“Style.” “Blank Space.” “Shake It Off.” These classic songs are part of Taylor Swift’s “1989” album, but on Oct. 26, 2023, Swift dropped “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” On this new album, one can find “From the Vault Tracks.” These songs did not make the original cut during the first release of her album in 2014. “1989” itself has a certain theme to it, and these songs do fit, maybe they fit a little too well.
‘“Sl*t!”’: The recording of the “1989” album was around the time Swift was dating Harry Styles, a singer a part of the world-famous boy band, One Direction. Multiple times in this song, she points a nasty finger at his fame to blame for her sl*t-shaming. The harsh words contrast beautifully with the soft, romantic tone. Swift has always done an excellent job with the elegant contrast of tones and lyrics in her music, and this song is a perfect example. This song paints a powerful image of a relationship between two celebrities who have extremely large fanbases. Nothing is private and everything is public, and this song truly captures that.
“Say Don’t Go”: Whether it is a platonic or romantic relationship, the feeling of someone slipping away is a hard pill to swallow, and Swift intricately portrays this feeling. The song begins with a low tone, and then the speed of the song picks up; an unexpected energy takes over. If the song had continued with a somber tone from the beginning, then it would encapsulate this idea fully. When listening, one can hear Swift in the background of the song yelling the lyrics, creating a scene of frustration, which can be relatable to everyone. She does not want to plead for someone to stay but the internal frustration and arguments about whether to say something or not can be overwhelming for some. Overall, this song fits with the full tone of “1989”, but a change in pace with this specific song wouldn’t hurt the album.
“Now That We Don’t Talk”: A theme among these vault tracks is the mellow tone at the beginning, then the increase of pace as the song goes on. This song fits this perfectly and is so well done. In the beginning, Swift sounds angry, but after that, she comes to terms with the idea of not talking to a specific person again. There is a line that says “I called my mom, she said it was for the best.” The relatability of this line is unmatched. It can be said that this particular song is about the end of Swift and Styles’ relationship due to the lyrics about Styles’ long hair during this era. Unfortunately, this song was taken hostage by TikTok, the infamous app that always seems to ruin amazing songs. Other than that, this song is a fantastic and relatable song that is catchy and fun to listen to.
“Suburban Legends”: This song tells the story of two people who grew up in a small suburban town. They find success outside of their town and struggle to stay together. The upbeat tone displays the hope of the two lovers, but the acceptance that it will simply not work peaks through. The nostalgic aspect of this song hits me hard with leaving my hometown for college next year. In the almost three-minute song, the emotion is packed to the brim. I love this song with all my heart. The emotion, the beat, the story-telling. It is everything Swift does well.
“Is It Over Now?”: The repetition of the low tone and picked-up pace appears again in this song. I wouldn’t say it’s this is a good thing though; it gets old when listening to the songs in order. All of these songs are great, but I can’t not think about the repetition. When I got to this song, all of the songs sounded the same. The order of the songs would have made me think differently, but since it is the way it is, it is not a satisfying ending to the album as a whole. Overall, this song is good; it packs a punch with the repeated stabs at Styles’ again about his actions in and after their relationship.
