We first featured Taylor Swift when she released her first official pop record, “1989” in 2014. We wrote up how the album solidified my love for her music. Fast forward nine years, countless record-breaking releases, and Grammy Awards later, Taylor Swift is on top of the world, and the revamped “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” sits triumphantly on top of the Billboard charts. What sets this re-recording apart from her past re-releases, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” which also dropped earlier this year, is that this version of “1989” captures the youthful exuberance of the initial record.
Now, all that’s left for Taylor Swift to reclaim is her “Reputation” and name (self-titled album, “Taylor Swift”).
“1989 (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift
2023 was the year of Taylor Swift. She broke every record possible, from sold-out multi-day, multi-city stadium tour dates, spending a record-extending 87th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 list, and releasing a feature-length film of her “Eras Tour,” which has earned an estimated $250 Million at the Global Box Office. The re-recording of her first official pop album released in 2014, “1989” features not only updated vocals of hits such as “Blank Space,” “Style,” and “Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift now owns the rights to her songs as the entire album has been re-recorded.), it includes never-before-released tracks from the vault, “Slut!,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is It Over Now?” It’s hard to believe these tracks didn’t make the initial cut because these songs are top-tier. There’s something magnetic, flirty, and fun about this iteration of these songs; she recaptured the charm.