In the latest installment of Taylor Swift news, the pop star released her latest rerecorded album “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” Two years ago, Swift began rerecording old albums in an effort to own her master recordings. After four aptly titled “Taylor’s Version” releases, it’s safe to say “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” might be her most impressive one yet.
The original “1989” album, released in 2014, catapulted Swift into the pop industry for the first time. Popular tracks like “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” and “Wildest Dreams” contributed hugely to the album’s commercial success, and the project as a whole arguably shifted pop music and pop culture.
After a decade of making pop music, Swift’s added experience has managed to take the already groundbreaking “1989” to new heights.
Since the original album’s release, Swift’s voice has grown stronger and more expressive. She has developed an impressive and seamless vocal range as she recently explored her stellar alto register. Largely because of her vocal improvement, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” exceeds the original version by a cosmic margin.
Her most impressive vocal change came in the rerecorded track “I Know Places.” Throughout the song, Swift’s voice sounds fuller. But the pinnacle comes during the second pre-chorus when she belts, “And we run,” with a level of conviction unheard of in a studio version of any other Swift song. Her guttural tone expands into a growl. It’s exhilarating, intoxicating. At several other points, Swift wields her voice as an instrument to exaggerate her storytelling. Putting emphasis on lines like “Oh Lord” in the vault track “Is It Over Now?” or “baby” in “Shake It Off” not only magnifies these words but adds a level of sultriness to them.
In addition to her vocal progression, producer Jack Antonoff somehow elevated the production of songs that had already seemed perfect. Antonoff, who produced both versions of the album, created a fuller and crisper sound with additional texture this time around. Perhaps only the diehard Swifties will pick up on these subtle changes, but at this point, who isn’t a diehard Swiftie?
With her Taylor’s Version albums, Swift includes songs “From the Vault,” which are tracks initially cut from the original album. With the five new tracks on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” (“Slut!,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is It Over Now?”), Antonoff continued the distinct “1989” sound of the album, inspired heavily by 80s synth-pop. This time, he added elements from the pair’s latest album, “Midnights,” which features a consistent bass sound, hazy production, and experimental voice manipulation.
Swift and Antonoff deftly experiment with pacing when producing and arranging these tracks. “Let’s fast forward to three hundred takeout coffees later,” Swift sings in “Is It Over Now?” as the rhythm progresses metronomically. She continues to the bridge, singing, “Only rumors ’bout my hips and thighs/And my whispered sighs,” emphasizing each syllable and “s” sound in a way so satisfying that listeners can’t get it out of their heads.
Many production choices have a palpable influence from some of Antonoff’s other clients. They feature Haim’s rhythmic repetition, signature Bleachers synths, and Lorde’s song progression style. “Say Don’t Go” capitalizes on each of these influences. Swift’s voice is deep and resounding as she replicates Lorde’s sickeningly beautiful but haunting notes. “Say, say, say, say,” she chants in a cadence similar to Haim, while Bleachers ticking synth notes fill the background.
But her lyricism will always remain sacred and unique to the Swift sound. In “Slut!” she expertly echoes “love” over and over again. “Got love-struck, went straight to my head/Got lovesick all over my bed/Love to think you’ll never forget,” she sings as she transcends listeners into a fairytale, synths twinkling in the background. “Lovelorn and nobody knows/Love thorns all over this rose,” she continues as she builds on the idea that love is all-consuming.
Through most of the vault tracks, Swift reportedly reflects on her alleged relationship-turned-situationship with singer Harry Styles. In each song, she extracts uber-specific details from their relationship with a level of candor not present on the original album: “If she’s got blue eyes, I will surmise that you’ll probably date her … You search in every model’s bed for somethin’ greater, baby.” In an upbeat tempo, Swift perfects her comedic timing.
Her quippy one-liners prevail throughout the tracks, giving the album an authentic yet melodramatic feeling. “And my whole life’s ruined,” she sings in “Suburban Legends.”
Although many of the lyrics are playful, and the vibrant production gives the illusion that these songs are happy, Swift slips in deep parts of herself. Shielded in humor, certain lines reveal the inner workings of her mind and the tragic reality of her life. “Oh, Lord, I think about jumpin’/Off of very tall somethings/Just to see you come runnin’,” she sings. Her honesty here is more reminiscent of sentiments from her album “Midnights,” released in 2022 and featuring lines like “I’m a monster on a hill.” This level of honesty was not present in the original “1989,” making Swift’s vault tracks an important shift for her discography as a whole.
From start to finish, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” mesmerizes listeners through a journey of love, loss, and learning. Swift returns to her strongest form with a collection of pop perfection. And with her most cohesive set of vault songs, Swift has cracked the code on how to craft a Taylor’s Version album. By the last song, Swift repeats “Is It Over Now?” but till the very last note, listeners hold on, hoping it won’t come to an end.
I absolutely drank in every sweet detail of this. Incredibly well crafted and thoughtfully articulated!