Enchanted (Taylor Swift song)

Taylor Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, on October 25, 2010.^[1] She wrote all 14 album tracks on the standard edition by herself.^[2] Swift wrote "Enchanted" about a man whom she was infatuated with after meeting him in person in New York City, and how she hoped to continue the relationship.^[3] She deliberately used the word "wonderstruck" in the lyrics because the subject used it in one of his emails to Swift after they met.^[4] In the album booklet, Swift includes the hidden message for the song as "A-D-A-M".^[5] "Enchanted" was originally the title track for Speak Now, but Swift changed the album title after consulting with Big Machine Records president Scott Borchetta, who deemed Enchanted unfit for the album's grown-up perspectives.^[6]

Upon the album's release, the media speculated that the subject of the song was the singer-songwriter Adam Young, the founder of the music project Owl City.^[4][5] Young responded on Owl City's website on February 13, 2011, that he too was infatuated by Swift after they met for the first time.^[7] He uploaded his cover of "Enchanted", in which he changed some of the lyrics to directly address Swift. He sings, "I was never in love with someone else / I never had somebody waiting on me / 'Cause you were all of my dreams come true / And I just wish you knew / Taylor I was so in love with you;" responding to the original's lyrics, "Please don't be in love with someone else / Please don't have somebody waiting on you."^[8] Despite the media's speculation, Swift never confirmed or denied that Young was the song's subject, and she never responded to Young's cover.^[9]

In October 2011, Swift partnered with Elizabeth Arden, Inc. to release her fragrance brand "Wonderstruck", whose name references the lyrics of "Enchanted".^[10] After the success of "Wonderstruck", she released a second fragrance brand called "Wonderstruck Enchanted" in July 2012; both perfumes stem from the fairy tale-inspired theme of "Enchanted" about being enamored by someone after meeting for the first time.^[11]

"Enchanted"

Swift called the song's bridge her favorite part because it represents her stream of consciousness. A harmony-layered coda appears towards the end.

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Musically, "Enchanted" is a power ballad.^[12] The song begins with gentle acoustic guitar, which crescendos after each lyric "I was enchanted to meet you".^[13] Towards the song's conclusion is a harmony-layered coda featuring multitracked Swift's vocals over synthesizers.^[14][15][16] BBC Music critic Matthew Horton described it as a pop song.^[17] According to Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, "Enchanted" includes rock influences.^[15] The Daily Telegraph described it as an old-school country song,^[18] but Brittany McKenna from Billboard considered the track "outside of the boundaries of country music".^[12] Cathalena E. Burch from the Arizona Daily Star deemed it an "arena-rock-worthy ballad".^[19]

"Enchanted" describes the aftermath of an encounter with a special person without knowing whether the infatuation would be reciprocated.^[4] The lyrics feature a fairy tale undertone to describe romance.^[13] The song opens with a scene where Swift first encounters her love interest, "Your eyes whispered 'have we met?'/ Across the room your silhouette starts to make its way to me," over repeated guitar chords.^[20] As the song progresses, she wonders about the possibility of a new romance over electric guitar riffs and a steady drum beat.^[20] Swift said the bridge was her favorite part because it represents her stream of consciousness when she was writing the song: "Please don't be in love with someone else / Please don't have somebody waiting on you."^[4] She said, "it feels good to write exactly what your thoughts were in a certain moment."^[4]

Swift's first live performance of "Enchanted" was for an NBC Speak Now Thanksgiving Special, which broadcast on November 25, 2010.^[21] The TV special showcased the making of the album along with live performances on a rooftop in New York City.^[22] Swift included "Enchanted" on the set list for her Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012).^[23] During the concerts, she performed in a ball gown atop a winding staircase, with ballerinas dancing in the backdrop.^[24][25] Swift performed "Enchanted" at select shows of the Red Tour (2013–2014), at gigs in Denver^[26] and Portland.^[27]

For her shows on the 1989 World Tour, Swift included a stripped-down mashup of "Enchanted" and "Wildest Dreams", performed on a grand piano.^[28][29][30] She performed "Enchanted" as a surprise song at the Reputation Stadium Tour show at MetLife Stadium on July 22, 2018.^[31][32] It was the only song from Speak Now performed on the Eras Tour (2023–2024) until the addition of "Long Live" on July 7, 2023.^[33] During the performance, she wore in a voluminous ballgown and surrounded by dancers in sparkling, flowing dresses.^[34]

