The lead single from Taylor Swift's award-winning sophomore album, Fearless, "Love Story" is the song that really catapulted Swift from a fresh-faced star to an international superstar. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records. The song's plot was about a boy she loved when she was young but who was not popular among Swift's family and friends. Playing off the theme of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, she composed the song to have a happy ending instead by replacing Romeo and Juliet's original tragic conclusion with 'the girl actually getting the boy'.

The plot was met with public approval as "Love Story" became Swift's first international hit, as well as the most downloaded country song in history. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide, establishing itself among the best-selling singles of all time. In the United States, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 6 million paid digital downloads, becoming Swift's best-selling single to date and the best-selling download by a female country solo artist. "Love Story" was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

"Love Story" lyrics:

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes

And the flashback starts

I'm standing there

On a balcony in summer air

See the lights

See the party, the ball gowns

I see you make your way through the crowd

And say hello, little did I know

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles

And my daddy said stay away from Juliet

And I was crying on the staircase

Begging you please don't go, and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting all there Is left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story baby just say yes

oh oh

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

And my daddy said stay away from Juliet

But you were everything to me

I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel

This love is difficult, but it's real

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh oh

I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around

My faith in you is fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you but you never come

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, marry me Juliet

You'll never have to be alone

I love you and that's all I really know

I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

It's a love story baby just say yes.

Oh, oh, oh, oh

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you.