The Story of Us (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Story of Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift
, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now
(2010). 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. Swift composed "The Story of Us" regarding the time when she encountered an ex-boyfriend of hers at the 2010 CMT Music Awards
. At the event, the two attempted to ignore each other, which inspired Swift to compose the song.
"The Story of Us" was met with generally mixed reviews from critics who felt that Swift is strongest when she lets her country roots shine. Prior to its single release, the song debuted and peaked at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot 100
and number seventy on the Canadian Hot 100
due to strong digital sales. It re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-eight after its single release.
The music video of the song was directed by Noble Jones which took place in Vanderbilt University
. It premiered on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The music video was met with mostly positive reception among music critics for its departure from music video high-school. "The Story of Us" was performed live in The Ellen DeGeneres Show
and it was also included in the Speak Now World Tour
set list. The performance from the tour was included on Swift's first live album
, Speak Now: World Tour Live
.
At the 2010 CMT Music Awards
, held in June, Swift encountered an ex-boyfriend of hers. The two were seated a couple from each other, but were unwilling to speak to each other, although they both had much to say. As a result, they both acted as though they were heavily engaged in conversations with those surrounding them, individuals who Swift noted to be practically strangers. Swift had the desire to confront him and ask him if the experience was as painful for him as it was for her. However, she did not do so because they both had "silent shields up". "We're sitting six seats away from each other and just fighting this silent war of ‘I don't care that you're here.' I don't care that you're here.' It's so terribly, heartbreakingly awkward", she said. She recalled it to be a miserable experience. When Swift arrived home, she spoke to her mother about the encounter, sitting at her kitchen table and said, "I felt like I was standing alone in a crowded room." She then stood up and ran towards her bedroom to compose "The Story of Us", something Swift's mother was already accustomed to. "The Story of Us" was the last track Swift composed for Speak Now, claiming that upon completing the song she knew she was done with the album. The song's subject was revealed by Swift to be the same for "Dear John", which is heavily speculated to be musician John Mayer
. Furthermore, Swift and Mayer both attended the 2010 CMT Awards. However, Swift is yet to confirm or deny these speculations.
. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made. 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.
thought that the song contains an element of pop-punk while Blake Boldt of The 9513 noted that the song as "a sharp piece of emo pop." According to sheet music published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
, "The Story of Us" is written in common time
with a tempo of 138 beats per minute. Set in the key of E major
, it follows the basic chord progression
of C#m7–E–A, while Swift's voice spans from F#3 to B4. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock commented that the song is one of many outwardly pop-leaning songs on Speak Now. Scott Shelter of AOL Radio
praised the musical element of the song, writing "with a vibrant beat, electric guitars and a fast-paced chorus, the song edges closer to the pop side of country-pop."
Lyrically, the song narrates the awkwardness that takes place between two people after they break up. Chris Willman of Yahoo! Music
thought the key lyrics of the song are "I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how/I've never heard silence quite this loud" and also "I would lay my armor down, if you would say you'd rather love than fight." In a different perspective, Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
considered these couplets from the song, ("I used to know my place was the spot next to you / Now I’m searching the room for an empty seat / ‘Cause lately I don’t even know what page you’re on"), as one of the best couplets from Speak Now sheet. Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine
claims that the song describes "a young woman who is at turns sharp and snide, but who is nonetheless defined by relationships."
According to Swift, she wrote the song "about an awkward situation where, well… Let me just preface by saying that I have happened to run into exes in strange places lately. This is about one of those situations where the strange place that I ran into him was an awards show. I was seated a couple of seats away from him and there was so much that needed to be said, and neither one of us was willing to say it. We were both acting like we were engaged in conversations with people that we don't even know. It was just miserable. I was telling my Mom about it later, and I said I felt like I was standing alone in a crowded room. And then I was like, "Gotta go. Bye!" And my Mom is used to that at this point so, that's what this song is about."
was not impressed with the song and she likened Swift to the annoying cousin of Katy Perry
for trying to embrace her pop side. Nevertheless, she felt that "Swift is strongest when she lets her country roots shine through." Theon Weber of The Village Voice
chastised the song as "giddy and bombastic (...) which plays around with glammy dance-pop." Amanda Hensel of Taste of Country praised the song by claiming that it's "upbeat and fun, and even a bit rock-y". Rahul Prabhakar of The Oxonian Review
felt that it was "fast-paced and destined for girls’ gym mixes, but otherwise boring." Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
stated that fans could "tell what chick flicks Swift has been watching from the song title[s]."
