1989 (Taylor's Version)

1989 (Taylor's Version) is the fourth re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's ongoing re-recording project following the 2019 dispute over the master recordings of her back catalog. The album is a re-recording of Swift's fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). She announced the re-recording at the final Los Angeles show of her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour on August 9, 2023.
A 1980s-inspired synth-pop album, 1989 (Taylor's Version) is characterized by upbeat arrangements of synthesizers and percussion. It contains re-recorded versions of the 16 songs from 1989's deluxe edition and five previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks. Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Christopher Rowe produced the majority of the album; Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella, Shellback, and Imogen Heap reprised their production roles. Extended editions of the album additionally feature the re-recorded versions of the One Chance soundtrack song "Sweeter than Fiction" (2013) and the Kendrick Lamar remix of "Bad Blood" (2015).
Music critics praised 1989 (Taylor's Version), with emphasis on the production, Swift's vocals, and the vault tracks. The album topped record charts in Australia, Canada, and European territories including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, 1989 (Taylor's Version) marked Swift's 13th number-one album on the Billboard 200 and record-extending sixth album to sell over one million first-week copies. Seven of its songs concurrently became top-10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with the vault tracks "Is It Over Now?", "Now That We Don't Talk", and "'Slut!'" occupying the top three spots. In 2024, Apple Music placed the album at number 18 on its list of the 100 Best Albums. 1989 is often referred to as "The Pop Bible" by critics for its enormous impact on the music industry.
Taylor Swift released her fifth studio album, 1989, on October 27, 2014, under Big Machine Records. Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, Swift conceived 1989 to recalibrate her artistry to pop after promoting her first four albums to country radio. The album received generally positive critical reviews and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Three of its singles—"Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood"—reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, 1989 made Swift the first female musician to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year twice—her first win was for Fearless in 2010.
Swift's contract with Big Machine expired in November 2018. She then withdrew from Big Machine and signed a new deal with Republic Records, which secured her the rights to own the masters of any new music she would release. In 2019, American music executive Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine; the ownership of the masters to Swift's first six studio albums, including 1989, was transferred to him. In August 2019, Swift spoke against Braun's purchase and announced that she would re-record her first six studio albums so as to own their masters herself. Swift began the re-recording process in November 2020. Fearless (Taylor's Version), the first of her six re-recorded albums, was released on April 9, 2021, followed by Red (Taylor's Version) on November 12, 2021, and Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on July 7, 2023; all three peaked atop the US Billboard 200 chart.
Swift released re-recordings of some 1989 tracks prior to the re-recorded album; all songs feature the additional "Taylor's Version" moniker in their titles. The re-recording of "Wildest Dreams" was released on September 17, 2021, after the original version went viral on TikTok. Other tracks were used in films and series: "This Love" was released on May 6, 2022, after its snippet featured in the trailer for the series The Summer I Turned Pretty; a snippet of "Bad Blood" appeared in the animated film DC League of Super-Pets, and "Out of the Woods" featured in a trailer for Migration. On August 9, 2023, at the final Los Angeles show at SoFi Stadium as part of Swift's Eras Tour, she performed in five new blue outfits, representing the color that Swift's fans associated 1989 with; during the half-show acoustic set, she announced 1989 (Taylor's Version) as her next re-recorded album, set for release on October 27, 2023, exactly nine years after the original release of 1989.
The standard edition of 1989 (Taylor's Version) comprises 21 tracks: re-recordings of the 13 songs from the standard edition of 1989, as well as the three bonus tracks from the original deluxe edition, and five previously unreleased "From the Vault" songs that were written for the 2014 album but excluded from the final track list. Re-recordings of the "Bad Blood" remix (2015) featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar and "Sweeter than Fiction" (2013), a song Swift and Jack Antonoff contributed to the soundtrack of One Chance (2013), were included on extended editions of 1989 (Taylor's Version) as bonus tracks.
Most re-recorded tracks were produced by Swift and Christopher Rowe. The remaining were co-produced by their original producers—Antonoff, Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella and Imogen Heap. Swedish producer Shellback, who produced multiple songs on 1989 alongside Max Martin, only produced "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" with Swift and Rowe, while Martin was not involved in the production of the re-recording. All of the vault tracks were written and produced by Swift and Antonoff, except "Say Don't Go", which was co-written by the American songwriter Diane Warren.
