On Friday, October 27, 2023, Taylor Swift released a new album entitled 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Swift’s fans, who call themselves Swifties, have been loving this album, as they do with all her other (Taylor’s Version) albums.
For context, in 2019 Scooter Braun and his company, Ithaca Holdings acquired ownership of Taylor Swift’s first six albums. Taylor then announced that she would be re-recording and re-releasing these six albums in order to own all of her music. So far, she has released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and now 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
1989 (Taylor’s Version) is one hour and twenty-one minutes long, consisting of twenty-two songs. The first seventeen songs are the re-recorded versions of the original album from 2014. Then, Taylor adds what she calls “vault songs.” These are songs that did not make the original album that she now wants to release. On 1989 (Taylor’s Version), there are five vault songs.
There is much to unpack with this re-record in both the original and vault songs. Each Swiftie definitely feels differently about each song and which ones are the best. Here is what we think about this (sort-of) new album:
First of all, the album is amazing, as always. It helps that we have heard most of the songs, but it is so exciting to see how Taylor puts a spin on each song. We have noticed that many songs from the new version sound like the original ones released in 2014. For example, some of her global hits like “Blank Space,” “Shake it Off,” and “Wildest Dreams,” are consistent with the originals, including the same tempo and vibe. The only real difference is Taylor’s older voice because she’s now thirty-three and first released the songs at age twenty-five.
On 1989 (Taylor’s Version), some songs were changed to sound significantly different; and unfortunately they are not our favorites compared to the original. For instance, songs like “Style” and “New Romantics” sounded off. Both songs are known for being upbeat and exciting, which we felt lacked in (Taylor’s Version). Before, listening to the “Style” guitar intro was life-changing, but now it’s mediocre, with less energy. The same goes for “New Romantics”; after listening repeatedly, we recognized the difference in the new version, which is less energetic than the original, and the background music sounds muffled. Don’t get us wrong, these songs are still hits, and we will continue to listen. That’s definitely the expectation for songs being re-recorded almost a decade later; it won’t all be cohesive.
Multiple songs in 1989 (Taylor’s Version) were improved and made better in a groundbreaking way after this re-release. After years, Taylor has had time to review the songs and decide which slight changes she can make to modernize and improve the tracks. For example, with track twelve,” I Know Places” is one of our favorite non-vault songs from the re-release. This new version is a breath of fresh air after listening. Taylor’s voice is crisp and refreshing; we think it is even better than the original.
Also, Swift has improved “Wonderland” with this re-release. In the initial version, Wonderland never stuck out too much, but re-listening made us appreciate the song and see the clever story told through the lyrics.
Last but not least, the vault songs! The vault songs are” Sl*t!”, “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is it Over Now?”. We love these songs! They encapsulate the vibes of the album and are a perfect addition to the album as a whole. Out of the five songs, we recommend “Is it Over Now?” and “Sl$t!”.
The final verdict is that we love 1989 (Taylor’s Version)! It definitely takes the album up a notch, and it is so nice to see Taylor get to own her music. So, whether you were a big fan of the original 1989 album or you have never listened to Taylor Swift, we say you should give this new album a listen!
