Taylor Swift has made an enormous name for herself as a pop star. However, like any aspiring musician, she was once a teenager who wrote songs that she only hoped would go somewhere. In fact, the majority of her songwriting credits on her self-titled debut album from 2006 were written and even recorded before or shortly after Swift turned 16 years old. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?
1. “Tim McGraw”
This ode to another country music superstar was released on Swift’s debut album and was written near the end of 2005. A collaborative effort with country songwriter Liz Rose, “Tim McGraw” was initially praised for creating a song both ahead of its time and nostalgic all at the same time.
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To many, this track is one of the best debut singles of all time, especially in the country music world.
2. “Teardrops On My Guitar”
Another collaboration with Liz Rose “Teardrops On My Guitar” was the second single from Swift’s debut country album. This track veers into a more alternative direction with elements of country pop and soft rock.
According to Swift, she was inspired to write this song about the unrequited love she experienced in high school. We have to say, “Teardrops On My Guitar” is still one of Swift’s best acoustic ballads.
3. “Should’ve Said No”
Taylor Swift wrote and recorded this song at the age of 16 all on her own, and it’s a standout release from her debut album. “Should’ve Said No” has elements of country rock as well as post-grunge, and the addition of the banjo just seems to work.
Surprisingly, this track was a last-minute addition to Swift’s debut. She wrote it just two days before the album was mastered.
4. “Our Song”
This is probably Swift’s most well-known song from her country debut, and we get why. Taylor Swift wrote “Our Song” before she turned 16 and the track originally debuted at a talent show she was part of in ninth grade. According to Swift, she wrote this lovely little track in only 20 minutes.
“I wrote it about this guy I was dating, and how we didn’t have a song,” said Swift. “So I went ahead and wrote us one.”
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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