Beautiful Eyes

For the 2012 song, see Alice Ripley.
Beautiful Eyes
A female with curly blond hair looks forward in a semi-right profile pose. She holds a flower against her chest, which is clothed by a yellow blouse. The background alternates between different yellow and orange values while hosting floral patterns.
EP by Taylor Swift
Released July 15, 2008
Recorded 2006–08
Studio Schmudio
The Play Room
The Love Shack Studios
Quad Studios Nashville
Hippo Studio
Eagle Eye Studio
The Castle Studios
Sound Cottage
Sound Emporium
Abtrax Recording
The Tracking Room
Materfonics
The Rec Room
MasterMix
(Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Country
Length 18:06 (CD)
60:46 (DVD)
Label Big Machine
Producer Scott Borchetta (exec.), Nathan Chapman, Robert Ellis Orrall
Taylor Swift chronology

Sounds of the Season
(2007)		 Beautiful Eyes
(2008)		 Fearless
(2008)

Beautiful Eyes is the second extended play (EP) by American country-pop singer Taylor Swift. The EP was released on July 15, 2008 by Big Machine Records exclusively to Wal-Mart stores in the United States and online. The limited release EP has a primarily country pop sound and features alternate versions of tracks from her debut album, Taylor Swift (2006), and two original tracks, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", songs which she had previously written; a DVD, featuring music videos of singles from Taylor Swift, is also included on the physical release of the EP.

Beautiful Eyes peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, succeeding her self-titled debut album. "I Heart Question Mark" was released as a promotional single in June 2008. Though the EP was not heavily promoted, Swift performed the title track at some venues.

Background

Swift received much success with the release of her self-titled debut album Taylor Swift (2006), and began working on her second studio album, Fearless (2008), in 2007. During that time, she received a number of e-mails from fans requesting for new material to be released, which drove Swift into releasing Beautiful Eyes: "I thought this might tide them over till the new album comes out in the fall."[1] Beautiful Eyes is musically oriented to country pop and contemporary music.[2] It includes new versions of tracks from Taylor Swift: an alternate version of "Should've Said No", the fifth single from the album, an acoustic version of "Teardrops on My Guitar", the second single from the album, a radio edit of "Picture to Burn", the fourth single from the album, and "I'm Only Me when I'm with You", a promotional single from the album. The EP also features two original songs, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", which she previously wrote in 2003.[1] The EP's DVD features music videos from the singles from Taylor Swift, as well as a music video made for "Beautiful Eyes" from footage from Swift's eighteenth birthday party.

Swift did not want any misconceptions of Beautiful Eyes as her second album and therefore partnered with the American retail company Wal-Mart to make the EP an exclusive release.[1] The album was only made available through American Wal-Mart stores and Wal-Mart's website.[3] Furthermore, it was made a limited release because Swift only allowed Big Machine Records to manufacture a certain number of copies of the EP.[1] She said, "I’m only letting my record company make a small amount of these. The last thing I want any of you to think is that we are putting out too many releases."[1]

Chart performance

On the week ending August 2, 2008, Beautiful Eyes debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 due to sales of 45,000 copies.[4][5] The EP spent a total of twenty weeks on the Billboard 200.[6] On the same week, it debuted at number one on Top Country Albums, replacing her own album Taylor Swift as the chart's number one album. With Taylor Swift charting at number two, Swift became the first artist to hold the first two positions on Top Country Albums since LeAnn Rimes charted in 1997 with Blue (1996) and Unchained Melody: The Early Years (1997).[7][8] The following week, the EP slipped to number two[9] and, in total, it spent twenty eight weeks on Top Country Albums.[6] As of August 2012, the EP has sold 304,000 copies in the United States.[10]

Promotion

"I Heart Question Mark" was released as promotional single from Beautiful Eyes on June 23, 2008.[11] Swift promoted Beautiful Eyes minimally for the reason being she did not want for misconceptions of the EP being her second album, although she did perform the title track at different venues.[1] She first performed "Beautiful Eyes" on January 23, 2005 at the 2005 NAMM Show, an annual music product trade show held in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Convention Center.[12] The performance featured Swift, dressed in a red blouse and blue jeans, performing acoustically with a guitar, sitting on a bar stool. "Beautiful Eyes" was later performed as part of Swift's set for Stripped on August 5, 2008; she wore a black, one-shoulder dress and performed with a back-up band while playing a rhinestoned acoustic guitar.[13]

