Taylor Swift hasn’t just been taking over the face of music, she’s been taking over the world, too. You see her name everywhere and hear her songs on the radio every day. I’m sure you hear the most of her when your annoying Swiftie friend goes on their daily tangents about why she’s so awesome. I would know, as I identify as that annoying friend, and it’s all true. To their disdain, my close circle of friends now know everything about her. I can already see their eyes rolling when I mention that I wrote this article.
Taylor Swift is not the first musical artist to rerecord her work, but she might be the most popular, and there’s a reason for this. Her “vault” is filled with god knows how many unreleased songs from her different eras of music. Because these eras are all so different from one another, these songs went unreleased. Not for long, though! Each rerelease of an album contains songs from “the vault” that she never got the opportunity to give to us Swifties beforehand.
As of late, the rerecords we have so far are “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” “Red (Taylor’s Version),” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” I’m impatiently waiting for “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” to be released. Unfortunately for my “Fearless” lovers, none of them are featured here. I know, I know, but it’s hard to only limit this list to ten, and the “Fearless” vault songs just didn’t make it. I was also only four years old when “Fearless” originally came out, so my personal connection to the album is lacking. Let’s get into my top ten favorite Taylor Swift vault tracks:
10) “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“Electric Touch” was released as a vault track on the “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” rerelease. She collaborated with Fall Out Boy. This song ranks number ten because while it’s so catchy, I felt like I was waiting for more when listening. Specifically, I felt that there should’ve been more to the chorus. For the energy of the song, I think there should’ve been more power to it. It’s a very upbeat song to have such a soft chorus. I believe that this stems from softer vocals during these points in the song. It could’ve been louder, leading to a more impactful and powerful execution. However, it does always end up stuck in my head.
9) “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“I Can See You” was another vault track released on the rerecording of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).” This is one of Taylor’s more “raunchy” songs, or as us Swifties categorize it, it’s one of her “spicy” songs. This song almost felt like a shock to hear, since she was only between the ages of 18-20 when she wrote it, and she hadn’t been known to write and release songs like it before. And, not to mention, it’s so captivating. This song also contains something we haven’t really heard in a Taylor song before: a surf rock guitar. This gives the song a much more indie-rock mood to it. Because it stands out from her other work, especially on this album, it made the song itself stand out much more.
8) “Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“Now That We Don’t Talk” is one of the newest vault songs we have, with the re-release date of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” being October 27th, 2023. This is Taylor’s shortest song to ever release, being only two minutes and 32 seconds. Part of its popularity is the possibility it’s about another very famous singer, Harry Styles. Many Swifties are in agreement that the “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” vault songs are very Midnights-coded, which is Taylor’s most recent new album. The layering of her vocals almost gives it this echo effect. The song’s pre-chorus chords just seem to always be in my head. The bridge is catchy as well, with it sounding like a (presumably) small diss at Styles, and why it could be a good reason that they don’t talk anymore. Since this song is shorter, I find myself replaying it often.
7) “Suburban Legends (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
Another vault song off of the re-record of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” “Suburban Legends” makes my list mainly because of the catchiness of the chorus. The count of it and the notes specifically create a beat that I’m always tapping my foot to or singing in my head. The layering of her vocals makes it seem so much stronger as well. With this being another Midnights-coded song, I can almost hear these hints of “Bejeweled,” a song on “Midnights.”
6) “Better Man (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“Better Man” is a vault song released on the re-recording of “Red (Taylor’s Version).” I have a special connection with the album “Red” since that was the only show of hers that I’ve seen. I was in fourth grade, it was my absolute favorite album, and I got to see it in LA with my mom for a birthday present. Still to this day, I refer to it as one of the happiest and best nights of my life. Sure, I was only 11 years old, but it was everything I had dreamed it would be. The “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album will always be monumental to me. Not to mention, I think it has the best vault songs overall. “Better Man” is an obvious choice to add to my list. The lyrics themselves are relatable to me personally, the chorus is strong, allowing me to sing it at the top of my lungs, and the acoustics and overall sound of it scratches an itch in my brain. The pre-chorus builds into a strong and loud chorus that makes you want to sing it off the top of the Empire State Building. It’s upbeat when it needs to be, and soft when it needs to be. This combination of all of these factors leads it to being one of my favorites.
5) “Message In A Bottle (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
Another vault song off “Red (Taylor’s Version),” “Message In A Bottle” is a cute, upbeat, and bouncy song that felt like my song from the summer. Once again, it felt so relatable to me over the summer, when I was geographically distanced from someone I knew I liked. This song has Taylor’s signature “I” bounce in it, giving it that upbeat sing-song effect to it. While there might not be anything specifically special to the song, it is a fun summery song that has a pulse to it.