; thus, it became 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. Following its single release, the song re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-eight on the week ending May 28, 2011. Since then, the song has peaked at number sixty-six on the week ending June 25, 2011. The single has only reached as high as number forty-one and her first single not to reach the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart.
Internationally, "The Story of Us" has had moderate success. In Canada, the song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100
at number seventy on the week ending November 13, 2010. The song has also peaked at number fifteen on Belgian's Flemish Ultratip chart.
which marked her televised premiere of the song. During a break from the European leg of Speak Now World Tour
, Swift played a live acoustic set for BBC Radio 1's
Live Lounge
including an acoustic performance of "The Story of Us". Swift also performs the song during the Speak Now World Tour. The performance was included on Swift's first live album
called Speak Now: World Tour Live
.
Central Library with additional scenes filmed in Vanderbilt's Alumni Hall.
Allison Bonaguro of Country Music Television
complimented the setting of the video, writing "shooting it in a library was a smart way to make all the lyrics about "I don't even know what page you're on" and "I've never heard silence quite this loud" really shine." A sneak peek featuring the first forty-four seconds of the music video was released on MTV.com on May 20, 2011. The music video premiered on May 24, at 7:53 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com and was followed by Swift's interview session with Sway Calloway
of MTV News
for "MTV First: Taylor Swift" segment. During the interview, Swift revealed that the video shoot encountered some problems since tornadoes were hitting Nashville
during the video shoot. She explained, "We had to hide. All of us, we had to hide in a room where there were no windows, so that was a little bit crazy. [But] other than that, it was incredibly fun." Swift also shared her emotions with Calloway after watching the music video. She expressed,
Prior to the release of the video, Universal Music Group
released a promotional music video featuring the European leg of Swift's Speak Now World Tour. Swift also added that the music video is different from the rest of her music videos. According to her, "the biggest difference between the new video and all the other ones is that I love to make a happy ending happen, and with this video, it doesn’t happen."
praised the video for being "a lovely and clever bit of film for Swift" which could be thought of as a sequel to "You Belong with Me
". He concluded that Swift is good at telling sweet little tales of unrequited love rather than trying to be a symbol of young female empowerment. Donna Kaufman of IVillage
was amused with Swift's idea of what happened at a university library which was portrayed in the music video, writing "it's all very cute in that patented Taylor Swift way." Leah Collins of The Vancouver Sun
complimented the video for its departure from music-video high school. The same opinion was expressed by Carina Adly MacKenzie of Zap2it
who noted that "Swift has graduated from the "You Belong With Me" prom days to a world of dusty books and hipster glasses for "The Story of Us"."
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...
, taken 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). Swift wrote the track solely, and produced it alongside 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...
. The song was released on April 19, 2011 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 fourth single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Speak Now. Swift composed "The Story of Us" regarding the time when she encountered an ex-boyfriend of hers at the 2010 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:...
. At the event, the two attempted to ignore each other, which inspired Swift to compose the song.
"The Story of Us" was met with generally mixed reviews from critics who felt that Swift is strongest when she lets her country roots shine. Prior to its single release, the song debuted and peaked at number forty-one 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 number seventy 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...
due to strong digital sales. It re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-eight after its single release.
The music video of the song was directed by Noble Jones which took place in Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
. It premiered on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The music video was met with mostly positive reception among music critics for its departure from music video high-school. "The Story of Us" was performed live in 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...
and it was also included in 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...
set list. The performance from the tour was included 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 :...
.
Subject matter
At the 2010 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:...
, held in June, Swift encountered an ex-boyfriend of hers. The two were seated a couple from each other, but were unwilling to speak to each other, although they both had much to say. As a result, they both acted as though they were heavily engaged in conversations with those surrounding them, individuals who Swift noted to be practically strangers. Swift had the desire to confront him and ask him if the experience was as painful for him as it was for her. However, she did not do so because they both had "silent shields up". "We're sitting six seats away from each other and just fighting this silent war of ‘I don't care that you're here.' I don't care that you're here.' It's so terribly, heartbreakingly awkward", she said. She recalled it to be a miserable experience. When Swift arrived home, she spoke to her mother about the encounter, sitting at her kitchen table and said, "I felt like I was standing alone in a crowded room." She then stood up and ran towards her bedroom to compose "The Story of Us", something Swift's mother was already accustomed to. "The Story of Us" was the last track Swift composed for Speak Now, claiming that upon completing the song she knew she was done with the album. The song's subject was revealed by Swift to be the same for "Dear John", which is heavily speculated to be musician John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
. Furthermore, Swift and Mayer both attended the 2010 CMT Awards. However, Swift is yet to confirm or deny these speculations.
