Hey Stephen
{{short description|2008 song by Taylor Swift}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hey Stephen
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = Fearless
| released = {{start date|2008|11|11}}
| genre = * Country pop
| length = {{duration|m=4|s=14}}
| label = Big Machine
| writer = Taylor Swift
| producer = * Taylor Swift
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)
| artist = Taylor Swift
| album = Fearless (Taylor's Version)
| released = {{start date|2021|4|9}}
| recorded =
| studio = {{hlist|Black Bird|Prime Recording}} (Nashville)
| length = {{duration|m=4|s=14}}
| label = Republic
| writer = Taylor Swift
| producer = * Taylor Swift
| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Lyric video|{{YouTube|tMhiHrL7rPE|"Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)"}}}}
}}
"Hey Stephen" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her second studio album, Fearless (2008). It is a country pop, folk-pop, and teen pop song about an unrequited love, inspired by a real-life infatuation. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Hey Stephen" features drums inspired by girl-group records, an upright bass that propels its groove, and a subdued Hammond B-3 organ. In reviews of Fearless, critics who picked "Hey Stephen" as an album highlight praised its catchy melody and earnest lyrics about adolescent feelings. The song peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Swift included "Hey Stephen" in the set list of her first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010). Following the 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" for her re-recorded album Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021). "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" charted in Australia and Canada. In retrospective rankings, some reviewers remained positive but others regarded the track as generic.
Background and writing
Taylor Swift wrote songs for her second studio album, Fearless, while touring as an opening act for other country musicians to promote her first album Taylor Swift during 2007–2008, when she was 17–18 years old.{{cite web |last=Kawashima |first=Dale |date=February 16, 2007 |title=Special Interview (2007): Taylor Swift Discusses Her Debut Album, Early Hits, and How She Got Started |url=http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/taylorswift123.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324060932/http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/taylorswift123.htm |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |access-date=December 17, 2010 |website=Songwriter Universe}}{{cite magazine |last=Tucker |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Tucker |date=March 26, 2008 |title=The Billboard Q&A: Taylor Swift |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046063/the-billboard-qa-taylor-swift |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705032846/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046063/the-billboard-qa-taylor-swift |archive-date=July 5, 2013 |access-date=June 21, 2011}} Continuing the romantic themes of her first album, Swift wrote songs about love and personal experiences from the perspective of a teenage girl to ensure her fans could relate to Fearless. To this extent, Swift said that nearly every album track had a "face" that she associated with it.{{cite web |last=Graff |first=Gary |date=March 26, 2010 |title=Living Fearless Taylor Swift Talks About Her Whirlwind Rise to the Top |url=http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/03/26/entertainment/doc4baba3395e3ef490410773.txt?viewmode=default |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716215636/http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/03/26/entertainment/doc4baba3395e3ef490410773.txt?viewmode=default |archive-date=July 16, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2011 |work=The Oakland Press}} The end product is a collection of songs about the challenges of love with prominent high-school and fairy-tale lyrical imagery.{{sfn|Perone|2017|p=20}} Swift and the producer Nathan Chapman recorded over 50 songs for Fearless, and "Hey Stephen" was one of the 13 tracks that made the final cut.{{cite web |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=April 14, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Reveals to Stephen Colbert Who 'Hey Stephen' Is Really About |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swift-hey-stephen-colbert-1234951185/ |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=Variety |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317045253/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swift-hey-stephen-colbert-1234951185/ |url-status=live }} They produced the track, and Justin Niebank mixed it at Blackbird Studio in Nashville. In the album liner notes, the secret message for the song is "Love and Theft", referencing the duo Love and Theft that opened shows for her in 2008.{{Sfn|Spencer|2010|p=66}}{{efn|The "secret messages" of Swift's songs are decoded by arranging certain capitalized letters in each song's lyrics, printed in the album booklet, in the order they appear to spell out a certain word or phrase.{{cite magazine |last1=Strecker |first1=Erin |title=Taylor Swift's 13 Best Liner Note Secret Messages – So Far |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6296379/taylor-swift-liner-note-secret-messages |access-date=May 18, 2021 |magazine=Billboard |date=October 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518043558/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6296379/taylor-swift-liner-note-secret-messages |url-status=live }}}}
