By Grace Wang
1989 (Taylor’s Version) has brought us re-recordings of some of Swift’s most well known songs, as well as five never-heard-before songs from the Vault. Here is a breakdown of those five Vault Songs that were in Swift’s rerecording of her album, 1989.
- Sl*t!
When Swift first teased the name of this song via a video, which featured the letters and symbols of every vault track, no one anticipated the song to be titled, “Sl*t!” This song references how the media had labeled her as a “sl*t” primarily when the original version of 1989 came out (about 10 years ago). The media focused more on her relationships than her actual music, and Swift has constantly embraced this portrayal of herself. A prime example of this is in her hit song “Blank Space,” where she almost leans into the branding by making it appear as though she was a “serial dater.” However in “Sl*t!”, she plays upon the idea that she can tolerate and handle the branding as long as she is with the “one,” or her true love. She sings, “If they call me a sl*t, you know it might be worth it for once.” This lyric shows that as long as she is with the “one,” it might be worth it because she would be with the person she loves. In addition, the names of the four different vinyls are all used in this track.
- Say Don’t Go
“Say Don’t Go” is the second vault track in the album, and arguably the saddest. In the song, she sings about a lover who repeatedly pulls away from her, and she desperately wants him to give her a reason to stay. This parallels Track 5 of the album, “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” as in that song, she is begging her lover to stay. Meanwhile, in “Say Don’t Go,” she’s begging them for a reason to stay. A significant lyric in the bridge is where she sings, “I say ‘I love you,’ you say nothing back.” After she sings this, there is a pause, representing her lover really not saying anything back. This shows that when she asked him for a reason to stay, he couldn’t even give her one because he didn’t love her. He couldn’t find it within himself to lie that he loved her, so he stayed silent.
- Now That We Don’t Talk
This song almost takes off where the previous track left on. In “Now That We Don’t Talk”, Swift notices the differences in her former lover to who they used to be while struggling to accept the end of their relationship. This song is heavily rumored to be about Swift’s former lover, Harry Styles, as she references several events and differences in him. One such being, “You grew your hair long.” This references Track 3 of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), “Style,” because in the chorus she sings, “You’ve got that long hair slicked back, white t-shirt.” In addition, after Swift and Styles broke up in early 2013, he grew his hair long before cutting it in 2016. Throughout the song, she notices these differences and realizes that it was for the better in the end. She accepts the end of their relationship and knows that it’s better they no longer talk.
- Suburban Legends
In “Suburban Legends,” Swift plays upon the idea of two star-crossed lovers finding success, but still trying to stay together against all odds. In the song, she sings about a reunion in their small hometown, which references Swift’s song on Evermore, “Tis the Damn Season,” mentioning the same. Throughout the verses, she hopes that they will be able to stay together, but in the bridge, it is revealed that they do not last. She plays upon the idea that they were both destined for more, but somehow they loved each other even though they were unlikely to stay together. She sings, “I didn’t come here to make friends, we were born to be Suburban Legends.” This shows that she never anticipated falling in love; all she expected was to be successful, but she found love instead.
- Is It Over Now?
“Is It Over Now?” is without a doubt one of Swift’s best album closers. The title of the song plays upon the idea of the album ending, but in actuality, it tells the story of heartbreak and the rollercoaster of emotions she experienced while dating Harry Styles. Throughout the song, she references several events that occurred throughout their relationship, such as the infamous snowmobile incident. This song parallels a previous track on the album, “Out of the Woods,” which describes the complexity of their relationship. In “Is it Over Now?”, she hints at the incident, “When you lost control, red blood, white snow.” During the snowmobile incident, it was winter and he lost control of driving it, resulting in the following lyric from “Out of the Woods”: “Twenty stitches in a hospital room.” She also references the negative attention the media consistently gave to them, as both were constantly in the spotlight. The negative attention resulted in their first breakup back in 2013, where the paparazzi leaked a photo of Styles seeing another woman. It was a fantastic final track which demonstrated the complexity and rollercoaster of emotions she endured during their relationship.
In conclusion, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) provided fans with rerecordings of the songs which arguably brought her to superstardom and five new songs that were never heard before, which will go down as some of her best works.
