At 7:00 A.M. on Friday, October 27, I woke up ready to listen to Taylor Swift’s re-recording of my favorite album: 1989.
It was an album that, when first released in 2014, signaled Swift’s genre shift from country to pop. Named after her birth year, the album was full of pop hits and iconic singles.
Now, almost a decade later, we get to experience it all again.
This is the fourth re-recorded album that Swift has released, since her original studio
albums were sold by her record label without her knowing in 2019.
Differences between the original albums and the re-recorded ones occur in various ways throughout the songs; Swift has a new vocal maturity and includes some differences in notes, productions, emphases, etc.
She also includes songs “From the Vault” entitled “‘Slut!’”, “Say Don’t Go”, “Now That We Don’t Talk”, “Suburban Legends”, and “Is It Over Now? Similarly to other songs that debuted on re-recorded albums, these four songs weren’t able to be on the original album for various reasons. These reasons could be that the production of the song wasn’t quite ready, the song was too similar to another on the album, or that Swift didn’t think the song fit the album theme at the time.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) consists of the sixteen songs from the 1989 (Deluxe) album released in 2014, as well as five “From the Vault” songs.
The differences within the new re-recorded versions may be subtle, but Swifties can always tell. Keep your ear out for a more powerful “I Know Places” line, a “Shake It Off” bridge with more attitude, and an even dreamier “Wildest Dreams”.
The songs “From the Vault” add more pop amazingness to the album. They also give more insight into Swift’s relationship with Harry Styles, which most of the 1989 songs were written about, according to Swifties.
At around 8:00 A.M., Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) [Deluxe], which included a re-recorded version of “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar. The original song, released in 2015, grew to be a fan hit and even inspired a chant during Swift’s “Eras Tour.”
Swift also released the “Tangerine Edition” of the album, which is a record exclusive to Target stores. This edition features the re-recorded “Sweeter Than Fiction”, a song that debuted in 2013 as part of the “One Chance” soundtrack. This release leaves Swift with two more albums to re-release, reputation and her self-titled debut album. Swifties have their theories as to when those dates will be announced, but Swift has not provided an official statement regarding their release.
Freshman Emily Myers is a Staff Writer. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.