When asked by Rolling Stone{{'}}s Austin Scaggs if Stephen was a real person, Swift replied, "I have no issue with naming names. My personal goal is for my songs to be so detailed that the guy the song is written about knows it's about him."{{Cite magazine |last=Scaggs |first=Austin |date=November 27, 2008 |title=Q&A: Taylor Swift |page=38| issue=1066 |magazine=Rolling Stone |id={{ProQuest|220199620}}}} The song's inspiration was Love and Theft's member Stephen Barker Liles, with whom she had had a friendly relationship.{{Cite news |last=Oliveira |first=Michael |date=November 10, 2008 |title=Country Singer Taylor Swift, 18, Becoming a Tabloid Target, Top Star with New CD |work=The Canadian Press |id={{ProQuest|359962569}}}} After Fearless was released, Swift texted him about the song.{{Cite news |last=Hirschberg |first=Lynn |date=November 23, 2009 |title=Little Miss Sunshine |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/t-magazine/womens-fashion/06well-swift.html |url-access=limited |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317175237/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/t-magazine/womens-fashion/06well-swift.html |url-status=live }} She recalled it was "fun" to put a personal confession on the album, which she was "going to have to deal with",{{cite web |last=Barnes |first=Kelsey |date=April 15, 2021 |title=The Story of Us: 'Hey Stephen' |url=https://www.gigwise.com/features/3398114/the-story-of-us-hey-stephen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317045308/https://gigwise.com/features/3398114/the-story-of-us-hey-stephen |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=Gigwise}} and it was "interesting" to know what Liles had to say about it. Liles spoke to The Boot (2009): "I was very relieved when it turned out to be a nice song, and it's actually one of the nicest things anybody's ever done for me."{{cite web |last=Gilcrease |first=Grayson |date=May 5, 2011 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Hey Stephen' Inspiration Returns the Favor |url=https://theboot.com/stephen-barker-liles-taylor-swift-song/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=The Boot |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410112030/https://theboot.com/stephen-barker-liles-taylor-swift-song/ |url-status=live }} He wrote "Try to Make It Anyway" as an answer song to Swift when they were touring together and released it for download and streaming in 2011.{{cite web |last=Conaway |first=Alanna |date=April 28, 2011 |title=Love and Theft's Stephen Barker Liles Pens Song About Taylor Swift |url=https://tasteofcountry.com/love-and-theft-stephen-barker-liles-taylor-swift-try-to-make-it-anyway/ |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=Taste of Country |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426214357/https://tasteofcountry.com/love-and-theft-stephen-barker-liles-taylor-swift-try-to-make-it-anyway/ |url-status=live }}
Releases
File:FearlessPrudentialCentMay2010.jpg, whose set list included "Hey Stephen"|alt=Swift wearing a blue dress and cowboy boots playing a guitar]]
"Hey Stephen" was released as an album cut on Fearless, on November 11, 2008, by Big Machine Records.{{sfn|Spencer|2010|p=58}} It entered and peaked at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated November 29, 2008. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song gold, denoting 500,000 units based on sales and streaming. Swift performed the track live at her Australian concert debut at the Tivoli in Brisbane on March 5, 2009.{{Cite news |last=Sennett |first=Sean |date=March 9, 2009 |title=Swift Mania Has Arrived |page=30 |work=The Australian |id={{ProQuest|356693717}}}} "Hey Stephen" was part of the mid-show acoustic session on Swift's first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010).{{cite web |last=Vena |first=Jocelyn |date=August 28, 2009 |title=Taylor Swift Brings Fearless Tour to Madison Square Garden |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1619780/taylor-swift-brings-fearless-tour-to-madison-square-garden/ |access-date=November 22, 2021 |publisher=MTV News |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122140458/https://www.mtv.com/news/1619780/taylor-swift-brings-fearless-tour-to-madison-square-garden/ |url-status=dead }} Midway through the performance, Swift would go down the aisle to greet and hug her fans.