It is here: perhaps the most anticipated re-recording to everyone who is interested in the work of Taylor Alison Swift. It was the one album that truly defined her status as the Pop Princess (and drama queen), the one album that gives us the most iconic songs that even laymen would know. It was a sensation in 2014, and Swift is taking on this legacy even further.
To be honest, those who know me would know that I am more of a Speak Now stan who is still a bit upset over the fact that its re-recording was not promoted enough but still, I woke up at 5 in the early morning to listen to all the tracks in 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Unsurprisingly, it does not disappoint me. “Welcome to New York” sets up the theme of the album perfectly as ever. It is a big city album, one that gives you a glimpse over the kaleidoscope of metropolitan life: streets that never sleep, people who never go out of style, and relationships that feel like the movies. The sound of the original 16 tracks takes you back to 2014-2015: a time when you were impressionable, reckless, and free. It takes you to the time when you were in middle school, just doing things teenagers do. In addition, to perfect the full 1989 experience, she also found Kendrick Lamar to re-record the iconic “Bad Blood” remix which was featured in the award-winning music video of the song (this remix is in the deluxe version of the album which was released at midday, UK time). With improved acoustics, Swift’s voice in the re-recording is truer to her live performance than that in the original. With more solid low notes and belts, as well as clearer enunciation, you can also see the improvements in her vocal technique over the years.
However, this comes with a downside: a decrease in explicit emotions compared to the originals. Her vocal techniques are clearly better in “Blank Space”, but her angry belt after the bridge has lost the rawness in the original. Similarly, instead of the growling voice in the original, her improved lower register made her sound more sombre, instead, in the verses of “Bad Blood”. Another notable thing is that her interpretation of some of the songs has changed: “Style” has become a more frivolous affair than a drama that echoes “Out of the Woods” in the original, while “New Romantics” sounded more playful than the original with the more girlish (falsetto-ish) vocalisations in the chorus… got to also note that her laugh in “Shake it off” is more infectious than ever. Alas, it has been 9 years since the original, and there have been a lot of things that have happened to Swift herself: like her artistry, her public persona has grown as well after all the lessons she learnt. Nevertheless, Swift’s renditions of her iconic hits are highly satisfactory.
Now we move on to the vault tracks. For those who are not aware, the vault tracks were songs that were written but never made it to the original album. It was rumoured that she had written over 100 songs for the original album, but there was nowhere to trace the claims. Still, Swift has hand-picked 5 previously unreleased tracks that are placed after the original 16 in the order. Musically, they resembled the songs in “Midnights”, Swift’s most recent pop album. In my humble opinion, this makes the album 2023 instead of a cover of a 2014 album. As you see, the vault tracks were written between 2013 and 2014, yet Swift is performing them in her current capabilities. Together with Jack Antonoff’s production, the vault tracks transformed 1989 into the ultimate heartbreak drama, as intended to illustrate this tumultuous era in Swift’s career. Starting with “Slut!”, the sister song to “Blank Space”, we were taken to a dreamy mansion where the main character self-ruminates over the slut-shaming. Then, we have “Say Don’t Go” which shows a scene where the main partner’s relationship was in a crisis. “Now That We Don’t Talk” is the song where the main character decided to cut the cord with the partner; but then, “Suburban Legends” tells us that even though the cord was broken, the main character was still reflecting about the expectations that they meant to meet when they first started. “Is It Over Now?” is the continuation of the remembering of the lost relationship that does not seem to end, closing this dramatic heartbreak sequence, and it is also the perfect closing track to this drama-filled album.
Compared to the vault tracks in Swift’s last re-recording, it was different than what I expected (and a little bit disappointed as most of them sounded similar). It took me a week to make up my mind on whether I like them or not. Among all, “Slut!” stands out the most to me as the colour of the song is closer to “Lover”, which is a rarity for Swift’s work after 2019. One could sympathise with the main character even if one does not have a long list of ex-lovers as they followed her train of thought: after a pool party with all her friends and acquaintances whom she invited over, she was all alone. This is also a song perfect for you to listen to when you are up for savouring some fancy after-party imagery. So far, I have been listening to it again and again more than any of the other tracks in this album. As for the other 4, I would say, they sounded a bit generic (aside from the fact that “Say Don’t Go” wrecked my emotions) and not as iconic as the original tracks. It was a high bar for Swift and Antonoff to hit but at least, the results are decent and good enough for social media trends.
All in all, after 9 years, 1989 is still an album that you will listen to whenever you need something to uplift your spirits, even with all the drama. Undoubtedly, this was a dramatic time for Swift (and as a swiftie since 2015, I have watched them all), and the selection of songs perfectly reflected it. Like it or not, Swift has given a fair refurbishment to this iconic era.
Rating: 10/10