Release
The song was released to mainstream radio on April 19, 2011. An exclusive package was released to Swift's official store including a "Speak Now" Black Leather Bracelet and an individually-numbered "The Story of Us" 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. 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
Sparks Fly (song)
"Sparks Fly" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, from her third studio album, Speak Now . 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...
", "The Story of Us", 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
"The Story of Us" is a song with a length of four minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Jon Caramanica of The New York TimesThe 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...
thought that the song contains an element of pop-punk while Blake Boldt of The 9513 noted that the song as "a sharp piece of emo pop." According to sheet music published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
, "The Story of Us" is written 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...
with a tempo of 138 beats per minute. Set in the key of E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
, it follows the basic 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...
of C#m7–E–A, while Swift's voice spans from F#3 to B4. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock commented that the song is one of many outwardly pop-leaning songs on Speak Now. Scott Shelter of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
praised the musical element of the song, writing "with a vibrant beat, electric guitars and a fast-paced chorus, the song edges closer to the pop side of country-pop."
Lyrically, the song narrates the awkwardness that takes place between two people after they break up. Chris Willman of Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
thought the key lyrics of the song are "I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how/I've never heard silence quite this loud" and also "I would lay my armor down, if you would say you'd rather love than fight." In a different perspective, Leah Greenblatt 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...
considered these couplets from the song, ("I used to know my place was the spot next to you / Now I’m searching the room for an empty seat / ‘Cause lately I don’t even know what page you’re on"), as one of the best couplets from Speak Now sheet. 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 :...
claims that the song describes "a young woman who is at turns sharp and snide, but who is nonetheless defined by relationships."
According to Swift, she wrote the song "about an awkward situation where, well… Let me just preface by saying that I have happened to run into exes in strange places lately. This is about one of those situations where the strange place that I ran into him was an awards show. I was seated a couple of seats away from him and there was so much that needed to be said, and neither one of us was willing to say it. We were both acting like we were engaged in conversations with people that we don't even know. It was just miserable. I was telling my Mom about it later, and I said I felt like I was standing alone in a crowded room. And then I was like, "Gotta go. Bye!" And my Mom is used to that at this point so, that's what this song is about."
Critical reception
"The Story of Us" was met with mixed reviews from critics. While reviewing Speak Now, Dave Heaton of Pop Matters observed that the album is built upon conflicting stories which result in a discrepancy between those stories and the way life turns out. He added that ""Story of Us" makes this explicit, by presenting the verses as "chapters", within a song where the story isn’t being written the way [Swift] wants it to, turning into a "tragedy" she didn’t imagine." Liz Stinson of PastePaste (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:...
was not impressed with the song and she likened Swift to the annoying cousin of Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
for trying to embrace her pop side. Nevertheless, she felt that "Swift is strongest when she lets her country roots shine through." Theon Weber of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
chastised the song as "giddy and bombastic (...) which plays around with glammy dance-pop." Amanda Hensel of Taste of Country praised the song by claiming that it's "upbeat and fun, and even a bit rock-y". Rahul Prabhakar of The Oxonian Review
The 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...
felt that it was "fast-paced and destined for girls’ gym mixes, but otherwise boring." Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
stated that fans could "tell what chick flicks Swift has been watching from the song title[s]."
Commercial performance
Following the release of Speak Now, on the week ending November 13, 2010, "The Story of Us" debuted at number forty-one 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...
; thus, it became 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. Following its single release, the song re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-eight on the week ending May 28, 2011. Since then, the song has peaked at number sixty-six on the week ending June 25, 2011. The single has only reached as high as number forty-one and her first single not to reach the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart.
Internationally, "The Story of Us" has had moderate success. In Canada, the song debuted 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...
at number seventy on the week ending November 13, 2010. The song has also peaked at number fifteen on Belgian's Flemish Ultratip chart.
Live performances
"The Story of Us" was performed live by Swift on The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe 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...
which marked her televised premiere of the song. During a break from the European leg of 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...
, Swift played a live acoustic set for BBC Radio 1's
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
including an acoustic performance of "The Story of Us". Swift also performs the song during the Speak Now World Tour. The performance was included 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 :...
.
