Over the past 3 years Taylor Swift has started her journey to rerecording and reclaiming her masters. As of last night, 4 out of her 6 albums are hers again. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was an immediate hit, instantly claiming top spots on the iTunes and billboard hot 100 chart. The album contains 16 rerecorded songs from the original 1989 album, and 5 new “From The Vault” songs that didn’t make the cut the first time around.
Swift’s original version of 1989 is iconic. It won her 2nd of 3 grammy album of the year, and countless other awards. Getting to reclaim the album as hers has been something she and her fans have been looking forward to since she started her rerecording journey in 2021 with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Since then she has also reclaimed Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and now 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Now, all that she has left to get back are her name (Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version)), and her reputation (Taylor’s Version). The 5 vault tracks on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) are “Slut!”, “Say Don’t Go”, “Now That We Don’t Talk”, “Suburban Legends”, and “Is It Over Now?”
“1989 is the album that made me a Swiftie.” sophomore River Richard said. “I can still remember hearing it for the first time and being drawn in. This is the rerecording I’ve been looking forward to the most, and I love all of the vault tracks. I don’t think I could pick just 1.”
“Slut!” is the lead single, the most promoted song, and is rumored to have a music video in the coming weeks. The song is not at all what fans expected. It is a slow, almost ballad love song, instead of an upbeat pop song as was expected.
“When listening to the song, I feel like I can be delusional and create my own fantasy,” junior Bella Hinojosa said. “It’s such a sweet love song, and makes me hopeful that I’ll have a relationship like that someday.”
“Say Don’t Go” is the second of the vault tracks, and was an instant hit for many. The beginning reels the listener in, and then the second the beat drops you can’t help but be in shock.
“I can still remember the first time I heard this song,” junior Nonie Foyt said. “In my pre-listening predictions, I actually had this song at the bottom of my list, but after my first listen it immediately went to the top. It’s such a good pop song, and fits in perfectly with the vibe of 1989. I can’t believe it was left off the album in the first place, and I’m so glad that the world gets to enjoy it now.”
“Now That We Don’t Talk” is the third vault track, and Swift’s shortest song ever. At 2 minutes and 27 seconds, the song gets right to the point. It’s an upbeat, catchy pop song that took the Swiftie community by storm and is in many people’s top song rankings.
“Most of the time when I make predictions about which songs will be my favorite on an album, I’m normally wrong,” junior Chloe Christian said. “But not this time! I guessed that ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’ would be my favorite vault track, and I was right. It’s so catchy and I love the way the bridge fits perfectly with the end and how it ends so suddenly in the middle of the chorus.”
“Suburban Legends”, which is assumed to be a take on the common phrase, “Urban Legends” is another upbeat track that is about 2 people who fall in love in a suburban town, and reconnect years later. It’s the least popular vault track.
“Suburban legends” is just so catchy,” junior Emma Nagel said. “Going into the album I was really excited to hear this one, because the title makes it sound so interesting. One of my favorite things about Taylor is when she writes songs that are totally fiction and just stories, so I’m really happy that there’s a track like that on 1989.”
“Is it over now?” is the fifth and final vault track, and after just a few days is already the most loved vault song. It tells the story of Swift’s relationship with Harry Styles in a new way that was totally unexpected to fans. The song is an upbeat pop song that sounds similar to other songs from 1989, but also has gut-punching lyrics such as, “You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor, you search in every model’s bed for something greater.”
“I was totally not expecting to like this one as much as I do, but as soon as I heard the chorus, I was hooked,” junior Ellie Kellington said. “It’s not just a catchy song, the lyrics are insane. Like, “I dream of jumping off of very tall somethings just to see you come running”, I was in total shock when I first heard it. I think it’s the perfect song to end the perfect album.”
