Music : Fearless (Taylor Swift album)

Fearless is the second studio album by American country pop artist Taylor Swift. Released on November 11, 2008, on Big Machine Records, the album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums charts. The release sold 592,000 copies in the United States its first week—the largest sum for a country album since Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden in November 2007. Fearless later became the first album to sell one million copies in 2009, and earned the title of top-selling album of 2009. As of February 11, 2010, the album has been certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single, "Love Story," was her first song to achieve commercial success outside of the United States. It reached No. 1 in Australia, No. 3 in New Zealand,^[8] and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. The album's third single, "You Belong with Me," became Swift's biggest domestic hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.The album itself topped the Billboard 200 for 11 non-consecutive weeks and topped the Billboard Top Country Albums for 35 non-consecutive weeks. The album was later re-released on October 26, 2009, as Fearless: Platinum Edition with six additional new songs.

At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Swift won awards for Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Fearless. Her Album of the Year win made her the youngest person ever at the age of 20 to receive that award, thereby eclipsing Alanis Morissette's win for Jagged Little Pill at the age of 21. Fearless was also the first album in history to win the American Music Award (AMA), Academy of Country Music Award (ACM), Country Music Association Award (CMA), and Grammy Award for Album of The Year in the same year.

Promotion

Swift has performed songs off of Fearless for many award shows, including the CMA Awards, American Music Awards, 51st Grammy Awards, Academy of Country Music awards show, 2009 CMT Awards, and 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Some of these performances have been alongside other artists, including Miley Cyrus.

To promote the album, she has additionally performed on several major syndicated television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Saturday Night Live. To promote the album in the UK, she has appeared on music/talk show T4, Loose Women, and BBC Breakfast. In September 2008, "White Horse" was played during the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy.

Tour

In spring 2009, Swift headlined a massive, sold out 52-city Fearless Tour in the United States and Canada, with opening acts Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Following Fearless's success in the UK, Swift later brought the tour to London and Manchester in the fall, as well as performed at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA, after the school won a performance by her as part of a promotional contest sponsored by Verizon Wireless.

According to Country Standard Time, the tour "feature[d] an incredibly theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements designed by Swift herself." Each show consisted of performances by Swift on five guitars and the piano, as well as multiple costume changes and an illuminated fairy-tale castle. Most of Swift's shows sold out within hours; her August 27, 2009, show at Madison Square Garden sold out in less than 1 minute after its availability.

After wrapping up the first leg of her Fearless Tour, Swift launched the second leg on March 4, 2010, after returning from a five-show tour in Australia in February 2010. The tour was set to end on June 5, 2010.

Critical reception

Fearless has become a massive critical success, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. According to the music review aggregator Metacritic, it has received an average score of 73. Newsday gave the album an "A" rating, calling it "wise beyond her years". James Reed of the Boston Globe gave the album a strong positive review saying the "Young country star's 'Fearless' proves she's just that, and more". Allmusic quote the way Swift writes her music and how she matured into her new album: "Swift's gentle touch is as enduring as her songcraft, and this musical maturity may not quite jibe with her age but it does help make Fearless one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008." Rolling Stone magazine said that her "music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism - it's so rigorously crafted it sounds like it has been scientifically engineered in a hit factory - with confessions that are squirmingly intimate and true." Fearless is listed as the 39th best album of 2008 by Rolling Stone.

Re-release

Swift released Fearless: Platinum Edition on October 26, 2009. The album contains the same tracks plus 6 additional tracks and a DVD.

“

Taylor’s fans have an incredible appetite for her new music and her ongoing life experiences. The two million-plus fans who bought Fearless within weeks of release last year are screaming for new Taylor music and Taylor has delivered. There are six new songs, over fifty new photographs from the Fearless Tour 2009, a beautiful new collector cover, all of the videos from all of the hit singles and tons of new Taylor video footage.

”

Fearless Platinum Edition contains the following songs-

1. Jump then fall
2. Untouchable
3. Forever & Always (piano version)
4. Come in with the rain
5. Superstar
6. The other side of the door
7. Fearless
8. Fifteen
9. Love Story
10. Hey Stephen
11. White Horse
12. You Belong with me
13. Breathe (featuring Colbie Calliat)
14. Tell me why
15. You're not sorry
16. The way I loved you
17. Forever & Always
18. The best day
19. Change

Other hit songs of Taylor Swift (not included in Fearless Platinum Edition)-
1. Teardrops on my guitar
2. Picture to burn
3. Tim McGraw
4. Beautiful Eyes
5. American Girl
6. American Boy
7. Today was a Fairytale (from the movie "Valentine's Day")
8. Our Song

On Grammy Awards 2010 Taylor Swift sang "Fifteen" with country artist & Disney's "hannah montana" i.e. Miley Cyrus.