"Should've Said No" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter… Read Full Bio ↴"Should've Said No" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her self-titled debut studio album. The song was released to US country radio as the album's fifth and final single on May 19, 2008, by Big Machine Records. Produced by Nathan Chapman, "Should've Said No" combines country rock, pop rock, and post-grunge with banjo and distorted guitars. The lyrics are about Swift's contempt for a cheating ex-lover. the demo was also recorded in 2004.

Music critics praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting. "Should've Said No" was Swift's second number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified platinum, for exceeding one million digital copies sold, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It entered the singles charts in Canada and New Zealand.

Swift performed "Should've Said No" live at the 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards; the performance was recorded and released as the official music video. The song was also included in the setlist of her first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010). She also sang the song as a guest star on the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour; the performance was featured in the concert film Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. In 2018, she included a mashup of "Should've Said No" and "Bad Blood" in the set list of her Reputation Stadium Tour.

"Should've Said No" was a last-minute addition to Taylor Swift's 2006 self-titled debut studio album; she wrote it two days before the album was mastered and published and completed the track with producer Nathan Chapman overnight. She said she wrote it as a reaction to something "dramatic and crazy" that happened to her, and she felt that she needed "to address it in the form of music". The first line that came to her was the title, and she wrote the refrain in five minutes. Swift said that many of the lyrics were based on actual words that she used when confronting her ex-boyfriend. The whole song took her 20 minutes to compose. Swift commented that "Should've Said No" and "Picture to Burn" are the two songs on the album that depict a vengeful attitude towards those who wronged her; whereas "Picture to Burn" has an angry attitude, "Should've Said No" is "more of a moral statement. It's an 'I love you, we were awesome and great together, but you messed this up and I would still be with you' kinda thing. You said yes, and you should've said no."

"Should've Said No" is an uptempo country rock song that incorporates a banjo and opens with a steel guitar riff. Roger Holland of PopMatters categorized the track as pop-rock and said that the country-music arrangement was minimal. Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone remarked that "Should've Said No" stands out as a pop-rock-leaning tune in a country-music album. In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis described it as a "post-grunge stadium rock anthem". Musicologist James E. Perone commented that "Should've Said No" features a production incorporating textured guitars that resembles a rock power ballad, and includes elements of American folk music through the use of the pentatonic scale in the melody and the fiddles in unison with other instruments.

In the lyrics, the narrator chastises a cheating ex-boyfriend and tells him that she would have forgiven him if he had said no to the girl with whom he cheated on the narrator. She has no intention to get back with him, no matter how much he pleads. Before ending their relationship, the narrator asks the ex-boyfriend, "Before you go, tell me this: Was it worth it? Was she worth this?" to which she answers herself, "No," repeatedly. Some authors remarked that the song has an empowering message to young female listeners, who listen to Swift's music to find the power to control their own lives. In The New York Times, Jon Caramanica wrote that the song is "a little vicious ... animated by something sharper than traditional teenage angst".

"Should've Said No" was the fifth and final single from Swift's debut album. It was released to US country radio on May 19, 2008, by Big Machine Records. An alternate version of the song was released on her EP Beautiful Eyes. A remix was included in the international edition of Swift's second studio album, Fearless, released in March 2009. In October 2019, following the Taylor Swift masters controversy, Big Machine Records re-released "Should've Said No", along with other singles from Swift's debut album, on limited-edition vinyl.

In the United States, the single peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Swift's second number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart, following "Our Song"; both singles were solely written by Swift. It spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2009 and, by November 2017, had sold 1.5 million digital copies in the United States. "Should've Said No" also charted on the Canadian Hot 100 (peaking at number 67) and the Official New Zealand Music Chart (peaking at number 18).

Roger Holland of PopMatters lauded the song's production and felt that it proved Swift's potential success beyond her country-music identity. Chris Neal of Country Weekly and Jon Caramanica of The New York Times both selected "Should've Said No" as one of the best songs on Swift's debut album. Reviewing the international edition of Fearless, Fiona Chua of MTV Asia selected the track as a highlight, lauding its upbeat production and emotional sentiments that resonated with many tween females. New Zealand magazine The Spinoff's Sam Brooke placed it at number five on a list of the best songs of 2009. The song was one of the 50 award-winning songs at the 2009 BMI Country Awards.

