White Horse (bài hát)

Bối cảnh

Swift bắt đầu viết "White Horse" gần một năm trước khi Fearless phát hành, một tuần sau khi nữ ca sĩ hoàn tất đĩa đơn đầu tiên của album "Love Story", hai bài hát có nội dung hoàn toàn trái ngược nhau. Swift viết đoạn đầu của bài hát một mình, sau đó cô liên hệ với Liz Rose, đề nghị một sự trợ giúp và cả hai nhanh chóng hoàn thành bài hát trong vòng bốn mươi lăm phút. Ca khúc lấy cảm hứng về một người bạn trai cũ của Swift, người mà cô tưởng tượng giống như Hoàng tử Charming để rồi, trong đoạn kết của mối quan hệ, cô nhận ra rằng anh không phải như vậy. Nữ ca sĩ nói rằng chính người đó đã khởi đầu cho bài hát, nhưng trong giai đoạn giữa của quá trình sáng tác, nội dung đã xoay chuyển. Nó tập trung vào khoảng thời gian ban đầu khi Swift nhận ra rằng mối quan hệ đã đi đến hồi kết. Cô nói rằng mọi thứ bắt đầu nguôi ngoai sau cái thời khắc đặc biệt đó và, bởi vì vậy, nó giống như một khía cạnh trang trọng của một cuộc chia tay: "Đối với tôi, 'White Horse' là phần đau thương nhất trong một sự đổ vỡ - khoảnh khắc khi bạn nhận ra rằng biết bao mơ mộng, biết bao mường tượng về viễn cảnh cùng với người đó, tất cả bỗng chốc tan biến". Nói về sự khác biệt giữa "White Horse" và "Love Story", Swift cho rằng chúng được đặt trong những bối cảnh khác nhau, những câu chuyện cổ tích có kịch bản khác biệt. Nữ ca sĩ cũng thừa nhận cô không hề muốn trải qua một trải nghiệm kiểu giống như vậy, tuy nhiên sau đó lại có cảm giác sẵn sàng hơn để đối mặt với sự thật..
"Khi chúng ta còn là những cô bé, bố hay hay đọc truyện cho chúng ta nghe. Và ta nghĩ rằng Hoàng tử Charming một ngày nào đó sẽ xuất hiện cùng với một chiếc áo choàng trắng, và yêu chúng ta vô điều kiện. Và những kẻ phản diện thì vận quần áo đen. Tuy nhiên ta không thể nhận ra rằng, trong thực tế những kẻ phản diện ấy lại mặc jeans. Và đáng yêu. Và cuốn hút, anh ấy làm bạn cười, làm bạn tin tưởng. Bạn nghĩ anh ấy là một chàng trai tốt. Để rồi nhận ra là không phải."
Bài hát ban đầu không được nhắm cho album Fearless, bởi vì Swift cho rằng tính chín chắn đã rõ ràng được thể hiện một cách chuẩn xác trong album này; vì vậy, cô đã dự định sẽ đưa "White Horse" vào album phòng thu thứ ba, tức Speak Now vào năm 2010. Tuy nhiên, khi công ty quản lý của Swift ở Los Angeles thiết lập một cuộc hẹn với ban giám đốc sản xuất loạt phim truyền hình yêu thích của cô, Grey's Anatomy, Betsy Beers và Shonda Rhimes, về vấn đề sử dụng nhạc của Swift vào loạt phim. Và nữ ca sĩ đã chọn "White Horse" để hát cho họ nghe bằng một chiếc guitar mộc. Beers và Rhimes bị ấn tượng và nói với Swift rằng họ sẽ liên lạc với cô sớm nhất có thể. Swift đã quyết định loại bài hát này ra khỏi Fearless, cho đến khi đối tác hồi đáp sau một khoảng thời gian khá dài. Khi người đại diện của Grey's Anatomy gọi điện, Swift cùng với Nathan Chapman tức tốc thu âm bài hát, gửi đi một CD, và họ đã quyết định đưa nó vào bộ phim. "White Horse" xuất hiện lần đầu tiên trong mùa phát sóng thứ năm của Grey's Anatomy, "Dream a Little Dream of Me", vào ngày 25 tháng 09 năm 08.