4) “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“Is It Over Now” is my favorite vault track off of “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” It’s another highly Midnights-coded song, also presumably about Harry Styles. However, this one has many more of those disses. The production of this song is out of this world, and the angry tone behind the lyrics allows it to build into something almost mesmerizing. When the song begins, you almost think it’s a slower song, but it soon picks up into a loud and powerful song. I’m obsessed with the drums used in this song. It feels like a sister song to my favorite song on the album, which is “Out Of The Woods,” which is also presumably about Styles. I personally feel that had she released this song with the original “1989” album, she would’ve been ripped apart for it. She was heavily slut-shamed during this era of her life, and faced an immense amount of misogyny. Harry Styles has always been beloved within the music industry, and she did not have the respect she has now to release a song like this and not be ridiculed for it.
3) “Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“Castles Crumbling” has been my favorite vault track off of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” since the re-record came out in July of 2023, putting it in my top three favorite vault songs. Taylor collaborated with Hayley Williams, lead singer of Paramore. The song is slower, but extremely beautiful. The production of the song is superb, and the softness of it with the build of the drums throughout the song make it feel so mystical. The bridge of the song contains an increasing power of the drums, and along with her diction, makes it feel so powerful but fluttery at the same time. Williams’ voice and hers blend well together, allowing them to layer their voices together into backup vocals that had a big part in what makes it such a beautiful song. The references to dynasties and empires gives it that mystical and mysterious energy.
2) “Forever Winter (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
Trigger Warning: Mention of suicide
“Forever Winter,” also off “Red (Taylor’s Version),” is an extremely emotional song about a friend of hers who has struggled with mental health issues and thoughts of suicide. With the topic of the song being so sorrowful, I felt that the production was done so beautifully and respectfully. The guitar and the horns give it this graceful and alluring effect. “Forever Winter” possesses this palatable energy that makes such a lyrically heavy song sound so light, fluffy, and sweet. I feel that such a heavy topic of discussion to sing about can be hard to listen to and especially hard to enjoy, but Taylor’s delivery of the song is strategic enough to sway the heaviness away from the lyrics and more into the music. Don’t get me wrong, the lyrics are sad. But not too sad to take away from the enjoyment of listening to it.
1) “All To Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
“All To Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” is another vault track from “Red (Taylor’s Version).” The ten minute version of “All Too Well” completely changed the game. With this song originally being one of my favorites as the five minute version, I found myself excited but nervous for this song. The five minute version was always exceptional, and I didn’t want the 10 minute version to be too long. I was nervous that with it being so long, it would make the song boring and dragged out. But the other conflicted part of me wanted to hope that the longer version would be just as substantial as the original. The latter of the two is luckily how I feel. It’s one of those super long songs that just doesn’t feel like ten minutes. The new lyrics convey the seriousness of the hurt she felt after her breakup with Jake Gyllenhaal. Taylors word choice in lines like, “But all I felt was shame, and you held my lifeless frame,” “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath,” and “Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?” all demonstrate the severity of the heartbreak she felt. It also demonstrates the manipulation between an older, more successful man in Hollywood versus the young, inexperienced, and naive young girl. You can truly feel her emotions through the writing. The song acts as a story, with the beginning referencing the beginning of the relationship, and the end being all the ways the relationship ruined and “maimed” her. The repetition of “wind in my hair, I was there,” “Down the stairs, I was there,” “Sacred prayer, I was there,” and finally, “It was rare, I was there” emphasizes how she remembers it so well, as if it almost just happened. The lyricism, storytelling, and intricate details proves how well she can remember all of it, as if it happened just days ago. This song surprised and moved me the most, giving it its well-deserved spot at number one on my list of top ten vault tracks.
As I’ve learned through consuming way too much Taylor Swift media, I’m well aware everyone’s ratings are different. There’s a Taylor Swift song for every emotion, every feeling, every mistake, and every possible life lesson. This allows for an array of different songs to resonate with different people. Our personal life stories dictate the music we listen to and the words we allow to stick with us. Luckily for Swifties, there is so much to choose from. These ten vault tracks stuck with me the most, got the most repeats, and made me feel the most emotion. Whether it’s a bouncy and cheerful song or a slow and melancholic song, Taylor doesn’t allow them to be boring and bland. I have to give it to myself, I picked a damn good role model!