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Taylor Swift: This Is Our Song
A book about Taylor.
Made with love.
By fans. For fans.
“Delightful...A rich and exhaustive production...Swifties have gotten their bible.” — The New Yorker
Ten years ago, an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album. A decade later, Taylor Swift has reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. A ten-time Grammy winner, Swift has been hailed for her songwriting talent, crossed effortlessly from country to pop, and established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire, all while connecting with her fans in a way that only she can.
Amazingly, after all these years, there is no great, comprehensive book about Swift for her fans. Until now. This book, a fan-generated celebration of Swift’s first decade as an artist, collects the best writing and images from the past ten years in one gorgeous volume. From prefame interviews with Swift in local Pennsylvania newspapers to major profiles in The New Yorker and Rolling Stone ; from album reviews by top critics such as Robert Christgau, Sasha Frere-Jones, and Ann Powers to essays by beloved novelists like Maggie Shipstead; from Tavi Gevinson’s classic ode to Swift in The Believer to Q&As with Chuck Klosterman and humorous analysis from McSweeney’s and The Hairpin ; from album-themed crossword puzzles and adult coloring pages to profiles of Taylor’s biggest fans; from an excerpt of the soon-to-be-published novel Taylor Girl Detective to a “book within a book” of Swift’s most inspiring quotations titled (naturally) The Tao of Tay , this book is the vital collection of all things Taylor.
Here, finally, is the must-have book for every Swiftie and every music lover. For, as Klosterman wrote in GQ , “If you don’t take Swift seriously, you don’t take contemporary music seriously.”
* This book is a tribute to Taylor Swift, but she was not involved in its creation. *
Made with love.
By fans. For fans.
“Delightful...A rich and exhaustive production...Swifties have gotten their bible.” — The New Yorker
Ten years ago, an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album. A decade later, Taylor Swift has reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. A ten-time Grammy winner, Swift has been hailed for her songwriting talent, crossed effortlessly from country to pop, and established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire, all while connecting with her fans in a way that only she can.
Amazingly, after all these years, there is no great, comprehensive book about Swift for her fans. Until now. This book, a fan-generated celebration of Swift’s first decade as an artist, collects the best writing and images from the past ten years in one gorgeous volume. From prefame interviews with Swift in local Pennsylvania newspapers to major profiles in The New Yorker and Rolling Stone ; from album reviews by top critics such as Robert Christgau, Sasha Frere-Jones, and Ann Powers to essays by beloved novelists like Maggie Shipstead; from Tavi Gevinson’s classic ode to Swift in The Believer to Q&As with Chuck Klosterman and humorous analysis from McSweeney’s and The Hairpin ; from album-themed crossword puzzles and adult coloring pages to profiles of Taylor’s biggest fans; from an excerpt of the soon-to-be-published novel Taylor Girl Detective to a “book within a book” of Swift’s most inspiring quotations titled (naturally) The Tao of Tay , this book is the vital collection of all things Taylor.
Here, finally, is the must-have book for every Swiftie and every music lover. For, as Klosterman wrote in GQ , “If you don’t take Swift seriously, you don’t take contemporary music seriously.”
* This book is a tribute to Taylor Swift, but she was not involved in its creation. *
- GenresNonfictionMusicBiography
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2016
28 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 20, 2016
This is a pretty comprehensive book about Taylor Swift's life from before being under the spotlight to her worldwide superstardom now, considering that this was made by fans, or as we like to call ourselves, Swifties.
It was mentioned in the acknowledgment though, that there were a lot of entries from all over the world about who gets to be the honorary author and other fans who'll have input in this book, but everyone was from the US which was kind of not okay.
Nevertheless, I read this book in less than six hours and I cried (like, legit crying with tears falling and all that jazz) in many parts especially reading interviews I haven't read before and positive stuff that people in the music industry has said about Taylor because that's a big deal to me that people who aren't necessarily fans who appreciate her makes me thankful in behalf of Taylor and proud for idolizing her at the same time.
It's also awesome that it's not just pure words and pictures, but there were crossword puzzles and coloring pages and these amazing watercolor lyric arts made by a Swiftie plus that funny as heck Nancy Drew-ish story about Starbucks Lovers. All of them are incredible.
P.S.ohmygod i can't believe taylor's first word was "yellow" because of big bird from sesame street like that's wow idek what to say
P.P.S. that article by Tavi Gevinson cracked me up so hard i'll never recover
It was mentioned in the acknowledgment though, that there were a lot of entries from all over the world about who gets to be the honorary author and other fans who'll have input in this book, but everyone was from the US which was kind of not okay.
