• 5 years ago
"Sparks Fly" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album Speak Now (2010). It was written and produced by Swift, with additional production helmed by Nathan Chapman. Swift wrote the song when she was sixteen years old, prior to the release of her debut single "Tim McGraw" in 2006. Following a 2007 live performance of the song, "Sparks Fly" grew in popularity among Swift's fanbase. While Speak Now was under production, she received requests from fans to include the song on the album. The song was serviced to country radio in the United States by Big Machine Records on July 18, 2011, as the fifth single from Speak Now. A CD single was released on Swift's official store for a limited time on August 10, 2011.

"Sparks Fly" received generally positive reviews by music critics, who praised it for its upbeat tempo. Others praised Swift's lyrics of the song and have claimed that the song is a crossover between country and pop. Following the release of Speak Now, the song debuted at number seventeen on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number twenty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100, due to strong digital sales. After the song was released as a single, it re-entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at eighty-four. It peaked at number one at the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies. "Sparks Fly" was used as the opening song for the Speak Now World Tour (2011–12). A music video for the song was released, featuring clips of various performances during the Speak Now World Tour.

Swift began work on her third studio album Speak Now two years prior to its release in 2010. "Sparks Fly" was written by Swift when she was sixteen years old, prior the release of her eponymous album in 2006. She performed the song live during several bar shows "of forty and fifty people". A recorded live performance of the song during one of her concerts made its way onto the internet in 2007. The song became a favorite among Swift's fans, leading Swift to rework the song and include it on Speak Now after having so many requested for it to be included on the album. Of the song, Swift said that: "This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of and can't wait for them to hear."

The song was sent to country music radio stations on July 18, 2011, as the fifth single from Speak Now. An exclusive package was released to Swift's official store including a "Speak Now" necklace and an individually-numbered "Sparks Fly" CD single. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made and the package was made available for a limited time. The single was later included in another package that is exclusive to Swift's official store.

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