Taylor Swift's '1989 (Taylor's Version)' has arrived and it's been waiting for you
Taylor Swift's newly re-recorded album, "1989 (Taylor's Version)" is finally here!
The singer's new album, which arrived at midnight on Oct. 27, 2023, is a re-recording of her award-winning album "1989," which was originally released exactly nine years ago on Oct. 27, 2014.
"My name is Taylor and I was born in 1989," Swift wrote in an Instagram posts when the album dropped.
The re-recording includes hit songs such as "Shake it Off," "Bad Blood," "Blank Space," "Welcome to New York," and more.
Kendrick Lamar also re-recorded his verse on the "Bad Blood" remix for the deluxe edition of the new album. Swift shared a note Friday expressing how "overjoyed" she is to have him on the re-recorded album. "Watching @kendricklamar create and record his verses on the Bad Blood remix was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life," she wrote.
"The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record Bad Blood so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me," she shared.
In addition to the re-recorded versions of each song from the 16-track album, "1989 (Taylor's Version)" has five "From the Vault" tracks.
Learn more about the new album below.
When did Taylor Swift announce "1989 (TV)"?
Swift dropped the news about the re-recorded "1989" at her final Eras Tour stop at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Aug. 9.
Leading up to the announcement, fans on social media speculated that the super star would be revealing something big on the final night of her tour. Some had a hunch that the announcement would be related to "1989."
During the show, Swift wore several blue outfits that reflected the theme of "1989" for each Eras set. When she took the stage for an acoustic set in yet another blue dress, she reflected on the past few months of the Eras Tour and dropped the "1989 (Taylor's Version)" news.
"Here we are, the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour. It's the eighth month of the year, on the ninth day of [August]," she said, referencing the date. "There's something I've been planning for a really, really [long time], and instead of just telling you about it, I guess I would just show you."
She ended her acoustics set that night with a performance of "New Romantics" from the original "1989" album, as artwork for the re-recorded version of the album appeared onstage behind her.
How did Taylor Swift tease "1989 (Taylor's Version)"?
The singer, who is known for dropping clues about forthcoming albums and songs, partnered with Google in September to reveal clues about the album's "From the Vault" tracks through a series of puzzles.
The five never-before-heard songs include "Slut! (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)," "Say Don't Go (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)," "Now That We Don't Talk (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)," "Suburban Legends (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)," and "Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)."
"I can't believe they were ever left behind," Swift said in an Instagram post in August, after announcing that "1989 (Taylor's Version)" was on its way. "But not for long!"
What was special about Taylor Swift's "1989" era?
"1989" is a meaningful album for Swift because she said it reflected the time she moved to New York City.
"New York has been an important landscape and location for my life in the last couple of years," Swift said in a 2014 interview, the year the original album was released. "I dreamt about moving to New York, I obsessed over moving to New York, and then I did it."
"The inspiration that I found in that city is kind of hard to describe and hard to compare to any other force of inspiration I've ever experienced in my life," she added. "It's like an electric city. I approached moving there with such wide-eyed optimism and sort of saw it as a place of endless potential and possibilities, and you can kind of hear that reflected in this music."
In August this year, when she announced "1989 (Taylor's Version)," Swift said the album "changed my life in countless ways."
"To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I've ever done," she wrote on Instagram at the time.
When did Taylor Swift announce she was re-recording her previous albums?
The singer announced on "Good Morning America" in August 2019 that she would be re-recording her first six albums from her former label in order to take ownership of the records that made her a household name.
"It's something that we're very excited about doing because my contract says starting November 2020, so next year, I can record albums one through five all over again," she said.
"1989 (Taylor's Version)" is Swift's fourth re-recorded album. In July, she released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," which is a re-recording of 2010's "Speak Now."
Swift first released "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," a re-recording of 2008's "Fearless," in April 2021, and in November 2021, she released "Red (Taylor's Version)," a re-recording of 2012's "Red."
