With the exciting re-release of Taylor Swift’s fifth album, 1998, came the highly awaited five vault tracks (previously unreleased for the non-Swities). Ever since the announcement of 1989 TV, I’ve been practically buzzing about the thought of new songs; then Swifties solved thousands of puzzles in one day to unlock the titles of the tracks, and my excitement grew tenfold. Now, I can happily say they are finally here! To date, it’s been both her best re-record as well as best newly dropped songs.
So, ranked worst to best, here is my opinion on the 1989 TV vault tracks.
5. “Suburban Legends”
The fact that this song has placed last in my ranking speaks to the quality of the 1989 vault tracks. “Suburban Legends” sounds as if it’s been ripped straight out of the Midnights vault. Bittersweet in just the right ways, with lyrics like “You kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever” that truly stuck with me. It ended on the bottom of my rating because, in the coming months, I don’t believe it’ll be a song I’ll gravitate to within the Swift discography.
4. “Now That We Don’t Talk”
“Now That We Don’t Talk” is a heartfelt song about coming to terms with not being in someone’s life anymore. Not a bad song by any metric, and it’s a song that I will likely listen to again due to its catchy nature. I enjoyed the verses but the chorus of this track was a let-down for me, which ultimately led it to its fourth-place position.
3. “Is It Over Now?”
The bronze, silver, and gold tracks rank well above the fourth- and fifth-placed songs in my opinion. “Is It Over Now” is one of my new favorite Taylor call-out tracks; it speaks on the end of her relationship of the time with Harry Styles. With snappy lyrics such as, “Your new girl is my clone” and “If she’s got blue eyes, I will surmise that you’ll probably date her,” it’s got quintessential petty breakup lyrics with a spunky pop beat.
2. “Slut!”
From the time of the announcement of “Slut!”, its name stole the hearts of the people. Theorized to be either a badass pop anthem or a heartbreaking ballad, it ended up being neither. A love song with the perfect amount of hopeful and sappy lyrics. Everything about this song, though unexpected, was flawless. The verses, the chorus, and the bridge will be stuck in my head for days to come.
1. “Say Don’t Go”
In a surprising turn of events, “Say Don’t Go” has made it to the first place position! The beautiful storytelling quality and a 1989-styled echoed chorus set the song over the edge for me. From the moment it started it shot straight to the top of my ranking. I will be returning to this song for a second, third, fourth, and fifth listen.