Taylor Swift’s journey to re-record her first six albums has been a nostalgic journey through eras. The pop icon’s first three Taylor’s Version re-releases – 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now and 2012’s Red – revisited the turmoil of young adulthood and the pain and fog of infatuation of heartbreak from a new perspective, while still honoring the validity of these youthful feelings. For fans, it was a chance to revisit the zeitgeist that the albums captured, while celebrating the pop star regaining control of her master recordings – while hoping they retained the micro-level idiosyncrasies that that made them so effective. No wonder The Eras Tour – a career-spanning, record-breaking excursion – has proven so successful.
So far, the Taylor’s Version albums have been streamlined with crisper instrumentals and cleaner production. Swift’s voice has understandably matured and her country edge has mellowed, meaning some lyrics are delivered with a touch more wisdom or a knowing wink from the other side of heartbreak, rather than the rawness with which she first recorded them has. It is undoubtedly a fascinating exercise.
When it came time to release “1989” exactly nine years ago, Swift decided she was done straddling the line between country and pop and instead dove headfirst into anthems of pop star-assisted stature from powerful producers such as Max Martin, Jack Antonoff and Imogen Heap. While some critics continued to dismiss Swift as a minor country darling, “1989” made people sit up and take notice as she laid out her plans for pop dominance. After “Red” lost out on Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammys, “1989” won two years later, taking home a total of three awards that night.
Although 1989 was billed as an ’80s-inspired synth-pop album, it also forged an identity that was more of an evolution of Swift’s own sound than a cheesy pastiche of her retro influences. “I woke up not with the desire, but with the need to make a new style of music,” she shared in a livestream at the time.
She then revealed “Shake It Off,” the catchiest track of her career with an abundance of infectiously singable hooks. “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is full of those deliciously polished belts that still feel new almost a decade later, from “Blank Space” (“Because you know I love the players / And you love the game” ) to the sizzling key change in “Style” (“You’ve got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes”). In addition to brimming with excitement about change and new beginnings, “1989” also featured Swift’s boldest move yet. The simmering “Bad Blood,” about a not-so-secret feud with a fellow pop star — for whom Swift recruited an all-star entourage in the music video — threw the fabric of our pop culture into turmoil.
Swift wanted to have fun and shared at the time that the record was “not such a young album” because her heart was “not broken beyond repair.” As a result, the songs about Swift’s old friends are gentle, wistful portraits (“Wildest Dreams,” “This Love”) or pop nods to breakup snapshots (“Out Of The Woods,” “I Wish You Would”) rather than spiky ones Replies. However, Swift’s “Vault” tracks from this period paint a different picture. “I can’t believe they were ever left behind,” she shared on social media.
Beneath the surface of 1989’s empowering, blue state of mind, there was an undercurrent of fragile vulnerability. The in-your-face “Bitch!” marks an immediate major change based on the punctuated title alone, as Swift reflects on the ongoing obsession with people keeping tabs on her dating life. “And when they call me a bitch / You know it might be worth it for once,” she sings amid a flurry of glittering synths. More resentment comes to the fore in “Is It Over Now,” in which she addresses an ex with sharp remarks (“You’re looking for something bigger in every model’s bed”) and confesses her toxic impulses (“I’m thinking about very big things to jump). / Just to see you come running / And say the one thing I’ve always wanted.”
“Say Don’t Go” is charged with a similar kind of angst, with Swift singing over crashing drum beats the departure of a lover who left her “bleeding” and “screaming.” But “Now That We Don’t Talk” is the Vault hit. Not only is it brimming with ’80s influences, Swift’s versatile, honeyed vocals are also a standout. There are also wonderfully dry, youthful lyrics like: “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock / Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht / With important men thinking important thoughts.” Suburban Legends’ rich, atmospheric narrative, in turn, recalls the striking details of Swift’s earlier eras, including mentions of mismatched star signs, class reunions, and a ’50s gymnasium.
“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” feels more symbolic than their previous re-releases. Not only is this another step toward a full back catalog of albums she’ll own, but it’s also a celebration of the moment Swift truly took control of her pop sound. As we experience the biggest year of Swift’s career yet, the artist’s ability to reinvent herself while living up to her core concept becomes more and more impressive. The trip down memory lane is a reminder that Taylor Swift’s future may hold so much more that will continue to surprise us.
details
- Release date: October 27, 2023
- Record label: Taylor Swift