There was one hit song that Taylor Swift said she had made a "moral statement" on, and it came during a difficult chapter of her life. Nearly two decades ago, the now 35-year-old singer-songwriter wrote a heavily personal song on her debut album.
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Taylor Swift Wrote Song 'Should've Said No' As A Moral Statement
This "moral statement" was all about getting cheated on in a relationship. Should've Said No was one of her more underrated songs on her first album. Despite that, it was just as important to Swift as her bigger hits like Teardrops on My Guitar or Our Song.
"I wrote this song by myself," the superstar told Great American Country in 2008. "It literally took me just 20 minutes to write before we recorded it. I was living every line in this song at the time. I wrote this song about a guy who cheated on me who shouldn't have."
She then mentioned that Should've Said No was "more of a moral statement" compared to her other hit Picture To Burn. The latter was about a relationship that soured, and it had an "angry and I'm-done-with-him attitude," Swift explained.
According to Genius, Should've Said No was a last-minute addition to the album Taylor Swift. While listening to the lyrics, you can tell it's a moral statement to the boyfriend who cheated on her.
"You should've said no, you should've gone home. You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go," says the chorus. The boyfriend, who we now know was Swift's high school boyfriend Sam Armstrong, left behind his morals when he cheated on Swift.
Interpretations Of Taylor Swift's Songs As Moral Statements
You can also view it as a moral statement for Swift herself. She stood by her morals and didn't give in when her boyfriend was "begging for forgiveness at my feet," as the lyrics say.
"It's an 'I love you, we were awesome and great together, but you messed this up and I would still be with you' kinda thing," Swift continued in the interview. "You said yes, and you should've said no."
Now that 17 years have passed and Swift has released over a dozen more albums, the pop star has had much more to say. You can view many of her latest hits as moral statements, like I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can), which by the end of the song demonstrates that perhaps she can't fix a broken man. Or there's How Did It End?, which digs deep into the message that fans and friends only care about the breakup gossip and not you in the breakup.
Swift is far from done when it comes to writing about her personal life and relationships. This old interview just goes to show you that the talented artist has always had her heart on her sleeve when writing songs.
