KYLEE LARY
PHOTOGRAPHER
KYLE CHOKAS
STAFF WRITER
11/6/2023
Taylor Swift has been the talk of the town as of late. Recently, she released her re-recording of her well-loved bubble-gum pop debut, 1989. Over the last three years, Swift has been re-recording her older albums, from her debut album aptly named after her, to her angsty, yet heartfelt album Reputation, slowly filling in each and every era in between in whatever order she pleases. 1989 Taylor’s Version comes with five new tracks.
Through the vault tracks, exclusive tracks that weren’t on the original albums, Swift adds a deeper level for listeners, taking them through these moments that she lived through and felt nearly a decade ago. Listeners will feel her heartbreak and see how she feels about how she was viewed by the media at the time.
Swift’s vocals are much deeper and more mature than they were in 2014 when 1989 was originally released, adding an edge to the album that pokes into the soul and takes veteran listeners back to wherever they were in 2014 when they first heard the album.
In the first of the vault tracks, Slut, Swift talks about how the media perceived her and her relationships at the time. Around the time of this album’s initial release, Swift was facing backlash because of her dating life and this track, is her way of slamming the media and press. It’s a strong response from Swift against the hatred she once endured and, having watched her documentary Miss Americana on Netflix, this song is an even deeper cut than it may have originally been perceived.
The second and third vault tracks, Say Don’t Go and Now That We Don’t Talk, seemingly talk about her rumored relationship with male artist Harry Styles, a former member of One Direction, and how their break-up affected Swift. Both tracks are beautifully done, and sound similar to tracks you would hear on her 2022 release Midnights.
Suburban Legends and Is It Over Now, vault tracks four and five, are reminders of the ups and downs that one may face in life, no matter their celebrity status. We’re able to see the love and lust in Suburban Legends and the heartbreak and betrayal of Is It Over Now.
Personally, my favorite of the new vault tracks is Say Don’t Go because I feel an emotional connection to the words that Swift is saying and I’m able to relate some of the lyrics back to personal experiences.
Now That We Don’t Talk has been blowing up online, specifically on the video posting app TikTok and users are posting videos using the track to call out former friendships or relationships. There are currently 28,000 videos using the track.
Of all the re-recorded tracks, Clean and Style sound the most different from their previous counterparts with Swift’s deeper vocals and matured voice really shining through within the songs. However, these changes aren’t accepted by many fans with some being upset online about the changes within both tracks and claiming that it strips away the magic of the original tracks.
In other Taylor news, The Almanian hosted their Taylor Swift Night on Oct. 27 in the Thomas Andison Memorial Chapel and had a great turnout. Fans of Swift were able to meet up and celebrate Swift’s music and accomplishments over the last 16 years over themed cookies, sparkling juices, music and trivia.
