On August 9, 2023
Taylor Swift announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version) at the final Los Angeles show of the Eras Tour. Following her master’s dispute over her first six studio albums, Swift announced she would re-record the albums. The first album to be recorded was Fearless (Taylor’s Version) followed by Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). All of her songs debuted at the top of the US Billboard Hot 200 and met critical acclaim.
Swift began teasing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by releasing “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” in September 2021. The next year she released “This Love (Taylor’s Version). Snippets of “Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version)” and “Out Of The Woods (Taylor’s Version)” were featured in different movie trailers.
The album was a huge success and broke numerous records. It caused the biggest stream day for an album on Spotify, and became the highest number of vinyl sales in the century.
Just like the original, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a 1980s synth-pop album that features the heavy use of synthesizers and percussion. The album includes the re-recorded songs from the original album and five unreleased songs “From the Vault.” The deluxe version of the album includes the remix of: “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar and “Sweeter than Fiction”, off the soundtrack of the movie “One Chance.”
The five vault songs are
“Slut”– Swift wrote about the slut shaming that she had experienced due to her relationship, however, the world’s opinions on her relationships do not bother her.
“Say Don’t Go”– A song about not wanting her lover to leave her.
“Now That We Don’t Talk”– This song is the shortest song in her discography. Swift sings about moving on from an ex, accepting that she doesn’t have to fit in with their taste and lifestyle. (Which she mocks in her song).
“Suburban Legends”– The track depicts a hopeful romance that would be remembered by everyone.
“Is It Over Now?”– (This is my favorite song from the vault) It records the ending of a relationship and the mistakes that happened throughout. The rumors say that the song is about Harry Styles.
Overall feelings about the album
I personally felt that most of the vault songs seemed to be heavily influenced by the production of her previous album Midnights.
The main difference in 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is how Swift’s vocals have matured. While the lyrics remain the same, there are a few differences from the production of the original to the re-recording. For the most, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) might be better than 1989 and shows off Taylor Swift’s amazing vocals and production skills.
