Taylor Swift 1989 (Taylor’s Version) Vault Tracks Review
by Madison Avery
Taylor Swift is back with her very highly anticipated re-recorded version of 1989. This is the fourth album Swift has re-recorded after losing the rights to her music from her old record label. With each rerelease of the albums, Swift has included unreleased songs “From the Vault”. Now with the album officially out Swifties all around the world are ecstatic.
According to the media, being “drunk in love” makes you a slut, Swift claims in this track. The first vault song ‘Slut!’, Swift dives into being deeply in love with someone and being deemed a slut by the media but accepting the insult to love this person. “And if they call me a slut / You know it may be worth it for once / And if I’m going to be drunk might as well be drunk in love”, Swift implies that the names are worth it to love.
‘Say Don’t Go’ walks the listeners through the emotional turmoil of a breakup. Swift begs for this person to stay and is hanging on to my hope despite all the sadness and being led on, “I’m standing on a tightrope alone, I hold my breath a little longer / Halfway out the door, but it won’t close / I’m holding out hope for you to say “Don’t go”’.
‘Now That We Don’t Talk’ looks back on slowly growing apart from the person you were once in a relationship with. “Guess maybe I am better off now that we don’t talk / And the only way back to my dignity was to turn into a shrouded mystery”, Swift goes from missing the relationship at the beginning of the song and her feelings shift over the course of it.
There are several theories swirling around on the internet after fans heard “Is It Over Now?”. Swifties have drawn up a theory that the song is about Taylor Swift’s ex Harry Styles, connecting parallels between the two artists' songs and alluding lyrics. This wouldn’t be the first time Swift has written a song about Styles, several songs on 1989 are rumored to be about her ex. “When you lost control / Red blood, white snow / Blue dress on a boat / Your new girl is my clone”, refers back to ‘Out of the Woods’ which is one of the songs rumored to be about Styles.
On the track ‘Bad Blood’ featuring hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar, Swift was able to get him to re-record his verse for the song for the album. “The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record Bad Blood so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me. I’m overjoyed to say that the Bad Blood Remix (featuring Kendrick Lamar) is available everywhere on 1989 Deluxe Edition.”, Swift took to Instagram to speak about how much it means to her.
Photograph by bethgarrabrant
Taylor Swift has garnered quite the audience over the years with her catchy and relatable music, as well as her likable personality. 1989 provides a bit of nostalgia since it originally came out in 2014, yet offers a set of brand new songs.
