Taylor Turns 30! Look Back At Taylor Swift, The Country Years
I remember the day I first talked to Taylor Swift, vividly. She had recently released, “Tim McGraw,” and was doing her first big push to be heard on radio, by calling stations. She had recently turned 16, and honestly, seemed just as excited at the prospect of getting her driver’s license, as she did getting a song played on radio.
She was just a girl. A real girl, about to enter an unreal world of fame, fortune and fandom. She was incredibly poised for a 16 year old, and already well versed in how to conduct an interview. I was incredibly impressed by her ability to be a regular teenager, yet shine with maturity far beyond her years.
Today, that girl turns 30.
I don’t think any of us imagined the career that would unfold for Taylor. Not even in her biggest dreams. She definitely was on to something special, and was certainly driven, but…
An astronomical career? Who knew… the girl that grew up on a Christmas Tree farm in Pennsylvania would turn out to be the superstar Taylor Swift that the world has been tuned into for 14 years now!
Here we are on said Xmas tree farm. And I just want to say that my parents are the real 90’s fashion icons. I have spoken. pic.twitter.com/jtXGXb7raq
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 6, 2019
On this, country and pop queen Taylor Swift’s 30th birthday, let’s look back at the songs that made her a country star…
But first, before you look, can you recall her LAST hit as a solo country artist? (“Highway Don’t Care” doesn’t count, because it was a Tim McGraw release, featuring Taylor)
Wikipedia sorts it all out for us:
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] |
AUS [74] |
CAN [75] |
DEN [76] |
FRA [22] |
IRE [24] |
JPN [77] |
NZ [26] |
SWE [78] |
UK [28] |
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| “Tim McGraw“ | 2006 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Taylor Swift |
| “Teardrops on My Guitar“ | 2007 | 13 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 51 |
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| “Our Song“ | 16 | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “Picture to Burn“ | 2008 | 28 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “Should’ve Said No“ | 33 | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — |
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| “Change“ | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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AT&T Team USA Soundtrack[W] | ||
| “Love Story“ | 4 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 2 | Fearless | |||
| “White Horse“ | 13 | 41 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 60 |
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| “You Belong with Me“ | 2009 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 32 | — | 12 | 10 | 5 | 47 | 30 |
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| “Fifteen“ | 23 | 48 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “Fearless“ | 2010 | 9 | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 111 |
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| “Today Was a Fairytale“ | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 41 | 63 | 29 | — | 57 |
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Valentine’s Day | ||
| “Mine“ | 3 | 9 | 7 | — | — | 38 | 6 | 16 | 48 | 30 |
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Speak Now | ||
| “Back to December“ | 6 | 26 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — |
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| “Mean“ | 2011 | 11 | 45 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “The Story of Us“ | 41 | 65 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “Sparks Fly“ | 17 | 97 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| “Ours“ | 13 | 91 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 181 |
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After the song, “Ours,” ironically, Taylor was not longer “ours,” in the country world. She had become a pop star, with her album Red released in 2012.
