Taylor Swift: Speak Now

Taylor Swift has the face of an angel and the heart of an assassin; just look at the bevy of famous guys she slays in songs from her third album Speak Now. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter dips a poison dart in sugar and aims it at Kanye West on “Innocent,” patting him on the head and assuring him that “32 is still growing up now / You’re still an innocent.” John Mayer wishes he only had to worry about being patronized; on the affecting ballad “Dear John,” Swift chastises an older man for his mercenary pursuit of a painfully sweet former child star. (Lines like “Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with / The girl in the dress cried all the way home” can barely be heard over the tsk-tsking of an entire nation.) On Speak Now’s most gleefully spiteful track, “Better Than Revenge”—an often-funny takedown of her rival for Joe Jonas’ affections—Swift boasts that she always gets the last word. Anyone who doubts that will likely end up with a starring role on her fourth record.