Breaking news for all Taylor Swift fans, five never before heard songs have officially “leaked” online. If you’re not as deep into the swiftie fanbase, this might come as breaking news. On March 1st, Twitter got access to “Forever Winter,” “This Is What You Came For,” “Drama Queen,” “All of the Girls,” and “Need.”
If the song “Forever Winter” might sound familiar, that’s because it was recently released on Swift’s remastered version of Red (2012) as a “From the Vault” track. There’s a noticeable difference in the production style on this track; it has louder drums and a guitar at the beginning. The most significant difference is a change in the outro lyric in this version. She sings, “He says why fall in love and I say cause I won’t go away.” Which was later changed to “I say, “Believe in one thing, I won’t go away.”
Finally, getting access to the rumored “This Is What You Came For” with Taylor’s vocals was the biggest surprise. For those who didn’t know, the 2016 hit by Calvin Harris and Rihanna was initially written by Taylor under the pseudonym “Nils Sjoberg,” along with providing backing vocals to the track- if you listen closely. Taylor’s version stays pretty in tune with the original by Rihanna, including all the same lyrics and production.
“Drama Queen” is a rumored reject from 2010’s Speak Now that was written around 2008, according to a fan that created a master list of all of Taylor’s unreleased work. “Drama Queen” is straight out of Taylor’s country era, as you can hear her primarily acoustic guitars. The song is reminiscent of another track off Speak Now, “Better than Revenge,” which covers the topic of an ex’s new partner and the animosity between all the parties involved. Taylor sings, “’Cause you’re a heartbreaker and she’s a little drama queen / I’m a little over it and she’s still not me” in the chorus, followed by “Maybe I’m a little less obsessed, but she’s impressed / And I should mention, she’s starving for attention” in the second verse.
The two most exciting songs in the leak were “All of the Girls” and “Need,” which were rejects from 2019’s Lover. Of all these tracks, I am obsessed with “All of the Girls.” It starts with soulful keyboards and drums as Taylor describes how she and her lover have lived multiple lives that led them to each other. She sings, “Your past and mine are parallel lines / Stars all aligned, they intertwined” in the first verse, followed by “All of the girls you’ve loved before / Made you the one I’ve fallen for / Every dead-end street led you straight to me.” Furthermore, Taylor showcases her incredible vocal range in the ending chorus, repeating the mantra of “The girls you’ve loved before / Made you the one I’ve fallen for.”
The final track, “Need,” also from Lover, is a close look into the danger and passion she feels in this relationship. She sings, “Passion is a passing thing / It’s accidental chemistry / Lust is a liar, a short-lived fire / It ain’t what you and I are at all” in the chorus.” I would argue that this song would’ve been a fan favorite if it had been released. I love the production on this track, as it starts and stops throughout, along with vocal effects on the chorus and bridge.
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling impatient. While I have all these tracks downloaded to my laptop, I need Taylor to release these tracks officially. I’m hopeful that we could get “Drama Queen” with the eventual rerelease of Speak Now, but that might just be wishful thinking.