Track listing

CD
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Beautiful Eyes"  Taylor SwiftRobert Ellis Orrall 2:58
2. "Should've Said No" (Alternate Version)SwiftNathan Chapman 3:46
3. "Teardrops on My Guitar" (Acoustic Version)Swift, Liz RoseChapman 2:58
4. "Picture to Burn" (Radio Edit)Swift, RoseChapman 2:54
5. "I'm Only Me When I'm with You"  Swift, Orrall, AngeloOrrall, Angelo 3:35
6. "I Heart ?"  SwiftOrrall 3:15
Total length:
 18:06
DVD
No. TitleDirector(s) Length
1. "Beautiful Eyes" (music video)Trey Fanjoy, Todd Cassetty 2:56
2. "Picture to Burn" (music video)Fanjoy 3:36
3. "I'm Only Me When I'm with You" (music video)Swift 3:47
4. "Tim McGraw" (music video)Fanjoy 4:00
5. "Teardrops on My Guitar" (Pop Version) (music video)Fanjoy 3:26
6. "Our Song" (music video)Fanjoy 3:30
7. "Making of 'Picture to Burn' Video"  Cassetty 22:02
8. "GAC New Artist Interview"    14:45
9. "2008 ACM Awards Performance of 'Should've Said No'"    4:04
Total length:
 60:46

Charts

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[6] 9
U.S. Top Country Albums[6] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
U.S. Billboard 200[14] 192

Preceded by
Taylor Swift by Taylor Swift		 U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums number-one album
August 2, 2008 		Succeeded by
Love on the Inside by Sugarland

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.[15]

  • A.J. Derrick - recording
  • Al Wilson - drums
  • Alberto Oviedo - photographer (eye shot)
  • Allen Ditto - additional recording
  • Angelo - writer
  • Amos Heller - bass
  • Ben Clark - banjo
  • Caitlin Evason - fiddle, harmony vocals
  • Chad Carlson - additional recording, recording
  • Chris Row - digital editing, guitar, organ, percussion (shaker), synthpad
  • Chuck Ainlay - mixing
  • Clarke Schleicher - recording
  • Curt Ryle - acoustic guitar
  • Dan Dugmore - steel
  • Dennis Holt - drums
  • Eric Darken - percussion
  • Gary Burnette - bass, guitars
  • Grant Mickelson - electric guitar
  • Jamie Tate - mixing
  • Jason Lefan - assistant engineer
  • Jeff Hyde - banjo
  • John Willis - mandolin
  • Ken Lewis - drums
  • Ken Love - mastering
  • Lee Ann Ramey - graphic design
  • Liana Manis - background vocals
  • Liz Rose - writer
  • Lorraine Morrison - background vocals
  • Mike Brignadello - bass
  • Nathan Chapman - acoustic guitar, additional recording, electric guitar harmony vocals, mixing, producer, recording
  • Nick Buda - drums
  • Paul Sidoti - electric guitar, harmony vocals
  • Rob Hajacos - fiddle
  • Robert Ellis Orrall - background vocals, producer, writer
  • Rusty Danmyer - steel
  • Sandi Spika Borchetta - hair stylist, make-up, wardrobe
  • Scott Borchetta - executive producer
  • Scott Kidd - additional mixing
  • Scotty Sanders - steel
  • Shannon Forrest - drums
  • Steve Bryant - bass
  • Steve Short - assistant engineer
  • Taylor Swift - lead vocals, writer
  • Tim Marks - bass
  • Todd Cassetty - director, editing
  • Tony Baker - photographer (cover)
  • Tony Harrell - keyboards
  • Trey Fanjoy - director, filming
  • Troy Lancaster - electric guitar
  • Wanda Vick - banjo, mandolin

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Wal-Mart "Eyes" New Taylor Swift Project". Great American Country. Scripps Networks Interactive. July 15, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Beautiful Eyes > Overview". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Beautiful Eyes (Wal-Mart Exclusive) (Includes DVD)". Walmart.com. Wal-Mart. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ Hasty, Katie (July 23, 2008). "Nas Dethrones Lil Wayne Atop Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Taylor Swift - Beautiful Eyes (EP)". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Beautiful Eyes - Taylor Swift". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Taylor Swift Bumps Herself Out of No. 1 Slot". CMT News. Viacom. July 26, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Taylor Swift owns top of country chart". Great American Country. Scripps Networks Interactive. July 23, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Top Country Albums - Week of August 9, 2008". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 9, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Ask Billboard: What Are Your 2011 Favorites? - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  11. ↑ "I Heart ? > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  12. ↑ "NAMM Kicks Off Annual Summer Trade Show in Nashville". Namm.org. Nashville, Tennessee: The NAMM Show. July 24, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Taylor Swift - Beautiful Eyes (Exclusive Performance)". Stripped. Iheartradio.com. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Best of 2008 - The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  15. ↑ Beautiful Eyes (CD liner notes). Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records. 2008. BMRATS0140.

External links