"Love Story" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album, Fearless (2008). Inspired by a love interest unpopular to Swift's family and friends, "Love Story" is based on the plot of William Shakespeare's 16th-century tragedy Romeo and Juliet. In the song's narrative, the two characters, Romeo and Juliet, end up in a marriage proposal, contrary to Shakespeare's tragic conclusion. The lyrics additionally reference Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the country pop song features soprano vocals and a slow-building melody consisting of banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.
