It’s here. Taylor Swift has released her re-recording of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), following her re-recording of 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)', and 'Red (Taylor's Version)'.
Written between the ages of 18 and 20, the 22-song tracklist dives into the storytelling of Taylor Swift’s brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic whims, fantasises, heartaches, dramas, and tragedies she lived through. There’s a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for this album; especially for the fact that she gets to reclaim her work.
As she had to revisit this particular album to reclaim her work, ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, is filled with resonating emotions from that period of time, still able to translate the angst, heartache, and problematic feelings sometimes we are unable to shake, it’s a terrific re-recording to her music catalog.
They say hindsight in 20/20, but if the 19-year-old version of Taylor Swift could see herself now, she would be proud knowing she does, in fact, live in a big city shining like fireworks across the world, alluding to tracks like ‘Dear John’ and ‘Innocent’.
There’s maturity in Taylor Swift’s voice on the recordings of the likes of ‘Back to December’, ‘Mean’, ‘Mine’, and ‘Sparks Fly’. Sonically, she captured magnificent vibes through each production with her tasteful musical signature and beautiful vocals showcasing she furthermore celebrates her work with passion. ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, is another victory release from her.
There are six tracks from the vault that were previously unreleased including ‘Electric Touch’ featuring Fall Out Boy, ‘When Emma Falls In Love’, ‘I Can See You’, ‘Castles Crumbling’ featuring Hayley Williams, ‘Foolish One’, and ‘Timeless’.
In my reviews of ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’, and ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)', I acknowledged that Taylor Swift is taking back her power and her right to own her work. ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ appears more meaningful as she wrote all the tracks by herself, but it’s also another great addition and installment to her music catalog and re-recorded albums.
Words by Danielle Holian