Taylor Swift is not just the world’s biggest pop star. She is also a songwriter who often wears her heart on her sleeve. Ever since entering the scene as a country musician in the early 2000s, Taylor Swift has always been entirely candid about her failed attempts at love and the other vulnerable facets of her life. Frankly, this attribute is what helped her become the biggest pop star in the world.
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The main way Swift has connected with her audience through vulnerable storytelling is with her countless break-up anthems. “All Too Well”, “Back to December”, “Dear John”, and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” are just a few to name. However, one that often gets forgotten about is Swift’s 2006 single, “Should’ve Said No”.
Taylor Swift released “Should’ve Said No” when she was just 17 years old. Despite being a teenager, the song reads as if it were written by a jaded 22-year-old, as it tells the tale of a woman getting her heart broken due to her lover’s infidelity. It’s a feeling many have unfortunately felt.
Given the universality behind this song’s lyrics, the single peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. More importantly, Taylor Swift said what she wanted to say about the morality surrounding love, relationships, and loyalty.
Why Taylor Swift’s Single Is About Making the Right Decision
Two years after the song’s release, Taylor Swift sat down with Great American Country to discuss her heartbreak hit. Concerning the song’s creation, she told the publication that she “wrote this song by myself, and it literally took me just 20 minutes to write before we recorded it.”
“I was living every line in this song at the time,” Swift added. “I wrote this song about a guy who cheated on me who shouldn’t have.”
Taylor Swift’s lyrics had a very deliberate message, not just for the guy who cheated on her, but for all men who cheat. Hence, Swift called “Should’ve Said No” a “moral statement.”
“It’s an ‘I love you, we were awesome and great together, but you messed this up and I would still be with you’ kinda thing,” she continued. “You said yes, and you should’ve said no.”
So, the “moral statement” Swift is seemingly alluding to is one merely about making the right decision. Or, at least not making a decision based on lust and desire, as those decisions rarely end well for anyone.
Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage
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