On Oct. 27, we were able to relive the “1989” release, just like it was 2014 again. A few years ago, we were informed that Taylor Swift’s music was stolen from her when her management sold it to a third party; therefore, to reclaim her music, Swift has been re-recording and re-releasing her first six albums. For the past year, Swift has been on her tour, “The Eras Tour,” all while she still managed the release of two albums.
Leading up to the release of this re-recorded album, Swift faced a lot of pressure to top her last release: “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).” This was released only a few months ago at her Kansas City Show. This album included six Vault Tracks, or never-heard-before songs, two of which were duets with well-known artists. She also released a music video for her Vault track “I Can See You.” The music video starred Joey King and Taylor Lautner, her former boyfriend. During her Los Angeles shows, she announced “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
Though I think all of the Vault Tracks were amazing, I do think the subtle changes in the original songs were a bit underwhelming and strange.
In 2014, when “1989” originally came out, it was quickly Swift’s most popular album, following the drop of her single “Shake It Off” reaching a billion streams. When the re-recording was released, fans were surprised to hear subtle changes in their favorite songs. Many fans were angered when hearing the altered guitar changes in the intro in the previously favored song “Style,” yet overjoyed at the new melody change in the chorus of “I Know Places.” Certain people have pointed out the very subtle changes that most people would never notice, such as the pen click in the chorus of “Blank Space,” the pronunciation of certain words in “Out Of The Woods” or the additional vocals on “New Romantics.”
Most of the excitement surrounding the re-releases is the unveiling of the Vault Tracks. These are songs Swift wrote for the original album that didn’t make the initial cut. Through a caption on an Instagram post, Swift stated, “To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the five From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!”
The first Vault Track brought a lot of speculation surrounding it. Titling the track “Slut!,” fans were in an uproar trying to figure out if the song was going to be provocative or heartbreaking. In reality, “Slut!” was a beautifully written song, channeling the style of Lana Del Rey, about how the media portrays women in the music industry.
“Slut!” is followed up by “Say Don’t Go.” While the rest of the Vault Tracks were co-written with Jack Antonoff, “Say Don’t Go” was written with Diane Warren. This is truly a beautiful, mystical and mysterious song about the longing for love when feelings aren’t reciprocated. Personally, this is my favorite Vault Track on the album.
The third Vault Track released is titled “Now That We Don’t Talk,” an upbeat song about losing contact with an ex, but informing the listeners that it’s for the best because she is no longer pretending to like the things he enjoyed.
The fourth Vault Track, “Suburban Legends,” is about a doomed romance from her school days. This track has wonderful and sweet lines, including, “I broke my own heart ’cause / you were too polite to do it.”
The fifth and final Vault Track, “Is It Over Now?” is, in my opinion, one of the best songs she has written. This song has blown up on social media following the speculation of being written about Harry Styles, another former boyfriend. This is a bitter song about the resentment for an unfaithful ex with remarkable melodies.
Though I think all of the Vault Tracks were amazing, I do think the subtle changes in the original songs were a bit underwhelming and strange. Other than that “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was definitely worth the listen.
4/5
chollywo@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @taylorswift, Instagram
