Speak Now World Tour – Live is the first live album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on November 21, 2011, by Big Machine Records. It consists of two components: an audio CD and a visual accompaniment either on DVD or Blu-ray. Recorded on Swift's Speak Now World Tour, which she embarked on to support her third studio album Speak Now, the live album consists of songs and performances on various dates.
Speak Now World Tour – Live | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | November 21, 2011 | |||
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Label | Big Machine | |||
Director | Ryan Polito | |||
Producer | Taylor Swift | |||
Taylor Swift chronology | ||||
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The 16-track CD is made up of live recordings of all Speak Now tracks on the standard edition save for two—"Never Grow Up" and "Innocent", and the deluxe edition track "Ours". Additionally, it includes three covers of pop songs of other artists—"Drops of Jupiter" (Train), "Bette Davis Eyes" (Kim Carnes), and "I Want You Back" (the Jackson 5). Swift's single "Back to December" was performed as part of a medley with OneRepublic's "Apologize" and her own "You're Not Sorry" from her 2008 album Fearless. The DVD or Blu-ray contains bonus performances of Swift's other songs not from Speak Now and video recordings of Swift's rehearsals for the tour and personal life.
In Brazil, Speak Now World Tour – Live was supported by the digital single "Long Live" featuring the Brazilian singer Paula Fernandes, which reached the top 10 on the Brasil Hot 100 Airplay chart. Music critics praised the live album for showcasing Swift's stage persona and showmanship, but considered it too long and took issue with her live vocals as weak and strained. In the United States, the album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 368,000 copies as of July 2019. Speak Now World Tour – Live additionally entered the top 30 on charts in Australia, where it was certified triple platinum, as well as Canada, and Japan.
Background and release
editTaylor Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, in October 2010. She quickly followed with the Speak Now World Tour, which started in February and wrapped its North American leg in November 2011.[1] By December 2011, the album had sold 3.7 million copies, and the tour had attracted 1.3 million concertgoers.[2] Swift's management team at Big Machine Records decided to release a live album to accompany the tour because of its profitability. According to the management team leader Jim Weatherson, "We've sold out virtually every show. [...] We know there's got to be a gap between 1.3 million tickets and 3.7 million albums. We felt we could create a wonderful piece for people to either relive the concert or experience what it was all about."[2] On Swift's part, she told Billboard that she wanted to capture the tour on DVD because she would like to look back at it in the future": "Every single night I stand on that stage and it feels like it's the best crowd of the tour every night. They are so loud and emotional and so passionate, and [...] I want to look back on this years from now and show it to my kids and my grandkids."[3]
Swift announced Speak Now World Tour – Live, her first live album, and its cover artwork via her official website on September 21, 2011.[1] The live album was marketed as country music, aligning with Swift's self-identity as a country-music artist.[4] The DVD and Blu-ray releases feature all seventeen performances from the North American leg of the Speak Now World Tour, as well as bonus content. The CD has over seventy-five minutes of music as well as select live performances of songs from the Speak Now album. The combo was released on November 21, 2011, via Big Machine Records in North America.[1][5] It was released in Australia on November 25,[6] and other territories on November 28.[7][8] In the United States, Swift partnered with American Greetings Corporation for a holiday promotion where contest winners won a copy of Speak Now World Tour – Live.[9]
In the United States, a Walmart-exclusive release contained a promotional CD single of "Ours", a track on Speak Now's deluxe edition.[10] Meanwhile, a Target-exclusive edition contains bonus DVD material consisting of bonus performances of the songs "Ours", "Nashville" by David Mead, and "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani; and behind-the-scenes footage of the music video for "Mean".[11][12] Many of the songs and performances were captured from various legs around the world of the tour.[13] The Brazilian release of the album contains a new studio version of the song "Long Live", featuring new verses in Portuguese, composed and sung by the Brazilian singer Paula Fernandes.[14] The track was released for download in January 2012, accompanied by a music video.[15] The version peaked at number five on the Brasil Hot 100 Airplay chart.[16]
Content
