the second) and the ninth best-selling digital single of all time. In Canada, "Love Story" entered the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

 at number eighty-eight on the week ending October 18, 2008, and peaked at number four on the week ending November 29, 2008. The track certified double platinum by Music Canada
Music Canada
Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:...

 for sales of 160,000 digital downloads.

In Australia, "Love Story" debuted at number thirty-eight on the week ending January 25, 2009. After two weeks of ascending the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

, "Love Story" found a peak at number two, where it maintained for six consecutive weeks prior to reaching number one on the week ending March 29, 2009, becoming Swift's first and only number one in the region. In the following week, the track descended again to number two, but rose to the top for a second and last week on the top fifty on the week ending April 12, 2009. The single was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

 (ARIA) for the shipment of over 210,000 copies. On the week ending February 2, 2009, "Love Story" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

 at number thirty-three. After nine weeks on the chart, the song peaked at number three on the week ending April 6, 2009. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

 (RIANZ) for the shipment of over 15,000 copies. In Japan, the track peaked at number three on the week ending July 4, 2009.

"Love Story" debuted at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, on the week ending February 28, 2009. In the succeeding week, the song rose to its peak at number two, becoming Swift's best-charting single and only top ten in the United Kingdom to date. It spent seven weeks in the top ten and thirty-two weeks in total on the chart. The single was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

 (BPI) for shipments exceeding 400,000 copies. In Ireland, "Love Story" peaked at number three. in mainland, the track peaked at number ten on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...

 Chart, number six on the Hungarian Singles Chart
Mahasz
Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary....

, number seven on the Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

, and at number ten on the Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....

. It performed well in other countries, such as Denmark, Dutchland, The Netherlands, and France, where it became a top twenty hit. In total, as of January 2010, "Love Story" has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide, therefore establishing itself among of the best-selling singles of all time.

Music video

The accompanying 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...

 for "Love Story" was directed by Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...

, who previously directed the videos for the singles from Taylor Swift. Swift decided to collaborate with Fanjoy once again because she had been able to balance both of their ideas for music videos, something Swift appreciated deeply. The video is a period piece
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...

 that draws influence from Medieval, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

, and Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...

(1813) eras. Swift had previously desired to film a period piece music video because of its distinctiveness from modern videos and videos she had filmed. However, she chose for the video to set in the time period, for she envisioned it as such when writing the song and, therefore, encoded visuals into it. She believed "Love Story"'s plot was a timeless scenario: "I think it could happen in the 1700s, the 1800s, or 2008." It influenced her to search for a timeless quality in demeanor of her love interest. With six months in advanced, Swift searched, through watching films, for a countless actors to interpret the role. Someone who had been watching the sixth season
Nashville Star (season 6)
Season 6 of Nashville Star, the annual reality show and singing competition, premiered on NBC on June 9, 2008 at 9PM Eastern/Pacific. The show moved to NBC from USA Network, which had inaugurated the show and broadcast it for five seasons. For the first time, auditions were open also for duets and...

 of the reality television series Nashville Star
Nashville Star
Nashville Star is an American reality television program. It was transmitted during mid-2008 on NBC, following five seasons on USA Network. It premiered on March 8, 2003, and its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television. In Canada, the show aired on CMT...

recommended contestant Justin Gaston
Justin Gaston
Justin Michael Gaston is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actor who was also a contestant on Nashville Star on season 6. He finished 10th overall out of 12 contestants.-Career:...

. Swift then looked through his pictures and concluded he was suitable for the music video. Gaston fulfilled the requirements Swift had set out, describing him as a "Prince Charming
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...

 that could've been alive in the 1800s." However, because Gaston was competing on Nashville Star, he was unable to participate in the music video. Gaston was eventually eliminated and Swift contacted him immediately to film the video. Swift was very impressed by Gaston's acting skills: "I was so impressed by the way his [expressions] were in the video. Without even saying anything, he would just do a certain glance and it really came across well."

A castle was chosen for the video's setting. Personnel researched numerous castles in the United States and were unable to locate one in sufficient condition for filming. They had considered traveling to Europe to find a castle, but were then informed about a castle south of Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

. Named Castle Gywnn, it was built in 1973 and chosen as the video's setting. Wardrobe for the video was supplied by Jacquard Fabrics, excluding Swift's dress for the balcony scene. The dress was designed by Seanie Speeka with inspiration and suggestions from Swift. "She loves to put her input in her dresses", stated Speeka. The two had discussed the dress two months prior to the filming of the video. Accentuates were made on the video set. The video was filmed in two days in August 2008 in Tennessee. On the first day, the balcony and field scenes were shot. On the set, someone had replaced the playback
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...