Nevertheless, I read this book in less than six hours and I cried (like, legit crying with tears falling and all that jazz) in many parts especially reading interviews I haven't read before and positive stuff that people in the music industry has said about Taylor because that's a big deal to me that people who aren't necessarily fans who appreciate her makes me thankful in behalf of Taylor and proud for idolizing her at the same time.
It's also awesome that it's not just pure words and pictures, but there were crossword puzzles and coloring pages and these amazing watercolor lyric arts made by a Swiftie plus that funny as heck Nancy Drew-ish story about Starbucks Lovers. All of them are incredible.
P.S.
P.P.S. that article by Tavi Gevinson cracked me up so hard i'll never recover
November 5, 2016
I had never considered myself a Swiftie, but after reading this book, I think I've realized that I am one!
I suppose I never took her songwriting so seriously before. I was always impressed with her ability to rhyme and the quality of language in her songs. For me, it was always annoying that she wrote only about boyfriends, at least that's what her most popular songs would indicate.
However, there are more serious issues she covers in those that aren't hit singles. 'The Best Day' on Fearless is about spending time with her mom; 'The Lucky One' on Red shows a different side of fame that Taylor doesn't typical address in interviews; 'Clean' on 1989 while on the surface talks about an unhealthy relationship, it could also apply to drug addiction (my personal interpretation). Of course the track 'Ronan' that is about a little boy dying of cancer from the point of view of his mom. I was really impressed with the songs she did for The Hunger Games soundtrack, especially Eyes Open.
It was interesting the one Rolling Stone article not included in the book was the one where she essentially pointed out it was Katy Perry who 'Bad Blood' was about. And I suppose there was the excuse of it's October publication date that Kim Kardashian's "breaking of the internet" by posting the recording between Taylor and Kanye in July didn't make it in the book. For a fan book, that would be an odd note to end on. But the book mentioned in several articles about their "feud" and the 'Famous' lyrics and her "outrage" at them. It'll be interesting to see if that's mentioned in the book that's published I guess in another book published 10 years from now celebrating her second decade in the industry.
The fan profiles included the book were a good touch because it showed how her music, shows, concerts, meet & greets, and philanthropy have made an impact on an impressionable young group of fans. It shows why Taylor Swift will go down in music history and is not just the current pop culture phenomenon.
The gathering of articles, album reviews, blog posts, fan-fiction, and fan art published in the book gave an impressive collection of Taylor and her career and shows why she'll be around for years to come. I'm glad that some of the articles selected showed legitimate criticisms about Taylor and the kind of music she writes and the purity element that seemed to show through her music. However, now that she's grown up, I feel her music has evolved to a point where that critique is no longer relevant.
If I'm remembering correctly, Taylor's dismissal of Nicki Minaj's comments about being left out of the VMA awards (it was one of those award shows) but not acknowledging race would be a potential factor was left out of the book, which I thought was an important criticism.
Regardless of her pettiness and self-involvement at times, she's a sweet person who has made amazing contributions to charity and goes out of her way to connect with her fans. She has such a strong rapport with them that she trusted select few with the secrets of her entire 1989 album and they kept the content of the album to themselves, that shows how strong the bond is!
I like how Taylor goes the extra length to make buying the physical album worth it, either with bonus tracks or little giveaways that go along with it. I've gotten the deluxe editions of 'Speak Now', 'Red', and '1989' at Target when they've come out because it's actually exciting to buy the new Taylor Swift album. I'm eager for whatever her 6th album contains (I guess it will be an entirely pop album again!) and despite the feuds, etc., lo and behold I am indeed a Swiftie.
I suppose I never took her songwriting so seriously before. I was always impressed with her ability to rhyme and the quality of language in her songs. For me, it was always annoying that she wrote only about boyfriends, at least that's what her most popular songs would indicate.
However, there are more serious issues she covers in those that aren't hit singles. 'The Best Day' on Fearless is about spending time with her mom; 'The Lucky One' on Red shows a different side of fame that Taylor doesn't typical address in interviews; 'Clean' on 1989 while on the surface talks about an unhealthy relationship, it could also apply to drug addiction (my personal interpretation). Of course the track 'Ronan' that is about a little boy dying of cancer from the point of view of his mom. I was really impressed with the songs she did for The Hunger Games soundtrack, especially Eyes Open.
