On October 27, Artist Taylor Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version), her fourth re-recorded album. The album features all 13 songs from her original album which was released in 2014 and 7 brand new songs that she has dubbed her “From the Vault” tracks. Taylor Swift has been producing albums at a rapid pace. Her third “Taylor’s Version” album was released only a month before in July, and there are rumors that a fifth is soon to follow.
1989, which was originally recorded in 2014, was Taylor’s most successful album, selling more than 14 million copies worldwide. 1989 was also the recipient of numerous awards including a Grammy for Album of the Year. The album features songs including, Blank Space, Shake it Off, and Style, all of which have over one billion streams each on Spotify. 1989 also represents a particularly monumental moment in her career because it marks the time when she fully transitioned from country to pop music.
Many fans have shown great enjoyment in the re-recordings, and have used them as opportunities to explore and enjoy a wider range of her discography.
“I love when she comes out with a new re-recorded album because it makes it more exciting to listen to her older songs,” senior Paige Gibbons said.
The 1989 songs are nearly identical to their original counterparts, aside from a few slight changes, but there is a much more significant reason for the re-recordings than their sound.
In 2018, Taylor Swift’s record label, Big Machine Records, was sold to music executive Scooter Braun. Braun purchased the rights to all of Swift’s masters, and refused to sell them which caused a huge disagreement between the two, and eventually led to Swift dropping her record label.
She now works with Republic Records, who has allowed her to own all of her Masters produced after that point, which includes albums such as Lover, Folklore, and more.
In order to gain ownership over her old songs, Swift decided that instead of trying to work out a deal, she would instead re-record all of her songs- and even better- add her own twists to them years later.
To Swift, the re-recording of her albums is a way for her to regain control of her intellectual property without being manipulated by third parties. Her journey has proven to be a success so far, in fact, many of her re-recorded albums have surpassed the originals already in marks such as streams.
1989 has made headlines as one of the most successful albums released this year. The album achieved the biggest sales week of 2023, selling more than a million copies, and is projected to take on the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 in the upcoming week.
“I think her album is really good. It is definitely not the same as the original album, it sounds a lot like her new albums such as Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights. It has softer, more meaningful lyrics,” senior Ainsley Mitchell says.
Taylor Swift is one of the most famous celebrities today and has gained immense coverage from her remarkably successful Eras Tour this past year, and now her public relationship with Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
Her decision to walk away from her past label groups has only further boosted her career, and allowed her to be a more independent artist, as can be seen by the success of the album.
1989 is the latest step in her journey to complete ownership of her music and has allowed fans to enjoy some of her older music and get new songs from the same era.