{{cite magazine |last=Trust |first=Molly |date=June 8, 2010 |title=Taylor Swift / June 5, 2010 / Foxboro, Mass. |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/photos/live/957869/taylor-swift-june-5-2010-foxboro-mass |url-status=dead |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002032401/http://www.billboard.com/articles/photos/live/957869/taylor-swift-june-5-2010-foxboro-mass |archive-date=October 2, 2014 |access-date=October 2, 2014}}{{cite web |last=Semon |first=Craig S. |date=June 7, 2010 |title=Taylor Swift Proves Worthy as Queen of Country Music |url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20100607/NEWS/6070358 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608193427/http://www.telegram.com/article/20100607/NEWS/6070358 |archive-date=June 8, 2010 |access-date=June 8, 2010 |website=Telegram & Gazette}} She occasionally performed "Hey Stephen" on her later tours. She sang the track at the September 18, 2018, St. Louis show of the Reputation Stadium Tour.{{Cite magazine |last=Iasimone |first=Ashley |date=November 20, 2018 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on Her Reputation Stadium Tour B-Stage (So Far) |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8458025/taylor-swift-reputation-tour-b-stage-songs-list |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527060413/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8458025/taylor-swift-reputation-tour-b-stage-songs-list |url-status=live }} On the Eras Tour, she performed "Hey Stephen" at the May 14, 2023, show in Philadelphia, and the May 11, 2024, show in Paris.{{Cite magazine |last=Iasimone |first=Ashley |date=May 13, 2024 |title=All the Surprise Songs Taylor Swift Has Performed on the Eras Tour (So Far) |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513185338/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-eras-tour-surprise-songs/ |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |access-date=May 14, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}}
After signing a new contract with Republic Records, Swift began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.{{cite web |last=Melas |first=Chloe |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Speaks Out about Sale of Her Masters |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/16/entertainment/taylor-swift-masters/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118064935/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/taylor-swift-speaks-out-about-sale-of-her-masters-1.5191925 |archive-date=November 18, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2020 |publisher=CNN}} The decision followed a public 2019 dispute between Swift and the talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums which the label had released.{{Cite news |date=August 22, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Wants to Re-Record Her Old Hits |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49432817 |url-status=live |access-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822202321/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49432817 |archive-date=August 22, 2019}}{{cite web |last=Finnis |first=Alex |date=November 17, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Masters: The Controversy around Scooter Braun Selling the Rights to Her Old Music Explained |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-masters-scooter-braun-selling-rights-music-rerecording-row-explained-762411 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212170953/https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/taylor-swift-masters-scooter-braun-selling-rights-music-rerecording-row-explained-762411 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |access-date=February 13, 2021 |work=i}} By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for commercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Neil |date=April 9, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Releases New Fearless Album, Reclaiming Her Back Catalog |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-releases-new-fearless-album-reclaiming-her-back-catalog-11617945524 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008111731/https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-releases-new-fearless-album-reclaiming-her-back-catalog-11617945524 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |issn=}} Swift and Christopher Rowe produced the re-recorded track, which was recorded by David Payne at Black Bird and Prime Recording Studios in Nashville. Rowe recorded Swift's lead vocals at her home studio in London, and Serban Ghenea mixed the track at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia.{{cite AV media notes |others= |title=Fearless (Taylor's Version) |type=CD liner notes |year=2021 |publisher=Republic Records, an imprint of Universal Music Group |id=B0033578-02 (catalog no.) |last=Swift |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Swift}}
