1989 (Taylor's Version) Review: a few things special; most things okay.
The good, the great, and the not-so-great about Taylor's 1989.
1989 (2014) was the first album that I had listened to in its entirety. I used to listen to "Blank Space", "Style", "I Know Places", and "All You Had to Do Was Stay" on loop just daydreaming about pretty people; I also remember finding her "Bad Blood" music video with Kendrick Lamar incredibly badass. All in all, the album has a special place in my heart, so I was quite excited to listen to it again in all its re-recorded glory — and of course, listen to the unreleased songs from The Vault!
I have now listened to the whole thing and I have some strong thoughts. Let's get into them!
Songs from The Vault
I will start with the ones from The Vault because "SLUT!" happens to be my favorite track on the whole album.
"SLUT!"'s melancholic pre-chorus with its "Got love-struck, went straight to my head / Got lovesick all over my bed" pierced my heart — the "love-struck / lovesick" assonance helps with that, for sure! There is also a high-pitch synth melody that one, sent me to heaven, and two, really complements the bitter-sweet lyrics of the song. "SLUT!" not only acknowledges the hurt that comes with a relationship, but also fondly caresses and cherishes the pain. It is a beautiful song and a genuine highlight of the album.
I also enjoyed "Say Don't Go". This was mostly because it felt like an organic extension to "All You Had to Do Was Stay" in lyricism, vocal delivery, melody, and production: a shift from aching but playful indifference to regretful reminiscing over a lover. I consider the two songs to be sisters and it is a shame that the album was not structured to have "Say Don't Go" come after the other — it would have been sonically very aesthetic.
"Now That We Don't Talk", "Suburban Legends", and "Is It Over Now?" are alright. They showcase Taylor's storytelling chops but the production — while in flow with the rest of the album — is very generic. I don't think I will be giving these three another listen.
Re-Recordings
"I Know Places" is my favorite re-recording on this album! The "Ah-ah-ah-I" echo has been synthesised a little more and now packs a stronger punch — not sure how others might find it but I loved the effect. Taylor's older, deeper voice fits incredibly well with the cautious and ominous tone of the first three-quarters of the song. I was also a little worried that she would not be able to hit the energetic outro of the original song with her new voice but she did and I am very happy for it!
I have also noticed that the beats in this album have a lot more weight to them than in the original recording. And it is very apparent in the re-recorded "Welcome to New York", "New Romantics", and "Out of the Woods". "Welcome to New York"'s chorus now has a newfound thump and I can see myself bopping to it on a casual evening drive; "New Romantics" sounds very euphoric with the new production and I am totally putting it on my shower playlists; and "Out of the Woods" — which I had dismissed as a dud in 2014 — now sounds transcendentally atmospheric with the powerful beats and Taylor's mature voice.
I absolutely hate the new "Style" though. The old version had these powerful bass waves that I felt paralleled the song's main theme: Taylor's pervasive and disruptive presence that never goes out of style. The re-record, on the other hand, pulls back these bass waves in favor of high-pitched screeches reminiscent of the sound broken cassette-tapes make. What the hell were they thinking?
"Blank Space" is dull this time around, most unfortunately. The old version's highlight was Taylor's coy and playful vocal delivery, and she is unable to match that in this one. Go back to the 2014 version and wait for her insanely charming "I can make the bad guys good for a weekend!" — you will see what I mean.
"Bad Blood" is good, for the most part, but Taylor sounds manic in the "You and I" segment of the pre-chorus — appropriate for the theme, I suppose, but I did not enjoy it.
I had found "Shake It Off" very cringe worthy way back in 2014, so I have not bothered to check it out this time. Let me know if I should. All the other songs that I have not mentioned by name were good then, they are good now; I have nothing much to say about them.
Concluding Thoughts
Red (Taylor's Version) is my favorite of Taylor's re-recorded albums. It was like a love letter to her past self and she sounded like she genuinely wanted to be behind the mic while recording the songs. It also has this very rustic production that gives it a timeless quality. Finally, its songs from The Vault — mainly "All Too Well (10 mins)", "Babe", and "Nothing New" — are, hands down, the best songs in Taylor's repertoire.
1989 (Taylor's Version)'s existence, on the other hand, feels like a business decision. And most of its songs are a definite skip on a second or third listen for me.
But that is okay. There are four songs here that I know I will come back to time and time again: "SLUT!"; "Say Don't Go"; "Welcome to New York"; and "New Romantics".
That is good enough.