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Sparks Fly (song)

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"Sparks Fly"
Song

"Sparks Fly" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, from her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). The song was written and produced by Swift, with additional production handled by Nathan Chapman. Swift penned the song when she was sixteen years of age; before she had broken out into the music scene with her debut single "Tim McGraw" in 2006. Following a 2007 live performance of the song, the song grew in popularity among Swift's fans. While Swift was working on Speak Now, she had a lot of requests from fans to include the song on the album and she complied. The song speaks of falling in love with somebody that may not be appropriate to fall in love with.

"Sparks Fly" has been met with mostly positive reviews by critics. Some critics believe the song could turn things around for Swift and praise it for its upbeat tempo, as well as her vocals. Other claims have praised Swift's lyrics of the song and have also claimed that the song crosses the line between country and pop. Prior to its single release, the song debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 due to strong digital sales. Also prior to the single release, the song debuted at twenty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100. The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at eighty-four, after its single release. It peaked at number one at the Hot Country Songs Chart. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The music video for the song features clips taken from various performances of the Speak Now World Tour. It premiered on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. A week after the video aired it received over 400,000 tracking views and helped launch Swift up the Billboard's Social 50. The song is the opening song for the Speak Now World Tour and was released on Swift's first live album, Speak Now: World Tour Live.

Background

"When I was putting together the Speak Now album, the fans just kept saying over and over again, '"Sparks Fly", we want this to be on the record.' And so I went back and I revisited it and I kind of rewrote somethings and updated it. And [um] when we put it out as a single, it's been one of the fastest rising songs we've had on the record."

—Swift[1]

"Sparks Fly" was written by Swift when she was sixteen years of age, before the release of her self-titled debut album (2006).[1] She performed the song live during several bar shows "of forty and fifty people".[1]

"This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of and can't wait for them to hear."[2]

A recorded live performance of the song made its way onto the internet in 2007. The performance contained lyrics and instrumentation that were different from those that appear on the Speak Now album.[3]

Release

The song was sent to country radio on July 18, 2011, as the fifth single from Speak Now.[4] An exclusive package was released to Swift's official store including a "Speak Now" necklace and an individually-numbered "Sparks Fly" CD single. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made and the package was made available for a limited time.[5] The single was later included in another package that is exclusive to Swift's official store. The package includes the Target exclusive deluxe edition of Speak Now, a free pair of headphones, and the choice between either the "Sparks Fly", "The Story of Us", or the "Mean" CD single.[6]

Composition

"Sparks Fly" (2011)
A sample of Taylor Swift's "Sparks Fly", featuring the electric guitar-backed chorus and Swift's a capella "Drop everything now".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Sparks Fly" is a country pop[4] song with a length of four minutes and twenty-two seconds.[7] The song, written solely by Swift, was written in the key of D minor. Swift's vocals in the song span two octaves, from F3 to C5.[8] Johnathan Keefe claimed that "the a capella "Drop everything now" exclamation simply commands attention, with the desperation in Swift’s call-to-action answering the common criticisms that her work is sexless and chaste."[9] Bobby Peacock stated that "I wouldn't mind if the banjo from the 2007 version were left in, but its omission is hardly make-or-break. Perhaps my biggest problem is that the song's chorus undermines itself in the second half — it starts out emphatic and anthemic as usual, but there's just no "oomph" on the hook. It almost feels as if she's trailing off mid-sentence."[10]

According to Swift, the song is about "falling for someone who you maybe shouldn't fall for, but you can't stop yourself because there's such a connection and chemistry."[4]

Promotion

File:Taylor Swift Sparks Fly Performance.jpg
Swift rising from the smoke at the beginning of the performance for "Sparks Fly" on the Speak Now World Tour. This is also featured in the music video.

