To describe 'Jump Then Fall', one of the bonus tracks on the platinum edition of Fearless, as anything but buoyant would be a crime. It’s everything you would expect from a song written by an 18-year-old experiencing love for the first time — an adolescent ode to the beginning of a love story that only has the good bits.

Structured and solidified by a banjo throughout the song, 'Jump Then Fall' is one of the most country-leaning songs on the platinum version of Fearless, both in sound and in lyricism. The platinum edition, which contained five new tracks plus a piano version, was released a year after Fearless. which permitted some new context to old stories Swift allowed us to explore in her sophomore record.

If there was a two-sided coin that paired two songs together on the deluxe edition of Fearless, one side would be 'Forever and Always' and the other would be this bonus track. Although given the timeline of 'Jump Then Fall', its secret message (“Last summer was magical” referencing the summer of 2008), and Swift’s own words about the song (“[it’s about] jumping then falling into the most beautiful summer love imaginable”) it’s obvious who the song is about, but it tells a very different tale than the one penned in “Forever and Always”. 

It’s an understatement to say Swift’s relationships have been over-sensationalised by the media and she’s been wrongly criticised for her dating history (and for writing about it, which many of her male counterparts do). What I find most touching about Swift’s songwriting — and is likely why she’s been able to garner the international acclaim she’s had — is her ability to tie songs together across different albums, creating a universe for those specific songs to live in. She’s known for her powerful ability to look back on past loves and experiences with such a deft touch, and that’s even more obvious when you connect the songs in the 'Forever and Always' universe — 'Jump Then Fall', 'Last Kiss', 'Holy Ground', and, most recently, 'invisible string'. 

Although by itself 'Jump Then Fall' might sound slightly juvenile for its happy-go-lucky sound and romanticising doing whatever you can for a lover, without it the universe feels incomplete. Contextually, it gives background to the songs that proceed it; without 'Jump Then Fall' there would be no 'invisible string' (“Cold was the steel of my axe to grind/For the boys who broke my heart/Now I send their babies presents”) or dancing imagery in songs like 'Holy Ground' (“But I don't wanna dance/If I'm not dancing with you”) and 'Last Kiss' (“And I roll my eyes and then you'd pull me in/I'm not much for dancing but for you I did”). When dissecting Swift’s discography, 'Jump Then Fall' is a song that proves even the most sickly of sweet songs that don’t sound overly profound really matter in the bigger picture.