Sparks Fly (song)
Encyclopedia
"Sparks Fly" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift
, from her third studio album, Speak Now
(2010). The song was written and produced by Swift, with additional production handled by Nathan Chapman
. Swift penned the song when she was sixteen years of age; before she had broken out into the music scene with her debut single "Tim McGraw
" in 2006. Following a 2007 live performance of the song, the song grew in popularity among Swift's fans. While Swift was working on Speak Now, she had a lot of requests from fans to include the song on the album and she complied. The song speaks of falling in love with somebody that may not be appropriate to fall in love with.
"Sparks Fly" has been met with mostly positive reviews by critics. Some critics believe the song could turn things around for Swift and praise it for its upbeat tempo, as well as her vocals. Other claims have praised Swift's lyrics of the song and have also claimed that the song crosses the line between country and pop. Prior to its single release, the song debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100
due to strong digital sales. Also prior to the single release, the song debuted at twenty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100
. The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at eighty-four, after its single release. It peaked at number one at the Hot Country Songs
Chart. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
The music video for the song features clips taken from various performances of the Speak Now World Tour
. It premiered on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. A week after the video aired it received over 400,000 tracking views and helped launch Swift up the Billboards Social 50. The song is the opening song for the Speak Now World Tour and was released on Swift's first live album
, Speak Now: World Tour Live
.
(2006). She performed the song live during several bar shows "of forty and fifty people".
"This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of and can't wait for them to hear."
A recorded live performance of the song made its way onto the internet in 2007. The performance contained lyrics and instrumentation that were different from those that appear on the Speak Now album.
. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made and the package was made available for a limited time. The single was later included in another package that is exclusive to Swift's official store. The package includes the Target
exclusive deluxe edition of Speak Now, a free pair of headphones, and the choice between either the "Sparks Fly", "The Story of Us
", or the "Mean
" CD single.
song with a length of four minutes and twenty-two seconds. The song, written solely by Swift, was written in the key of D minor
. Swift's vocals in the song span two octave
s, from F3 to C5. Johnathan Keefe claimed that "the a capella "Drop everything now" exclamation simply commands attention, with the desperation in Swift’s call-to-action answering the common criticisms that her work is sexless and chaste." Bobby Peacock stated that "I wouldn't mind if the banjo from the 2007 version were left in, but its omission is hardly make-or-break. Perhaps my biggest problem is that the song's chorus undermines itself in the second half — it starts out emphatic and anthemic as usual, but there's just no "oomph" on the hook. It almost feels as if she's trailing off mid-sentence."
According to Swift, the song is about "falling for someone who you maybe shouldn't fall for, but you can't stop yourself because there's such a connection and chemistry."
, such as "Speak Now
", "Back to December
", "Better Than Revenge", "Mean
" and other performances, as well as never before seen footage at beginning. Many of the footage for the video was captured at four different tour date locations including one from the show in Newark, New Jersey
. The footage with the rain was captured during one of the summer shows in a stadium. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the video saying, "The magic and theatrics she’s able to capture on stage rival what almost anyone else is able to dream up for a more Hollywood-like “produced” music video." During the week of its release, the music video had over 400,000 and helped push Swift up the Billboards Social 50, moving her from number nineteen to ten. Jocelyn Vena of MTV.com praised the footage of the video saying that it "perfectly encapsulates the tour's high-octane energy including theatrical set changes, dancers, aerialists, fireworks, pyrotechnics, costume changes and the occasional rainstorm."
considers it "dopamine-infused, hair-whipping stuff". Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine
calls the song "the purest iteration of Swift’s template and repertoire", also saying that it "could turn things around for Swift, as it’s perhaps the most perfectly constructed single in a career built on tracks that are marvels of pop production and songwriting." Bobby Peacock of Roughstock claims that he gets "a sense that Taylor is starting to experience a little burnout at radio. Her songs drop like rocks once they peak, and she's currently 0 for 3 on hitting the top of the Billboard charts. While I don't think this song has that je ne sais quoi to get her another 'You Belong with Me'-level hit, I still think that even a slightly lesser effort from her is a worthwhile listen." Blake Boldt of Engine 145 praised Swift, saying "Her infusion of individual lines with urgency (“Drop everything now,” she insists) and earnestness (“Take away the pain,” she pleads) are a tribute to her talent, not so much as a distinguished vocalist but as an excellent communicator. Each frazzled note is freighted with meaning. Should I stay or should I go now?, she wonders, away the hours before he calls her again." Amanda Hensel of Taste of Country claimed the song is "just another one of those so-Swift tracks that continually toes the line between country and pop to create a genre that is 100% Taylor Swift."
due to strong digital sales of 113,000 downloads making it one of the songs to make Swift the first act to have ten songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week. With the addition of "Mine
", Swift had a total of eleven songs charting in one week, making Swift the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week. The song made a Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart at number forty-nine. Billboard included the song in their Five Potential Pop Hits for 2011 list.
