Culture Cabinet

The significance behind Taylor Swift’s quest to re-record the first six albums in her discography is something that can be dissected from multiple angles. The most obvious, of course, being the implications and conversations around an artist’s right to have ownership over their work that have been induced by Swift’s venture in the four years since she announced her plans to release these re-recorded albums. 

Another, while perhaps less legally significant, is the significance of the nostalgia factor that comes with the re-visiting of Swift’s early work. Regardless of how one may feel about Swift’s music, or Swift herself, to deny her cultural significance to modern music is to deny the obvious. Closer to twenty years after release of her debut album, Swift finds herself on the precipice of achieving legend status, with a staying power that is likely to mirror music legends that came before her. Due in part, not just to her natural gift in songwriting, but also her ability to make her mark on a particular moment in time for the listener. With each song, Swift not only shares a personal moment in time for herself, but extends an invitation for the person listening to allow the song into a personal moment in their life. This is something Swift has always done well, and if anything, her re-recorded albums have only emphasized this. 

“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is no exception. From the moment Swift opens the first chords of “Mine (Taylor’s Version),” the first track of the album, which was also a single off the original 2010 release, the listener is instantly transported to a comforting and familiar place. A place of youthful naivety, of innocent young romance, of secret crushes and desire for a fairytale ending. Remaining true to the original album while still providing a fresh renovation, Swift takes the listener on a journey with which they are likely well acquainted, should they have familiarity with the original “Speak Now.” 

Those familiar with Swift’s early work are likely to understand the significance that “Speak Now” held at the time. Originally released on October 25, 2010, “Speak Now” was Swift’s third studio release, having just come off the heels of the breakout success centered around 2008’s “Fearless,” which won Swift her first Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Swift found herself launched into superstardom, and was suddenly aware of the pitfalls of such. The entire album is credited with Swift as the sole songwriter, a response to unfounded accusations made at the time that suggested Swift did not write her own music. “Mean” is a response to blogger Bob Lefsetz, after he criticized Swift’s 2010 Grammy performance with Stevie Nicks. Swift would later go on to perform the song at the 2012 Grammy Awards, changing a lyric to “Someday I’ll be singing this at the Grammys, and all you’re ever gonna be is mean,” taking a further hit at Lefsetz. And, arguably most infamously, the fifth track of the album, “Dear John,” was written about Swift’s relationship with singer John Mayer. Which, on that note, there is something so poignant about hearing a 33-year-old Swift sing, “Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?” 

“Speak Now” arguably set the tone for the Swift fans are acquainted with today. A woman who understands her worth, who will not be deterred, and will fight tooth and nail to show what she is capable of. “Mean” almost feels like the younger, more adolescent version of “The Man,” and “Dear John” in retrospect seems like an appetizer to the deep cut lyrics that have become immortalized from “All Too Well.” However, this album also showcases Swift’s early experimentation with genre, and her ability to touch a realm of styles within the same album. “Haunted,” for example, feels like a complete departure from a sweet love ballad like “Mine,” but the album itself still feels cohesive. “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” features six “Vault Tracks,” which include collaborations with artists like Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams of Paramore, two of the bigger pop punk artists of the early 2010s. Such vault tracks suggest that Swift’s ability to write songs within the pop-punk genre, and if anything, it leaves the listener (admittedly this listener) begging for a full pop-punk album. 

While the nostalgia factor that is synonymous with listening to any of the now three available “Taylor’s Version” albums is a musical delight, Swift’s re-recorded albums also provide the opportunity to understand the undeniable artistry in which Taylor Swift operates. Despite being able to tout that she has written all her own music, Swift demonstrates, even through re-recordings, her obvious love of musical collaboration- inviting prominent present day artists to be featured on these re-recorded albums (previous “Vault Track” collaborators have included artists such as Chris Stapleton, Phoebe Bridgers, Keith Urban, and Maren Morris), and allowing her current go-to producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner to have a hand in their releases. Paired with her bard-like ability to weave a tapestry of lyrics that can cut to the core, and a deep understanding of multiple musical styles and genres, it feels like the current mega-success that Swift now finds herself in has been well earned. 

While “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is not the first re-recorded album to be released, there is something about it that feels significantly triumphant, maybe even more so than its predecessors. Perhaps it is the fact that there is something to be said about an artist finally having ownership over an album they wrote completely themselves, nearly thirteen years after its initial release. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that this album’s release comes amidst Swift’s current Eras Tour, which is slated to be the highest grossing concert tour of all time. But also, perhaps, it’s due to the fact that the revisiting of this warm and enchanting world that Swift has created through this album comes as an immense comfort in these uncertain times. 

Whatever the case, it is safe to say that thirteen years later, Swift’s prophesied lyric off “Long Live” certainly rings true: she will be remembered.