Taylor Swift released “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on Oct. 27, which was announced during her Eras Tour. Fans, otherwise known as “Swifties,” were incredibly excited for this album, counting the days until it was dropped. I myself was thrilled when she announced it. The original album was a highlight of my childhood, so hearing her own version of the album is incredibly nostalgic.
In a nutshell, Swift left Big Machine Records, where she recorded her first six albums, and then Scooter Braun acquired them. This was devastating for her because she was in the process of trying to buy back her masters. In response, she revealed that she would be re-recording her first six albums and adding extra songs to have her own twist on them. Jumping to 2023, she has officially re-recorded four of those six albums.
As a kid, I greatly enjoyed “Shake it Off” and “Bad Blood,” but I don’t love those songs as much as I used to. Now my favorites are “Clean” and “You Are in Love” off of “1989 (Deluxe Edition).” The original album has 13 songs but the Deluxe Edition has three additional songs and three voice memos, so that is a total of 19 songs. However, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” will have the original 13 songs, the three additional ones from the deluxe, and five “From the Vault” songs.
The new vocals on the album’s original tracks adds a new sense of cohesion to the record. Personally, I prefer this record to the original because it makes me feel good knowing that she owns this album. Despite the songs themselves being the same, they sound better and more mature. Across the record, she tethers the feeling of true love and the feeling of losing it. One track in particular, “This Love,” explains it perfectly. She sings, “These hands had to let it go free and this love came back to me.” Her delivery is light and airy with a joyous tone, conveying the warm hug that love embraces you with.
Swift has been known for her intimate, open-hearted songwriting, and on the album she proves this to be true in her five additional songs. While these songs lack the nostalgic feeling of the original songs, they also reveal what it means to be someone in love and the aftermath. Towards the end of “Suburban Legends,” Swift paints a vivid picture of a powerful relationship with mentions of destiny, connection and heartache: “We were born to be suburban legends, when you hold me it holds me together, and you kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever.”
This record has some immaculate highs, like the tug-of-war yearning on “I Wish You Would,” and the teen euphoria of “New Romantics.” It’s easy for me to put “1989” lower in Swift’s catalog, however these songs are long-lasting and romantic. Although “1989 (Taylors Version)” isn’t exactly like its original, it definitely hasn’t lost its touch.