Before Taylor Swift was breaking records with her pop albums, the singer was a country darling.
Videos by American Songwriter
It’s been nearly two decades since Swift came onto the scene with “Our Song” and “Teardrops On My Guitar”. In the years that followed, Swift has become better known for her pop anthems on albums including 1989, Midnights, and, most recently, The Life Of A Showgirl.
Even on those bop-filled LPs, though, Swift’s country origins manage to shine through. That’s particularly true on the three tracks below.
“Betty”
“Betty”, which appeared on Swift’s 2020 surprise album, Folklore, took longtime listeners straight back to 2008 when she released her sophomore LP, Fearless. That is true both due to the music and the lyrics of the track. “Betty” sounds reminiscent of country-style Swift thanks to its use of harmonica and a pedal steel guitar.
“This is the one where Taylor wanted a reference,” producer Aaron Desner told Vulture. “She wanted it to have an early Bob Dylan, sort of a Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan feel. We pushed it a little more towards John Wesley Harding, since it has some drums.”
The lyrics, meanwhile, are full of storytelling for which the country genre is often lauded. Pining and apologetic, if it wasn’t for Swift’s more mature voice, listeners could easily place it on one of her earlier albums.
“Ruin the Friendship”
On The Life Of A Showgirl, Swift once again revisited her high school years. This time, she did so with “Ruin The Friendship”, a devastating track about her high school pal who died. The time period in which the song is obviously set makes it feel like Swift’s early work. More than that, though, the easy beat and longing of the lyrics give off country vibes.
In fact, in Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, Swift described the track as “wistful” and “nostalgic,” two terms that are often associated with country music.
“I obviously used to write about high school all the time. I haven’t written about it in a very long time. But sometimes I will,” Swift said. “I was always just so disciplined about things in high school, I think this song is an exploration of like, what if you would have just told the person that you were just friends with that you had a thing for them, like what would’ve happened and how at least you would know.”
“Soon You’ll Get Better”
While Swift’s 2019 LP Lover is chock full of shiny pop tracks, there’s one outlier. Swift tapped The Chicks as a featured artist on “Soon You’ll Get Better”, giving the song an instant country feel. Swift penned the track about her parents’ health battles and the devastation rings through expertly, as good country records are wont to do.
During the iHeartRadio Lover Album Release Party and Secret Session, Swift discussed the track at length.
“That’s the band that made me wanna do this,” Swift said of The Chicks, who were known at the time as The Dixie Chicks. “There’s a handful of artists that made me wanna do this. The Dixie Chicks taught me that you can have a strong female voice, saying whatever she wants in music, and experimenting with having a very feminine aesthetic, but very tough resilience to them. And their musicianship, the way that they played their instruments made me wanna play an instrument.”
The Chicks quickly agreed to work on the song, providing their country style to an otherwise pop tune with their vocals, fiddle, and banjo.
Photo by Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
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