7. “I ALMOST DO”
BEHIND THE MUSIC
This song emerged in a moment just like the one described in the song, and Taylor needed a distraction: “Writing the song was what I did instead ofpicking up the phone.”
BETWEEN THE LINES
The lone acoustic guitar sets the tone for the longing of this song. “I Almost Do” occupies the place between total heartbreak and healing, when reuniting almost seems possible, but, as Taylor points out, rekindling an already failed romance means a high risk of going through all the pain anew. “‘I Almost Do’ is a song I wrote about the conflict that you feel when you want to take someone back, and you want to give it another try, but you know you can’t,” said Taylor. “And you can’t because it’s hurt you so deeply that you know you couldn’t bear to go through that again.”
DIARY DECODER
“Wrote this instead of calling” makes the song feel even more honest, written as it was in the actual moment Taylor felt everything in the song.
FUN FACTS
Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale declares "I Almost Do" the "most relatable" song on Red, tweeting abotu Taylor, "How does she do it?!"
CHARTING SUCCESS
Though not an officially released single, "I Almost Do" was downloaded so many times by Swifties that it reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
(excerpted from our book on the Swift One: Taylor Swift: The Platinum Edition, which is available wherever books are sold!)
Thanks again to @AnaJoyce for this week's Swift Notes image!
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Swift Notes: Red (A Guide to Taylor Swift's Songs)
FanfictionA song-by-song analysis of Taylor Swift's RED album, excerpted from our just-released-in-stores Taylor Swift: The Platinum Edition.
