Taylor Swift is used to getting massive ovations from stadiums full of fans, and indeed when she was introduced at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, that's exactly the sort of treatment she got from the live crowd. But by the time she got through her new song (which may or may not be called "Innocent" or "Forgiveness"), the audience was mostly overcome with stunned silence. But she shouldn't consider that a bad thing — rather, it was the best response she could have hoped for considering how intense and passionate the song was.
Swift began the number seated in an arm chair and strumming an acoustic guitar while footage from her acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs played on a small television next to her. The tune started out spare and desolate, perhaps darker than anything she has ever recorded. It had a real gritty, dirty, unsettling country feel to it — not a sound that she is accustomed to creating, but certainly one that she grew up listening to. The song built slowly, like a quiet storm, and by the time she got up from the chair and took command of the stage herself, it was a full-blown monsoon. Swift has rarely looked this committed to a performance at an awards show, and she wore it with a staggering amount of maturity and grace. Indeed, it didn't seem like Swift could become any bigger, but if this is what we can expect from Speak Now, then her star will continue to rise in ways she never thought possible.
The incredible new song is an important step in Swift's evolution and could point to bigger, more complex themes for her future work. She may enjoy the screams of adoration, but tonight she learned that silence can be golden too.
What did you think of Taylor Swift's performance at the 2010 Video Music Awards? Let us know in the comments!