More about: Taylor Swift

A ballad seeping with influences in both country and rock, 'You’re Not Sorry' is Swift’s powerful, angsty, and achingly-poetic ode about walking away after being wronged. Penned entirely by Swift, the song is the anti 'Love Story'; a realisation that even the ones who look and seemingly act like princes are nothing of the sort. Although the track contains the storytelling structure of any song crafted in the country genre, where other songs on Fearless are twangy in nature, 'You’re Not Sorry' is very much a rock power ballad with its sprawling use of electric guitars - despite having a piano-driven opening.

When I think about Fearless, I think about the dichotomy between fairytale and worst nightmares; love and heartbreak, all of which is the biggest imagery woven throughout the record. 'You’re Not Sorry' and 'White Horse', the other heartbreaking track on the album, are two sides of the same coin; two different ways Swift experienced, grieved, and wrote about the end of a relationship. To put it plainly: where 'White Horse' screams fool me once, shame on you, 'You’re Not Sorry is fool me twice, shame on me, depicting the anguish and betrayal Swift feels for being blindsided while she had her rose-coloured glasses on. 

With the secret hidden message being “She can have you”, it’s evident that Swift felt betrayed and at a loss of what to do. In conversation with BMG, Swift stated the track is “about this guy who turned out to not be who I thought I was. He came across as a charming prince. Well, it turned out Prince Charming had a lot of secrets that he didn’t tell me about. And one by one, I would figure them out. I would find out who he really was. I wrote this when I was at the breaking point of 'You know what? Don’t even think that you can keep on hurting me.' It was to a point where I had to walk away.” 

The media and the public have critiqued Swift for what they say is her ability to skirt the blame and victimize herself. When performing on the Speak Now tour, Taylor uses the concept of apologies by blending 'You’re Not Sorry' into a powerful mash-up with her own track 'Back To December' and a cover of 'Apologize' by One Republic. Although people state Swift is unable to accept the blame, the mirror she holds up against 'You’re Not Sorry' and One Republic’s 'Apologize' against 'Back To December', it’s clear she understands the weight of what an apology is — a statement where you’re asking for forgiveness not as a way to save face, but to genuinely ease the shame of the other party. 

As a way to mark the release of 'You’re Not Sorry' (and likely to give it a positive connotation as well), Swift lended both the song and her acting skills for an episode on CSI where she played a rebellious teenager. The episode used a darker, more sinister version of 'You’re Not Sorry'... likely because Swift’s character does, indeed, end up dead.

More about: Taylor Swift