editSpeak Now World Tour – Live is a set of CD and DVD; it consists of 16 tracks on the CD and 18 on the DVD, alongside bonus behind-the-scenes footage and videos of Swift's personal life.[17] The CD runs for 79 minutes, and the DVD two hours.[18] The 16-track CD consists of live recordings of all tracks on the standard edition of Speak Now, save for two—"Never Grow Up" and "Innocent"; a live recording of the deluxe edition track "Ours"; and three covers of songs by other artists—"Drops of Jupiter" (Train), "Bette Davis Eyes" (Kim Carnes), and "I Want You Back" (the Jackson 5).[4][19] Swift's live recording of "Back to December" is part of a medley with two other songs: OneRepublic's "Apologize" and her own "You're Not Sorry" from her 2008 studio album Fearless.[4] Music critics described Speak Now World Tour – Live as country pop[20] and pop rock.[18] Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe said that despite Swift's self-identity as a country musician, her music instead "leans far more heavily on massive pop-rock power chords and sing-along choruses" that suited the live arenas where Swift performed.[4]
The DVD features bonus performances of songs from other albums by Swift—"Our Song", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen", and "Love Story".[1] The DVD recording of Swift's "Fearless" is part of a medley with Train's "Hey Soul Sister" and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours".[4] In addition, it also contains home videos and footage of Swift's rehearsals for the tour.[21] Recorded on numerous shows from the Speak Now World Tour, the DVD performances showcase elaborate stage settings, choreography, backup dancers and band, and Swift's numerous costume changes.[18] In AllMusic, James Christopher Monger said that the film "more closely resembled a high-profile Broadway musical than it did a country music concert".[21]
The DVD starts with Swift performing "Sparks Fly" in a fringed golden dress as aerialists dangle from the rafters.[22] She sings the tracks, "Mean" and "Our Song", on a banjitar alone, in front of a porch setting resembling the American countryside.[20][22] For the performance of "Speak Now", which has lyrics about a protagonist interrupting a wedding, Swift is dressed in a royal blue dress, ponytail, and short white gloves, and performs girl group-styled choreography with colorful dressed backup dancers; another backup dancer plays a bride in a puffy gown.[12][22] Swift then sings "Fearless" / "Hey Soul Sister" / "I'm Yours" on ukulele sitting under a glowing tree.[22] Taylor also performs "Last Kiss" with her koi fish guitar, followed by Train's Drops of Jupiter. before leading into "You Belong With Me", which takes her back through the crowd back to the stage, finishing up YBWM before going into "Dear John", which she performs sitting on the stairs. The performance of "Enchanted" is accompanied by ballet dancers, whereas "Haunted" features Swift hurling herself at a bell.[22] The last song before the encore is "Long Live", and the concert closes with "Fifteen" and "Love Story".[22] During the performance of "Love Story", Swift sings on a floating balcony across the venue as glitter falls across the venue.[12][22]
Critical reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [21] |
Daily Breeze | [18] |
The Newcastle Herald | [23] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
Roughstock | [24] |
Slant Magazine | [4] |
The Straits Times | [19] |
In a review for Roughstock, Matt Bjorke said Speak Now World Tour – Live might not appeal to those who had not been fans of Swift already, but appreciated her for improving live vocals.[24] Jonathan Keefe in Slant Magazine found the covers of Train and OneRepublic awkward, criticized Swift's live vocals as weak and off-key, and considered the live album's impact unsubstantial because it "may not add anything to an already solid set of songs on a narrative level". Keefe nonetheless praised it for showing Swift's "one-of-us authenticity" and songwriting that strongly resonated with her audience.[4]
In The Straits Times, Yeow Kai Chai similarly took issue with Swift's vocals as weak and off-key, and found the covers, such as "I Want You Back" and "Drops of Jupiter", forgettable. Yeow nonetheless appreciated Swift's stage persona: "Her sincerity and pretty girl-next-door smarts redeem every cookie-cutter confessional."[19] The Daily Breeze journalist Sam Gnerre, on the contrary, deemed the covers the highlights. Gnerre found the CD rather "typical", but praised the DVD for showcasing Swift's showmanship, "her remarkable mix of youthful energy and seasoned skill".[18] The Oklahoman's Brandy McDonnell praised the DVD and found the covers entertaining but said that "Ours" was disappointing and Swift's vocals were uneven.[22] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone lauded the content of the DVD but found the CD and bonus behind-the-scenes material redundant. Dolan commented that the best moments are where Swift performs alone with her guitar.[20]
In The Newcastle Herald, Heather Williams similarly lauded Swift's artistry and called her "a great role model and musician".[23] In The Gold Coast Bulletin, Bob Anthony wrote: "it's clear Swift knows how to put on a show. And while she may not be a country music purist's cup of tea, there are thousands of tweenies out there who would love nothing more than to have this collection in their collection."[17] Carlos Olivares Baró in a review for Mexican media agency Notimex lauded the stage and selected the performances of "Sparks Fly", "Mean", "Speak Now", "Last Kiss", and "Long Live" as standouts.[25]
Commercial performance