The re-recording of "Hey Stephen", subtitled "Taylor's Version", was released as part of Fearless{{'s}} re-recording, Fearless (Taylor's Version).{{Cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |date=February 11, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Announces Re-Recorded Fearless Album: Updated 'Love Story' Out Tonight |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9524797/taylor-swift-fearless-rerecorded-love-story-release/ |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213005253/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9524797/taylor-swift-fearless-rerecorded-love-story-release/ |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |url-status=live }} Swift released a snippet of "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" on her Twitter account on April 8, 2021,{{cite magazine |last=Ginsberg |first=Gab |date=April 8, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Recruits Olivia Rodrigo & Conan Gray to Help Tease Re-Recorded Fearless Songs: Hear Multiple New Snippets |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-conan-gray-share-clips-fearless-9553262/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418044222/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9553262/taylor-swift-olivia-rodrigo-conan-gray-share-clips-fearless/ |url-status=live }} one day before Republic Records released Fearless (Taylor's Version).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-first-week-album-sales-streams-compare/|title=How Taylor Swift's Recent Album Releases Tell a Story of the Midnights Rollout|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|magazine=Billboard|date=October 22, 2022|access-date=March 19, 2023|archive-date=November 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107142607/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-first-week-album-sales-streams-compare/|url-status=live}} "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" charted in Australia (86) and Canada (68). It peaked at number 105 on the Billboard Global 200. In the United States, "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" peaked at number one on Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 28 on Billboard{{'s}} Hot Country Songs chart.
Music and lyrics
{{Listen
| filename = Hey Stephen by Taylor Swift (sample).ogg
| title = "Hey Stephen"
| description = "Hey Stephen" is a country pop and teen pop song that features girl-group–influenced drums and vocals, an upright bass that propels its groove, and a subdued Hammond B-3. The lyrics are about an unrequited love for a popular boy.
}}
"Hey Stephen" is a country pop,{{cite news |last=Richards |first=Chris |date=November 11, 2008 |title=Taylor Swift, Fearless and Full of Charm |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/10/ST2008111002776.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112185553/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/10/ST2008111002776.html |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=July 14, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=C01}} folk-pop,{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=34}} and teen pop song.{{cite web |last=Keefe |first=Jonathan |date=November 16, 2008 |title=Taylor Swift: Fearless |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/taylor-swift-fearless/1574 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315060524/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/taylor-swift-fearless/1574 |archive-date=March 15, 2011 |access-date=March 8, 2011 |work=Slant Magazine}} It features a production that critics described as "smooth" and "playful".{{efn|Attributed respectively to Larry Rodgers for The Arizona Republic and Jonathan Keefe for Slant Magazine}} Instruments on the song include a gut string guitar,{{cite web |last=Bonaguro |first=Alison |date=November 10, 2008 |title=Taylor Swift Shows Her Fearless Side |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/nov/10/entertainment/chi-taylor-swift-1109nov09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311015440/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/nov/10/entertainment/chi-taylor-swift-1109nov09 |archive-date=March 11, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2009 |website=Chicago Tribune}} an upright bass that propels its groove,{{cite magazine |last=Ganz |first=Caryn |date=October 2, 2008 |title=Fall Music Preview: Taylor Swift's Fearless |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fall-music-preview-taylor-swifts-fearless-242318/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 9, 2022 |url-access=limited |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209073750/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fall-music-preview-taylor-swifts-fearless-242318/ |url-status=live }} and a subdued Hammond B-3.