Taylor Swift Announces “1989 Taylor’s Version”
Swifties who stayed up until 2:15 A.M. on the East Coast were really lucky for this one.
At the last show of her first U.S. leg of “The Eras Tour,” Taylor Swift announced her next re-recorded album would be “1989,” which originally came out in 2014.
Fans had been speculating that Swift would announce “1989” as her next re-recorded master, as she had played almost every track as a surprise song and the “I Can See You” music video had a sign saying “1-9 8.9 TV” or “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” or the date she announced the album, Aug. 9.
Additionally, August 9, 2023, was officially 1,989 days since the original album came out, so it’s fair to say that Swift is a mastermind in her own right.
“1989” is one of Swift’s three Grammy-winning albums and the album that showed her versatility as an artist who can go back and forth between genres.
Famous hits like “Shake It Off,” “Style” and “Blank Space” have been gracing radios and retail stores for years, while the real gems on the album lie a little deeper.
The first track, “Welcome To New York,” displays the central theme of the album: while critics had complained Swift had been writing too many breakup songs, she flipped the script and put out an album about living life in the big city.
Not to say that there aren’t songs about failed relationships on this album: “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “I Wish You Would” fill out the breakup category, but Swift wrote most of the tracks as love songs.
The most sentimental song on the album is “Clean,” which she performed twice on “The Eras Tour,” which is about breaking free from a toxic relationship.
Because of its lyrics “ten months sober/I must admit/just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it/ten months older/I won’t give in/now that I’m clean I’m never gonna risk it,” fans have also related this song to struggles that they have faced in their own lives.
“Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” and “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” have already been released as a single and as part of a soundtrack, respectively. Already, Swift’s vocals sound crisper and the production quality has gone up.
“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” will be released on Oct. 27 and will feature 21 songs, including five new vault tracks.
Adrianna Gallucci is a rising sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.
