Music
6 Times Taylor Swift Proved Her Nashville Roots Run Deep
The singer has traveled across genres, but country music will forever be her home.
Taylor Swift changed the course of her career in 2014 when she left the country world and released her first full-fledged pop album, 1989. Since then, it seems as if she’s never looked back, releasing two more pop albums built for stadium tours, Reputation and Lover, before veering into alternative music for Folklore and Evermore, and bridging the gap on 2022’s Midnights.
However, the singer has proven to be a Nashville girl at heart (although she’s not actually from there). Swift has revisited her country roots several times, through performances and even a few newer songs, thanks in part to her re-recordings.
Swift has already released “Taylor’s Version” of three of her country albums, Fearless, Speak Now, and Red, allowing her to put a maturer spin on her beloved hits and deep cuts. But she’s yet to unveil the re-recording of her self-titled debut album, meaning there’s more old-fashioned country Tay to come.
Perhaps she’ll even go country once again on her upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department, of which little is known about the sonic landscape. After all, she’s already done it once before on one of her most recent albums.
Below, revisit six times that Swift has gone country since leaving the genre.
Attending The 2015 ACMs
Just a few months after unleashing 1989, Swift took a brief detour back to the country world when she was honored with the ACM Milestone Award at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards (not to be confused with the Country Music Awards).
Swift’s mom, Andrea, sweetly presented her with the award, which she accepted by acknowledging her country roots. “I’m so happy that I learned to write songs in a town like Nashville,” she said. “I’m so unbelievably proud that I learned to treat people with kindness and respect from country music.”
Writing “Betty” For Folklore
As she transitioned from pop to alternative on her first 2020 album Folklore, Swift made a little trip back to her country roots with “Betty,” the final part of a high school love triangle trilogy started by “Cardigan” and “August.” With a searing harmonica riff, unabashed use of banjos, and emphasis on storytelling, fans agreed that “Betty” was Swift’s most country song in ages.
Performing At The ACMs
To prove her point that “Betty” is a country song, Swift headed back to Nashville to perform the track at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards, marking her only performance of the year. Following all 2020 guidelines, Swift showed up solo and sang “Betty” with just her guitar, and even did her own hair and makeup, proving she’s a down-home country girl at heart.
The Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Collabs
The unearthed “From the Vault” tracks from her first re-recording stayed true to her country core. For Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Swift brought in fellow country sensation Maren Morris to sing beautiful harmonies on “You All Over Me,” and Keith Urban, who Swift opened for back in 2009, to duet with her on “That’s When” and even do background vocals on “We Were Happy.”
“Love Story (TV)” Tops Country Songs Chart
Despite setting country records in the early stages of her career, Swift never debuted at number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart until 2021. “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” debuted atop the chart in the lead-up to Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and she became the first female artist to do so, proving that Nashville always has her back.
“I Bet You Think About Me”
Some of the “From the Vault” tracks on Red (Taylor’s Version) proved that Swift already had pop domination in mind, but on “I Bet You Think About Me,” she enlisted Chris Stapleton to harmonize on the track, tauntinf her ex with more Southern twang than on most of her country albums.