{{cite news |last=Gardner |first=Tom |date=November 11, 2008 |title=Taylor made: Swift's Writing Continues to Improve on New CD |page=27 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |via=Associated Press}} The track incorporates a drum beat that Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone found reminiscent of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" (1963),{{cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |date=October 26, 2021 |title='Hey Stephen' (2008) |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/hey-stephen-2008-195616/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207052001/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/taylor-swift-songs-ranked-rob-sheffield-201800/hey-stephen-2008-195616/ |url-status=live }} and Maria Sherman of NPR Music said it evoked classic Motown girl-group records.{{cite web |date=April 12, 2021 |title=Still Fearless: Re-Recording The Past On Taylor's Version |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/12/985842675/still-fearless-re-recording-the-past-on-taylors-version |access-date=January 16, 2022 |publisher=NPR |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418045503/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/12/985842675/still-fearless-re-recording-the-past-on-taylors-version |url-status=live }} Swift uses ad-libs{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Nate |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-access=limited |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=Vulture |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913234630/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |url-status=live }} and chuckles before the final refrain.{{cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=April 9, 2021 |title=Review: Taylor Swift Turns On a Facsimile Machine for Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Its Ingenious Recreations |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/reviews/taylor-swift-fearless-taylors-version-album-review-vault-1234947622/ |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=Variety |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170137/https://variety.com/2021/music/reviews/taylor-swift-fearless-taylors-version-album-review-vault-1234947622/ |url-status=live }} The track both starts and ends with Swift humming. In the original 2008 song, the finger snaps are credited to Martina McBride's children and their friends, who visited Swift one day when she was at the recording studio of McBride's husband, John.{{sfn|Spencer|2010|p=65}} The re-recorded "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" features the same arrangement, which led to The New York Times
The lyrics are about an unrequited love for a seemingly out-of-reach boy.{{cite web |last=Perkins |first=Dennis |date=April 14, 2021 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Hey Stephen' Isn't About Stephen Colbert, No Matter What Her Vision Board Says |url=https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swifts-hey-stephen-isnt-about-stephen-colbert-1846680157 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |website=The A.V. Club |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317045301/https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swifts-hey-stephen-isnt-about-stephen-colbert-1846680157 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Greenblatt |first=Leah |date=November 5, 2008 |title=Fearless (2008) |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20237814,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205035408/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20237814,00.html |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} The title character is a boy in whom "all the girls" are interested, and although they toss stones at his window to get his attention, Swift's character tells Stephen that she is the only one "waiting there even when it's cold".{{Sfn|Perone|2017|p=21}} She confesses to him that she wants to kiss him because of his angelic looks and lists several reasons why he should date her.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=34}} In the bridge, Swift's character mentions the reason why Stephen should choose her over other girls: "All those other girls, well they're beautiful, but would they write a song for you?" Ken Tucker found this lyric to showcase Swift's "confident sense of humor",{{cite magazine|last=Tucker|first=Ken|author-link=Ken Tucker|title=Fearless|magazine=Billboard|date=November 15, 2008|page=41|volume=120|issue=46|id={{ProQuest|227228330}}}} and the musicologist James E. Perone commented that it aligned Swift with the 1970s singer-songwriter tradition of mentioning their songwriting profession in their own works.{{sfn|Perone|2017|p=22}}
