On October 27th, Taylor Swift released her version of 1989. For the past few years, Swift has been re-recording her first six albums to gain ownership over her music. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is her fourth re-recorded album and the second one released in 2023 after Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which was released on July 7th. In addition to the songs on the album, Swift released additional previously shelved “From the Vault” tracks. Swift describes on her Instagram that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was her “favorite re-record [she’s] ever done because the five From The Vault Tracks are so insane,” which kept her fans on the edge of their seats to hear the Vault tracks since its announcement in August.
Her Vault tracks did not disappoint. Listening to 1989 (Taylor’s Version) elicits a sense of nostalgia, as fans can listen to some of Swift’s more popular songs, “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” and “New Romantics.” As someone who grew up with the original 1989, hearing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) for the first time was enjoyable, as her voice is clear and more mature in the re-recordings. My favorite was “Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” a song depicting the feeling of growing apart from someone you love but still “holding out hope for [them]” to ask you to stay. Swift describes this one-sided relationship as her being his, “but [he’s] not [hers].”
The most streamed Vault track on Spotify, “Is it Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” is an upbeat song reflecting on a past relationship with many ups and downs. Throughout the song, she ponders if they “[were] over then, and is it over now?” A fan favorite, however, was “Sl-t! (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault).” Contrary to the theory that this track would be similar to “Better Than Revenge” and take on a spunky, electric theme, Swift surprises her fans with a dreamy, lovesick song acknowledging the double standards women are held to when they date, saying that if the public is going to “call [her] a sl-t, it might be worth it for once” if she is with someone she loves.
Ultimately, I would give this album a 9/10. Although some of the re-recordings were not my favorite, Swift has grown tremendously as an artist since she first released 1989 in 2014 and has made marvelous improvements to her music production. The Vault tracks were worth the wait, and I hope other fans enjoy 1989 (Taylor’s Version) as much as I do.
