“Taylor’s Version” Mania, Explained

Taylor Swift needs no introduction. She is an absolute pop culture phenomenon right now. And I, like many others, have been swept up in the hype. I don’t know if I would call myself a “Swiftie,” but I am a pretty big fan of Taylor Swift’s music. And one of the most exciting parts of being a Taylor Swift fan is her album re-records.  

Taylor Swift has six albums that she is going to re-record and re-release. She’s released four so far, and Swifties are waiting with bated breath for the final releases. But what is the purpose of these “Taylor’s Versions?” When will the next one be released? And why is every Swiftie freaking out about it? 

The Reason Why 

The reasons for Swift re-recording her albums boil down to one man in particular: Scooter Braun. In 2019, Swift posted on Tumblr about how Scooter Braun, a music manager, now owned her albums from her first self-titled to the recently released Reputation. She had not wanted Scott Borchetta, her former record executive, to sell them to him at all, alleging past bullying from Braun and artists he managed. Swift wrote that she knew Borchetta would eventually sell her masters, but, as she wrote, “never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter.” 

There was a lot of back and forth between Big Machine Records (Swift’s old record label) and Swift’s camp over the next year or so, before Taylor Swift announced her big news: she was re-recording her albums. The process began in November 2020, and no one quite knew when everything would launch. 

That ended when Taylor released Love Story (Taylor’s Version) on Feb. 11, 2021, and then released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) on Apr. 9 of the same year. It received positive reviews and outsold the original Fearless.  

The next re-release, Red (Taylor’s Version), was released in November 2021 and was similarly well-received. But then, one year later, the wholly original album Midnights was released, so people figured she’d be taking a break from re-recording for a while. 

Later in 2022, The Eras Tour was announced, and all h*ll broke loose. Between the Ticketmaster wars and surprise songs, the tour was already shaping up to be incredibly iconic. Again, everyone figured that any sort of new album, including the last four re-records, wouldn’t be happening for a long time.  

Then, Taylor Swift proved that she does not sleep, because she announced the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in May 2023. In August, she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Now, Swift only has two more re-records to release, and she will officially own her entire back catalogue again.  

People are still theorizing about what re-record will be the next one to come out. It might be Taylor Swift, her first album, or it might be Reputation, the last album she released with Big Machine Records. Some Swifties out there believe that we might get Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) and Reputation (Taylor’s Version) at the same time. However, many believe that Swift is more likely to release the re-recorded version of Reputation first so that her first ever album will be the last one released. As Jessica Derschowitz wrote for The Vulture, “there’s something extremely poetic about closing this rerecording chapter with her first record.” 

The Circus Comes to Town 

Here’s the thing, though; Now that everyone believes that Reputation is the next re-recording to be released, everyone is theorizing about when it will happen. The speculation has been happening as early as 2022, when Swift arrived at the VMAs in a fabulous diamond dress. Fans wondered if she had something up her sleeve (perhaps the Reputation re-record?) But no, she just announced Midnights instead. Whatever (I say, despite enjoying Midnights).  

After Midnights, the Eras Tour beginning, and the announcement of 1989’s re-record, speculation began again. One theory was that the “S” in “Taylor’s Version” looked like a snake. Which meant…well, no one was quite sure. But everyone was pretty sure Reputation (Taylor’s Version) was coming soon. This theory was furthered when on Feb. 4, 2024, Swift’s website crashed, leaving an error message and a mysterious set of letters that was eventually deciphered to read “red herring.” This happened only a couple of hours before the Grammys, where Taylor had been nominated for Album of the Year. She showed up to the ceremony in the most Reputation-coded outfit anyone had ever seen. All her friends were in black-and-white outfits. Everyone was convinced that tonight was the night of Reputation. 

And then, Taylor Swift got up on stage to accept the award for “Best Pop Vocal Album,” looked everyone in the eye and announced that she was releasing a new album: The Tortured Poets Department. The internet lost its mind.  

At this point, no one has any idea when the heck Reputation (Taylor’s Version) might come out. The theories have gotten so wild that it seems like Swifties are just picking a date and hoping Swift will announce Reputation then. Even I got clowned early this November when signs around Indianapolis were hinting at the new re-record, and then I had my dreams crushed very quickly when she, of course, did not announce Reputation that night.  

So, Why Are We Talking About This? 

It’s equally frustrating and fun to theorize about the “Taylor’s Versions.” Even though it drives me bonkers, one of my favorite things is sending my Swiftie friend all the crazy re-recording theories I can find. However, the “Taylor’s Version” conversation has made me wonder if Taylor Swift fans are taking the theorizing too far. Taylor Swift has been on tour almost non-stop for over a year at this point, and in that time, she’s released two re-recordings, a concert film, a brand-new album, and several music videos. Shouldn’t fans be satisfied with all that without constantly hoping for another album release? 

Even though I am excited for the new Reputation, I believe that the constant focus on what will be the next “big thing” really inhibits fandoms from appreciating what they already have. It is important to balance excitement with gratitude to the people that produce the art we enjoy.  

But also, Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is being announced on Dec. 8 and no one can convince me otherwise. 

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