"Hey Stephen" incorporates some lyrical motifs that recur in many of Swift's other songs, such as rain ("Can't help it if I wanna kiss you in the rain so"){{efn|This imagery features on songs such as "Fearless" ("There's something 'bout the way the street looks when it just rained"), "Forever & Always" ("It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone"), and "Sparks Fly" ("Drop everything now/ Meet me in the pouring rain").{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Erin |date=November 25, 2011 |title=Taylor Swift's Speak Now Track 'If This Was A Movie' Is Better Than Her Upcoming New Single |url=http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2011/11/taylor_swifts_speak_now_track.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130224247/http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2011/11/taylor_swifts_speak_now_track.php |archive-date=November 30, 2011 |access-date=December 12, 2011 |website=Seattle Weekly}}}} and waiting for somebody by the window.{{Efn|This imagery features on songs such as "Our Song", "Love Story", and "Come In with the Rain".{{sfn|Spencer|2010|p=66}}}} At one point, Swift sings, "Hey Stephen, why are people always leaving/ I think you and I should stay the same." The biographer Liv Spencer attributed this lyric to the impact of Swift's touring that "sometimes means too many goodbyes".{{sfn|Spencer|2010|p=66}} In a 2021 article for Gigwise, Kelsey Barnes said "Hey Stephen" was an example of Swift's early songwriting: the track reflected her desire to be "seen, understood, and loved by others", a recurring theme on many of her later songs. For Barnes, it offered a glimpse into Swift's personal life before it became sensationalized in the press. Annie Zaleski thought that although the lyrics portrayed longing, the song turned out "rather sanguine" thanks to the "swirling" Hammond organ and Swift's "conspiratorial" vocals.{{Sfn|Zaleski|2024|p=34}}
Critical reception
In album reviews of Fearless, many critics picked "Hey Stephen" as a highlight.{{efn|Attributed to reviews by Darryl Sterdan for The Edmonton Sun,{{Cite news |last=Sterdan |first=Darryl |date=November 23, 2008 |title=CD Reviews |page=E13 |work=The Edmonton Sun |id={{ProQuest|2177680410}}}} Joe Breen for The Irish Times,{{cite news |last=Breen |first=Joe |date=March 9, 2009 |title=Roots |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/roots-1.726955 |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207032356/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/roots-1.726955 |url-status=live }} and Rob Sheffield for Blender{{cite journal |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=Taylor Swift: Fearless |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5374 |url-status=dead |journal=Blender |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216051131/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5374 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |access-date=October 8, 2018}}}} They positively remarked how "Hey Stephen" portrays universal teenage feelings towards love and infatuation{{efn|Attributed to reviews by Craig S. Semon for the Telegram & Gazette, Katie Hubbard for The Charleston Gazette,{{Cite news |last=Hubbard |first=Katie |date=December 18, 2008 |title=Taylor Swift's Fearless Is Flawless |page=12 |work=The Charleston Gazette |id={{ProQuest|331727067}}}} and Thomas Kintner for the Hartford Courant{{Cite news |last=Kintner |first=Thomas |date=November 18, 2008 |title=CD Reviews: Fearless |page=C3 |work=Hartford Courant |id={{ProQuest|257197529}}}}}}—Craig S. Semon of the Telegram & Gazette said, "Swift's loose and playful confession is enough to make anybody blush."{{Cite news |last=Semon |first=Craig S. |date=November 30, 2008 |title=Teen Phenom Swift Sings with Fearless Sincerity |work=Telegram & Gazette |page=G4 |id={{ProQuest|269016248}}}} Others praised Swift's songwriting for creating what they deemed a catchy melody.{{efn|Attributed to reviews by Hubbard, Ash Amanda for the Edmonton Journal,{{Cite news |last=Ash |first=Amanda |date=December 6, 2008 |title=Country Crossover Queen Tones Down Teenage Spite |page=D3 |work=Edmonton Journal |id={{ProQuest|250621343}}}} and Chris Richards for The Washington Post}} Larry Rodgers in The Arizona Republic wrote the track was "hummable pop"{{Cite news |last=Rodgers |first=Larry |date=December 7, 2008 |title=Fearless |page=E4 |work=The Arizona Republic |id={{ProQuest|239095110}}}} and Chris Richards in The Washington Post praised its "irresistible smile" that could "permanently [lodge] itself in your hippocampus". Jody Rosen in a review for Rolling Stone selected the song as an example of Swift's songwriting that highlighted her "peculiar charm" on Fearless: "Her music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism—it's so rigorously crafted it sounds like it has been scientifically engineered in a hit factory—with confessions that are squirmingly intimate and true."{{cite magazine |last=Rosen |first=Jody |author-link=Jody Rosen |date=November 13, 2008 |title=Fearless |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/fearless-20081113 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815082027/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/fearless-20081113 |archive-date=August 15, 2012 |access-date=March 21, 2011 |url-access=limited}} In Slant Magazine, Jonathan Keefe picked "Hey Stephen" as one of the album's most charming cuts and praised the emotional sentiments that resonated with Swift's main audience of teenagers, but he felt it lacked the sophistication that others credited her with.
