Taylor Swift Releases ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’

Taylor Swift has just released 1989 (Taylor's Version), the fourth in her series of re-recorded albums. The Swifties are ecstatic, and so is Taylor.

In an Instagram post, Swift wrote, “I was born in 1989, reinvented for the first time in 2014, and a part of me was reclaimed in 2023 with the release of this album I love so dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the magic you would sprinkle on my life for so long."

"This moment is a reflection of the woods we’ve wandered through and all this love between us still glowing in the darkest dark," she continued. "I present to you, with gratitude and will wonder, my version of 1989. It’s been waiting for you."

Those words are handwritten as the last slide in a seven-panel post that includes photos of Swift shot by Beth Garrabrant. In most of the photos, Swift appears to be at the beach, wearing a white tank top and jeans. In one, she's wearing sunglasses, holding an ice cream cone and wearing an aqua top. The post is captioned, "My name is Taylor and I was born in 1989”

The original 1989 album, released in 2014, signaled her transition from country hitmaker to bona fide pop star. And experts have predicted that the new edition could be the most successful re-record yet. At the very least, it will displace the old 1989. Every previous Taylor's Version release has led to slumping sales of the originals. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) immediately drove down sales of the original Speak Now by nearly 60%, per The New York Times. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) currently sits at No. 18 on the Billboard charts.

Swift started dropping re-recordings of her old albums in 2021 in response to the sale of her old record label Big Machine to celebrity manager Scooter Braun. The sale, which included ownership of Swift's music catalogue, meant that Braun owned the rights to master recordings of her old songs. These re-recordings, "Taylor's Versions," allow her to reclaim those rights. Swift kicked off the series with Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) in 2021, followed by Speak Now (Taylor's Version) earlier this year. With the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version), her only Big Machine–era album left to remake is 2017's Reputation.

The re-recorded albums each come with a string of "vault tracks," unreleased songs that didn't make the final cut when it was initially released. The new 1989 is no different, featuring previously unreleased songs titled "Say Don't Go," "Now That We Don't Talk," "Suburban Legends," "Is It Over Now" and "Slut!" Swift said 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is her "most FAVORITE re-record" when she announced the release over the summer.

Swift has spent much of 2023 on her blockbuster Eras Tour, which continues in Brazil in November, before taking a break until next February. Lately, both Swifties and football fans alike have paid close attention to Swift's budding relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.