If you haven’t heard, big things are happening with our girl Taylor Swift. She’s currently working to re-record her own versions of the songs that were originally recorded under Big Machine Records. When Swift left Big Machine in 2018, they declined her the rights to the music that she recorded under them. This means that she has no control over what happens with her work, and Big Machine has sold Swift’s music several times without her permission. Now, Swift is committed to rerecording her albums so she can have the rights over her songs. She hopes the re-recorded versions of her songs will replace the old versions so she can get credit for all of her hard work.
On February 12, 2021, Swift released her first re-record, “Love Story.” She kept the same lyrics and accompaniment but used new musicians on the track. Everything in the new track sounds crisper and you can hear the maturity in Swift’s voice. The sound of the banjo is more separated, allowing you to pick out details that may have been lost in the original recording. Swift’s vocals are more enunciated as well, and there are a few added instruments such as an electric guitar and a violin.
The two versions of the songs are very similar, which is exactly what Swift wanted: for fans to be able to seamlessly go from the original version to the version she owns the rights to. The whole point of re-recording her first six albums is for them to replace the old versions, not to make something completely new.
Swift’s fans have been completely supportive of this transition and are really excited for the full re-recorded Fearless album to be released soon. The album will be released on April 9th, 2021, which Swift disclosed in a coded message that she tweeted. The tweet was written in all lowercase letters except for the capital letters: APRIL NINTH. The album will include 26 songs, six of which were not on the original album. This is an important era for Swift and her Swifties, and it’s amazing how supportive her fans are of her and her music. Those who grew up with those first six albums will be just as excited to listen to her re-records and relive their old memories of jamming to Swift in the backseat of their cars!