Taylor Swift. We all know her, she’s the blondie with red lips; an American singer who made a transition from country to pop and has maintained a very successful career since the age of 14. Taylor Swift has made a total of ten studio albums with now four re-recorded albums. Many may believe that these re-recordings are all a business plot for Taylor but, it’s truly for her to reclaim what she has made and having the ability to call it her own.
Swift signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 at the age of 15 and recorded her first six albums with them. This is how she met Scooter Braun. After Swift decided to leave Big Machine, Scooter Braun decided to take a type of ownership of those first six albums that were written and sang by Swift. Imagine this: you take an entire week to write an essay on a topic you’re passionate about for a class. When you turn it in, your teacher notices how successful it may be and decides to submit it to a competition, but when it wins, your teacher takes the trophy for themselves for simply noticing your achievement. Wouldn’t you be a little angry? This relates to Swift as Braun tries to earn profit based on albums that she has created. This is why now, as she has matured and created her four albums, (Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights) she has produced them and owns them. In the last couple of years, she has been able to reclaim her earlier albums: Red, Fearless, and Speak Now. This last Friday October 27th, Taylor reclaimed her album 1989 by adding five new “vault” tracks. This includes “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” “Is It Over Now?,” and another song whose title “shall not be named” because it is a bit much to share in a school newspaper.
1989 – the stolen version – came out on October 27th, 2014. This album marked the transition of her change to the pop music industry. Taylor was just twenty-four when she released this album and wrote about her relationships and emotions at the time. The standard stolen version of 1989 has 13 songs including songs like “Blank Space,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Shake it Off.” The deluxe edition includes six more tracks – 3 of which are original songs. The music industry has felt threatened by Taylors Version and wants to ban more re-recordings. However, it is reasonable to expect this idea will not get far with the help of the “Swifties” -Taylor’s following. Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour was one of the highest grossing concerts this year. On average, at each night of The Eras Tour 72,459 people were in attendance, not including the hundreds of people who were unable to get seats inside and instead sat outside the venues. Swift, on one of her last days of the first U.S branch of the tour, announced the re-release of her version of 1989 and announced the date to her excited fans.
Most people have heard songs from 1989 but what most haven’t heard are the five newest vault tracks on her version. Swift, in every one of her songs, writes a story of passion, love, heartbreak, and loss. Taylor paints a picture in each song through numerous symbols and messages. Its important to acknowledge that although some of her songs are based on her past relationships, this is not her focus. Instead, it is to allow her audience to feel a connection with her, and to let them know they are not alone with what they may be going through.
Main ideas and what to know about the five new vault tracks…
“Say don’t Go”- Taylor in her lyric “say don’t go” shows how in this story she’s longing for love, but she doesn’t receive it and instead faces uncertainty. She focuses on the idea that someone is most vulnerable when they’re hoping something that can’t be changed will change. In this case she represents the idea that despite the betrayals she has faced, she wants to keep their love. This is the universal need for someone to want you back as much as you want them.
“Now That We Don’t Talk”- Of all the vault tracks this one is the shortest, but it has a major message. Swift’s focus in the song is losing connection with someone you once were close with – and the realization that a massive load was taken off your back because now you no longer have to pretend to be something you’re not. But despite this knew revelation, you still feel drawn to the toxicity that you once were used to. It’s about how leaving it behind is difficult, but for the better.
“Suburban Legends”- This song takes the audience back to the naïve feeling of love in a teenage relationship. In these lyrics, the main idea is that when you are young and in love, you think the person you’re with is the end-all-be-all. But the harsh reality is that as each pereson grows up, you start to realize that those feelings clouded your judgement. Most of the time, this results in one falling out of love but being afraid to end what they had in fear of hurting the other. Swift expertly conveys that love hides us from reality and can make people vulnerable if they don’t notice it.
“Is It Over Now?”- This song is based on events that occurred during the time when Taylor Swift and Harry Styles were dating. However, this song is focusing on the idea that although people can face adversity that may draw them away from one another, they may still yearn for that person. In this case, Styles yearns for someone like Swift and searches for someone he can feel that way about again. Swift calls him out for what he did but, in a sense, still wishes things hadn’t ended the way they did. “Is It Over Now?” Is about the attraction towards something that you can no longer have and the uncertainty you’re left with.
The “song that shall not be named” – This song focuses primarily on the idea that if you are happy in a relationship, it should not matter what other people may think. Swift’s lyrics indicate that she’d be okay with being called cruel names (and uses one for the title) because she now realizes that the love she shares with another person is all that matters. She also acknowledges that the reason people say things like this is out of their own jealousy and spite.
