As all Swifties alike may know, Taylor Swift has been working bravely for the past three years, rewriting, rerecording, and releasing all of her old studio albums. For those of you who don’t know, in the year 2019, the record label that Swift had belonged to was bought out by Scooter Braun. Making a long story short, this led to all the rights of Swift’s past albums to be taken away. Swift, being the powerful independent woman she is, couldn’t rest with this, so she took matters into her own hands. For the past three years, Swift has worked endlessly to re-record the old albums that mean so much to her, and has even released a few tracks from the past that have yet to see the light of day, known as tracks “From the Vault”.
“1989” is the latest album to be re-recorded, and by the power invested in me by my 17 years of Swiftie history, I am bringing you an honest, real review of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”. I am going to go through a few of the significant moments that must not go unrecognized.
It is essential to point out the maturity Swift’s voice has gained from album to album, and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is certainly no exception. You can hear the confidence and strength radiate from her voice as she sings this new version of the album. I really noticed this growth within “Blank Space (Taylor’s Version)”. The pronunciation of each lyric is so much more clear. The lyric, “got a long list of ex-lovers”, which has in the past been mistaken for several different phrases like “Starbucks lovers”, is clearly pronounced in the re-recording.
“Style” was amazing, despite the fans’ conspiracy theory of Harry Styles contributing to track not coming to fruition. As much as the reality of that possibility was slim to none, growing up as both a Swiftie and Directioner, I had an immense amount of un-granted false hope.
With songs like “All You Had To Do Was Stay (Taylor’s Version)”, “Clean (Taylor’s Version)”, and “How You Get the Girl (Taylor’s Version)”, I felt as if I could hear the truth within Swift’s voice. I think something that is so special about these recordings is that Swift has experienced so much more since the time of the original album release, giving her more time to sit with the emotions that first created these records.
When listening to songs like this when I was little, I paid attention to no more than the beat of the song, and the joy the track brought me. Now, as I have grown, I truly feel the songs. I listen to each and every lyric and contemplate how each verse connects to a part of myself. I feel like I have grown up alongside Swit, just a few years behind having some of the experiences she had for myself. Hearing the honesty and rawness of Swift’s voice when singing these songs really resonated within me, and made me feel just a little more connected with her than I already did.
Skipping forward a few tracks, I want to discuss the amazing vault tracks. The vault tracks are always so exciting. Hearing a new song created from the history within the other already released songs is such a complex concept. Piecing parts of the new and old songs together to tell an even greater story is one of my favorite parts of the Taylor’s Version albums. My two favorite vault tracks are “Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”, and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”. I always choose my favorite songs based on the emotions evoked from hearing each one, and by far, I can say that I relate and understand these songs the most. Swift truly goes to great lengths to remind me that each experience I have had is a universal one that is felt, heard, and most importantly, understood by so many. Both of these songs feel as if they are from the perspective of someone reflecting a relationship after it has ended. Getting to finally look back on what you’ve gone through instead of analyzing a current situation. I really like that perspective of reflection, and think that’s why these songs stand out to me the most.
It is essential to take a quick moment for the duo that is Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” has always been a secret favorite of mine. I significantly remember being at the 1989 World Tour, with Taylor on stage performing “Bad Blood”, and me singing along to the song with the Kendrick Lamar ad libs. I love that Taylor got Kendrick Lamar to be a part of this rerelease with her as well, with “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar) (Taylor’s Version)”.
Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”. “1989” has always held a special place in my heart, and now that all the rights belong to the rightful owner, Ms. Swift herself, the album means even more to me. I can’t wait to continue to stream the album on repeat, and I hope that this review has persuaded you to give the album a proper listen!