In retrospective reviews of the song, Sheffield and Nate Jones from Vulture complimented its catchy melody. Jones wrote: "Swift is in the zone as a writer, performer, and producer on this winning deep cut." Jon Bream of the Star Tribune described "Hey Stephen" as "perfect high school pop" and picked it as a highlight on Fearless.{{Cite web |last=Bream |first=Jon |date=June 20, 2023 |title=Our Music Critic Ranks Taylor Swift's Albums From Worst to Best |url=https://www.startribune.com/taylor-swift-jack-antonoff-aaron-dessner-grammy-folklore-1989-red-speak-now-kanye-west-harry-styles/600283837/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Star Tribune |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721103804/https://www.startribune.com/taylor-swift-jack-antonoff-aaron-dessner-grammy-folklore-1989-red-speak-now-kanye-west-harry-styles/600283837/ |url-status=live }} Reviewing the re-recorded "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)", Exclaim!
Personnel
"Hey Stephen" (2008){{cite AV media notes |title=Fearless |others= |year=2008 |publisher=Big Machine Records |type=CD liner notes |last=Swift |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Swift}}
{{div col begin}}
- Taylor Swift – vocals, writer, producer
- Nathan Chapman – producer
- Drew Bollman – assistant mixer
- Chad Carlson – recording engineer
- Justin Niebank – mixer
- Andrew Bowers – finger snaps
- Burrus Cox – finger snaps
- Carolyn Cooper – finger snaps
- Lauren Elcan – finger snaps
- Delaney McBride – finger snaps
- Emma McBride – finger snaps
- Nicholas Brown – instruments
{{div col end}}
"Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" (2021)
{{div col begin}}
- Taylor Swift – lead vocals, writer, producer
- Christopher Rowe – vocal recording, producer
- Max Bernstein – vibraphone
- Matt Billingslea – drums, finger snaps
- Caitlin Evanson – background vocals
- Derek Garten – additional engineer
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – engineer
- Amos Heller – bass guitar
- Mike Meadows – acoustic guitar, Hammond B3, finger snaps, background vocals
- David Payne – recording
- Lowell Reynolds – assistant recording engineer
- Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle, fiddle recording
{{div col end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
="Hey Stephen"=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for "Hey Stephen" ! Chart (2008) ! Peak |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|94|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2021|refname="hot 100"}} |
{{col-2}}
="Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)"=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Chart performance for "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" ! Chart (2021) ! Peak |
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite journal|title=The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 19 April 2021|journal=The ARIA Report|number=1624|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|date=April 19, 2021|page=4}}
| 86 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Canada|68|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2021|refname="canada"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardglobal200|105|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2021|refname="global"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardbubbling100|1|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2021|refname="bubbling"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardcountrysongs|28|artist=Taylor Swift|rowheader=true|access-date=December 6, 2021|refname="country"}} |
{{col-end}}
Certification
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certification for "Hey Stephen"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|refname="riaa"|award=Gold|certyear=2014|title=Hey Stephen|artist=Taylor Swift|type=single|access-date=December 6, 2021|relyear=2008}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{cite book |last=Perone |first=James E. |title=The Words and Music of Taylor Swift |publisher=ABC-Clio |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-44-085294-7 |series=The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection |pages=5–25 |chapter=Becoming Fearless}}
- {{cite book |last=Spencer |first=Liv |title=Taylor Swift: Every Day Is a Fairytale – The Unofficial Story |publisher=ECW Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55022-931-8}}
- {{Cite book |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Zaleski |title=Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |year=2024 |isbn=978-1-6672-0845-9 |pages=27–52 |chapter=The Fearless Era}}
{{Taylor Swift songs}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift
Category:Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift
Category:Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer)