Taylor Swift wanted to have an act of reclamation that would get everyone to talk about her and her music.
On April 9, Taylor Swift re-released her second studio album “Fearless.” Entitled “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” Swift’s re-release solves her recent struggles regarding the lack of control over her first six albums. As a result, Swift put out a collection of 26 songs, including six new tracks from the “vault.”
“The fact that she seems to be making a concerted effort to keep the songs almost exactly the same adds to the defiant tone of this project, showing that these songs, as she originally conceived them, belong to her and no one else,” said music adjunct instructor Darren Litzie.
According to The Washington Post, Swift left her label, Big Machine, in 2018. Her master recordings fell into the hands of American media entrepreneur Scooter Braun. Subsequently, Swift vowed to re-record her first six albums in an effort to re-own her music.
This album includes many well-known classics such as “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me,” “Fearless” and “Today Was A Fairytale.” There are only slight differences with the new versions compared to the older versions.
“The two subtle differences that I noticed are that Swift’s voice sounds a bit more seasoned and matured, as one would expect, and the recordings sound more crisp and clear, thanks to recording technology that is constantly improving,” said Litzie.
Along with the originals on the album, the six new songs from the “vault” include “You All Over Me” featuring Marren Morris, “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” “We Were Happy,” “That’s When” featuring Keith Urban, “Don’t You” and “Bye Bye Baby.”
“I have listened to the album,” said sophomore Ellie Kiernan. “I like it a lot.”
According to The Washington Post, “None of the tweaks seem like artistic necessities, more like Easter eggs proffered to the legions of Swifties who know these songs by heart.”
According to Vulture, “Fans even pointed out that Miss Swift says ‘Mr.’ 27 times, matching the infamous story of when Joe broke up with Taylor in a 27-second phone call.”
Swift created a lot of buzz with “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and many of her loyal fans have been all over social media talking about the re-recording.
“Now she really owns her whole story,” said Kiernan.
According to Billboard, ‘“Fearless’ was Swift’s first album to top the Billboard 200 chart, spending 11 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. The album also earned Swift her first Grammy Awards, including album of the year.”
Achieving stardom at the young age of 18, the original “Fearless” paved the way for Swift in the music industry.
Swift took to Instagram and Twitter on Feb. 11 writing a lengthy note about the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).”
“When I think back on the Fearless album and all that you turned it into, a completely involuntary smile creeps across my face,” wrote Swift.
“I think what she’s doing is actually pretty admirable,” said Litzie. “The message she’s sending is one of a true artist who has a tremendous amount of pride in her work, and she’s willing to spend a lot of time and money to ensure that she has full ownership of it.”
