Eden Gentry
Staff Writer
Since 2021, Taylor Swift has been re-releasing her first six albums as a way to take back the rights to her music. Her ownership over the songs were sold to Scooter Braun without her permission, resulting in her not getting paid for her own songwriting. When an album or song has (Taylor’s Version) beside it, it means that Swift has ownership over the song or album. So far, she has re-released four out of six albums. On October 27th, 2023 she had Swifties everywhere up all night waiting for the re-release of her first full pop album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version)..
1989 (Taylor’s Version) has a nostalgic feel to it that transports you back to the summer of 2014. This album is perfect for the summertime when you’re hanging out at the pool with your friends. Every single song made me feel something; whether it was happiness, anger, remorse, or melancholy, that’s when I knew the album was good. The old tracks are just as good as when the album first came out and the newly released vault tracks go together with the original tracks beautifully.
“Welcome to New York” has one of the best upbeat intros to the 1989 album and is the perfect fit for the first song. The track is a reminder of fun days and nights out with friends; the tempo making you want to get up and dance.
“Wildest Dreams” tells the story of the end of Swift’s relationship with ___ and how he will only remember their brightest moments in his wildest dreams. This song beautifully expresses how she knows this relationship is not meant to last and accepts it will eventually come to an end. Even though Swift comes to this realization, she never wants him to forget her. Not only is Swift a master songwriter, she is a master producer. Swift’s heartbeat is the base of the beat, showcasing her love. In the chorus, Swift expresses longing to have her ex-boyfriend, only to remember their good times, rather than the bad. Whenever he looks at this relationship, Swift wants him to only think of it as a dream, one too good to be true.
“New Romantics” is an upbeat song about Swift and her friends’ fun times and focuses on living in the moment. This song is one of the more pop-upbeat songs on the album, and it’s perfect for getting ready for the day. This song was an amazing end to the album back in 2014 and still holds up as being an upbeat outro to the album’s original tracks.
“Say Don’t Go” is a heartfelt song that showcases Swift’s vulnerable side and her ex-boyfriend’s inability to let her go. The chorus talks about how instead of her ex-boyfriend saying “don’t go”, he only ends up leading her on and only hurting her more. The ending finally accepts how he won’t say “don’t go.”
“Now That We Don’t Talk” is my favorite vault track as Swift struggles to accept her ex-boyfriend’s change, and ponders the end of their relationship. The song ends with acceptance of the end of the relationship and how Swift feels she doesn’t have to act differently or pretend she has different interests just to please her partner. This song is perfect to sing at the top of your lungs after you get over a breakup.
The album closes with “Is It Over Now?,” a relatable song about reminiscing on the intimate moments of a past relationship. The chorus talks about moments of betrayal, but in the outro, she expresses how she wishes he was there for her. Ultimately, it comes to the conclusion that he’s not going to be there telling her what she wants to hear, but she’s okay with that now and comes to a place of self-realization.
This album overall has a very summer and fun times with your friends feel to it. I definitely recommend this album to people who mostly listen to pop music. This album is fantastically brilliant as it holds up to the original and the vault tracks only add more to the album. It’s no surprise that this album took seven spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and we are all very excited to see all the new surprises that Swift has in store for us.