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1989 (Taylor’s Version) Vault Tracks
She did it again. She fucking did it again. Taylor Swift takes arguably her best album, re-releases it, and adds to it with sublime perfection.
She did it again. She fucking did it again. Taylor Swift takes arguably her best album, re-releases it, and adds to it with sublime perfection.
1989 Taylor’s Version released at midnight and immediately set the Internet ablaze. The Swifties (with whom I associate with but merely as a pawn in their army) heard the battle cry as Friday began and loyally lined up to be knocked over by the world’s most famous and influential musician.
I am not the soldier I once was so I missed the call to arms at the stroke of midnight(s). But like any weary veteran, I did press play on 1989 Taylor’s Version as soon as I woke up this morning.. The songs from the original album bellowed through my apartment before dawn broke and I am happy to report they all did indeed stay true to their origins. I didn’t notice any egregious lyric changes in my first couple listens, yet I also don’t examine the lyrics with surgical microscopic precision. I leave that to the diehards and fanatics of whom I will be reading and following today.
Like any Taylor’s Version, there are songs From The Vault. 1989 has five of these songs. Tagged onto the end of the album like a goody bag, Taylor may have outdone herself and spent over the agreed upon gift exchange limit with these bangers. It is 7:58 AM as I am typing this, four of these songs are damn good, and two of them made me stop in my tracks.
SLUT!
Did I get a little nervous when the first Vault song didn’t exactly tickle my fancy? Possibly. Slut! changes its tone for the chorus and I don’t love it when the chorus is by far my least favorite part of the song. I don’t love the wind chime sound working in the background.I don’t love the harsh “screaming” of slut throughout either.
The best line from the song is in the pre-chorus: “Love to think you’ll never forget
Handprints in wet cement.” The idea of making an imprint on something that’s still settling and seeing that purposeful decision become a permanent fixture for others to see is, well it’s really well written. What do you want, I am not a music critic.
There are a lot of colors in Slut! too . I wish I knew why? Opening up with Flamingo Pink, then sweeping to Aquamarine then using tangerine as an illustrative adjective.
The writing in the song is good, but the music beats don’t vibe with what I usually like. Surely this is going to be someone’s favorite, and if it is, then it’s all yours.
SAY DON’T GO
Oh. The low voice at the jump. TAYLOR. LET’S FUCKING GO!
“A shot in the darkest dark” starts a theme throughout the song. When we get to the chorus and “Why’d you whisper in the dark? Just to leave me in the night?” is heard for the first time…well time stopped for me.
The flow of this chorus is fucking perfect. It is so easy to sing and sway along to. I can see myself singing this song in the shower for years.
Say Don’t Go is a better version of Red’s Stay Stay Stay because it isn’t all happy hunky dorey. At the end of Say Don’t Go, you know that Taylor is walking out the door. You know that doorway she left open is going to stay open bringing with it draft of sorrow and an existential feeling of “what could have been.”
Then there is the part of this part of the song:
I said, “I love you” (I said, “I love you”)
You say nothing back
AND THE CUT TO SILENCE. In Story Of Us you have the line “I’ve Never Heard Silence Quite This Loud”. I have to imagine that this character envisioned in this song sees her partner’s silence as a symbolic stop sign with blaring sirens warning to turn around. But yet, even with that sense, the door is still have way open.
Listening to this song the first time reminded me of an old relationship I had where someone said “I love you” first and I froze and didn’t say anything immediately back. I still remember their face and disappointment. This song immediately evoked that memory instantaneously and had me thinking if I was the one leading someone through the dark.
Taylor getting all up in my feelings bright and early in the morning.
Say Don’t Go as fucking incredible. It is my favorite of the bunch.
NOW THAT WE DON’T TALK
Now That We Don’t Talk seems to have a lot of Harry Styles connections. That is what I am getting from doing some basic research. It would appear that Taylor changed who she was when she and Harry were an item, and in highsight she didn’t like that she was adjusting who she was to be with someone who didn’t know what he wanted to be.
This song is relatable for anyone who has dated someone and then gone on to see what their ex has become or what they are doing now. It isn’t necessarily about who they are dating, but rather how they begin to grow into their own skin. God knows I have exes that look at me now at Barstool and probably have some divisive thoughts. God knows when I randomly appear in content they most likely do a double-take and pull a classic Scooby-Doo “huh?” (please read that as if you are Scooby and it’ll be better.)
The song Now That We Don’t Talk is simple in its message. Probably the most transparent of the From the Vault tracks in terms of the story it is telling and the lessons learned. It is a reflection on yourself noticing that you are changing for someone who doesn’t even know who they want to be followed by the realization that it’s okay to break up and not talk because that’s life.
SUBURBAN LEGENDS
This song flies by. It is an absolute blur. Suburban Legends evokes the idea of a hometown love perfectly matching those dreamy love novel ideals crashing down in waves of heartbreak. Heartbreak that has to be initiated by the afflicted because the man (at least from Taylor’s POV) is too polite to breakup.
The song opens up with an idea of infidelity, but the song itself isn’t vengeful. My read on Suburban Legends is that it is a little remorseful. This guy who is getting contacted by women knows what he is doing is wrong, be he feels the same amount of guilt and that’s why he can’t break it off because then it would shatter what his preconceived notion of what a suburban romance is.
It’s as if the characters in this play never thought that “city” based romantic comedy struggles could penetrate their own small suburban world. The idea of a kiss that will “screw me up forever” makes me think that this story is about a young couple realizing they aren’t so special to not be included in the drama of what many other couples go through. The white picket fence of innocence is bashed down, and the reaction isn’t one of anger, but is of sadness and acceptance.
IS IT OVER NOW?
Oh my. Allow me to ring the horny horn on myself. What I would do to have Taylor Swift whisper “come here” anywhere in my direction. Also, Taylor just saying the word thighs somehow left me speechless. Can’t give you a good reason why, but that is what it is.
Now, more importantly, to the song.
Much like the final Vault song we will be touching on, Is It Over Now? has a chorus that spews addictive odors of re-sing-ability. The way Taylor dictates the “Let’s fast forward to three hundred awkward blind dates later” lays the groundwork for the rather spoken singing style of the chorus. It is more of a matter-of-fact chorus, asking rhetorical questions that she for sure already knows the answers to.
Also, pretty apparent (like most of these Vault songs), that this is another Styles inspired song. The white snow with red blood and blue dress are all relatively huge giveaways.
Is It Over Now? also pokes fun at its target stating how their “new girl” is a clone of Swift herself. Tall, blue eyes and blond hair. Is this just a type of is this person trying to latch onto something that he still wants and is only getting it on a superficial level?
But Taylor is not immune to lingering feelings as well. You know the line in Clean where she sings “Just because you’re clean, don’t mean you don’t miss it”?
Taylor admits to seeing this person’s profile and smiles at various people in public (like waiters…for example). He left an impression, like handprints in cement…but perhaps Styles walked over those imprints without much respect and as a result Taylor could no longer talk to him because it was a moment in her life where a fantasy (of a quiet suburban love story) shattered.
If you want truly unhinged Taylor Swift coverage (I mean that in the best way), follow Kelly Keegs on her social platforms. She will be finding all the zany stuff I can’t even comprehend.
Also turn into Gia and Kelly’s podcast “Taylor Watch.” They are the true beat reporters of Taylor.
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