1989 (Taylor's Version)

''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' is the fourth re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is a re-recording of Swift's fifth studio album, ''1989'' (2014), and was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records. The album is part of Swift's ongoing response to a 2019 dispute regarding the masters of her back catalog. It was announced at the final Los Angeles show of 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'' 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 Kendrick Lamar remix of " Bad Blood" (2015) and an acoustic version of "Slut!".

Music critics praised ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'', with emphasis on the production, Swift's vocals, and the vault tracks. Commercially, it earned the biggest streaming day for an album in 2023 on Spotify and of all time on Amazon Music. 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, the biggest sales week of her career, her record-extending sixth album to sell over one million first-week copies, and the highest vinyl sales week of the 21st century. 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.

Background

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 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''.

Writing and recording

The standard edition of ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' comprises 21 tracks: re-recordings of the 13 songs from the standard edition of ''1989'', re-recordings of 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, 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.

Music and lyrics

Composition

''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 it 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'' critic 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.

"From the Vault" songs

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'' Kelsey Barnes, the vault tracks are of different pop subgenres similar to the 2014 recording. ''Variety'' 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. 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 "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 power ballad that features dense reverb, synthesizers, and echoing drum machines.

Release

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 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. 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.

Critical reception

''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' was met with widespread acclaim from critics. On 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'' Hollie Geraghty, ''The Daily Telegraph'' 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'' 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'' critic 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.

Commercial performance

''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' became Swift's most commercially successful re-recorded album. On Spotify, it posted the highest single-day streams globally for an album in 2023 and the second-highest for an album ever, behind Swift's ''Midnights'' (2022), accumulating 176 million streams worldwide per estimated data. Swift broke her own record for the most single-day Spotify streams for an artist. ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' 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. 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. Within six days, it sold 580,000 LPs and broke ''Midnights'' record for the highest first-week vinyl sales of the 21st century. The album debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 with 1,653,000 units (including 1,359,000 pure sales), surpassing the original album's figure by 400,000 units. It surpassed ''Midnights'' to become the largest album sales week of Swift's career and the 2020s decade. The album marked Swift's 13th chart-topper, extending her record for the most number-one albums among female artists. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 for six non-consecutive weeks; its fifth week 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 surpassed 2.872 million units; it later reached 2 million in sales. ''1989 (Taylor's Version)'' was the first album to sell over one million copies on vinyl in a single calendar year since Luminate track 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, 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 physically-purchased 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 eleven 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.

Track listing

Notes

* All tracks are subtitled "Taylor's Version"; tracks 17–21 are additionally subtitled "From the Vault".

