Taylor Swift just released her fourth out of an expected six rerecorded albums “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” In an instagram post announcing the re-record, Swift appointed “1989” to be her “most FAVORITE re-record.” In an attempt to reclaim her art, Swift rerecords the original version of her early albums. “1989” was a drastic shift from the “brutally honest, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness” aspect of her country music.
Swift’s “(Taylor’s Version)” rerecords are highly-anticipated releases and are new bodies of work in their own right. The new maturity and modification of her older songs don’t make up most of the hype. Taylor’s “From The Vault” tracks are what generate a sizable amount of buzz. “1989” included five “from the vault” tracks including “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Sl*t,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is It Over Now?” One day later, the pop icon released a one additional track deluxe album, including “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar) (Taylor’s Version).”
The high hopes I had for songs like “Out Of The Woods,” “I Wish You Would,” “I Know Places,” and “New Romantics,” were beyond my wildest dreams. Similarly, the “From The Vault” tracks are what I was missing from the Swiftie-proclaimed pop-bible. I had a fear that songs with gut-wrenching lyrics would be met with brain-easing sounds, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was met with just-as-emotional production. Coming from a regular listener of overtly poignant music, the tracks put me in that wonderland of emotion I was missing before. For me, this album catalyzed a previously-devoid appreciation for the pop genre.
An issue I had after the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was the deluxe version release the next day. I expected to see a roster of brand-new collaborations, including the speculated inclusion of Harry Styles. However, all I saw was one additional song, “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar) (Taylor’s Version),” which was originally released as a single in 2018. Although I can appreciate his rap contribution to the already amazing body of work, a single-song deluxe isn’t worth its own release.
While listening to the album, I never found myself asking “Is it over now?” Which is why if you consider yourself an average listener of Swift, this album has the ability to make you a regular. From the dreamy image-painting, to the forlorn despair-striking songwriting, I’m in agreement with Swift when she said it’s her “most favorite re-record.” Overall, this album encourages me to deep-dive into more of the genre, I have an affinity for more weighted and doleful sounds, but sonically, this body of work filled in the blank space of pop in my playlists. The inclusion of five brand-new songs helped me fall in love with something I previously was only partial to, and I’m glad to say this love will definitely stick around. Despite the bad blood I have with the deluxe album, Lamar’s inclusion was more than a necessity.