It was interesting the one Rolling Stone article not included in the book was the one where she essentially pointed out it was Katy Perry who 'Bad Blood' was about. And I suppose there was the excuse of it's October publication date that Kim Kardashian's "breaking of the internet" by posting the recording between Taylor and Kanye in July didn't make it in the book. For a fan book, that would be an odd note to end on. But the book mentioned in several articles about their "feud" and the 'Famous' lyrics and her "outrage" at them. It'll be interesting to see if that's mentioned in the book that's published I guess in another book published 10 years from now celebrating her second decade in the industry.
The fan profiles included the book were a good touch because it showed how her music, shows, concerts, meet & greets, and philanthropy have made an impact on an impressionable young group of fans. It shows why Taylor Swift will go down in music history and is not just the current pop culture phenomenon.
The gathering of articles, album reviews, blog posts, fan-fiction, and fan art published in the book gave an impressive collection of Taylor and her career and shows why she'll be around for years to come. I'm glad that some of the articles selected showed legitimate criticisms about Taylor and the kind of music she writes and the purity element that seemed to show through her music. However, now that she's grown up, I feel her music has evolved to a point where that critique is no longer relevant.
If I'm remembering correctly, Taylor's dismissal of Nicki Minaj's comments about being left out of the VMA awards (it was one of those award shows) but not acknowledging race would be a potential factor was left out of the book, which I thought was an important criticism.
Regardless of her pettiness and self-involvement at times, she's a sweet person who has made amazing contributions to charity and goes out of her way to connect with her fans. She has such a strong rapport with them that she trusted select few with the secrets of her entire 1989 album and they kept the content of the album to themselves, that shows how strong the bond is!
I like how Taylor goes the extra length to make buying the physical album worth it, either with bonus tracks or little giveaways that go along with it. I've gotten the deluxe editions of 'Speak Now', 'Red', and '1989' at Target when they've come out because it's actually exciting to buy the new Taylor Swift album. I'm eager for whatever her 6th album contains (I guess it will be an entirely pop album again!) and despite the feuds, etc., lo and behold I am indeed a Swiftie.
June 20, 2021
cute and fun and made me realize how much i love taylor! i’m so glad i stumbled across this while at work one day.
January 1, 2018
This was a good and interesting read. I was really happy that my library had it because I was interested in checking it out and reading out it was all about. It was different than I thought but the articles were interesting and I learned a lot.
4/5
4/5
April 14, 2024
As a fellow swiftie, i loved this book, it was very interesting to find out more about her life and to see how she has impacted so many others. It was a book written by swifties which is awesome. It isn't really a book I could sit down and read for a long time but I really loved being able to read a few stories whenever I wanted. If you are a swiftie, even if you aren't I totally recommend checking this out.
November 5, 2018
Cute but ultimately annoyingly repetitive.
October 28, 2016
This is Our Song is a one-for-all compilation of everything about Taylor Swift . Tyler Conroy, a guitarist, songwriter and a die-hard Swiftie, has made ‘Taylor Swift This is Our Song’ a reality. This book celebrates a decade of Taylor Swift and her amazing music.
More than just a book, This is Our Song outlines how an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album and within 10 years reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. At the age of twenty-six, Taylor has won as much as ten Grammy awards. She has established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire, all while connecting with her fans in a way that only she can.
Taylor Swift This is Our Song by Tyler Conroy collects the best writing and images from the past ten years in one gorgeous volume. There is everything from pre-fame interviews to major profiles in The New Yorker & Rolling Stone; from album reviews by top critics to Q&As at famous talk shows.
To the surprise of readers, this Taylor Swift book features ...see review
More than just a book, This is Our Song outlines how an unknown sixteen-year-old released a self-titled debut country album and within 10 years reached record-breaking, chart-topping heights. At the age of twenty-six, Taylor has won as much as ten Grammy awards. She has established herself as a musician who can surprise, delight, and inspire, all while connecting with her fans in a way that only she can.
Taylor Swift This is Our Song by Tyler Conroy collects the best writing and images from the past ten years in one gorgeous volume. There is everything from pre-fame interviews to major profiles in The New Yorker & Rolling Stone; from album reviews by top critics to Q&As at famous talk shows.
To the surprise of readers, this Taylor Swift book features ...see review
June 12, 2017
Great compilation. I love books about successful people. Her strongest trait is self-awareness.
July 24, 2017
I really enjoyed his book and I learnt so much about Taylor Swift and her life. It took me a long time to read as it was a very big book, but I liked all the pictures and the little extras in it. I would recommend this book for teenagers that love Taylor Swift!