editSpeak Now World Tour – Live debuted at number eleven on the US Billboard 200 chart with 77,000 copies sold first-week.[26] It also debuted at number two on the Top Country Albums chart, the highest debut of the week.[27] As of July 2019, the album has sold 368,000 copies in the US.[28] The album peaked at number 16 on the Australian albums chart[29] and entered the top 30 on albums charts in Canada[30] and Japan.[31] In Australia, it additionally peaked atop the country-music albums chart,[32] and the DVD, which peaked at number five,[33] was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2014.[34] Two of the tracks appeared on charts. The live recording of "Drops of Jupiter" peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart,[35] number 22 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart,[36] and number 74 on the Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart.[37] The medley "Back to December / Apologize / You're Not Sorry" also peaked at number 45 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.[36]
In the United Kingdom, Speak Now World Tour – Live initially peaked at number 14 on the Official Charts Company's UK Music Video Chart in 2011.[38] In 2023, the live album resurged in popularity and peaked atop the UK Music Video Chart dated July 30, 2023.[39]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Taylor Swift, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sparks Fly" | 5:39 | |
2. | "Mine" | 4:19 | |
3. | "The Story of Us" | 4:49 | |
4. | "Mean" | 4:09 | |
5. | "Ours" | 4:05 | |
6. | "Back to December / Apologize / You're Not Sorry" |
| 6:01 |
7. | "Better than Revenge" | 5:44 | |
8. | "Speak Now" | 4:09 | |
9. | "Last Kiss" | 6:12 | |
10. | "Drops of Jupiter" |
| 5:08 |
11. | "Bette Davis Eyes" |
| 3:07 |
12. | "I Want You Back" | 1:21 | |
13. | "Dear John" | 6:45 | |
14. | "Enchanted" | 6:25 | |
15. | "Haunted" | 4:49 | |
16. | "Long Live" | 6:21 | |
Total length: | 1:19:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Long Live" (featuring Paula Fernandes) |
| 5:16 |
Total length: | 1:24:19 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sparks Fly" | 7:27 | |
2. | "Mine" | 4:19 | |
3. | "The Story of Us" | 8:02 | |
4. | "Our Song" | 8:11 | |
5. | "Mean" |
| 5:26 |
6. | "Back to December / Apologize / You're Not Sorry" | 7:43 | |
7. | "Better than Revenge" | 5:45 | |
8. | "Speak Now" | 8:08 | |
9. | "Fearless / Hey, Soul Sister / I'm Yours" |
| 5:53 |
10. | "Last Kiss" | 9:10 | |
11. | "Drops of Jupiter" |
| 5:13 |
12. | "You Belong with Me" |
| 7:40 |
13. | "Dear John" | 6:43 | |
14. | "Enchanted" | 8:59 | |
15. | "Haunted" | 6:33 | |
16. | "Long Live" | 8:01 | |
17. | "Fifteen" | 7:16 | |
18. | "Love Story" | 8:46 | |
19. | "Home Movies" | 5:05 | |
20. | "Rehearsal of the Speak Now World Tour" | 5:09 | |
Total length: | 2:19:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
17. | "Ours" | 5:36 | |
18. | "Fifteen" | 7:16 | |
19. | "Love Story" | 8:46 | |
20. | "Nashville" | David Mead | 5:57 |
21. | "The Sweet Escape" | 3:22 | |
22. | "On the Set with Taylor Swift: Mean" | 20:43 | |
23. | "Home Movies" | 5:05 | |
24. | "Rehearsal of the Speak Now World Tour" | 5:09 | |
Total length: | 2:55:07 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from AllMusic[40]
Musicians
edit- Taylor Swift – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, ukulele
- David Cook – keyboards
- Caitlin Evanson – fiddle, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jody Harris – rhythm guitar
- Amos Heller – bass guitar
- Liz Huett – backing vocals
- Mike Meadows – backing vocals, banjo, rhythm guitar, mandolin
- Grant Mickelson – lead and rhythm guitar
- Paul Sidoti – lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- Al Wilson – drums
- Daniel Sadownick – percussion
Production
edit- Taylor Swift – art direction, director, lighting design, producer, set design
- Chris Adams – editing
- Robert Allen – executive producer, mixing
- Charity Baroni – dancer
- Shannon Beach – dancer
- Brent Bishop – assistant engineer
- C.J. Boggs – engineer
- Scott Borchetta – executive producer
- Justin Boulet – dancer
- Claire Callaway – dancer
- David Cook – musical director
- Justin Cortelyou – mixing
- Paula Erickson – liner notes
- Emily Evans – art direction
- Sharon Everitt – colorist, editing
- Bob Ezrin – mixing
- Thomas Freitag – assistant engineer
- Grant Garner – liner notes
- Derek Garten – assistant engineer
- Christie Goodwin – photography
- Olivier Goulet – video director
- Austin Hale – design
- Baz Halpin – director, lighting design, set design
- Greg Hancock – engineer
- Dom Kelley – dancer
- Justin Key – art direction
- Glenn Meadows – mastering
- Fernando Miro – dancer
- Joe Neil – engineer
- Bethany Newman – design
- Josh Newman – design
- Marlyn Ortiz – dancer
- Meredith Ostrowsky – dancer
- David Payne – engineer
- Ryan Polito – director
- Aaron Rayburn – design
- Garth Richardson – engineer
- Chris Rowe – engineer, mixing
- Joel Schwamburger – assistant engineer
- Jennifer Spenelli – editing assistant
- Andrea Swift – executive producer
- Austin Swift – photography
- Ben Terry – assistant engineer
- Brian Virtue – mixing
- Jim Weatherson – art direction, executive producer
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[50] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Australia (ARIA)[34] DVD |
3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Lipshutz, Jason (September 21, 2011). "Taylor Swift Announces Speak Now Live CD/DVD". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Dauphin, Chuck (December 10, 2011). "Taylor's Team". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 45. pp. 28–30. ProQuest 912383526.