The song jumped from thirty-nine and settled on thirty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs on the week ending August 6, 2011. After its single release the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-four on the week ending August 27, 2011 and peaked at number forty-two on November 11, 2011. On the week ending October 8, 2011 the song jumped from thirteen to ten on the Hot Country Songs Chart. The song has peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard
Radio Songs Chart. It peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs Chart on the week of November 26, 2011. The song became Swift's first single in two years to reach atop the aforesaid chart since "You Belong with Me
" in 2009. It is the only song on the album, Speak Now, to chart at number one. On November 29, 2011, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA
.
Internationally, "Sparks Fly" debuted at twenty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100
on the week of November 13, 2010.
. The song was, at the time, unreleased and was performed using banjos and violins and contained different lyrics than the album version. "Sparks Fly" is the opening song of the Speak Now World Tour. The performance begins with an opening montage about how people should "speak now" about how they feel, and Swift then raises from a cloud of smoke and sings "Drop everything now" before starting the actual song performance. Swift also uses a longer interlude into the final chorus of the song. The performance uses electric guitars instead of banjos. The performance was released on Swift's first live album
called Speak Now: World Tour Live
.
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...
, from her third studio album, Speak Now
Speak Now
Speak Now is the third studio album by American singer–songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 25, 2010 by Big Machine Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 at several recording studios, and was handled by Swift and country music producer Nathan Chapman...
(2010). The song was written and produced by Swift, with additional production handled 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...
. Swift penned the song when she was sixteen years of age; before she had broken out into the music scene with her debut single "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...
" in 2006. Following a 2007 live performance of the song, the song grew in popularity among Swift's fans. While Swift was working on Speak Now, she had a lot of requests from fans to include the song on the album and she complied. The song speaks of falling in love with somebody that may not be appropriate to fall in love with.
"Sparks Fly" has been met with mostly positive reviews by critics. Some critics believe the song could turn things around for Swift and praise it for its upbeat tempo, as well as her vocals. Other claims have praised Swift's lyrics of the song and have also claimed that the song crosses the line between country and pop. Prior to its single release, the song debuted at number seventeen 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...
due to strong digital sales. Also prior to the single release, the song debuted at twenty-eight on 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...
. The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at eighty-four, after its single release. It peaked at number one at the 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...
Chart. The song was certified Gold 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...
.
The music video for the song features clips taken from various performances of 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...
. It premiered on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. A week after the video aired it received over 400,000 tracking views and helped launch Swift up the Billboards Social 50. The song is the opening song for the Speak Now World Tour and was released on Swift's first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 21, 2011 by Big Machine Records. The live album debut at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 sold.- Background :...
.
Background
"Sparks Fly" was written by Swift when she was sixteen years of age, before the release of her self-titled debut albumTaylor 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). She performed the song live during several bar shows "of forty and fifty people".
"This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of and can't wait for them to hear."
A recorded live performance of the song made its way onto the internet in 2007. The performance contained lyrics and instrumentation that were different from those that appear on the Speak Now album.
Release
The song was sent to country radio on July 18, 2011, as the fifth single from Speak Now. An exclusive package was released to Swift's official store including a "Speak Now" necklace and an individually-numbered "Sparks Fly" CD singleCD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made and the package was made available for a limited time. The single was later included in another package that is exclusive to Swift's official store. The package includes the Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
exclusive deluxe edition of Speak Now, a free pair of headphones, and the choice between either the "Sparks Fly", "The Story of Us
The Story of Us (song)
"The Story of Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . Swift wrote the track solely, and produced it alongside Nathan Chapman. The song was released on April 19, 2011 by Big Machine Records, as the fourth single from Speak Now...
", or the "Mean
Mean (song)
"Mean" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . The song, written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift, was first released as a promotional single for the album on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records...
" CD single.
Composition
"Sparks Fly" is a country popCountry 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 four minutes and twenty-two seconds. The song, written solely by Swift, was written in the key of D minor
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
. Swift's vocals in the song span two 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"...
s, from F3 to C5. Johnathan Keefe claimed that "the a capella "Drop everything now" exclamation simply commands attention, with the desperation in Swift’s call-to-action answering the common criticisms that her work is sexless and chaste." Bobby Peacock stated that "I wouldn't mind if the banjo from the 2007 version were left in, but its omission is hardly make-or-break. Perhaps my biggest problem is that the song's chorus undermines itself in the second half — it starts out emphatic and anthemic as usual, but there's just no "oomph" on the hook. It almost feels as if she's trailing off mid-sentence."
According to Swift, the song is about "falling for someone who you maybe shouldn't fall for, but you can't stop yourself because there's such a connection and chemistry."
Promotion
A video for the song was announced on August 8, 2011 on Swift's official website. It premiered on August 10, 2011 on her official website at 4:30PM CDT. It is directed by Christian Lamb. The video features clips of various performances from her Speak Now World TourSpeak 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...
, such as "Speak Now
Speak Now (song)
"Speak Now" is a country pop track with a length of four minutes and two seconds. It has a predominant pop music composition, intertwined with various country elements. The song is set in common time and has a fast tempo of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the key of G major and Swift's...