In retrospect, Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic considered "Should've Said No" one of the better songs in Swift's discography. Spanos picked it as one of Swift's 10 best deep cuts, deeming it a precedent to Swift's experimentation beyond country music that would later turn her into a household name. Jonathan Bradley from Billboard commented that the song's theme of anger set a precedent for some of Swift's later songs. On a less positive side, Valerie Megan of Consequence praised the production but criticized the lyrics as clunky.

Swift included "Should've Said No" in the set list of a promotional tour for her debut album in 2008. She sang the song as the opening act to Rascal Flatts' 2008 tour. Swift performed the song live at the 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2008. The performance was recorded and later released as the song's live music video. In the video, the performance begins with Swift playing the guitar in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, and after an on-stage costume change, she is seen in a black dress. Swift sings the song and drapes her arm around the guitar player during a guitar solo. Towards the end, she performs the last lines of the song in the pouring rain onstage, and the crowd receives a standing ovation. She also performed the song with Jonas Brothers on the Burnin' Up Tour; the performance is included in the concert film Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.

Swift included the song in the setlist of her first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour (2009–2010). She later performed the song on select dates of the Red Tour (St. Louis, March 2013, and East Rutherford, July 2013) and the 1989 World Tour (Santa Clara, August 2015). On her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour, she included a mashup of "Should've Said No" and "Bad Blood" in the setlist.

Should've Said No
Taylor Swift Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's strange to think the songs we used to sing
The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone
Yesterday I found out about you
Even now just looking at you
Feels wrong
You say that you'd take it all back
Given one chance, it was a moment of weakness
And you said, "Yes"

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet
You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me

You can see that I've been cryin'
Baby, you know all the right things
To say
But do you honestly expect me to believe
We could ever be the same?
You say that the past is the past
You need one chance, it was a moment of weakness
And you said, "Yes"

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet
You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me, oh-whoa

I can't resist
Before you go, tell me this
Was it worth it?
Was she worth this?

No, no, no, no, no, no

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet

You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me

Overall Meaning

In Taylor Swift's song Should've Said No, the lyrics seem to be about a past partner who has cheated on her with another woman. Taylor sings about how it's strange to think about the songs they used to sing and the happy moments they shared, now that everything has crumbled. She reveals that she found out about the cheating and even looking at her partner feels wrong. Her partner tries to explain that it was just a moment of weakness and that they would take everything back if given the chance. However, Taylor believes that her partner should have said "no" to the other woman and come back home to her.

The chorus repeats the phrase "you should've said no" multiple times, which underscores Taylor's sentiment that her partner should have known better. She emphasizes that if her partner had made a different choice, they could still be together. Taylor explains that she has been crying and despite her partner saying all the right things, she cannot believe that they could be the same as they were before. The song ends with Taylor asking if the affair was worth it and if the other woman was worth losing her.

Overall, Should've Said No deals with themes of infidelity and regret. Taylor expresses her hurt and betrayal and emphasizes that her partner should have made better choices. The chorus is particularly powerful, repeating the phrase "you should've said no" as a reminder of what could have been.

Line by Line Meaning

It's strange to think the songs we used to sing
It's hard to believe that our past, happy memories were just a facade

The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone
The positive moments we experienced are all in the past and cannot be retrieved

Yesterday I found out about you
I recently discovered something about you that changed my perception of you

Even now just looking at you Feels wrong
Your presence makes me uneasy and uncomfortable

You say that you'd take it all back Given one chance, it was a moment of weakness And you said, "Yes"
You admit that you made a mistake and regret what you did, but you did it anyway

You can see that I've been cryin' Baby, you know all the right things To say
I am visibly emotional, and you know how to apologize to make me feel better

But do you honestly expect me to believe We could ever be the same?
You are not facing the reality that our relationship has changed, and it can never be the same as it was before

You say that the past is the past You need one chance, it was a moment of weakness And you said, "Yes"
You believe that what happened in the past should be left behind, and your mistake was caused by a moment of weakness

I can't resist Before you go, tell me this Was it worth it? Was she worth this?
Before you leave, I need to know if your actions were worth losing me over

No, no, no, no, no, no
The answer to my question is a definite no

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Swift

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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