Her name is Taylor Swift and she was born in 1989. On October 27, 2014 Swift released her record-breaking pop album 1989 and now, exactly nine years later, the album is out of the woods.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums, making it Swift’s thirteenth album to make No. 1. She also broke the Spotify record for most-streamed album in a day, surpassing her previous album, Midnights.
Fans of the artist (better known as “Swifties”) have been eagerly awaiting the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) since Swift’s big announcement at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on August 9, 2023, the last night of the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour.
This is the fourth out of six albums that Swift has reclaimed as her own, following the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). The master recordings are currently in the hands of music executive Scooter Braun. The re-recordings follow a dispute between the pop star and the manager involving her masters. In 2019, a year after Swift had signed with Universal Music Group’s Republic Record, Braun and his company Ithaca Holdings gained ownership of Big Machine Label Group, which Swift had been with since she started her career. Along with control of the company, Braun also gained access to Swift’s six original albums, as well as the royalties they make. When Swift later announced her plan to re-record her albums, fans supported her immensely, excited to relive her past eras.
“To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the five From the Vault tracks are so insane,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post announcing the album.
As well as containing classic hits like “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space,” the new album contains five previously unreleased “vault” tracks. Swift had her fans racing to complete 33 million puzzles on Google Search by typing in her name and solving word scrambles. Once the puzzles were completed, the five vault track titles were revealed.
Despite the excitement surrounding the new album and the love for the recordings, many believe that the songs are too different from the original. Swift’s voice doesn’t contain the same emotion or rawness exhibited in her original 1989 album. However, as a fan of 1989 ever since its release in 2014, I appreciate the differences and think they’re an important part of re-recordings. Over nine years both Swift and her voice have grown as she leaves her past behind.
“I think that it’s good that she’s finally able to own her songs,” said freshman Lauren Kim. “I don’t mind that her voice has matured.”
The album’s five vault tracks, all produced by composer Jack Antonoff, also provide insight into Swift’s past. Songs like “Now That We Don’t Talk” and “Is It Over Now?” show Swift’s view on her relationship with singer Harry Styles. Had these vault tracks been added to the original 1989, it wouldn’t have been known as the peppy pop album it is today.
“My favorites are ‘Is It Over Now?’ and ‘Slut!’” said Noelle Hamm, a freshman and an avid Swiftie. “I actually love how [“Slut!”] is slower than people thought it was going to be.”
On January seventh, Swift attended the 81st Golden Globe Awards, where she was nominated for cinematic and box office achievement for her concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Although she didn’t win, she was seen enthusiastically applauding the cast and crew of Barbie, which took the victory. The host of the show, comedian Jo Koy, took a jab at Swift and the NFL.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL?” Koy said. “At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”
The camera quickly panned to Swift, who looked unamused as she pursed her lips and took a sip from her champagne glass. Koy is receiving backlash from viewers about his jokes, including a controversial quip at Barbie.
With her next Eras Tour stop in Tokyo, Swift is keeping her fans on the lookout for clues about her next album announcement, which fans suspect to be her vengeful Reputation.