I decided to read is as I have always loved Taylor Swift from a young age and I own three of her cds. I would have to say my favourite song of hers is 'Bad Blood'. I also loved 'Shake it off'
I decided to read is as I have always loved Taylor Swift from a young age and I own three of her cds. I would have to say my favourite song of hers is 'Bad Blood'. I also loved 'Shake it off'
February 16, 2017
A lovely, fan-curated book! "Taylor Swift: This is Our Song" is full of essential articles/interviews chronicling the past decade of Swift's career, as well as fan interviews and fan art/pics. An enjoyable book for any Taylor fan!
February 2, 2017
If you love Taylor Swift, you are going to adore everything about this book. Even someone who loves to hate, hate, hate would have a hard time not admiring her talent and drive after reading this.
April 16, 2021
I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT
December 24, 2024
With the recent flood of Swift-themed books coming out*, I thought I should go back and finally read this one first, not least because it's the only one where I've heard all the music released up to its publication date (well, most of it; I never did get past the singles from her debut). I've been a fan since 2009 and I absolutely love her music when I love it, but I haven't paid much attention to her as a person in the last decade, and am now perpetually at least two albums behind in her release cycle. So hopping in a little time capsule? I'm here for it.
Long story short, this is indeed mostly a scrapbook of previously-published articles interspersed with fan profiles, photos, and some creative efforts, but it's very sweet, not unlike reading a very specially themed edition of Rookie Magazine, and I'm already nostalgic for the fandom era circa 2010-12 (not that I was ever really in it, but what I heard of it from the outside as a casual fan seemed nice). The crossword puzzles really drive the magazine theme home.
This was both a nice walk through memory lane, and some brand-new info, while the creative stuff added a dash of sparkle. Even though I used to follow the news about her more, I've forgotten a lot of stuff and I was never a Superfan (especially given that I dropped her like a hot potato for a couple of years when she simultaneously debuted a haircut and the worst song of her career to celebrate the musical transition to Pure Pop).
The nature of news/magazine articles that were originally meant to stand alone means that when you read this cover to cover, you do hear the details of her origin story repeated over and over, but I'm sure many of those articles have gone "poof" online or at least disappeared behind a paywall, so it's important to have them curated in hard copy too.
Parting Thoughts:
-You should absolutely get this book in hard copy to appreciate the many photographs, but you should also know that this book is a heavy AF chunkster and has to go on the Oversize shelf for both weight and dimensions.
-Tyler Conroy is apparently only the "honorary author" as a contest winner, as are many of the other major contributor names, and the copyright is ascribed simply to Simon & Schuster, so I would have liked a little more clarity on who exactly spearheaded this project and put the book together. But otherwise, no complaints.
*I apologize in advance to my Goodreads friends whose timelines are gonna be swamped with Swiftie books in the early part of 2025 until I burn out. This has reawakened something in me.
Long story short, this is indeed mostly a scrapbook of previously-published articles interspersed with fan profiles, photos, and some creative efforts, but it's very sweet, not unlike reading a very specially themed edition of Rookie Magazine, and I'm already nostalgic for the fandom era circa 2010-12 (not that I was ever really in it, but what I heard of it from the outside as a casual fan seemed nice). The crossword puzzles really drive the magazine theme home.
This was both a nice walk through memory lane, and some brand-new info, while the creative stuff added a dash of sparkle. Even though I used to follow the news about her more, I've forgotten a lot of stuff and I was never a Superfan (especially given that I dropped her like a hot potato for a couple of years when she simultaneously debuted a haircut and the worst song of her career to celebrate the musical transition to Pure Pop).
The nature of news/magazine articles that were originally meant to stand alone means that when you read this cover to cover, you do hear the details of her origin story repeated over and over, but I'm sure many of those articles have gone "poof" online or at least disappeared behind a paywall, so it's important to have them curated in hard copy too.
Parting Thoughts:
-You should absolutely get this book in hard copy to appreciate the many photographs, but you should also know that this book is a heavy AF chunkster and has to go on the Oversize shelf for both weight and dimensions.
-Tyler Conroy is apparently only the "honorary author" as a contest winner, as are many of the other major contributor names, and the copyright is ascribed simply to Simon & Schuster, so I would have liked a little more clarity on who exactly spearheaded this project and put the book together. But otherwise, no complaints.
*I apologize in advance to my Goodreads friends whose timelines are gonna be swamped with Swiftie books in the early part of 2025 until I burn out. This has reawakened something in me.
January 17, 2024
This book is a record of Taylor Swift's activities from her debut album "Taylor Swift" to "1989".
Taylor has always pushed her limits and expanded her musical horizons to please her fans.
She escaped the country route with the album "Red" and since then she has been entertaining us with pop, indieFORK, and many other genres.
