Album: Speak Now
Lyric: “You and I walk a fragile line...”
Taylor’s third studio album, Speak Now (released in 2010), evokes thoughts of romance, fairy tales, and enchantments...but with a dark/sad side. One of the biggest tracks from that album is “Mean,” a song about being bullied and unfairly criticized. Soon after the album’s release, it made it into the Guinness World Records as the fastest selling digital album by a woman artist.
How does Speak Now relate to Kiera Cass’s The Selection series, you may ask? In the fictional (and dystopian) world of Illéa that the main character lives in, your luck in life is determined by your caste number. The numbers range from one to eight, and Ones are at the top of society. The royal family decides to hold a contest where 35 eligible girls from different castes will compete (on television) to win the ultimate prize: marriage to Prince Maxon, thereby securing their life as a One. America Singer, a Five, is very hesitant to enter the Selection, despite the urgings of her mother, but finally gives in. What ensues is a whirlwind of love, jealousy, betrayal, catfights, oh, and dangerous rebels...because of course. It’s The Bachelor but the losses are much heavier.
One of the songs from Speak Now that comes to mind for The Selection is “Haunted,” with lyrics including: “You and I walk a fragile line/I have known it all this time/but I never thought I’d live to see it break...” This is not applicable to America and Maxon per se, though, but America and a certain *other* character (who shall remain nameless!). Another appropriate song would be “Better Than Revenge” (for reasons that would be obvious to those familiar with the song and the series). You’ll just have to read the books to find out what I’m hinting at.