Personnel

Musicians

* Taylor Swift – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (all tracks), clapping (6), heartbeat (9)
* Ryan Tedder – background vocals, piano, synthesizer (1, 12); acoustic guitar, drum programming, electric guitar, programming (12)
* Noel Zancanella – drum programming, synthesizer (1, 12), bass guitar, programming (12)
* Mike Meadows – synthesizer (2, 3, 5, 6, 8–10, 14, 16, 22), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 22), electric guitar (2, 3, 16), background vocals (6), synthesizer programming (9)
* Amos Heller – bass guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9–11, 14, 16), synth bass (22)
* Dan Burns – drum programming, synth bass, synthesizer (2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 16, 22); programming (3), synthesizer programming (9)
* Matt Billingslea – drum programming (2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 16, 22), drums (2, 3, 5, 8–11, 14, 16, 22), percussion (6, 9)
* Max Bernstein – electric guitar (2, 3, 5, 10, 14, 16), synthesizer (2, 3, 6–11, 14, 16, 22), acoustic guitar (3, 14, 16), synthesizer programming (9)
* Derek Garten – programming (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 16, 22)
* Brian Pruitt – drum programming, drums (2, 5, 10, 14, 16)
* Christopher Rowe – background vocals (2, 6, 8, 22), trumpet (6)
* Jack Antonoff – programming (4, 7, 15, 17–21), synthesizer (4, 7, 15, 17–21), electric guitar (4, 7, 15, 18, 19); bass guitar (4, 7, 15), drums (4, 7, 15); acoustic guitar (4, 18), background vocals (17, 18, 20, 21); Mellotron, percussion (18)
* Mikey Freedom Hart – synthesizer (4, 7, 15, 18–21), electric guitar (4, 7, 15, 18–20), programming (4, 7, 15, 18, 19), acoustic guitar (4, 15), background vocals (7), bass guitar (18, 19), Rhodes (18–20), organ (20)
* Evan Smith – synthesizer (4, 7, 15, 18–21), programming (4, 7, 15, 18, 19), background vocals (4), saxophone (18–21), electric guitar (20)
* Michael Riddleberger – drums, percussion (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Sean Hutchinson – drums, percussion (4, 7, 15, 18–21); programming (15)
* Zem Audu – synthesizer (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Mattias Bylund – synthesizer (6, 9), string arrangement (9)
* Paul Sidoti – electric guitar (6, 10, 11), background vocals (6)
* Wojtek Goral – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone (6)
* Robert Allen – background vocals, clapping (6)
* Tomas Jönsson – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone (6)
* Johan Schuster – drums, sound effects (6)
* Lowell Reynolds – programming (6)
* Peter Noos Johansson – trombone, tuba (6)
* Janne Bjerger – trumpet (6)
* Magnus Johansson – trumpet (6)
* David Bukovinszky – cello (9)
* Mattias Johansson – violin (9)
* Orion Meshorer – acoustic guitar, electric guitar (12)
* Imogen Heap – background vocals, drums, kalimba, keyboards, percussion, programming, vibraphone (13)
* Patrik Berger – bass guitar, electric guitar, programming, synthesizer (17)
* Ilya Salmanzadeh – background vocals (22)
* Kendrick Lamar – vocals (22)

Technical

* Randy Merrill – mastering
* Ryan Smith – mastering (1–8, 10–22)
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Rich Rich – engineering (1, 12)
* Ryan Tedder – engineering (1, 12)
* Derek Garten – engineering, editing (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 22)
* Christopher Rowe – engineering (4, 7, 15), vocal engineering (1–3, 5, 6, 8–14, 22)
* Laura Sisk – engineering (4, 7, 15, 17–22)
* Jack Antonoff – engineering (4, 7, 15, 17–21)
* David Hart – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Evan Smith – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Michael Riddleberger – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Mikey Freedom Hart – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Sean Hutchinson – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Zem Audu – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18–21)
* Oli Jacobs – engineering (4, 7, 15, 18)
* Lowell Reynolds – engineering (6), editing (6, 11), engineering assistance (11)
* Mattias Bylund – engineering, editing (6, 9)
* David Payne – engineering (11)
* Imogen Heap – engineering (13)
* Ray Charles Brown Jr. – engineering (22)
* Bryce Bordone – mix engineering (1–8, 10, 11, 2)
* John Hanes – mix engineering (9)
* Dan Burns – additional engineering (2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 22)
* Jack Manning – engineering assistance (4, 7, 15, 17–21)
* Jon Sher – engineering assistance (4, 7, 15, 17–21)
* Megan Searl – engineering assistance (4, 7, 15, 17–21)
* Joey Miller – engineering assistance (4, 7, 15)
* Jozef Caldwell – engineering assistance (4, 7, 15)
* Jacob Spitzer – engineering assistance (22)
* John Turner – engineering assistance (22)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2023
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2024
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Australia)
* List of number-one albums of 2024 (Australia)
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Belgium)
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Canada)
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Ireland)
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Portugal)
* List of number-one albums of 2023 (Spain)
* List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
* List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s

Footnotes

References

Cited literature

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{{Authority control

2023 albums
Taylor Swift albums
Albums produced by Taylor Swift
Albums produced by Chris Rowe
Albums produced by Shellback (record producer)
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Albums produced by Imogen Heap
Albums produced by Ryan Tedder
Republic Records albums
Re-recorded albums
Synth-pop albums by American artists