2010–12: Speak Now
Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, on October 25, 2010. She wrote all 14 songs alone and co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Chapman.[139] Musically, it has been said that the album "expands beyond country-pop to border both alternative rock and dirty bubblegum pop."[140]Caramanica of The New York Times described the album as savage, musically diverse and "excellent too, possibly her best."[139] Theon Weber of The Village Voice remarked that the album demanded "a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic: Like a procession of country songwriters before her, she creates characters and situations—some from life—and finds potent ways to describe them."[141] Christgau found the album's songs "overlong and overworked" but remarked that "they evince an effort that bears a remarkable resemblance to care—that is, to caring in the best, broadest, and most emotional sense."[91] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone described Swift as one of the best songwriters in "pop, rock or country": "Swift might be a clever Nashville pro who knows all the hitmaking tricks, but she's also a high-strung, hyper-romantic gal with a melodramatic streak the size of the Atchafalaya Swamp."[142]
Swift carried out an extensive promotional campaign prior to Speak Now's release.[143] She appeared on various talk shows and morning shows, and gave free mini-concerts in unusual locations, including an open-decker bus on Hollywood Boulevard and a departure lounge at JFK airport.[144] She took part in a "guitar pull" alongside Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Lionel Richie at LA's Club Nokia. The musicians shared the stage and took turns introducing and playing acoustic versions of their songs to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.[145][146]
The album's lead single, "Mine", was released in August 2010, and five further singles were released throughout 2010 and 2011: "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly" and "Ours".[147] Speak Now was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its opening sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the 16th album in U.S. history to sell one million copies in a single week.[148] As of February 2012, Speak Now had sold over 5.7 million copies worldwide.[149][150]
Swift performing in Newark, New Jersey during the Speak Now World Tour in 2011
Swift performing in Sydney during the Speak Now World Tour in 2012
Swift won various other awards for Speak Now. She was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in both 2010 and 2011.[165][166] She was named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in both 2011 and 2012,[167] and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2011.[168] Swift was the American Music Awards's Artist of the Year in 2011, while Speak Now was named Favorite Country Album.[169] Billboard named Swift 2011's Woman of the Year.[170]
While Swift was completing her fourth album in the summer of 2012, Taylor invited her to appear as a special guest during his Tanglewood set—they performed "Fire and Rain", "Love Story" and "Ours" together.[171] Taylor, who first met Swift when she was 18, has said that, "we just hit it off. I loved her songs, and her presence on stage was so great."[172][173]
During this period, Swift also contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album. "Safe & Sound" was co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett.[174] John Paul White has said working with Swift was "a revelation ... It truly was a collaboration."[175] It was released as the album's lead single and, as of January 2013, has sold over 1.4 million copies in the U.S.[176] It won Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2013 Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 70th Golden Globe Awards.[177] Swift's second contribution to the album, "Eyes Open", was written solely by the singer and produced by Chapman.[178] In addition, Swift contributed vocals to "Both of Us", a Dr. Luke-produced single from B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds.
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