 CD with a high-pitch, altered version of the song. As a result, Swift lent the crew her iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...

 to play the original track. While filming another scene, sunset was about to occur and, therefore, the process was executed rather rapidly. For the scene, Fanjoy suggested a kiss between Swift and Gaston, but Swift refused to because she believed it would make for a sweeter moment. On the second day, scenes at Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...

 in Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...

 and at a ballroom were filmed. Swift learned the choreography for the latter in fifteen minutes prior to filming. Approximately 20 dancers were used for the scene.

The video commences with Swift, clothed by a black sweater and jeans, walking through a university campus and spotting Gaston sitting under a tree, reading a textbook. As they make eye contact, the video then transitions to an earlier era, in castle, where Swift stands, wearing a corset and gown, and performs in a balcony. After, Gaston enters a party and sees Swift, wearing a ball gown, conversing with other females. The two engage, along with others, engage in ballroom dancing. After dancing, Gaston whispers into Swift's ear and Swift is then seen pondering at night with a lantern. She meets with Gaston and the two walk, hold hands, and feed a horse by a well. The two then go their separate paths. Afterward, Swift stands in the balcony, looking out from the a window. She sees Gaston running toward her and immediately runs down the staircase. Swift and Gaston meet each other and hold each other. The video then transcends back into modern-day as Gaston walks toward Swift and they gaze into each others' eyes, where the video concludes. Cut-scenes feature ballroom dancing and Swift performing in the balcony setting.

Video reception

The video premiered on September 12, 2008 on CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...

. Mandi Bierly of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

was concerned about the video mark Swift's artistic evolution as an artist because it made her believe something else in the artist had altered. She, however, stated, "Worry though I might, I can’t resist Taylor Swift’s evolution from 'Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw (song)
"Tim McGraw" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and Liz Rose, and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on June 19, 2006 by Big Machine Records as Swift's debut single and the lead single from Swift's eponymous debut album, Taylor Swift...

' (2006) to her latest, 'Love Story'." Bierly also compared Swift's acting with that of Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...

. Fraser McAlpine of BBC believed Swift played a princess in the video and, therefore, said it would make females envious. The video was nominated for the "Video of the Year" category at the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards, but lost to Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....

's "Waitin' on a Woman
Waitin' on a Woman
"Waitin' on a Woman" is the title of a song written by Don Sampson and Wynn Varble, and recorded three times by American country music artist Brad Paisley. His first recording of the song was included on his 2005 album Time Well Wasted. Three years later, Paisley re-recorded the song for inclusion...

" (2008). At the 2009 CMT Music Awards
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...

, the video won the CMT Music Awards for "Video of the Year" and "Female Video of the Year". It also won the Country Music Association Award for "Music Video of the Year" at the 43rd Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...

. The video won "Favorite International Video" at the Philippine Myx Music Awards 2010
Myx Music Awards 2010
-Nomination Night:Nomination night took place in February, 2010 at Eastwood Central Plaza, Quezon City, with a number of hosts and performances. With six nominations each, Gloc-9 , Rico Blanco -Nomination Night:Nomination night took place in February, 2010 at Eastwood Central Plaza, Quezon City,...

.

Live performances

When promoting the single in the United States in late 2008 and early 2009, Swift performed "Love Story" on the Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...

, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...

, the 2008 Country Music Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...

, as a duet with English rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

 on CMT Crossroads, the episode was released as a DVD exclusively through 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, Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...

's Stripped, Studio 330 Sessions, and Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...

. In the United Kingdom, Swift promoted the track during early 2009 with performances on television programs, such as Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...

and Later... with Jools Holland. Since, Swift has performed the track twice on The Today Show, at the 2009 CMA Music Festival
CMA Music Festival
The CMA Music Festival is a four-day music festival centered around country music hosted each June by the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee...

, the 2009 V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...

, the Australian charity concert Sydney Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...

, Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...

, and again on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Swift performed "Love Story" on all venues of her first headlining concert tour, the Fearless Tour
Fearless Tour
The Fearless Tour was the first concert tour by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The tour was in support of her second studio album, Fearless. On the tour, she was joined by guests Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Teen singer, Justin Bieber joined her for the tour when she went to...

, which extended from April 2009 to June 2010. The performances begun with backup dancers, dressed in Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 clothing, dancing ballroom to Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 composer Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...

's "Pachelbel's Canon", as a castle backdrop was projected onto the stage. Swift emerged to upper level of the stage, from below, donning a crimson, 18th century gown with a golden accents. For the song's last refrain, Swift hid behind backup dancers as she changed her wardrobe to a white wedding dress. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

said Swift offered the audience with optimistic thinking with the performance in the August 27, 2009 concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Reviewing the May 22, 2010 concert at the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....

 in Toronto, Canada, Jane Stevenson of The Toronto Sun stated the moment was far too girly for her liking. "Love Story" served as the final performance on the setlist of Swift's second concert tour, the Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour
Speak Now World Tour is the second concert tour by American country singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, in support of her third studio album, Speak Now. The tour visited Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia...