"Enchanted" was acclaimed by critics. In a Rolling Stone review of Speak Now, Sheffield commented that Swift's "voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer".^[15] He included "Enchanted" among the best songs released by Swift, highlighting the harmony-layered coda as a "coup de grace".^[35] Alex Macpherson from The Guardian praised the song for showcasing "Swift's instinct for capturing emotion with astonishing exactitude – right down to the dread sneaking in at the song's close".^[36] Matthew Horton of BBC Music praised its radio-friendly production,^[17] and Slant Magazine critic Jonathan Keefe lauded the production for exhibiting Swift's songwriting craftsmanship, selecting "Enchanted" as one of the album's highlights.^[13]

Erin Strecker of Billboard ranked it as the fourth most underrated Taylor Swift song in a 2014 list.^[37] The Daily Telegraph included it in their 2014 list of Swift's top ten songs.^[18] In another ranking of Swift's discography, Jane Song from Paste placed "Enchanted" among the top ten best songs released by Swift, lauding the track for Swift's songwriting resulting in a captivating narrative.^[38] Hannah Mylrea of NME specifically highlighted the track's "huge swooning instrumentals and [...] heartfelt chorus".^[39] Nate Jones from Vulture praised the production but thought that the song's six minute duration was unnecessary.^[40]

After Speak Now was released, on November 13, 2010, "Enchanted" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 75,^[41] the Digital Song Sales chart at number 44,^[42] and the Country Digital Song Sales chart at number 11.^[43] It entered at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.^[44] In 2014, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "Enchanted" gold for surpassing 500,000 track-equivalent units, based on sales and on-demand streaming.^[45]

Between October and November 2021, "Enchanted" experienced a popularity resurgence after it went viral on the video sharing app TikTok.^[46][47] In the United States, for the week of October 27, 2021, it amassed over one million streams; the following week, it gained over three million streams.^[46] It reached the top ten on Billboard's Country Streaming Songs^[48] and entered two other Billboard's component charts: Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs.^[49][50] The song's unexpected popularity was part of "SwiftTok", a hashtag for the collection of TikTok videos using Swift's songs.^[47]

"Enchanted" peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Global 200.^[51] It reached a new peak on the Canadian Hot 100, at number 47.^[52] The song charted on the singles charts of Australia (number 43)^[53] and Singapore (number 14).^[54] The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), platinum by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), and gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[55]

After signing a new contract with Republic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.^[67] The decision came after a public 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums the label had released.^[68][69] By re-recording her catalog, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, including the copyright licensing of her songs, devaluing the Big Machine-owned masters.^[70] A re-recorded version of "Enchanted", titled "Enchanted (Taylor's Version)", was released on July 7, 2023, via Republic Records, as part of Speak Now (Taylor's Version), Swift's third re-recorded album.

Enchanted (Taylor's Version) was produced by Christopher Rowe. The song incorporates with heavy and bass drums, enhanced bass, and more presence of orchestral arrangements. The rerecorded version of the song was more blended compared to the original. Swift sings without a country twang and she related her matured vocals to the song.

Adapted from Speak Now (Taylor's Version) digital album inline notes^[71]

Production

• Taylor Swift – producer
• Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer
• David Payne – recording engineer
• Lowell Reynolds – assistant recording engineer, editor
• Derek Garten – engineer, editor, programming
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Bryce Bordone – mix engineer
• Randy Merrill – mastering

Musicians

• Taylor Swift – vocals, background vocals, songwriter
• Matt Billingslea – drums, percussion
• Amos Heller – bass guitar
• Paul Sidoti – electric guitar
• Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar, keyboards
• Max Bernstein – lap steel guitar
• Caitlin Evanson – background vocals
• Christopher Rowe – background vocals
• Jeremy Murphy – string recording
• London Contemporary Orchestra – strings
  • Galya Bisengalieva, Zahra Benyounes, Natalie Kloudak, Charlotte Reid, Anna Ovsyanikova, Antonia Kesel, Eloisa-Fleur Thom, Anna de Bruin, Charis Jenson, Guy Button, Nicole Crespo O'Donoghue, Nicole Stokes – violin
  • Zoe Matthews, Clifton Harrison, Matthew Kettle, Stephanie Edmundson – viola
  • Oliver Coates, Jonny Byers, Max Ruisi – cello
  • Dave Brown – double bass