Taylor Swift Reflects On The Emotional Journey Of 'Speak Now' In Sentimental Prologue Of Her Version

When Taylor Swift released Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on Friday (July 7), she stoked fans' memories of her third studio album from 2010, Speak Now, with a stirring prologue that was evocative of those liner notes, which are still well-liked by Swifties.

“When I look back at the Speak Now album, I get a lump in my throat. I have a feeling it will always be this way because this period of time is so violently aglow with the last light of the setting sun of my childhood,” she said at the beginning of her message. Fans who purchased the album have taken to social media platforms to share with fellow Swifties, per Billboard.

One of the fans took to Reddit to share the entire prologue. “I made this album, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. I’ve spoken about how I feel like those ages are the most emotionally turbulent ones in a person’s life. Maybe when I say that, I’m really just talking about myself.”

Swift recalls the Speak Now era of her life throughout the prologue, which was marked by well-publicized romantic relationships, criticism of her musical ability, and, of course, the infamous VMAs incident involving Kanye West. She reflected on her state of mind at the time, saying, “I wanted to get better, to challenge myself, and to build on my skills as a writer, an artist, and a performer.”

After all these years, the superstar added that three songs from Speak Now still have a special place in her heart. “It was an album that was the most precious to me because of its vast extremes. It was unfiltered and potent. In my mind, the saddest song I’ve ever written is Last Kiss. My most scathing is Dear John and my most wistfully romantic is Enchanted.”

She penned, "I think they might just be the most idealistic, hopeful years too. At this point of my life, I had released my second album, Fearless. It became the breakthrough moment I’d always dreamt of, one that catapulted my career to new realms of success. It had brought with it a tidal wave of pressures and pitfalls and growing pains. All the while, I was encountering the pressures and pitfalls of normal teenage growth."

She further stated, "I had cataclysmic crushes and brushes with heartache. I moved out of my parent’s house and set my bags down in a new apartment. I hung photos on my own walls and decorated the space where I would sob and cackle and shatter and dream. Sometimes I felt like a grown-up, but a lot of the time I just wanted to time travel back to my childhood bed, where my mom would read stories to me until I fell asleep."