A music video for the song was announced on August 8, 2011 on Swift's official website.[11] It premiered on August 10, 2011 on her official website at 4:30PM CDT.[12] It is directed by Christian Lamb.[13] The video features clips of various performances from her Speak Now World Tour, such as "Speak Now", "Back to December", "Better Than Revenge", "Mean" and other performances, as well as never before seen footage at beginning.[14] Many of the footage for the video was captured at four different tour date locations including one from the show in Newark, New Jersey. The footage with the rain was captured during one of the summer shows in a stadium.[15] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the video saying, "The magic and theatrics she’s able to capture on stage rival what almost anyone else is able to dream up for a more Hollywood-like “produced” music video."[15] During the week of its release, the music video had over 400,000 and helped push Swift up the Billboard's Social 50, moving her from number nineteen to ten.[16] Jocelyn Vena of MTV.com praised the footage of the video saying that it "perfectly encapsulates the tour's high-octane energy including theatrical set changes, dancers, aerialists, fireworks, pyrotechnics, costume changes and the occasional rainstorm."[17]

Critical reception

"Sparks Fly" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone Magazine praised Swift's vocals on "Sparks Fly", commenting that her voice in such an upbeat song is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer.[18] Rahul Prabhakar of The Oxonian Review considers it "dopamine-infused, hair-whipping stuff".[19] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine calls the song "the purest iteration of Swift’s template and repertoire", also saying that it "could turn things around for Swift, as it’s perhaps the most perfectly constructed single in a career built on tracks that are marvels of pop production and songwriting."[9] Bobby Peacock of Roughstock claims that he gets "a sense that Taylor is starting to experience a little burnout at radio. Her songs drop like rocks once they peak, and she's currently 0 for 3 on hitting the top of the Billboard charts. While I don't think this song has that je ne sais quoi to get her another 'You Belong with Me'-level hit, I still think that even a slightly lesser effort from her is a worthwhile listen."[10] Blake Boldt of Engine 145 praised Swift, saying "Her infusion of individual lines with urgency (“Drop everything now,” she insists) and earnestness (“Take away the pain,” she pleads) are a tribute to her talent, not so much as a distinguished vocalist but as an excellent communicator. Each frazzled note is freighted with meaning. Should I stay or should I go now?, she wonders, wiling [sic] away the hours before he calls her again."[20] Amanda Hensel of Taste of Country claimed the song is "just another one of those so-Swift tracks that continually toes the line between country and pop to create a genre that is 100% Taylor Swift."[4] Erin Thompson of Seattle Weekly stated he wasn't to "hot on" the song and compared the song to Swift's earlier works, "Fearless", "Hey Stephen", and "Forever and Always", and stated that Swift "puts in a line about standing in the rain in so many of her songs that I'm beginning to think she watches The Notebook every time she gets ready to sit down and write a song."[21]

Commercial performance

Following the release of Speak Now, on November 4, 2010, "Sparks Fly" debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 due to strong digital sales of 113,000 downloads[22] making it one of the songs to make Swift the first act to have ten songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week. With the addition of "Mine", Swift had a total of eleven songs charting in one week, making Swift the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week.[23] The song made a Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart at number forty-nine.[24] Billboard included the song in their Five Potential Pop Hits for 2011 list.[25] The song jumped from thirty-nine and settled on thirty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs on the week ending August 6, 2011.[26] After its single release the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-four on the week ending August 27, 2011[27] and peaked at number forty-two on November 11, 2011.[28] On the week ending October 8, 2011 the song jumped from thirteen to ten on the Hot Country Songs Chart.[29] The song has peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Radio Songs Chart.[28] It peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs Chart on the week of November 26, 2011.[30] The song became Swift's first single in two years to reach atop the aforesaid chart since "You Belong with Me" in 2009.[31] It is the only song on the album, Speak Now, to chart at number one.[32] On November 29, 2011, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA.[33] The song was number thirty-seven on the Year-end Country Songs chart.[34] As of December 2011, Sparks Fly has sold 586,000 copies in the USA.[35]

Internationally, "Sparks Fly" debuted at twenty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100 on the week of November 13, 2010.[36]

Live performances

The live performance that was uploaded to YouTube was captured on May 30, 2007 in Oroville, California. The song was, at the time, unreleased and was performed using banjos and violins and contained different lyrics than the album version.[3] "Sparks Fly" is the opening song of the Speak Now World Tour.[37] The performance begins with an opening montage about how people should "speak now" about how they feel, and Swift then raises from a cloud of smoke and sings "Drop everything now" before starting the actual song performance. Swift also uses a longer interlude into the final chorus of the song. The performance uses electric guitars instead of banjos.[38] The performance was released on Swift's first live album called Speak Now: World Tour Live.[39]

Track listing

  • Limited Edition CD single[5]
  1. "Sparks Fly" – 4:20

Charts and certifications

Preceded by Billboard Hot Country Songs
number-one single
November 26, 2011 		Succeeded by

