Taylor Swift is arguably the most popular artist of this generation, an idol who appears to be a trajectory to remain a superstar for years to come. Between 2006 when she released her self-titled debut album and now, she has broken numerous sales records, including now with her most recent release, “1989 Taylor’s Version.”
According to the Billboard 200, the release scored the No. 1 spot, with first-week sales the biggest since 2015 when Adele released her commendable 25 album. This accomplishment makes for Swift’s 13th No. 1 spot on the chart. Fun fact: Swift’s favorite number is 13. She claimed in an interview with MTV News that her fascination with the number 13 all started with the date of her birthday, Dec. 13, 1989.
There are a few main focuses for these remakes, one being the differences between the original and the next being the “From The Vault” songs. These songs are extremely special because they didn’t make the cut for the original album.
“I loved the additional tracks to the album. I think they were very relatable and added to the vibe of the album,” said sophomore Sophia Branch, a self-proclaimed Swiftie.
In addition to adding these missing songs to the new album to keep it fresh, the remaking of some published songs reflect the fact that the masters from Swift’s albums from “Debut” to “Reputation” were stolen by her ex-manager Scooter Braun, so she no longer gets the credit for them. Fans appear to approve Swift’s efforts to take back control of her work.
“I like “Taylor’s Version” better [than the originals] because her voice is more mature and it’s just better because she owns it,” said sophomore Emily Cheripka.
There are five new “From The Vault” songs. The song titles were released beforehand, so Swiftie fans tried to guess what they may be about or sound like. One of the most surprising ones was “Slut!” which critics assumed would have angry connotations about what haters and social media trolls call her. While this turned out to be somewhat true, the song had a purpose of showing those trolls that Swift can brush them off, and that she’s okay being called names if she is with the person she loves.
Another “From The Vault” song is “Now That We Don’t Talk.” At the moment, this is her most popular FTV song because of the backlash against Harry Styles. When 1989 the original was in the works, Swift was dating Styles for a brief period of time. For a while, fans believed it was a publicity stunt and that they were only good friends.
But with the release of “Now That We Don’t Talk,” its many undertones indicate that Harry may have cheated on Swift. Lyrics such as “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock” appear to refer to the last song Styles performed on his “Love on Tour” which was “The End” by the acid rock band The Doors. Meanwhile, the line “Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht” appears to be a dig at a famous “fight” in which paparazzi caught the two of them on a yacht. This song has also become a social media trend on TikTok where people post their own twist on why they’re happy they don’t talk to their exes anymore.
Taylor’s music has had an impact on social media and the personal lives of millions who listen to her songs. Part of her allure is that she loves to provide a puzzle for her fans to follow, adding “Easter eggs” in music videos and hidden words in songs to keep her fans involved and entertained. The last two albums to soon have a Taylor’s Version are “Debut” and “Reputation.” All that is left is to see whether they will beat “1989 Taylor’s Version,” something which I strongly recommend you add to your listening collection.