1989 (Taylor's Version) is a synth-pop record. Its sound is driven by sinuous melodies, burbling synthesizers, and heavy percussions. According to NME, the album has a 1980s-inspired synth-pop sound, but is "an evolution of Swift's own sound" rather than a "kitschy pastiche" of retro influences. Various critics have opined that the only sonic difference between 1989 and 1989 (Taylor's Version) is Swift's vocals, which have become technically stronger and richer. According to Clash's Alex Berry, the re-recording has a "cleaner" instrumentation. Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe identified minor changes: the clicking pen noise on "Blank Space" sounds less like the spring action of a ballpoint pen, the "ah-ah-ah" vocal hook of "New Romantics" is more staccato, the reverb on "Out of the Woods" is more prominent, and the guitar's tone on "Style" is altered.
Various critics opined that the sonics of the five vault songs were pertinent to the 1980s-inspired sound of the original 1989. Their production incorporates reverb and keyboards that AllMusic's Fred Thomas found reminiscent of late-1980s radio. According to The Line of Best Fit's Kelsey Barnes, the vault tracks are of different pop subgenres similar to the 2014 recording. Variety's Chris Willman, meanwhile, felt that some production elements of the vault tracks were influenced by the music of Swift's tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022).
The title of "'Slut!'" refers to the slut-shaming Swift experienced as a public figure; its lyrics are about a romantic relationship Swift is proud of and therefore has no concern for how the outside world views it. It is a mid-tempo synth-pop song, featuring synthesizers and soft backing vocals. "Say Don't Go" is about hanging on to an unfruitful relationship; it has a pop rock production consisting of isolated vocal patterns and 1980s-inspired drums. The disco song "Now That We Don't Talk" incorporates disco grooves and falsetto vocals in the chorus, and its lyrics see Swift moving on from an ex-lover while making fun of his lifestyle and tastes.
"Suburban Legends" depicts Swift yearning for a hopeful but unfruitful romance. It features an insistent disco groove and an outro of dissipating synthesizers in a production that People's Jeff Nelson described as "driving, sometimes wind chime-y". "Is It Over Now?" chronicles the end of a relationship, with lyrics about mistakes committed by both partners and the mixed feelings that ensued. Musically, the song is an electropop and synth-pop power ballad that features dense reverb, synthesizers, and echoing drum machines.
On September 19, 2023, Swift posted a short visual on social media that depicted the characters "T-S-!-U-L" emerging from a blue vault, which fans and journalists considered to be a teaser for one of the five "From the Vault" tracks. She also partnered with Google Search to launch a feature for solving word puzzles to uncover the album's "From the Vault" track titles. Searching for "Taylor Swift" gave rise to an animated graphic of a blue vault, which, upon being clicked, produced one of 89 puzzles with or without an accompanying hint. The track titles were set to be officially revealed once 33 million puzzles had been solved globally. Although the feature crashed hours after launching, it reached the 33-million mark in less than one day. Four of the five vault track titles were revealed: "Is It Over Now?", "Now That We Don't Talk", "Say Don't Go", and "Suburban Legends". Swift unveiled the back covers of the album, which featured the full track list, confirming "'Slut!'" as the remaining vault track.
Republic Records released 1989 (Taylor's Version) on October 27, 2023, as Swift's fourth re-recorded album. The album was made available for streaming, download, vinyl LP, cassette, and CD. The standard edition contains 21 tracks—16 are re-recorded versions of the tracks on the original album and five are vault tracks. A deluxe edition containing the re-recorded remix of "Bad Blood" featuring Lamar was released onto streaming and digital download platforms hours after the standard album. The album was sold in 14 physical variants, including five vinyl editions (one of which is a Target exclusive that contains the re-recording of "Sweeter than Fiction"), eight CD editions (each has folded posters or photographs), and a multi-colored cassette. The standard cover is a photograph of Swift in red lipstick with a background of a blue sky and seagulls flying in the distance. Exclaim! listed the album cover as 15th worst of the year, saying that Swift "could afford to hire a professional graphic designer" to design the cover, and that the cover looks like a fan design on Canva. Universal Music released "'Slut!'" to Italian radio on October 27, and Republic Records released "Is It Over Now?" as a single to US contemporary hit radio on October 31.
1989 (Taylor's Version) was met with widespread acclaim from critics. On the review aggregator Metacritic, it received a weighted mean score of 90 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? complied 14 reviews and gave the album a 8.1 out of 10.