Development and release
The music video for "The Story of Us" was directed by Noble Jones. The video was filmed at Vanderbilt University'sVanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
Central Library with additional scenes filmed in Vanderbilt's Alumni Hall.
Allison Bonaguro of Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
complimented the setting of the video, writing "shooting it in a library was a smart way to make all the lyrics about "I don't even know what page you're on" and "I've never heard silence quite this loud" really shine." A sneak peek featuring the first forty-four seconds of the music video was released on MTV.com on May 20, 2011. The music video premiered on May 24, at 7:53 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com and was followed by Swift's interview session with Sway Calloway
Sway Calloway
Sway Calloway, usually credited as Sway, born August 23rd, 1976, is a reporter and executive producer for MTV News. He is also the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Wake Up Show...
of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
for "MTV First: Taylor Swift" segment. During the interview, Swift revealed that the video shoot encountered some problems since tornadoes were hitting Nashville
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...
during the video shoot. She explained, "We had to hide. All of us, we had to hide in a room where there were no windows, so that was a little bit crazy. [But] other than that, it was incredibly fun." Swift also shared her emotions with Calloway after watching the music video. She expressed,
"Anytime I'm onstage or watching the music video, the first thing that comes into my mind is the person I wrote the song about. It's like the first thing that you think of is the moment that inspired the song, which is that excruciating, awful moment when you run into an ex for the first time."
Prior to the release of the video, Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
released a promotional music video featuring the European leg of Swift's Speak Now World Tour. Swift also added that the music video is different from the rest of her music videos. According to her, "the biggest difference between the new video and all the other ones is that I love to make a happy ending happen, and with this video, it doesn’t happen."
Synopsis
The video begins with shots of the library and a book called "The Story of Us". Swift narrates the story while standing between two bookshelves, sitting on a desk and lying across a table (and occasionally lying on top of "The Story of Us") with a stack of books next to her, as we see scenes flashing back and forth between her and her ex-boyfriend, students in the library, some school staff, and her band playing the song. The scenes between her and her ex start with a private meeting between the two in the school library, scenes where she is finding a place by herself without him in the library, to the awkward scene of finding him across the room from her. Swift hides behind a book she's holding when she notices her ex, then looks away pulling on her clothes and plays with her hair, in the attempt of not making him notice her. She doesn't notice that he noticed her too, later in the video, and was trying to avoid her too. They both eventually catch each other looking and they awkwardly try to give each other a silent and distant "Hi" as the video cuts to a scene where we see Swift's ex cheating on her with another girl which caused the fall out between the two. Swift eventually gives the first "Hi" which he returns and both get up to confront the other. The video ends with a break out of the other classmates and staff joining in, the classmates throwing away their papers and they and the staff begin dancing to the song while both Swift and her ex are face to face with each other in a very awkward moment, both trying to say how the other feels, but eventually they both shrug at each other and walk away. The last shot is of Swift closing the book of "The Story of Us".Reception
The music video for "The Story of Us" was met with mostly positive reception among music critics. Kyle Anderson of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment 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...
praised the video for being "a lovely and clever bit of film for Swift" which could be thought of as a sequel to "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...
". He concluded that Swift is good at telling sweet little tales of unrequited love rather than trying to be a symbol of young female empowerment. Donna Kaufman of IVillage
IVillage
iVillage, Inc. is a media company that is owned by NBCUniversal. The site focuses on categories targeted at women, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network,...
was amused with Swift's idea of what happened at a university library which was portrayed in the music video, writing "it's all very cute in that patented Taylor Swift way." Leah Collins of The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
complimented the video for its departure from music-video high school. The same opinion was expressed by Carina Adly MacKenzie of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
who noted that "Swift has graduated from the "You Belong With Me" prom days to a world of dusty books and hipster glasses for "The Story of Us"."
Track listing
- Australian Promotional CD single
- "The Story of Us" – 3:36
- US Limited Edition CD single
- "The Story of Us" – 4:25
Charts
| Charts (2010–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 39 |
| Belgian Tip Chart (Flanders) | 15 |
| 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... ) |
70 |
| Hungarian Airplay 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.... |
33 |
| US Pop Songs (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... ) |
31 |
| US Adult Contemporary (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... ) |
23 |
| US Pop Songs (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... ) |
21 |
| US 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... 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... |
41 |
Release History
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | February 21, 2011 | CD single | 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... |
| United States | April 19, 2011 | Mainstream radio | |
| CD single |
External links
- "The Story of Us" music video on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- "The Story of Us" lyrics on official website