We Are Finally “Out of The Woods”! Today, at midnight, Taylor Swift released one of the most iconic re-records, and blessed us with 1989 (Taylor’s Version)! The 2014 album is the biggest piece of her career, showcasing a side of her we didn’t know we needed at the time. And no better date than today, the anniversary of nine years of the first record.
The Era per say was always fabulous, the New York pictures, polaroids, the famous friend group, the beach parties, romances everything about it screamed freedom and youth. And almost a decade later, Swift brought right back to 2014 and finally re-recorded two of her biggest hits “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off”. To fully understand the changes in the album and what is going on in the From The Vault tracks, here’s a review of everything.
Taylor’s Version
Welcome to New York (Taylor’s Version)
The opener of the album keeps being an upbeat, hopeful track and she managed to transport the feeling she had back in 2014, even though it has been a decade since she moved to the Big Apple. The difference is in the obvious voice changes, but that is a common theme in all the re-records considering her voice matured over the years, but production wise she didn’t change anything.
Blank Space (Taylor’s Version)
The biggest hit of the album, and the third most famous single of her career, and it’s about time we drop the stolen version and enjoy this new version. Differently from “Welcome to New York”, this one has some production changes, such as an increased backing vocal in the bridge and some note chances in the chorus, the flow of the track is also a tiny different, the pen sound is slightly lower. But all that is just a result of the maturing of her voice and her as an artist.
The whole song is still as amazing as the first and she still keeps the amazing feeling of euphoria, jealousy and irony she had back in 2014, and dare I say, she actually delivered better now than back then.
Style (Taylor’s Version)
Oh! “Style”, the track that stole everybody’s hearts, keeps doing exactly that. The first track about an ex-lover, Style kept the angst feeling that melted so well with the danceable upbeat instrumental. This version has the classic voice change but just like “Blank Space” that kind of makes it better. And I will say I was a little disappointed that she didn’t make it a feature with Harry Styles, even though the expectation for that was completely delusional, I had hopes okay!
Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)
Are We Out of the Woods? Oh what a classic in the fandom, blondie has yet again to disappoint in the re-record a may say so, because she slayed this one. The anxiety song it’s still as agonizing as it was, the repetitive chorus and the fast and non-stopping instrumental are there and delivering again. But I have to say the bridge didn’t hit as hard as it did back in the 2014 version, but it’s still a musical phenomenon and the deep notes she added brought it all together.
All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor’s Version)
A pop anthem for the girlies that like to believe everytime they say “this time I changed”. The sad lyric and upbeat instrumental are kept once again slaying. This is pretty similar to the stolen one, even the vocals are almost the same! The danceable song still is a great way to get over someone and dance the problems away!
Shake It Off (Taylor’s Version)
The second biggest hit of her career and the first Taylor Swift song to hit the clubs, it’s finally hers again. But this one is the first disappointment, it just didn’t feel the same this time, just doesn’t transmit the same energy it did when it first came out. The voice changes are very clear in this one, the backing vocals are kept, thank god, but all throughout it doesn’t feel the same, it isn’t as exciting as the old version unfortunately, I’ll forever dance to this one but I’ll miss the old one for sure.
I Wish You Would (Taylor’s Version)
This one is definitely slept on, back in the day and now. What an absolute banger! “I Wish You Would”, has changed that’s for sure, she’s now a little mature, her voice goes a little deeper and delivers beautifully. But as amazing musically as it is the emotions are a little out of order, just like Shake It Off it kind fell flat, it delivered, but it could be better.
Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version)
Female rage! “Bad Blood” is the soundtrack of one the most ICONIC music videos of Taylor’s career, and I may say the music industry. The whole Squad there, what a time!! Very similar to the original, and just like the live version in The Eras Tour you can understand the hurt and anger the track transmits.
Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)
“Wildest Dreams” has been out for over two years, so we already knew how it was. The break up track tells the story of how they broke each other’s hearts and how Taylor wants her ex-lover to remember her. It’s as angelic as it always has been, the amazing vocals are perfect and all throughout it’s a great re-record delivering everything we were hoping for.
How to Get the Girl (Taylor’s Version)
The hopeful and hopeless song, narrates the ways you can win over the girl but also how to lose her as well, with a very pop vibe and an amazing lyric, chorus, and unbeatable bridge, still is very similar to the original version. The voice changes are very subtle and the singer made it just like we’re back in 2014!!
This Love (Taylor’s Version)
This one also came out a year ago to be in the soundtrack for the tv show The Summer I turned Pretty so it wasn’t a surprise in the new album. The track is this beautiful angelic thing, the vocals are just amazing, the lyrics are beautifully written, Taylor has a way to make you feel exactly what she was feeling, this one a great way to see exactly that.
