Taylor Swift’s re-recording of her album “Fearless” has seen massive success since its release on April 9. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” has 26 songs: 19 from the platinum version of the 2008 album, one bonus track and six “from the vault,” which are previously unreleased songs from the era. The songs have already been streamed over a 100 million times collectively on Spotify.
The new album cover is a beautiful recreation of her original album cover. Instead of a tight white dress, this time, Swift wears a loose tunic. The sepia and brown tones provide a low contrast that aptly draws parallels to her current stage of life; 2008’s “Fearless” was the start of her rise to stardom, thus having a more dramatic, high-contrast cover, while now, the cover reveals that she is an established artist who is at peace with her music. She now has the freedom to do what she wants with her album, as demonstrated by the fit of her tunic. The new outfit could also be a subtle nod towards her song “Love Story,” where she and her love are Romeo and Juliet. However, instead of being Juliet and wearing the dress, she is taking control of her life as Romeo, hence the tunic.
The most streamed song on the album is “Love Story,” which was released on Feb. 12 and has over 90 million Spotify streams. It is every bit as magical as the original, evoking a strong feeling of nostalgia as it is one of her best known songs and a classic from the 2000s. The original music video earned her Best Female Video at the 2009 Video Music Awards where Kanye West famously interrupted her speech, sparking a long feud between them.
Swift chose to re-record her albums after her music was sold to Scott Samuel “Scooter” Braun in 2019, which was particularly upsetting for Swift as Braun also managed Kanye West. After the sale of her masterpieces, Swift no longer had the rights to the recordings of her first six albums, and all who wanted to use her songs in advertisements or TV shows had to pay Braun a fee. Additionally, streaming the old versions of the songs allowed Braun to profit. However, re-recording her albums ensures that Swift has the final say in where her music is used and that she is the one who profits from it.
Although Swift’s intent was to recreate the songs exactly as they are, her growth as an artist immediately becomes apparent. Her voice is more mature and refined, adding a more wistful tone to “Fifteen,” her song reflecting on innocent youth and naivety. The song now feels more like she is looking back and teaching her old self about what life has in store instead of pointing out flaws in the way she used to act.
“You All Over Me,” featuring Maren Morris, was also released early and describes the difficulty of moving on from a relationship. Even as the song concludes, parts of it still linger and she doesn’t quite feel clean, hence “you all over me.” The lyrics are poignant and perfectly match the mellow melody: “So I lied, and I cried, / And I watched a part of myself die.”
One of her vault songs, “That’s When,” features Keith Urban whom she toured with during her “Fearless” era. It describes the aftermath of a breakup and hesitation to get back together with her ex-boyfriend. The harmonious vocals in the song are another nod to her past self, allowing listeners to reminisce about the beginnings of Taylor’s career in pop.
“Today Was A Fairytale,” a bonus track in the album that was originally released as a single in 2010, is romantic and full of joy, filling listeners with brightness and energy: “can you feel this magic in the air?” The beauty of the lyrics and melody create a unique lightness and sense of fantasy in real life. The song fits seamlessly with the rest of her songs from the era and flows nicely with the album.
“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” is a masterpiece in its own right, and it breathes new life into the old album, digging it up from the depths of time. Fans are still excitedly awaiting re-recordings of her other five albums including “Reputation,” which will undoubtedly receive the same amount of, if not more, support.
