Taylor Swift is a 19-year-old country and pop singer from Pennsylvania who has been active for 5 years. Her music videos often feature linear narratives about falling in and out of love. The video for "Teardrops on My Guitar" is set in an American high school and depicts Swift experiencing heartbreak when the boy she likes kisses another girl. Though filmed with basic locations and costumes to portray a typical high school experience, the video uses camera shots and lyrics to visualize Swift's emotions after her friend chooses someone else over her.

1. Video analysis – Taylor Swift – Teardrops on my guitar
Taylor Swift is a nineteen year old country and pop singer / song writer from
Pennsylvania, USA. Swift has been active in the music industry for the past five
years, her first single was ‘Tim McGraw’ which reached number 6 in the ‘Billboard’s
hot country songs’ since then she has gone on to release the album ‘Fearless’ which
debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. From Fearless Swift has had
multiple hits including; Love Story, White Horse, You Belong With Me and soon to
be released single Fifteen. Swift states that Shania Twain and Dolly Parten were big
musical influences on her and inspired her to pursue a career in country music.
Music videos have been around since the 1920s when the artist would just
plainly be shown singing their song. They were modernised in the 1960s and through
the 1970s artists were advertised through television shows. Since then they have
progressed to a stage where they show case the artist as a commodity and an object of
lust. Swift’s music videos often have a linear narrative about a boy and a girl falling
in and out of love. They have become rather iconic and are easy for viewers to
recognise the style.
Swift is currently signed to ‘Big Machine Records’. BMR is an American
independent label specialising in country music artists. BMR started in 2005 and
currently has five country artists signed on. Other artists include; Steel Magnolia, Jack
Ingram, Kacey and Kacey and Trisha Yearwood. As BMR does not have that many
artists signed on they are able to focus their time and money more independently on
their artists.
As Swift is known to be a country singer and the title is ‘Teardrops on my
guitar’ We expect to see some kind of rural area, Swift involved in a narrative which
supplies the reason for her teardrops [on her guitar] and to see her playing guitar at
some point as she is well known for playing guitar. Elements of narrative and
performance are always thrown into Swift’s music videos.
The target audience are generally teenage American girls of a working class to
middle class. Swift’s music is popular all over the world for appealing to many people
but in particular people in more rural areas of America for example Utah, a small
secluded state heavily influenced by country music. In reference to Young and
Rubicam’s ‘four consumers’ I believe that some of Swift’s music for example the big
pop ish hits like ‘You belong with me’ would appeal to the ‘Mainstreamers’ as those
songs appeal to most people and are often played on the radio and the mainstreamers
would feel it would help them feel secure. However the ‘Reformers’ would be true
fans, listening to Swift’s more countrified songs like ‘White Horse’ as ‘Reformers’
define themselves by their self-esteem and would enjoy the music.
The video for ‘Teardrops on my guitar’ is set around an American high school.
All the actors and Swift have American accents and are often seen doing typical high
school acts like putting books in lockers, talking in the library and having chemistry
lessons. The audience is represented in the video, young American’s, going to high
school doing normal day to day things. Swift is marketed as a normal girl, she goes to
high school like everyone, she accidently spills her chemicals in chemistry and she

2. feels heartbreak. She is shown as fallible to her audience and they can see a part of
themselves in her and can relate to her.
Location wise the mise-en-scene is very basic, most of the narrative takes
place in a high school however it often cuts to a mid shot of Swift lying on a bed
solemnly singing while holding her guitar. While at school Swift wears typical casual
clothes like cardigans and jeans, other actors are shown wearing t-shirts and similar
casual wear. The costume and location set a very normal typical cliché American high
school up for the audience. During the shots of Swift singing alone she is wearing a
long green dress and has her hair splayed out around her head. The room she is in
appears to be her bedroom as it has ordinary objects like pictures and lamps around it.
The lighting in the room is very dark and Swift is highlighted in the middle
surrounded by darkness, metaphorically her thoughts and her mood. Several props are
used including a guitar, towards the end of the video after seeing her guy she is
attracted to kissing another girl the shot cuts to a close up of Swift’s face and a tear
slips down her cheek and towards the guitar, supplying a literal metaphor for the title.
Most of the video is filmed through close, long and mid shots. The long shots
are often used in the school’s hall way showing all the pupils and Swift as just one of
them. The mid shots are used to show the relationship between Swift and ‘Drew’ they
often show them talking and joking about in different sections of the school and show
their close relationship. The close ups are primarily used in Swift’s bedroom scenes;
they have her singing into the camera and looking sad about her feelings. Interestingly
Swift does not sing in any of the shots of the high school, the shot often has to cut to
her room to show her singing. Towards the end of the video Swift is seen walking
down the hallway and she see’s ‘Drew’ he walks up to another girl and they start
kissing, while this is happening the pace is slowed down showing Swift’s heart
breaking at that moment and cutting to her singing in her bedroom half bent over as if
she is in literal pain and zooming out of her lying on her bed framing her as small and
isolated. As the scene comes to an end all the pupils have left the hallway and Swift
turns and walks slowly away showing that she is upset and defeated.
The lyrics are often demonstrated throughout the video for example “When
Drew talks to me I laugh because it’s just so funny” the camera tracks down library
shelves to Swift and ‘Drew’ reading from a book with Swift laughing hysterically and
another example is “I can’t see anyone when he’s with me” Swift and Drew are told
off by a teacher for being loud but Swift continues to laugh as ‘she’s with Drew’ and
“He’s the sun in the dark” – Swift is lying in her bedroom is a half darkened room,
clearly darkened because she’s not with ‘Drew’.
In conclusion the video tells a story of a girl falling for her friend but he does
not feel the same and it is about her heartbreak. Swift being the performer of the song
plays the main role and is represented as a typical teenager who is just like anybody
else and experiences heart break. It follows the same formula as the rest of her music
videos but they still work and show her in a good light.
Adam Warner