Most critics appreciated the production for remaining faithful to the original. NME's Hollie Geraghty, The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick, and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times regarded 1989 (Taylor's Version) as Swift's best record; the lattermost said that the album showcased "the highly engineered setting of the perfect pop song". Will Hodgkinson of The Times dubbed the album a "pop masterclass", and Ed Power of the i described it as "bright, brash, smart and catchy". Rolling Stone's Angie Martoccio, American Songwriter's Alex Hopper, and Pitchfork's Shaad D'Souza opined that the re-recorded album proved the timeless quality of the original. Mark Sutherland from Rolling Stone UK said 1989 (Taylor's Version) "could well be the greatest pop album of 2023".
Critics were also fond of Swift's vocals. Barnes said they were "more powerful and punchy than ever", and The Guardian's Rachel Aroesti described them as "richer and more mature yet hardly distractingly so". Berry admired how Swift sang with "crystal clear pronunciation and a powerful impact". Keefe and Hopper said her matured vocals made the tracks more impactful and resonant. By contrast, Adam White of The Independent wrote that Swift's improved vocals losing 2014's raw "strain" made the re-recording a "diminished" pop classic. However, White added the album was still "untouchable greatness".
The vault tracks were similarly well received. Aroesti, Martoccio, Power, and Hopper regarded them as a worthwhile addition with more depth and a showcase of Swift's songwriting talents. Berry admired the "exquisite" vault tracks that showcased strong writing and production. Paste's Elizabeth Braaten proclaimed that the vault tracks made 1989 (Taylor's Version) Swift's best re-recorded album yet, and Thomas said they consolidated Swift's status as a "timeless songwriter". Keefe was less enthusiastic, saying that the vault tracks were solid but were not valuable "as a true thematic and aesthetic extension". D'Souza wrote that they lacked "the wallop and precision of the album proper" but added more depth and context.
On Spotify, 1989 (Taylor's Version) registered the highest single-day streams globally for an album in 2023, with 176 million reported streams. Swift also broke her own record for the most single-day Spotify streams for an artist. The album also broke the records for the most single-day and single-week streams on Amazon Music. Republic Records reported global opening-week sales of over 3.5 million units, making it the third best selling female album in its debut week ever. In terms of pure sales, the album sold 2.8 million copies worldwide in 2023, becoming the year's sixth-best-selling album overall and best-selling album by a solo artist. It was also the best-selling vinyl album of 2023 with 1.4 million copies sold. Its songs occupied the top six of the Billboard Global 200 the same week, making Swift the first artist to achieve this feat.
In the United States, 1989 (Taylor's Version) became Swift's record-extending 11th album to sell 500,000 copies and sixth to sell one million copies in a single week. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 1.653 million units (including 1.359 million pure sales), surpassing the original 1989's figure by 400,000 units. It marked Swift's 13th chart-topper. The album topped the Billboard 200 for six non-consecutive weeks; its fifth week at number one helped Swift accumulate 68 weeks in total atop the Billboard 200, surpassing Elvis Presley's record for the most number-one weeks for a soloist. As of January 2024, it reached two million in pure sales. 1989 (Taylor's Version) was the first album to sell over one million copies on vinyl in a single calendar year since Luminate began tracking US music sales in 1991. All 21 tracks on the standard edition of the re-recording charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Is It Over Now?", "Now That We Don't Talk", and "'Slut!'" in the top three. This marked the fifth time Swift had both a song and an album debut atop the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously, extending an all-time record.
1989 (Taylor's Version) reached number one on the albums charts of many European territories, including Austria, Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. In Germany, 1989 (Taylor's Version) helped Swift become the artist with the most vinyl records sold of 2023. In the United Kingdom, it earned 148,000 units within three days to claim the biggest opening sales week of the year. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 184,000 units, more than doubling the opening of its 2014 counterpart, and became Swift's 11th number one. It sold 62,000 vinyl LPs in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling vinyl album of 2023. The album stayed at the top for three consecutive weeks, becoming 2023's longest-running number-one album, and was the most purchased physical album of 2023, with sales of 185,000 units. In Australia, 1989 (Taylor's Version) debuted atop the ARIA Albums Chart as Swift's 12th number-one album. It marked a career-best opening week for Swift and the largest vinyl sales week in Australian chart history. The album spent fourteen non-consecutive weeks at number one and was the longest-running number-one album of 2023, and eight of its songs debuted simultaneously in the top 10 of the ARIA Singles Chart, completely occupying the top four. Seven tracks from the album debuted on the Billboard Brasil Hot 100.
1989 (Taylor's Version) was nominated for International Album of the Year at the Gaffa Awards in Denmark and the Juno Awards in Canada. It was also nominated for Top Global 200 Album at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. In 2024, the album was placed at number 18 on Apple Music's list of the 100 Best Albums.
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