The popular album 1989, by Taylor Swift has been adapted into (Taylor’s Version). For the non-Swifties out there, a scandal three years ago where Scooter Braun, Taylor’s ex-manager, sold all of her masters, meaning that Taylor no longer owned any of her music to generate revenue from it. To combat this, she started to re-record her albums in 2021.
Emma Chrapowicki, a sophomore at Bernards High School said, “1989 was a major part of my childhood. I used to always listen to the album in the car with my mom. I remember when I was on my first trip to New York City the song, ‘Welcome to New York’ was playing. I was so excited when I heard that Taylor Swift was releasing 1989, (Taylors Version).”
The original 1989 was released in 2014, when Taylor was only twenty-five years old. The album went nine times platinum and quickly cemented itself as one of the most important moments in pop culture during the 2010s. It also won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2015.
“I think Taylor Swift does a really good job of replicating her voice from 2014. I like (Taylor’s Version), but I liked her original sound because she had more of a southern music style,” shared Aidan Reaume ‘26. “When I first started high school I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift because I found it very relatable. I think that she resonates with a lot of the teenage audience because she talks about her adolescence.”
The album features twenty-one tracks, eight more than the original version. Some of the new songs that were added were controversial, like the song “Slut!”, which brought up a lot of mixed feelings from the media because it sparked conversations of misogyny.
There are five variants of the vinyl, including a Target exclusive in the color tangerine. There is one bonus track on the tangerine edition called “Sweeter than Fiction (Taylor’s Version).” The album has a score of 90 on Metacritic and 7.7 on Pitchfork. NME declared it her best album to date. Despite the criticism, Swift has amassed much critical acclaim with the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