", "Back to December
Back to December
"Back to December" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Swift wrote the song and produced it alongside Nathan Chapman. It was sent to country radios on November 15, 2010, by Big Machine Records as the second single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now. According to Swift,...
", "Better Than Revenge", "Mean
Mean (song)
"Mean" is a song by American country pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now . The song, written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift, was first released as a promotional single for the album on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records...
" and other performances, as well as never before seen footage at beginning. Many of the footage for the video was captured at four different tour date locations including one from the show in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. The footage with the rain was captured during one of the summer shows in a stadium. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the video saying, "The magic and theatrics she’s able to capture on stage rival what almost anyone else is able to dream up for a more Hollywood-like “produced” music video." During the week of its release, the music video had over 400,000 and helped push Swift up the Billboards Social 50, moving her from number nineteen to ten. Jocelyn Vena of MTV.com praised the footage of the video saying that it "perfectly encapsulates the tour's high-octane energy including theatrical set changes, dancers, aerialists, fireworks, pyrotechnics, costume changes and the occasional rainstorm."
Critical reception
"Sparks Fly" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone Magazine praised Swift's vocals on "Sparks Fly", commenting that her voice in such an upbeat song is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer. Rahul Prabhakar of The Oxonian ReviewThe Oxonian Review
The Oxonian Review is a literature and arts review journal produced by graduate students at the University of Oxford. Each week during term time, an online edition is published featuring reviews and essays on current affairs and literature...
considers it "dopamine-infused, hair-whipping stuff". 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 :...
calls the song "the purest iteration of Swift’s template and repertoire", also saying that it "could turn things around for Swift, as it’s perhaps the most perfectly constructed single in a career built on tracks that are marvels of pop production and songwriting." Bobby Peacock of Roughstock claims that he gets "a sense that Taylor is starting to experience a little burnout at radio. Her songs drop like rocks once they peak, and she's currently 0 for 3 on hitting the top of the Billboard charts. While I don't think this song has that je ne sais quoi to get her another 'You Belong with Me'-level hit, I still think that even a slightly lesser effort from her is a worthwhile listen." Blake Boldt of Engine 145 praised Swift, saying "Her infusion of individual lines with urgency (“Drop everything now,” she insists) and earnestness (“Take away the pain,” she pleads) are a tribute to her talent, not so much as a distinguished vocalist but as an excellent communicator. Each frazzled note is freighted with meaning. Should I stay or should I go now?, she wonders, away the hours before he calls her again." Amanda Hensel of Taste of Country claimed the song is "just another one of those so-Swift tracks that continually toes the line between country and pop to create a genre that is 100% Taylor Swift."
Commercial performance
Following the release of Speak Now, on November 4, 2010, "Sparks Fly" debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
due to strong digital sales of 113,000 downloads making it one of the songs to make Swift the first act to have ten songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week. With the addition of "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...
", Swift had a total of eleven songs charting in one week, making Swift the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week. The song made a Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart at number forty-nine. Billboard included the song in their Five Potential Pop Hits for 2011 list.
The song jumped from thirty-nine and settled on thirty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs on the week ending August 6, 2011. After its single release the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-four on the week ending August 27, 2011 and peaked at number forty-two on November 11, 2011. On the week ending October 8, 2011 the song jumped from thirteen to ten on the Hot Country Songs Chart. The song has peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
Radio Songs Chart. It peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs Chart on the week of November 26, 2011. The song became Swift's first single in two years to reach atop the aforesaid chart since "You Belong with Me
You Belong with Me
"You Belong with Me" is a country pop song performed by American recording artist Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift and Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman with Swift's aid. It was released on April 21, 2009, by Big Machine Records as the third single from Swift's second studio...
" in 2009. It is the only song on the album, Speak Now, to chart at number one. On November 29, 2011, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA
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...
.
Internationally, "Sparks Fly" debuted at twenty-eight on 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...
on the week of November 13, 2010.
Live performances
The live performance that was uploaded to YouTube was captured on May 30, 2007 in Oroville, CaliforniaOroville, California
Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 at the 2000 census...
. The song was, at the time, unreleased and was performed using banjos and violins and contained different lyrics than the album version. "Sparks Fly" is the opening song of the Speak Now World Tour. The performance begins with an opening montage about how people should "speak now" about how they feel, and Swift then raises from a cloud of smoke and sings "Drop everything now" before starting the actual song performance. Swift also uses a longer interlude into the final chorus of the song. The performance uses electric guitars instead of banjos. The performance was released on Swift's first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
called Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live
Speak Now: World Tour Live is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 21, 2011 by Big Machine Records. The live album debut at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 sold.- Background :...
.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (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... ) |
28 |
| US Billboard Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... 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... |
17 |
| 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... (Billboard Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... ) |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 18, 2011 | Country radio | 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... |
| August 10, 2011 | Limited edition CD single |
External links
- "Sparks Fly" music video at YouTube.comYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....