April 9, 2021 marked a new point in music powerhouse Taylor Swift’s extensive career, and redefined the music industry — she re-released an album of hers, the first of Taylor’s Versions of her past works, now under a new label. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) maintains the nostalgia of the original, but also introduces an even more concise and clear record through updated production. Fearless initially came out on Nov. 11, 2008 and went on to be Swift’s first Album Of The Year win at the Grammys.
Although it’s not often considered one, Fearless feels like a concept album — capturing the teenage experience through motifs and by building an immersive world for listeners.Â
A concept album is defined by Marriam Webster as “a collection of songs about a specific theme or story.” Concept albums were first popularized and broken into the mainstream with The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band released in 1967, and The Beach Boys’ 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds. With this in mind, upon relistening to Fearless it almost seems like it *could be* a concept album.
Taylor Swift’s sophomore record includes the tracklist “Fearless,” “Fifteen,” “Love Story,” “Hey Stephen,” “White Horse,” “You Belong With Me,” “Breathe,” “Tell Me Why,” “You’re Not Sorry,” “The Way I Loved You,” “Forever & Always,” “The Best Day,” and “Change.” Taylor’s Version included the album’s deluxe tracks and six vault tracks — or songs never before released. The deluxe tracklist includes “Jump Then Fall,” “Untouchable,” “Forever & Always (Piano Version),” “Come In With the Rain,” “Superstar,” “The Other Side of the Door,” “Today Was a Fairytale.” The vault tracks are “You All Over Me,” “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” “We Were Happy,” “That’s When,” “Don’t You,” and “Bye Bye Baby.”Â
Throughout these 26 tracks on the rerecord, Swift establishes a clear theme that can lead to the argument that this is, in fact, a concept album. The album tells listeners the story of a girl’s all-American high school experience, where she goes through the changes of growing up, first loves (and heartbreaks), and impactful friendships.Â
Swift utilizes the symbol of rain throughout the album, which could also solidify it as a concept album with a specific set of traits utilized throughout to tell a cohesive story. The title track, and opening track, literally begins with “There’s somethin’ bout the way/The street looks when it’s just rained,” and continues into the chorus with the lyrics “And I don’t know why/But with you I’d dance in a storm/In my best dress/Fearless.” Swift continues to use rain as both a symbol of starting over and letting go — like in “Fearless”, but also as a motif of change and the idea of movement like in “Come In With the Rain.”
Swift has continued to use rain in many of her works, and other examples of it being used in Fearless include on “Hey Stephen” (lyric: “Can’t help it if I want to kiss you in the rain”), “The Way I Loved You” (lyric: “I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain”), “Forever & Always” (lyric: “It rains in your bedroom, everything is wrong/It rains when you’re here and it rains when you’re gone”), and “The Other Side of the Door” (lyric: “Wait there in the pouring rain, come back for more”). The utilization of these inclusion of rain serve as a romantic message, dramatic effect, and as an emotional motif.Â
Fearless is a girlish, teenage memoir that many listeners can find connection with. Whether it’s through relatability to the songs’ stories or as a form of escapism, the record provides listeners with a transportive experience through the life of a girl throughout the turbulent period of adolescence. Despite being a memoir of Swift’s personal experiences, it’s still a concept album. After all, one of Swift’s earliest appealing factors to both the industry and audiences was her relatability — a feature of hers that still exists even as she reaches billionaire status.Â
Fearless still provides listeners with the escapism to an all-American high school dream — which Swift herself even plays into — at the Eras Tour, Swift would introduce “You Belong With Me” by asking the audience: “Do you want to go back to high school with me?” Swift’s sophomore record still held the true teenage girliness of it all even upon its re-record (which was almost four years ago — making it a high school graduate this year…how fitting!), making it seem like a pretty strong contender for the concept album argument.