Taylor Swift’s fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), was released on October 27, 2023. Unsurprisingly, it became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day this year. It also made Swift the most-streamed artist in a single day in the history of Spotify.
The original version of 1989 was released on October 27, 2014. It spent its first year after its release on the Billboard 200. The album also won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards alongside many more awards at various other award shows.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) is such an amazing album. Swift somehow managed to make songs I viewed as perfect even better. If anyone could prove that it’s possible to improve on perfection, it’s Taylor Swift. The re-recordings of the original sixteen tracks are phenomenal and the addition of “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar is iconic. However, arguably the most anticipated part of the re-recorded albums are always the vault tracks.
On every re-recorded album, Swift adds a handful of songs that didn’t make the original record. So, not only do her fans get to enjoy an updated version of their favorite albums, but they also get new songs to fall in love with. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) got the addition of five vault tracks: “Slut!,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is It Over Now?”.
“Slut!” is a dreamy pop song about how the media labels Swift as a “slut,” and although that deeply hurts her, she’ll take the label if it means she gets to be with her partner. Similarly to her song “Blank Space,” she takes the rude comments towards her and her dating life and turns them into art. She sings, “And if they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once”.
Swift commonly disguises a sad song in an upbeat pop song and “Say Don’t Go” is no exception. Lyrics about emotional turmoil, longing, and heartbreak are put over a danceable melody and beat. The lyrics, “Why’d you have to lead me on? / Why’d you have to twist the knife? / Walk away and leave me bleedin’, bleedin’?” make up the first half of the chorus.
“Now That We Don’t Talk” is about coming to terms with the end of a relationship and watching the person you once knew, go through changes that you’re no longer involved in. The song is extremely relatable and catchy. My favorite lyrics are, “I cannot be your friend, so I pay the price of what I lost / And what it cost, now that we don’t talk.”
Yet another sad song set to an upbeat track is “Suburban Legends.” This song is about the end of a relationship with someone thought to be “the one.” As usual, Swift uses vivid imagery throughout the song. The lyric, “I broke my own heart ‘cause you were too polite to do it,” really stuck out to me during my first listen.
“Is It Over Now?” is my favorite vault track. It is extremely fun to listen to as a Swiftie who knows all of the lore behind this album. “Red blood, white snow / Blue dress, on a boat,” if you know, you know. This track is about an on-again and off-again relationship involving betrayal and confusion.
The original album came out when I was eleven years old and it was the first album I absolutely fell in love with. I owe so much of my love for music to 1989 and I am so grateful I got to listen to this album for the first time all over again. It was a truly magical experience.