Taylor Swift, ‘Ours’ – Song Review

Taylor Swift is releasing 'Ours' as a sixth single from her 'Speak Now' album. Often when an artist gets that deep into an project the well dries up, but this folksy little love song shows there are still sides to the 21-year-old songwriter listeners haven't seen.

Lyrically, 'Ours' is similar to 'Our Song' in that it's cheesy and delicious. There is no hiding the sweetness of her plucky love letter; the album version is a bit faster than what she performed during the 2011 CMA Awards.

"So don't you worry your pretty little mind / People throw rocks at things that shine / And life makes love look hard / The stakes are high, the water's rough / But this love is ours," she sings during the chorus.

What makes this song work is the obvious smile Swift wears as she works through the sharply written lyrics. She's wearing a smile of a woman who knows what hurt feels like, the smile of a woman who appreciates how it feels to be helplessly in love.

"You never know what people have up their sleeves / Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me / Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles / But I don't care / 'Cause right now you're mine," Swift sings in the second verse before going into a chorus and a third verse that will become the song's trademark: "'Cause I love the gap between your teeth / And I love the riddles that you speak / And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored / 'Cause my heart is yours."

The scaled back production is a welcome respite from the shine and polish Swift has coated previous hit songs with. When one listens to this song, he or she imagines the humbly dressed, grinning girl next door Swift appeared as onstage in Nashville in November 2011. We hadn't heard from her in a while.

Listen to Taylor Swift, 'Ours'