Released July 15, 2008 Genre Country pop Label Big Machine | Recorded 2006–2008 Length 18:06 (CD)
60:46 (DVD) | |
Studio Studio Schmudio
The Play Room
The Love Shack Studios
Quad Studios Nashville
Hippo Studio
Eagle Eye Studio
The Castle Studios
Sound Cottage
Sound Emporium
Abtrax Recording
The Tracking Room
Materfonics
The Rec Room
MasterMix
(Nashville, Tennessee) | ||
Beautiful Eyes is the second extended play (EP) by American singer Taylor Swift. The EP was released on July 15, 2008 by Big Machine Records exclusively to Walmart stores in the United States and online. The limited release EP has a primarily country pop sound and features alternate versions of tracks from her debut album, Taylor Swift (2006), and two original tracks, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart ?", songs which she had previously written; a DVD, featuring music videos of singles from Taylor Swift, is also included on the physical release of the EP. Like their second album, this one also features CDVU+ technology that includes more than 30 pages of bonus features with an exclusive video performance, 60 printable photos, complete album lyrics, downloadable graphics, and hidden links. In addition, the packaging of the album is made from 100% recycled materials.
Contents
Beautiful Eyes peaked at number nine on the US Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, succeeding her self-titled debut album. "I Heart ?" was released as a promotional single in June 2008. Though the EP was not heavily promoted, Swift performed the title track at a few venues.
Background
Swift received much success with the release of her self-titled debut album Taylor Swift (2006), and began working on her second studio album, Fearless (2008), in 2007. During that time, she received a number of e-mails from fans requesting for new material to be released, which drove Swift into releasing Beautiful Eyes: "I thought this might tide them over till the new album comes out in the fall." Beautiful Eyes is musically oriented to country pop and contemporary music. It includes new versions of tracks from Taylor Swift: an alternate version of "Should've Said No", the fifth single from the album, an acoustic version of "Teardrops on My Guitar", the second single from the album, a radio edit of "Picture to Burn", the fourth single from the album, and "I'm Only Me when I'm with You", a promotional single from the album. The EP also features two original songs, "Beautiful Eyes" and "I Heart Question Mark", which she previously wrote in 2003. The EP's DVD features music videos from the singles from Taylor Swift, as well as a music video made for "Beautiful Eyes" from footage from Swift's eighteenth birthday party.
Swift did not want any misconceptions of Beautiful Eyes as her second album and therefore partnered with the American retail company Wal-Mart to make the EP an exclusive release. The album was only made available through American Wal-Mart stores and Wal-Mart's website. Furthermore, it was made a limited release because Swift only allowed Big Machine Records to manufacture a certain number of copies of the EP. She said, "I’m only letting my record company make a small amount of these. The last thing I want any of you to think is that we are putting out too many releases."
Commercial performance
On the week ending August 2, 2008, Beautiful Eyes debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 due to sales of 45,000 copies. The EP spent a total of twenty weeks on the Billboard 200. On the same week, it debuted at number one on Top Country Albums, replacing her own album Taylor Swift as the chart's number one album. With Taylor Swift charting at number two, Swift became the first artist to hold the first two positions on Top Country Albums since LeAnn Rimes charted in 1997 with Blue (1996) and Unchained Melody: The Early Years (1997). The following week, the EP slipped to number two and, in total, it spent twenty eight weeks on Top Country Albums. As of July 2014, the EP has sold 316,000 copies in the United States.
Promotion
"I Heart ?" was released as promotional single from Beautiful Eyes on June 23, 2008. Swift promoted Beautiful Eyes minimally for the reason being she did not want for misconceptions of the EP being her second album, although she did perform the title track at different venues. She first performed "Beautiful Eyes" on January 23, 2005 at the 2005 NAMM Show, an annual music product trade show held in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Convention Center. The performance featured Swift, dressed in a red blouse and blue jeans, performing acoustically with a guitar, sitting on a bar stool. "Beautiful Eyes" was later performed as part of Swift's set for Stripped on August 5, 2008; she wore a black, one-shoulder dress and performed with a back-up band while playing a rhinestoned acoustic guitar.
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.