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"Dear John" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song, written and produced by Swift with Nathan Chapman, was released on her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). Swift wrote the song to one of her ex-boyfriends, scolding him for mistreating her and warning other girls to beware him. The song is widely speculated to be about American singer John Mayer, whom Swift was in a relationship with.
The song is considered a highlight on Speak Now with critics praising its lyrics and composition, along with Swift's vocals.
Background
editSwift called the song "sort of the last e-mail you'd send to somebody you used to be in a relationship with. The e-mail that says it all. You would just write it to know that you said what you needed to say and not send it. But I guess putting the song on the album is pushing send."[1] The song's subject was revealed by Swift to be the same for "The Story of Us", which is heavily speculated to be musician John Mayer.[1] Swift said that she wrote "The Story of Us" "about running into someone I had been in a relationship with at an awards show, and we were seated a few seats away from each other. I just wanted to say to him, 'Is this killing you? Because it's killing me.' But I didn't. Because I couldn't. Because we both had these silent shields up."[1] The awards show was revealed by Swift as hidden message in the album booklet of Speak Now to be the CMT Music Awards, which Swift and Mayer had both attended, fueling speculations that "Dear John" was about Mayer.[2] However, Swift is yet to confirm or deny these speculations.[1]
Composition
edit"The Story of Us" is a song with a length of six minutes and 45 seconds.[3] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times thought that the song contains an element of pop-punk.[8] 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.[9] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock commented that the song is one of many outwardly pop-leaning songs on Speak Now.[10] 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."[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Manfield, Brian (2010-10-23). "Taylor Swift learns to 'Speak Now,' reveal her maturity". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ William, Chris (2011-3-31). "Taylor Swift Reveals Song Subjects In Hidden Messages". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2012-5-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "allmusic {{{Speak Now > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-05-31.