- ^ Roland, Tom (December 10, 2011). "How Sparks Fly". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 45. pp. 23–26. ProQuest 912383524.
- ^ a b c d e f g Keefe, Jonathan (November 28, 2011). "Review, Taylor Swift, Speak Now World Tour Live". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Schillaci, Sophe (November 7, 2011). "Taylor Swift to Release Speak Now Concert CD, DVD Set (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ "Swift awes fans: Taylor Swift Speak Now Tour will be available on CD and DVD". The Daily Mercury. Australia. November 24, 2011. p. 27. ProQuest 905692496.
- ^ "Taylor Swift to release Speak Now World Tour". Radioandmusic.com. India. November 9, 2011. ProQuest 902689245.
- ^ "Speak Now World Tour Live (2011)". 7digital. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- ^ Mitchell, John (November 30, 2011). "This Week In Taylor Swift Being Taylor Swift: OMG Christmas!". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ Ours (CD single). Taylor Swift. Nashville: Big Machine Records. November 21, 2011. BMRTS0306A.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Taylor Swift World Tour – Only at Target". Target Corporation. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ a b c Willman, Chris (November 22, 2011). "Review: Taylor Swift Goes From Country Girl to Broadway Baby in Speak Now". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Speak Now: World Tour Live (CD/DVD). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2011. BMRTS0340B.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Cobo, Leila (November 12, 2011). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 41. p. 11. ProQuest 905646188.
- ^ Willmersdorf, Pedro (December 18, 2011). "Exclusivo: uma espiadinha nos bastidores da gravação do clipe de Paula Fernandes" [Exclusive: a sneak peek behind the scenes of the recording of Paula Fernandes' music video]. Jornal do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
- ^ BPP, ed. (May 2012). "Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (30): 86–87.
- ^ a b Anthony, Bob (January 17, 2012). "Music". The Gold Coast Bulletin. p. 19. ProQuest 914511389.
- ^ a b c d e Gnerre, Sam (December 2, 2011). "CD Review: Taylor Swift, Speak Now World Tour – Live". Daily Breeze. ProQuest 907566575.
- ^ a b c Yeow, Kai Chai (January 13, 2012). "Skinny love: Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox hones the art of loneliness as Atlas Sound in third solo outing". The Straits Times. Singapore. ProQuest 915659212.
- ^ a b c d Dolan, Jon (December 8, 2011). "Speak Now World Tour Live". Rolling Stone. No. 1145. p. 101. ProQuest 911071376.
- ^ a b c Monger, James Christopher (November 21, 2011). "World Tour Live: Speak Now – Taylor Swift". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McDonnell, Brandy (December 16, 2011). "DVD review: Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour Live CD+DVD". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Williams, Heather (February 23, 2012). "CD Reviews: Music". The Newcastle Herald. Australia. p. 27. ProQuest 922728185.
- ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (November 21, 2011). "Album/DVD Review: Taylor Swift – Speak Now: World Tour Live". Roughstock. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Baró, Carlos Olivares (July 6, 2012). "Disquero Semanal" [Weekly Records] (in Spanish). Notimex. ProQuest 1023911281.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 30, 2011). "Michael Buble's Christmas Squeaks Past Nickelback to Take No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ Jessen, Wade (December 10, 2011). "Swift's Live Feat". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 45. p. 89. ProQuest 912383476.
- ^ Trust, Gary (July 14, 2019). "Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Sales & Streaming Totals, From 'Tim McGraw' to 'You Need to Calm Down'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
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- ^ a b "Buble hits No 1 for Christmas". The Morning Bulletin. December 6, 2011. p. 16. ProQuest 908037203.
- ^ a b "Top 40 DVD Chart — Australian Record Industry Association". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift – Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart history (Country Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History: Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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- ^ "World Tour Live: Speak Now – Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Taylor Swift – Speak Now World Tour Live". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Album Chart" (in Korean). Circle Music Chart. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Taylor Swift – Speak Now World Tour Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
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- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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External links
edit- Speak Now World Tour – Live at Discogs (list of releases)