I Know Places (Taylor’s Version)
They are the hunters, we are the foxes! “I know Places”, just the best song, the desperate way she sings this one is crazy, it feels like we’re running from paparazzi and the media as well. This one has been a fan favorite since 2014 and in 2023 it feels just as fresh. The little camera/recorder sound in the benign is still there and making it’s job to open and close the track transmitting the exact thing Taylor is complaining about in the lyrics.
Clean (Taylor’s Version)
The 2 time surprise song made it to the re-records and it’s back to her owner. This one is about the self discovery Swift has after the end of this troubled relationship she was in. The sad track is very similar to the original, but the voice changes are very noticeable and actually makes it better, the deeper vocals marry very well with the instrumental and production and has a different melancholy to it that it had back in 2014.
Wonderland (Taylor’s Version)
These fast drums and the built up in this one are the perfect way to demonstrate a complicated toxic relationship, where you get lost in the other person, where conversations become fights but just one look and you get lost just like the first time. “Wonderland” has in its name a spoiler of how it all went, how the both went crazy with the way they loved, and the toxicity of it all. The instrumental of this, the fast drums in the chorus and the slightly slower in the verses are amazing and are kept just the same.
You Are In Love (Taylor’s Version)
The build of falling in love, the slow way it all becomes clear, all the littles he makes you feel and the little things that make it all just perfect and unique. This is the ultimate love song, the whispered vocals are intimate like you observing someone fall in love, how it happens and just how great being in love is. This song is the devotion to the idea of love and the little things that make wonderful, powerful and human.
From The Vault
Slut! (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault)
The first contact we had with unreleased songs from 1989, and this slow beat song addressing the harassment he received for dating someone, but at the same time saying how the relationship was. Swift is opening up about how ultimate that love felt like, how overwhelming it was, and saying how the partner in question didn’t exactly say they were in love but she knew. The track is just a devotion for how being in love made everything worth it, made slutshaming okay if she got to be with him.
Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault)
This one is one of the sad ones, the lyrics are explaining how she felt when she had to leave, how she just wanted to stay with him, all he had to do was ask. The breakup song is very Taylor coded, and the theme of being alone begging for her partner to just stay or asking for her to stay is in a lot of the songs in the album. Both Vault tracks until now made seem the man in question didn’t exactly say he loved her, even though she was begging for him to open up, but this one specifically is a little more obvious on that, the difference is that she write the figure of losing hope in a relationship it’s knowing that it’s over while being in it.
The instrumental, just as emergent and anxious as the lyric, is a kind of building to the chorus, the strings with the drums match perfectly the feeling she has. To be fully honest this song is similar to “You Are Losing Me” from Midnights in this way, with a fast pace in the chorus and slow pace in the verses.
Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault)
Now we have an upbeat one, this one is the getting over part of the breakup, is knowing stories of the ex-lover from the internet or gossip and not knowing from the person. Is not talking to the person anymore and wanting to know how everything is, is wanting to be there with them but knowing you can’t. Is also a desperation feeling, seeing their life and being jealous of those who can be there. The instrumental of the track is very similar to what she did in Midnights, the constant bass and the syntactic beat and simple drums, besides the sad lyric it can be used to dance.
Suburban Legends (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault)
Another one that’s very Midnights coded, the lyrics one this one are about the overwhelming power of love and the things it makes you overlook things, or change the narrative in your head so this can be as perfect as you want it to be. How it feels to love so much you just ignore the red flags, but also how good everything feels. The outro of the song is the end, is how she understands he’s into the relationship anymore but can break up, so she does it, and then face the aftermath of missing him and knowing he wont be back.
Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault)
And the last track of the piece of art, the vault track explores feelings of the heartbreak but in a reflective way, looking back at the memories and experiences of that relationship and missing it. The chorus when she questions it is really over, being vulnerable and feeling the pain of betrayal.
Taylor’s lyrics are a mirror of the mixed emotions that come along with a break up, but as the theme of many of her songs in 1989, she emphasizes the self respect she has and how in the end she found herself.
1989 (Taylor’s version) is one of her greatest re-records and definitely one of the most anticipated. Everything Taylor did with this one was one point, she manages to get better and better every time she re-releases one of her old albums. And remembering how the 1989 era felt like, is an amazing nostalgia. Looking back at how she delivered everything and how the past nine years changed her as an artist makes me very excited for the last two re-records and all the new albuns she’s gonna put out.
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The article above was edited by Isadora Restiffe.
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