Sáng tác

"White Horse" là một bài hát đồng quê với độ dài ba phút 55 giây. Được viết theo nhịp 4/4 với tốc độ 92 nhịp trong một phút. Vì vậy nó được xem như một bản ballad. Bài hát được viết trên khóa Đô trưởng và giọng hát của Swift trải dài trong một quãng, từ nốt G3 đến A4. "White Horse" đi theo dãy hợp âm C₅–F(add)₂–Am₇–F(add)₂. Nó dựa trên nền tảng nhạc pop, và có phần nhạc khí chủ yếu bao gồm guitar mộc cùng với piano nhẹ, kết hợp âm thanh của đàn cello để tạo điểm nhấn. Kỹ thuật thu âm tương đối tiết chế nhằm phô bày giọng hát êm và nhiều hơi của Swift.
Phần lời của "White Horse" được viết theo ngôi thứ nhất, dựa theo lời tự sự của Swift về bước ngoặt khi chấm dứt một mối quan hệ, mà nó có vẻ giống một câu chuyện cổ tích từ lúc bắt đầu: "I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairytale/ I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet/ Lead her up the stairwell." Bài hát mô tả sự tan vỡ những ảo tưởng và nỗi đau đớn, xuất phát từ quan điểm tỉnh ngộ của một người có óc thực tế.
in the clear perspective of a reborn realist. Due to the heartbreak, the protagonist escapes from the small town that she resided in. Several music critics, like Kate Kiefer of Paste, noted the lyrical disparity between "White Horse" and Swift's previous single, "Love Story", where Swift viewed fairytales in a positive light, with a happy ending. Kiefer assumed that "White Horse" withdrew everything she said in "Love Story".

Critical reception

"White Horse" garnered generally positive reception from critics.  August Brown of The Los Angeles Times compared the song with Dolly Parton's "Jolene" (1973), saying Parton would have recognized her own predicament in "White Horse" and may have congratulated Swift for attempting to move on. Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine called "White Horse" a "lovely ballad" with a prominent hook and deemed it "easily the best song" on Fearless. However, Keefer stated, "Even 'White Horse' [...] makes use of a well-worn, clichéd image that Swift doesn't use in any novel way." Josh Love of The Village Voice thought "preternatural wisdom and inclusiveness" shined through the lyrics and theme of "White Horse"; Love also mentioned that it was one of Fearless' "great songs". Lucy Davies of the BBC said it demonstrated how repetitive the lyrical themes on Fearless were. She noted Swift recycled the phrase "face of an angel" from the album's previous track, "Hey Stephen". An uncredited review from Billboard stated, "The second single from Taylor Swift's top-selling CD is a beautiful, understated ballad that showcases her skill with a lyric and shines a spotlight on her signature tender, heart-on-her-sleeve vocals." The review stated that the latter was accomplished by the song's production, which made Swift's vocal performance more palpable and emotive. The review also complimented the song, as something everyone could relate to. Kate Kiefer of Paste recognized it to be one of Swift's best songs. Sean Dooley of About.com attributed the track's effectiveness to be in how Swift captured the heartbreaking moment. While reviewing Fearless, Dooley selected "White Horse" as one of the best tracks on the album. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, "White Horse" won the Grammy Awards for Best Country Song và Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Commercial performance