 (2011); the performances featured Swift roaming throughout the stage, wearing a white sundress.

Cover versions and media usage

Kidz Bop Kids recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of "Love Story" for the fifthteenth installment of Kidz Bop
Kidz Bop 15
Kidz Bop 15 is the 15th edition to the Kidz Bop series and was released on February 3, 2009. It debuted and peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This is the third Kidz Bop album in a row to include an iTunes Bonus Track...

, released in 2009. Heather Phares of Allmusic denounced that the song had a melody strong enough to withstand the Kidz Bop treatment and be kid-friendly, although having children singing lead vocals did make the song less friendly to general audiences. American pop band Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas, who have yet to be signed to a new label after the closure of Universal Motown Records. In issue 228 of Alternative Press, the group was named the number one underground band in the "22 Best Underground Bands". Their first...

 covered "Love Story" for the 2009 deluxe edition of the debut studio album Underdog Alma Mater
Underdog Alma Mater
Underdog Alma Mater is the debut album from Dallas band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on April 29, 2008. The first track to be heard from this album was "Whoa Oh! ", which was released on their MySpace page on March 19 at midnight...

(2008). English singer Joe McElderry
Joe McElderry
Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...

, winner of the sixth series
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...

 the United Kingdom talent competition The X Factor, performed a live cover of "Love Story" on The X Factor Tour in 2010. Gordon Smart of The Sun said the performance of "Love Story" on February 15, 2010 in Liverpool, England, at the Echo Arena "went down a storm." "Love Story" was featured in the romantic comedy Letters to Juliet
Letters to Juliet
Letters to Juliet is a 2010 American romantic comedy drama film starring Amanda Seyfried, Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael García Bernal, and Franco Nero. This was the final film of director Gary Winick before he died of brain cancer. The film was released theatrically in North America and other...

(2010), as well as its official trailer and in the pilot of the television series Hart of Dixie
Hart of Dixie
Hart of Dixie is an American medical-drama television series, created by Leila Gerstein. On May 17, 2011, The CW officially picked up the series...

(2011).

Track listings

  • Promo CD Single / Digital Download
  1. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57

  • Pop Mix Digital Download
  1. "Love Story" (US Pop Mix) – 3:53

  • US CD Single
  1. "Love Story" (US Pop Mix) – 3:53
  2. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57

  • AUS / EU CD Single
  1. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57
  2. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Radio Mix) – 3:11

  • UK CD Single
  1. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57
  2. "Beautiful Eyes" – 2:56
  3. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Radio Mix) – 3:11


  • GER CD Single
  1. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57
  2. "Beautiful Eyes" – 2:56
  3. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Radio Mix) – 3:11
  4. "Love Story" (Music Video) – 3:54

  • The Remixes Maxi-CD Single
  1. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Remix) – 5:59
  2. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Radio Mix) – 3:11
  3. "Love Story" (Digital Dog Dub) – 5:38
  4. "Love Story" (J Stax Club Mix) – 5:29
  5. "Love Story" (J Stax Radio Mix) – 3:42
  6. "Love Story" (Album Version) – 3:57


Charts

Chart (2008–2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

1
Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

30
Belgian Tip Singles Chart (Flanders) 4
Belgian Singles Chart
Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...

 (Wallonia)
39
Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

4
Czech Airplay Singles Chart
Rádio Top 100 Oficiální
Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak...

4
Danish Singles Chart
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...

16
Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

13
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...

10
French Singles Chart
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...

14
German Singles Chart 22
Hungarian Singles Chart
Mahasz
Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary....

6
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

3
Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....

3
New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

3
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

7
Spanish Singles Chart 47
Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....

10
Swiss Singles Chart
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

50
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

2
US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

4
US Adult Contemporary 1
US Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

1
US Latin Pop Songs 35
US Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...

1


Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008
This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 2008....

81
US Hot Country Songs 55
Chart (2009) Position
Australian Singles Chart 3
Canadian Hot 100 8
Japan Hot 100 54
New Zealand Singles Chart 13
UK Singles Chart 29
US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2009
Billboard magazine each year releases a Top Hot 100 songs of the year, counted from the first week of November to the final week in October. The 2009 list was dominated by The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga, who shared the top four spots...

5

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart (2000s) Position
Australian Singles Chart 10
US Billboard Hot 100 73

Certifications

Country Certification
Australia
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

3× Platinum
Canada
Music Canada
Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:...

2× Platinum
New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

Platinum
United Kingdom
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

Gold
United States
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

5× Platinum


See also


External links

  • "Love Story" music video on Vevo
    Vevo
    Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...

  • Love Story Lyrics on Official Taylor Swift website
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