Release history

List of radio and release dates with formats and record labels
Country Date Format Label
United States July 18, 2011[4] Country radio Big Machine Records
August 10, 2011[5][12] Limited edition CD single
Music video

References

  1. ^ a b c "YouTube Presents Taylor Swift". taylorswift. YouTube.com. September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  2. ^ "Taylor Swift Music and Lyrics". Taylor Swift. TaylorSwift.com. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-25. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Taylor Swift "Sparks Fly" Live in Oroville, CA on May 30, 2007". defendingtaylor. Youtube.com. July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Taylor Swift, 'Sparks Fly' - Song Review". Amanda Hensel. TasteofCountry.com. July 4, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c CD Single Reference:
  6. ^ "Speak Now Deluxe CD-DVD + CD Single + FREE Headphones". Taylor Swift. TaylorSwift.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  7. ^ "Speak Now Taylor Swift". AllMusic. AllMusic.com. October 25, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  8. ^ "Digital sheet music - Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing. October 25, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ a b "Single Review: Taylor Swift, "Sparks Fly"". Jonathan Keefe. CountryUniverse.net. July 12, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Taylor Swift - "Sparks Fly"". Bobby Peacock. Roughstock.com. Last Updated: August 8, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Sparks Fly Video". Taylor Swift. TaylorSwift.com. August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-11-25. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Twitter / @taylorswift132: The 'Sparks Fly' music vid..." Taylor Swift. Twitter.com. August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  13. ^ "Taylor Swift To Release 'Sparks Fly' Video Tomorrow". AllAccess. AllAccess.com. August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  14. ^ "sf on Vimeo". Taylor Swift. Vimeo.com. August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  15. ^ a b "Taylor's New 'Sparks Fly' Video Features Fans and Concert Theatrics". Billy Dukes. TasteofCountry.com. August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  16. ^ "Taylor Swift Rockets Up Social 50 with 'Sparks Fly' Video (Watch)". Kyle Bylin. Billboard.biz. August 18, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Taylor Swift Gives Fans Front-Row Seat In 'Sparks Fly' Video". Jocelyn Vena. MTV.com. August 11 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Taylor Swift Speak Now Big Machine". Rob Sheffield. RollingStone.com. October 26, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  19. ^ "Taylor Swift Needs a Gap Year". Rahul Prabhakar. The Oxonian Review. November 1, 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  20. ^ "Single Review: Taylor Swift - "Sparks Fly". Blake Boldt. Engine145.com. July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  21. ^ "Taylor Swift's Speak Now Track "If This Was A Movie" Is Better Than Her Upcoming New Single". Erin Thompson. SeattleWeekly.com. 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  22. ^ a b "Chart Moves: Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Kanye West". Keith Caulfield, SilvioPietroluongo. Billboard. November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  23. ^ "Taylor Swift Debuts 10 'Speak Now' Songs on Hot 100". Silvio Pietroluongo. Billboard. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  24. ^ "Top Country Songs". Billboard. Billboard.com. July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  25. ^ "Ask Billboard: Readers' 2010 Top Picks, Continued". Gary Trust. Billboard.com. January 7, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  26. ^ "Top Country Songs". Billboard. Billboard.com. 2011-8-6. Retrieved 2011-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2011-8-27. Retrieved 2011-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b "Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-10-9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ "Top Country Songs". Billboard. Billboard.com. October 8, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  30. ^ a b "Country songs". Billboard.com. 2011-11-26. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  31. ^ "Taylor Swift 'Sparks' No. 1 Country Song; Faith Hill's CMA Bounce". Billboard.com. 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
  32. ^ "High Five: Taylor Swift Back Atop Country Songs". Billboard.com. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  33. ^ a b "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  34. ^ a b "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  35. ^ http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-what-are-your-2011-favorites-1005656552.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-what-are-your-2011-favorites-1005656552.story?page=2
  36. ^ a b "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Billboard.com. November 13, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  37. ^ Speak Now World Tour References
  38. ^ "Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly live Xcel Energy Center 6/15/2011". ShaileneWoodleyFan17. Youtube.com. June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  39. ^ Vaughan, Andrew. "Speak Now World Tour Live [CD/DVD]: Taylor Swift: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
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