On the week ending November 29, 2008, "White Horse" debuted and peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Its appearance, along with six other songs, on the chart tied Swift with Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) for the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, a record later surpassed by Swift herself when she charted eleven songs at once in 2010. The following week, the song dropped to number fifty-six, and, on the week ending April 25, 2009, it spent its last week on the Billboard Hot 100 at number forty-four, after a total of twenty-two weeks on the chart. The song is one of thirteen songs from Fearless charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record for the most top forty entries from a single album. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments exceeding one million copies. As of November 2017, "White Horse" has sold 2 million copies in the United States.
The single debuted at number thirty-seven on Billboard Hot Country Songs on the week-ending December 12, 2008. It jumped at number twenty-six on the following week, the biggest jump of the week. On the week ending February 14, 2009, it entered the top ten at number ten, scoring Swift's seventh consecutive top ten hit on the chart. It peaked at number two on the week-ending April 4, 2009 and held there on the following week before dropping at number seven. It charted for a total of twenty weeks on Billboard Hot Country Songs.
"White Horse" debuted at number twenty-seven in Canada on the week ending November 29, 2008. On the week ending January 24, 2009, "White Horse" peaked at number forty-three in Canada. It was certified gold by Music Canada for sales of 40,000 digital downloads. In Australia, the track entered at its peak at number forty-one on the week ending February 22, 2009. In United Kingdom, "White Horse" debuted and peaked at number sixty on the week ending March 21, 2009. It stayed on United Kingdom for two weeks.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "White Horse" was directed by Trey Fanjoy, who directed the majority of Swift's prior videos. Swift commented that Fanjoy was her first choice to film the video because she understood the direction Swift wanted to take and how to make the video different than the prior ones they filmed. The video's plot centered on infidelity. However, because the theme had appeared on the video for "Picture to Burn", the scenario was reversed, rather than removed entirely, for Swift thought it was inevitable to include it. It was conceptualized so that Swift was not the person who someone was unfaithful to, but rather the one who someone was unfaithful with: "This girl falls in love with this guy and he's perfect. He's adorable. He's charming. He's endearing. She falls in love with him. Then, she comes to realize that he's been leading a double life. He was already in a relationship years before he ever met her [...] You find out that I'm the one that was ruining a relationship without even knowing it." Swift chose actor Stephen Colletti to portray the role of her love interest. She had previously seen him on the reality television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, where she acknowledged him to be "cute", and later on One Tree Hill, where she was impressed by his acting skills; thus, Colletti was contacted to portray the character. Swift chose Colletti primarily because of his sweet and endearing demeanor. As a result, the character would seem very loyal, as though he would never betray his partner. Therefore, others did not expect for him to betray Swift either. "That's always the hardest thing, when someone has you fooled so much that you think they're never gonna hurt you. And then they do. That's when you get the worst heartbreak", Swift said.
The video was shot in one day in January 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. Frolicking scenes between Swift and Colletti were filmed first; the lunch, outdoor, and indoor scenes followed. Coincidentally, on the day of filming, it rained heavily, something which Swift was enlightened by, since it corresponded to the video's gloomy and dark feel. Swift said it aided in making the video less colorful lighting-wise, and more fixated on muted tones. The last scenes were more difficult for Swift because they involved crying. She attributed the difficulty to the number of people surrounding her and watching, something she was not accustomed to. However, Fanjoy, who was once an actress, guided her into thinking about what made her most solemn, and completing the scene effectively. Fanjoy said the scenes demonstrated what an exceptional actress Swift was, adding she took direction very well. The scene took approximately three hours to film.
The video premiered on February 7, 2009 on CMT. The video starts with close-ups of Swift's and Colletti's mouths as they speak via telephone. He begins, "All I want is you. Do you love me?" She affirms, and he asks for another chance. The video transitions to Swift sitting on the living room floor, next to a fireplace. She performs as she flashbacks to memories with Colletti. The two frolic on a brown couch and play with a deck of cards. The video then transitions to Swift and her friend having lunch at a restaurant, where Swift's friend informs her of Colletti's betrayal. Then, Swift is seen walking on the streets during nighttime. She sees Colletti arriving at a house with groceries and, after staring at each other, a redheaded woman walks out of the house. In a panic, Swift runs away and the video transcends to the phone call, which commenced in the beginning of the video, with Colletti repeating, "Will you give me another chance?" A rapid flashback of cut-scenes is played and, after its conclusion, Swift denies his request, hangs up, and cries. To date, the video has over 136 million views on YouTube.

Live performances

On her first televised performance of "White Horse", on November 23, 2008, at the 2008 American Music Awards, Swift donned a white evening gown as she sat on floral-patterned couch. While promoting the song, she later performed it at the Nomination Concert for the 51st Grammy Awards, where she coupled it in a medley with a cover of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry", and the AOL Sessions. Since, Swift has performed the track at the Studio 330 Sessions, the 2009 CMA Music Festival, the 2009 V Festival, and on Dancing with the Stars. Swift performed "White Horse" on all venues in 2009 and 2010 of her first headlining concert tour, the Fearless Tour. During the performances, Swift wore a pastel sundress as performed solely playing an acoustic guitar, standing at the edge of the stage's runway. In the concert on May 22, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Swift sang "White Horse" in duet with American singer John Mayer. Reviewing the June 2, 2010 concert at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Dave McKenna of The Washington Post reported, "On 'White Horse,' the chorus of believers also joined in, and threw their young fists in the air to yell Swift's esteem-free but cathartic climax, 'I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well!'" Swift said in a 2012 interview with Cosmopolitan that White Horse is in fact her favorite song to sing live, "a song that I've always been proud of because it's about that really horrible feeling of a one-sided relationship that isn't balanced; it's one-sided. You clearly love him more than he loves you, and you know it. And it's a sinking feeling, but it's also a really intoxicating feeling. And a lot of times girls will end up in these relationships where he's not giving you anything so you'll take the crumbs. In my mind what hurts the most is what they didn't say. It's when they knew I needed to hear something and they wouldn't just say it. They knew I needed commitment or loyalty or reassurance, and they wouldn't give it."