1989 (Taylor’s Version) was released on Friday, October 27th, almost an entire decade since its original recording, 1989, was released. As Dakota Student’s resident #Swiftie, I decided to deep dive into the complexities and inner lore that revolve around the most awarded pop album of all time and give a thorough review of the album. With this review, I looked specifically at a few things, this being production quality, like background voice mixing, instruments and melodies, and how they accompany Taylor’s voice. I also look closely at Taylor’s vocals and how they sound, like any other album review, but I am also comparing her vocals to the original album, as they are a rerecord of the original that came out in 2014. Come with me as I review each song, taking us back to 2014 in a heartbeat or do I mean 1989?
If we look at the album as a whole, it is beautifully recorded, produced, and marketed. As of October 31st, it is the second most streamed album by Taylor, only coming second to Midnights. This is unprecedented for re-recorded music, and of that there is little. First let’s start with the great hits of this album. Of the best re-recorded songs on this album, I would say my favorites in terms of identicality, production, and improvement would be: All You Had To Do Was Stay, I Wish You Would, Shake It Off, and Wildest Dreams. If I were to include the vault tracks, “Slut!”, Say Don’t Go, Now That We Don’t Talk, Suburban Legends, and Is It Over Now? My favorites would be: Now That We Don’t Talk and Is It Over Now? Each of these songs portray the feelings we felt the first time the album was released but happened to put a modern and minute spin on it to make it even better the second time. If we look at the bad blood of the album, I only found that Style changed significantly. Below I have broken down the best of the album, and the worst. What are your thoughts?
All You Had to do Was Stay
Similar to Out of the Woods, All You Had to Do Was Stay also knocks it out of the park. With 1989 being my favorite album of Taylor’s, I have my favorites and my lesser favorites. The original All You Had To Do Way Stay was not one of my favorites, although, I think that will change. This new version gives a new light on the pop album, having an early 2010’s Katy Perry, Kesha-esque vibe. It sounds like a pop anthem straight from the radio on the way home from middle school. There is more confidence in the vocals, lending itself to the self-assured song that it is. I also appreciated the addition of snaps in the second verse. It was a nice touch to a fantastic song.
Shake It Off
I found that with the re-record of Shake it Off, we feel a more joyful tone in Taylor’ vocals and in the production. We immediately hear the use of drum hits and sticks clapping. The sound is much clearer, making it evident that they actually recorded these sounds, versus a computer-generated sound that may have been in the original. There is a nice addition of more bass sounds, making it a more well-rounded song. More so than anything, this song feels fun. Even more fun than it had before. I don’t care for horns, but with a more noticeable horn in the chorus, it lends itself perfectly to the overall easy-going “I don’t care what they say” vibe. The happiness exuded reminds me of the song ME! And You Need To Calm Down from Taylor’s seventh album, Lover. Shake It Off is a great re-record, and I will definitely not be skipping it on the radio.
I Wish You Would
The immediate guitar strums in the re-recording of I Wish You Would show genuineness. I can really hear that riff, which is nice in an alum filled with artificial sounds. This is the guitar riff we would have wanted for Style. This leads into the vocals, which are surprisingly different. Taylor, not just in 1989 (Taylor’s Version) but in her recent few albums, has enunciated her R sounds more, which ages the sound a bit. I liked it, especially during the “never” versus a more “neva” sound. The introduction of harmonies towards the end of the song accompanies the finality of the recording nicely. Overall, another great re-record.
Wildest Dreams
If you didn’t already know, the two beats that open Wildest Dreams are a recording of Taylor’s actual heartbeat. I was expecting a clearer sound but was met with a more fake sounding beat. This accompanies the few production changes to the song, like the addition of synth and the random glockenspiel in the pre-chorus and even the little “pew” sounds sprinkled throughout, like how an 80’s arcade game sounds. Though besides those few changes, Taylor’s voice is highlighted amazingly, and I cannot deny that the song did a great job in the re-record.
Style
With Style being my favorite song from the original recording of 1989, I was expecting a lot from this new recording. Unfortunately, I was let down. Some of the things that make this song so intoxicating in terms of likability are the immediate pumping drum beat and the strum of the guitar. The guitar strum was lighter, taking away from the well-known rock-esque pop. We seem to lose that quality with the new version. In Style, and almost every other song on this re-record, we see the overarching overuse of synth. Taylor mentioned back during the original release of 1989, that one of her big inspirations for the album was late 80’s synth pop. We can clearly see that in these songs, but they seem to over inspire in the re-recordings, appearing in spots they had not in the original. I found that it completely changed the song and not in the way I think the song requires. During the second chorus, “Long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt,” we hear this new sparkling synth sound that is surprisingly pleasant, though unexpected and seemingly unneeded. Some high points of the song are the addition of echoing giving a darker vibe to the song, which is what I had hoped for. I was disappointed in this new version of Style, though at the same time I also acknowledge that this could be the way Taylor had wanted it to sound all along.
Danika Ogawa is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
