Taylor Swift Set to Move Million Copies of New Album

It's been over two years since an album sold more than a million units in its first week — so the news that Taylor Swift's new LP Speak Now is poised to be the first since Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III came out in June of 2008 is happy news for the music industry. Final numbers won't be in until tomorrow morning, but Billboard.com suggests that the album could have the biggest debut since 50 Cent's Massacre sold 1,141,000 in March 2005.

Of course, it's nearly impossible to sell that many units without controversy, and Swift's habit of talking, however obliquely, about her relationships in song created strong advance buzz for her album. Subjects on Speak Now allegedly include former paramours John Mayer and Taylor Lautner. And true to form, Swift dodged questions about her love life on Ellen yesterday, according to MTV News.

Attempting to keep the focus on her album, she said, "It took two years to make this album, and at some point in the process, I made the conscious decision to write it by myself," she said. "With this album, it's been such an emotional process. I'd have nightmares in the middle of the night that Rolling Stone hated it. I was really nervous about it, because taking this on, you're taking a lot of ownership of whether people like it or don't."

Photos: Taylor Swift's Family Album: Shots of Our Cover Girl's Picture-Perfect Life

Regarding Speak Now's "Dear John," Swift declined to say whether it is or isn't about Mayer. "It seems to be the pattern, yeah," she said of writing about boyfriends. She said she plans to "continue to never tell" who her songs are about.

She also dodged a question about whether she's dating Jake Gyllenhaal. DeGeneres asked who she might write a new song about and quickly posted a picture of Swift and the actor. "What?" Swift laughed. "I'm always optimistic about love. Yes, always, sometimes."

Swift performed two songs on the show, her hit "You Belong With Me," from her last LP, Fearless, and her new single, "Mine."

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter