 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Speak Now
- By Taylor Swift
- Genre: Country
Common Sense Media says
Teen country queen grows up but still keeps it clean.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Taylor Swift's second album, Speak Now, is decidedly more mature than her debut record, Fearless -- including deeper, more thoughtful lyrics about relationships of all kinds, as well as a few more references to sexual intimacy. That said, the CD is still free of profanity and explicit sex, making it an age-appropriate choice for older tweens and young teens.
What's the story?
SPEAK NOW is the sophomore album from wildly popular young country star Taylor Swift. As in her first record, Fearless, Swift spends much of her second CD exploring the trials and tribulations of growing up. This time, however, Swift sings about things that happened when she was nearly through with her teens; in other words, the subject matter has become a bit more serious and introspective. For example, in "Dear John," the song about her rumored past romance with fellow musician and notorious heartbreaker John Mayer, Swift sings, "And I lived in your chess game, but you changed the rules every day / Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone tonight / Well I stopped picking up, and this song is to let you know why." Despite the more intense emotions, however, Swift still steers clear of profanity, graphic sexual descriptions, and references to substance use -- making this album age-appropriate overall for older tweens and young adults.
Is it any good?
Vocally, Swift has nowhere near the chops of contemporaries like Carrie Underwood or Beyonce. That said, there's a simple, pure quality to her voice that lends itself well to her many innocent songs about having her heart broken. She also continues to deserve props for writing all of her own songs -- an accomplishment that few of her peers can claim. And while they may not be the most musically complex tunes ever composed, those songs are actually good, lingering in your mind long after they're over.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about some of the specific topics mentioned in these songs, such as the topic of bullying that's covered in the tune "Mean." Does Swift offer any good advice that her listeners can follow when confronting these issues in their own lives?
In the song "Never Grown Up," what do you think of Swift's message about "Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little / Don't you ever grow up, it can stay this simple"? Is this message realistic?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Speak Now?...Erm, Maybe Later...for the 10 year old at least.
I truly enjoyed this album. It was very refreshing. The music and lyrics more grown up and smarter than they were on her previous albums. That being said, I would not recommend parents buy this album for any child under 14. "Mean" (Track 6) and "Better Than Revenge" (Track 10) don't send very positive messages to young girls...Mean pretty much says "If you make fun of me, I'll make fun of you, loser" and Better Than Revenge says: "If a boy picks another female over you, call them a sl*t to make yourself feel better".
On another note, sex and sleeping together is implied a quite few times in Mine ("and there's a drawer of my things at your place"), Sparks Fly ("You touch me once and it's really something/You find I'm better than you imagined I'd be"), and Dear John (a song about a rendez-vous with a 32 year old player). This album obviously isn't as happy and joyful as her last; the songs about happy dates and friendships are traded for songs about bitterness, sadness and worries (Enchanted & Speak Now sound happy musically, but lyrically are downers)
The album is great, yes....but Taylor's happy teenage days are over and that might not sit well with the 8 year olds who loved Today was a Fairytale and can't understand why Taylor should "Run as fast as she can" from her dear John. :/
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Kid, 11 years old
April 10, 2011
AGE
So hard to choose
Wow I really love and look up to Taylor as a role model. She can be sweet but guys I wouldn't mess with her or she'll write a song about ya. I bought mine and then I decided I wanted the whole album so I bought it. I have listened to all of the songs except Innocent, Last Kiss, Haunted, Long Live, The Story of Us and Never Grow Up. And I Plan to listen to those. I love all of the songs I have listened to so far but if you can only buy one but Back To December. Another one of my favorites is Better Than Revenge, it is a little more poppy than most of her songs but still good. Mean and Dear John are also good ones ugh it's so hard to choose favorites. I love you Tay your my role model!!
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Kid, 11 years old
April 30, 2011
AGE
BEST ALBUM EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this album !!!! better than revenge is my my favorite song even if its a little inappropiate ( shes not a saint , shes an actress,she's better known for the things she does on the mattress)
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Kid, 12 years old
May 14, 2011
AGE
AWESOME
LOVE IT!!! Her BEST albom ever
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AGE
AWESOME ALBUM!
I love this album so much! And it is not sexual content, not bad, still appropriate, mainly because Taylor Swift is a very innocent artist, and she is talking about another girl, and this album is amazing. That phrase was from the song "Better Than Revenge", which is one of my favorite songs on the album, I own it. I love this album. My 5 favorites are: 1) Never Grow Up, 2) Back to December, 3) Speak Now, 4) Better Than Revenge, 5) Mean. I love this album so much!
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AGE
Great album as always!
I love that my kids listen to Taylor Swift! Catchy and clean as always!
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Kid, 12 years old
January 11, 2011
AGE
Great CD, but includes questionable stuff.
"Better Than Revenge" has some iffy stuff, but other songs are great!
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Kid, 11 years old
May 8, 2011
AGE
Best album ever!
I love Taylor Swift!
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AGE
Kinda ok
mentions someone in the bar (IN the future) plus the mattress thing, and in last kiss mentions "watching you sleep" and "feeling you breathe"
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AGE
Prefect for Tweens and Teens
I think "Never Grow Up" is a good song for families. It teaches you about growing up and about how life goes to fast. She has really good messages in her song 'Mean"as well. Its good for children who have been bullied.
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| Artist: | Taylor Swift |
| Release date: | October 26, 2010 |
| Label: | Big Machine Records |
| Genre: | Country |
| Parental advisory: | No |
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