Taylor Swift has entertained audiences with her extensive catalog of songs over the years, yet there’s one track she famously avoided performing for a remarkable thirteen-year span. Though her surprise song sets have become a signature element of the Eras Tour, Swift has incorporated surprise performances into her previous tours as well. During these special segments, she often revisits older songs that haven’t graced the stage for some time.
Despite her tendency to include older tracks in surprise sets, there have been occasions when she has opted to feature a classic in her main setlist. For example, during her Reputation Stadium Tour, she performed a mashup that included both the hit “Bad Blood”from her 1989 album and “Should’ve Said No,”from her debut album. However, one particular song from her first album remained unperformed for over a decade.
Taylor Swift Didn’t Want To Perform “Picture To Burn”
Swift Allegedly Found The Song Embarrassing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCMqcFAigRg
Despite its strong fanbase, Taylor Swift refrained from performing “Picture To Burn”live for an extended period. Initially, she enjoyed playing the track, which consistently garnered enthusiastic responses. However, on July 10, 2010, she performed it for the last time during the final concert of her Fearless tour. It was noticeably absent from the setlist of her next tour for the album Speak Now, and when her surprise song tradition emerged on the Red tour, “Picture To Burn”remained overlooked.
The decision not to perform the song wasn’t due to a lack of demand from fans; rather, it stemmed from Swift’s own reluctance. Many fans who encountered her backstage reported that when they inquired about the possibility of hearing “Picture To Burn,”Swift dismissed it as embarrassing, suggesting they choose a different song instead. There may, however, be additional underlying reasons for her avoidance, which she has yet to publicly articulate.
In the original version of “Picture To Burn,”a lyric that references an ex-boyfriend led to some controversy for its perceived homophobic undertones. The line containing “That’s fine I’ll tell mine you’re gay”was later changed to “That’s fine you won’t mind if I say.”This negative feedback may have contributed to Swift’s hesitance to revisit the performance of this song, as she might not have wanted to confront the history associated with it during live shows.
Swift Finally Sang The Song Again At The Eras Tour
“Picture To Burn”Made It Onto The Surprise Song Setlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LObXGdckCuE
In a delightful turn of events during the 2023 Eras Tour, Swift surprised fans by revisiting “Picture To Burn”during her acoustic set. The crowd erupted with joy, and Swift seemed genuinely pleased to perform the long-missed track. Leading into the song, she shared her thought process of selecting songs she hadn’t performed in “ages”and expressed a sense of nostalgia, declaring the performance of “Picture To Burn”in the spirit of that sentiment.
As this tour serves as a comprehensive celebration of her musical journey, Swift likely felt it was time to embrace her past, including this beloved song. Given the enthusiasm from the audience, it’s clear that the absence of “Picture To Burn”has been felt, prompting hopes that it will not be another thirteen years before she brings it back to the stage.