And, even when social media was not yet popular, Taylor actively communicated with her fans via "My Space" and "Twitter" to solidify her popularity.
Her worldwide fan base is based on years of her hard work.
We have a lot to learn from her, including her talent, fearless spirit, and willingness to take on challenges.
I thought the crossword puzzle in this book was unnecessary.
Taylor has always pushed her limits and expanded her musical horizons to please her fans.
She escaped the country route with the album "Red" and since then she has been entertaining us with pop, indieFORK, and many other genres.
And, even when social media was not yet popular, Taylor actively communicated with her fans via "My Space" and "Twitter" to solidify her popularity.
Her worldwide fan base is based on years of her hard work.
We have a lot to learn from her, including her talent, fearless spirit, and willingness to take on challenges.
I thought the crossword puzzle in this book was unnecessary.
October 30, 2024
This Book is a Fantastic Fan created Book of Taylor.
It is definitely a must read if you're a Swiftie or becoming a Swiftie.
It was very enjoyable to read.
I found out things I never knew about Taylor.
There's only 2 things that I would critique and that is that..
#1 - There was a bit of repeating
#2 - Most of the fans that were invited to put messages into the book were from the US. I think it would have been more fair if there were messages from fans world wide.
But yes as I was saying... Overall, I really loved this book. This is the 2nd Taylor book I've had and this has been the best so far.
It is definitely a must read if you're a Swiftie or becoming a Swiftie.
It was very enjoyable to read.
I found out things I never knew about Taylor.
There's only 2 things that I would critique and that is that..
#1 - There was a bit of repeating
#2 - Most of the fans that were invited to put messages into the book were from the US. I think it would have been more fair if there were messages from fans world wide.
But yes as I was saying... Overall, I really loved this book. This is the 2nd Taylor book I've had and this has been the best so far.
May 1, 2021
A fun retrospective of Taylor Swift’s career, from her first album through 1989. Compiled with fan anecdotes and fan art, alongside major published articles from GQ, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Salon, and Vogue. Some of the fan art (a particularly strange “mystery” fanfiction about Taylor as a detective) and articles (McSweeney’s parody is just...exhausting) doesn’t land. Overall it’s a sweet book of appreciation for Taylor from her fans.
October 29, 2023
I read this because my daughter really wanted to but she mostly wanted to see the pictures, but I read the whole thing.
I found it pretty repetitive honestly. It's a cool idea to compile articles from throughout her career but I do wish they varied more in their content. Every one of them basically said the same thing.
I did learn though that she seems to be an... interesting driver. She seems to have a lot of car accidents!
I found it pretty repetitive honestly. It's a cool idea to compile articles from throughout her career but I do wish they varied more in their content. Every one of them basically said the same thing.
I did learn though that she seems to be an... interesting driver. She seems to have a lot of car accidents!
May 11, 2018
I usually stray away from more of the novelty type books, BUT I love Taylor Swift & I loved the fact that fellow Swifites created a book dedicated to Taylor so I obviously couldn't pass this book up!
January 5, 2019
Basically a collection of articles about Taylor, peppered with some often cringey letters by fans, but as someone wholly invested in Swiftmania, it was still interesting to go back and see people's perceptions change over the years.
March 19, 2022
this wasn’t quite what I was expecting - more of a compilation of fan murmurs and magazine articles. But that’s okay. I had already read the articles in the past for the most part. But anyway; this was still enjoyable (for a Taylor fan). A little dated now, of course. 3.89* stars 😂😂
February 21, 2024
I wasn't expecting the book to simply replicate published articles from across the years, but somehow they told a good story about how Taylor Swift has grown up and evolved - and what has stayed the same
February 17, 2018
Excellent! I’m a hardcore Swiftie and I really enjoyed reading all about her ( especially early on like the parts from her local newspaper!
May 8, 2022
I spent $12 on this book and I have no regrets :)
April 7, 2023
cute book that a family member gave me for christmas a few years ago
May 18, 2023
There are pretty pictures of Taylor Swift, but this book is a total joke. I'm a Taylor Swift fan, but this is all fan content, and some of it barely connected to her at all. Not worth checking out.
August 28, 2023
"I was enchanted to meet you..." - Taylor Swift, Enchanted
December 29, 2023
i loveddddd that it was about taylor swift. i learned so many new things about her!!
April 19, 2024
This is mainly articles written about Taylor over the years which is not what I was expecting
August 15, 2024
Loved the articles and photos.
December 6, 2016
This is a neat look at Taylor Swift.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews