Unless you have been off the internet for the past month, you have probably heard a lot about Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the first release of Taylor Swift’s re-recorded first six studio albums.
If you are unfamiliar with the situation, in 2019, Taylor Swift’s original record label, Big Machine Records, sold her masters – original completed recordings used to make physical copies and digital files of music to be distributed – without her permission or knowledge. Essentially, this means that she has no control over what the original recordings of her songs are used for and will see only a small fraction of the profits from their sales.
Due to the loss of her masters, Swift has planned to re-record each of her first six albums — 2006’s Taylor Swift, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s RED, 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s reputation. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first of Swift’s re-recorded albums to be released.
In addition to all 13 of the tracks included on the original record, the re-recorded album also includes six songs from the platinum version of Fearless, “Today Was A Fairytale” off the soundtrack to the 2010 film Valentine’s Day as well as six “From The Vault” songs written around the recording of Fearless that didn’t make it on to the original album.
I don’t think it is a reach to assume that I’ll probably be doing quite a few of these “Taylor’s Version” album reviews in the foreseeable future, so I’m going to plan on giving out a few superlatives of sorts for each. For each, I will select a song that was a single that was on the original album, a forgotten gem, and the best song or two newly released from the vault.
Single Worth Revisiting: “Fifteen”
I have long found “Fifteen” to be emotional to the point of being difficult to listen to, but something about hearing Taylor Swift sing it with an extra decade and a half of perspective really hit differently. Maybe that’s just because I had an especially miserable high school experience, but the technical growth from the original recording of “Fifteen” to this new one is just as impressive as the emotional. Swift has gained so much vocal control since the 2008 version yet has still managed to maintain the poignant sincerity that makes “Fifteen” so compelling.
Forgotten Gem: “The Way I Loved You”
I can’t believe I forgot this song! Taylor Swift is known for her fantastic bridges, but it is the chorus of this song that really stands out. It is super catchy and super fun. I’m honestly surprised it wasn’t a single and I think it would have been popular if it was. There are also some great string parts on “The Way I Loved You” that contribute to a more complex sound than you might expect.
From The Vault Surprise: “You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris)”
Whoever convinced Taylor Swift that this song should not be on Fearless should have been fired immediately. “You All Over Me” sounds surprisingly mature, almost as though it would fit in on one of Swift’s later albums. It reminds me of “Back To December” a little bit, which is certainly welcome. Maren Morris’ vocal here complements Taylor Swift’s really well. After hearing this song, I can’t wait to see what else might come out of the vault in the future!
Overall Thoughts
What a wave of nostalgia! I haven’t heard some of these songs since I was in elementary school, so it was neat to rediscover them so many years later. I really appreciate how deliberate Swift was in staying faithful to the sound of the original recordings, though I am glad she didn’t bring back the overexaggerated southern accent. Accents are fine but seeing as she isn’t southern and no longer has any trace of an accent, I think it’s pretty safe to say it wasn’t natural.
My biggest takeaways were how much Taylor Swift’s voice has improved and matured over the years and how timeless her songs really are. I enjoyed listening to Fearless (Taylor’s Version) just as much as I enjoyed listening to the original Fearless when I was little. It’s exciting to think how many kids will get to be introduced to her music the way I was. It’s also really empowering to see Taylor Swift taking back the power over her creations and make something wonderful and successful out of a situation that is kind of awful. I am here for all of the re-recordings that may come out in the future!
I am not going to give a rating for this or any other re-recorded albums in the future, since it is pretty well established that these are great and successful songs, but I really enjoyed getting to relive the magic of Fearless all these years later and I’m sure most of you will too.