You know that feeling of astonishment you get when you’re watching Mamma Mia! and you realize that every show-stopping song is by the same artist? Just me? Alright, well, ABBA fans or not, we can all recognize that the seamless adaptation of one band’s music into an enjoyable and timeless narrative is quite the thing to behold. Mamma Mia! bridges decades by taking the music of one era and bringing it to life in another. It also touches on so many aspects of life, including parenthood, lost loves, engagement, and coming of age.
I see the common denominator of ABBA’s discography and aesthetic as the unifying factor in the Mamma Mia! films. This way, the plot is able to branch out and emphasize a wide variety of characters and topics. So much thinking about this incredible musical has inspired me to envision one of my own, and who better to hinge the soundtrack on than the queen of our day, Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift’s music has been either a backbone or a backdrop to most of our childhoods. It provides opportunities for people as young as 15 or those well into their adult lives to reflect and find at least one song that is relatable to them. Not to mention, two hands wouldn’t be enough to count the amount of musical-theater-esque tracks Taylor has! I have been either dancing like a fool, or dramatically staring out windows, imagining myself as a character in her songs these past few weeks.
So, I will stop beating around the bush and get to it—for this article, I will be bringing my visions to life and letting everyone know how I, personally, would do a musical based on the music of Taylor Swift.
It’s Fearless follows the story of about six or seven romantic couples as their year unfolds. None of them are related in any way, or so it seems. It’s New Year’s Eve in a big city, everyone is full of hope, and when the ball drops, their stories begin. While some of them are in their high school honeymoon phase, others are planning a wedding, confronting the distant past, or grieving a lost relationship. It’s Fearless makes space for couples of all sexualities, genders, ages, and stages of life to sort things out through song and dance. In the end, they wind back up at New Year’s Eve, but everything’s changed and they realize that their histories will inevitably follow them into the next new year.
- “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
“I don’t know how it gets better than this” being sung by the hopeful voices of a NYE crowd? Yes please! The ambiguity of the verses allows for multiple characters to participate in this opening song as they take your hand and drag you head-first into a new year.
- “right where you left me – bonus track,” evermore
However, some characters wish they could have brought their loved one into this new year, but didn’t get to. In this number, the singer explores the feeling of being stuck in the past, while everyone else is looking to the future with bright eyes.
- “I’m Only Me When I’m With You,” Taylor Swift
Meanwhile, the kids are back at school, and springtime is inspiring the blossoming of young love. “Friday night beneath the stars” could be sung by students under the Friday night sports lights at school, and/or a couple at a drive-in. Ideally, this one would end at a prom, because why not?
- “The Story of Us,” Speak Now
Not everyone at the school dance is in blind and blissful love, however. For this one, I think it would be fun to highlight unexpected romances amongst teachers. The literary metaphors in “The Story of Us” could describe the tension between two English teachers with a complicated past, forced to chaperone the event together.
- “22 (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version)
It’s finally summer, and buckle up, ‘cause it’s gonna be a rollercoaster. What better way to ring in the freedom of long days that bleed into endless nights than a college graduation party? The characters in this number celebrate the release into adulthood in a “Dancing Queen” type moment that gets us all off of the couch!
- “Holy Ground (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version)
In this reflective song, the character would be “Having coffee all alone,” reminiscing about a fling from the previous summer and realizing that they wished they’d pursued it further. When they sing, “I don’t wanna dance if I’m not dancing with you,” the plot thickens as they set out to find this person.
- “Speak Now,” Speak Now
But alas! When the character from “Holy Ground” locates their long-lost love, they are heartbroken to find out about an engagement. At the climax of the musical, we get to see that moment we’ve all secretly wished for: a dramatic wedding objection!
- “august,” folklore
Painful nostalgia sets the tone for this scene where a grandparent at the wedding is reminded of their own summer fling, decades ago. At home, they dig up a dusty scrapbook full of memories and bring them back to life before putting it back in the box forever.
- “Cruel Summer,” Lover
This all-cast number sends the chaotic summer out with a bang, as the characters and their partners figure out that their New Year’s expectations of the sunny season were completely off-kilter. But hindsight’s 20/20, right? A large amount of time passes in this scene, as people come together and drift apart, and it’s almost as if the summer itself takes the form of an old lover.
- “A Place in this World,” Taylor Swift
This character has just moved into their college dorm, and they are dealing with the constant questions about majors, careers, friends, and romances. They know they’re “Not the only one who feels the way” they do, yet they still must navigate the bizarre loneliness of starting college.
- “Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version),” Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
Meanwhile, down the hall, the prom court nominee and small town celebrity is coming to terms with the reality of their “high school sweetheart.” Cursed to be at the same university, libraries, and parties as their ex, this character must realize that healing happens at different paces for different people.
- “betty,” folklore
Taylor herself has depicted the relationship between “betty” and “august” in Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, so it’s only fitting to include in the musical. After the singer in “august” closes the book on the summer romance that abandoned them, we get the perspective of their lover, who was being unfaithful to their own partner back home. “betty” is both an apology and an extension of the memory in “august.”
- “exile (feat. Bon Iver),” folklore
As the weather darkens and dampens, so does the tone of the musical. Taylor’s tragic duet with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver makes for the perfect illustration of a recently separated couple avoiding each other at the New Year’s Eve party they came to as dates the year before. As one is “Leaving out the side door,” the other is still misunderstanding the signs that things were heading downhill in the relationship.
- “New Year’s Day,” reputation
Don’t worry, I won’t end this story on such a sad note. The next morning, the couples and their current company reflect on both the night before and the year they just lived and loved through. The weight of the memories is balanced by the sense of renewal the new year still manages to bring.
CREDITS/BONUS SCENES: “Shake It Off,” 1989, “Lover,” Lover, and “Mine,” Speak Now. Plotlines TBD.
It’s Fearless draws inspiration from many films and musicals, such as the year-cycle of RENT, the multiplicity of characters in Valentine’s Day (starring Miss Swift herself), and most obviously, Mamma Mia! It will surely undergo revision and addition in the future, and we can only hope Taylor will catch wind of it and make it a reality with us.
To listen to It’s Fearless in order, head over to my “Taylor Swift The Musical” Spotify playlist! This also includes several musical-worthy tracks that may or may not warrant a sequel…
Thanks for daydreaming with me!