Mean by Taylor Swift

American campus sweetheart singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has asong "Mean". The song "Mean" is a single from Swift's third studio album, Speak Now, solely written by Swift, and produced with Nathan Chapman,. This song was released as a promotional single on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records. The song contains heavy elements of fiddles and banjos, with critics saying that it was the most country song on Speak Now. According to Taylor Swift, she wrote the song to get back at her critics who constantly question her songs as well as her ability to sing.

Upon its release as a promotional single, the song garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics for its lyrical detail and profound country sound. "Mean" received commercial success in the United States and Canada, debuting at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the Canadian Hot 100. The song also appeared on the Australian Singles Chart at number forty-five. It was later re-released as the third official single from Speak Now, and re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety. Additionally, "Mean" became Swift's thirteenth consecutive single to reach top ten on Hot Country Songs when it jumped from number 12 to number 9 on the week ending May 14, 2011. This achievement makes Swift as one of the two women (the other being Carrie Underwood) to begin their chart histories with as many consecutive top 10s dating to the survey's 1944 launch.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom, who developed the concept together with Swift. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics who felt the mixed messages in the video, despite the outstanding self-empowerment and anti-bullying themes. "Mean" was performed for the first time by Swift at the at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3, 2011.