Taking over the music industry, Taylor Swift has dropped yet another album. She will never go out of style. Since announcing her re-recording plans of reclaiming her masters in 2019, fans have had to wait a long while for “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” After the album “Midnights,” three other Taylor’s Versions, a worldwide tour and a concert movie, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is finally having its moment.
Following her move to New York City and facing loads of critical backlash from the media, Swift stepped out of her country girl era and dropped her first official pop album, “1989,” in 2014. This album is most known for the hit songs “Style,” “Shake it Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood.” To commemorate the year she was born, the album was made to remind the listeners of the decade and music of the 1980s.
I was very excited to hear the re-recorded songs that I grew up listening to. The original “1989” album was a staple in my family car rides growing up and this album brings me so much nostalgia. I was very pleased and audibly gasped at so many moments when taking my first listen of “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
When Swift decided to re-record her first six albums, it was made clear to her fans that she would stay faithful to the original version. However, subtle changes and updates are made along with natural maturity in her voice. In this album compared to some of her other re-recordings, I really noticed the maturity of her voice.
Another change that she has made when re-releasing her albums is the release of new tracks on the albums. These new tracks are known as her “vault tracks” and have never been heard before. When releasing her original albums, she was faced with cutting a lot of her songs. Now, a decade later, she is in a position where she can release these songs and is gladly doing so. For “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” listeners can find five vault tracks. These tracks include “’Sl**!’,” “Is it Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Say Don’t Go” and “Suburban Legends.”
This album definitely did not fall through on the vault tracks. When skipping through the playlist, I would definitely listen to all five of these vault tracks with no skips. Many people on social media have talked about how these vault tracks sound like they were taken off of “Midnights.” While I agree with this statement, these vault tracks still bring so much to this re-recorded album. I think it’s important to note that these songs didn’t originally make the album for a reason. Said by Swift herself, these vault tracks didn’t fit the era she was in. I do not at all think that these songs were scraps from “Midnights.” I believe that these vault tracks originally inspired the production of the 2022 album instead.
As for specific vault tracks, “Is it Over Now?” has caused an uproar in the music industry. All over my social media pages, I see people talking about this song. Because of this, Swift and her team have made this song the lead single of the album. I think this was a great decision and I love the song so much. This song feels like a direct sequel to “Out of the Woods,” and provides answers to questions that fans have been asking. This was a great final song to the album and it feels like a true ending to the relationship we are seeing unfold throughout the original album.
Although I love the song “Is it Over Now?, my favorite vault track has to be “‘Sl**!’.” This song is so different compared to the rest of the album. “1989” has always been a very upbeat album, and I thought that this song would fit the style of “Blank Space.” However, I was pleasantly surprised to see how slow and soft this song was. This song reminded me of a genuine self-reflection and revealed what Swift was feeling back then as she responded to the public shaming she was facing.
The deluxe album also features one collaboration: Kendrick Lamar on “Bad Blood.” Although this collaboration is iconic to the original album, I would have really liked to see more collaborations on this album. It was rumored on TikTok that there was going to be a collaboration with Harry Styles on the song “Style.” I was so pumped for this song and was let down immensely when there was no Harry Styles collaboration. Although, it is rumored (and I am hopeful) that Swift will announce future collaborations on the album at a later date.
After the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” Spotify history was made in just its first 24 hours of being released. On Friday, Oct. 27, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” officially became the most streamed album in a single day in Spotify history. The album was quickly met with reviews and opinions. Metacritic noted that the album had received a weighted mean score of 95 out of 100.
The final two albums set to re-release are “Reputation” and “Taylor Swift. Although dates have not been announced, fans have taken to social media to believe that “Reputation” can and most likely will be announced at any time.
