Since the exciting release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on Oct. 27, I’ve spent an obnoxious amount of time streaming it over and over, specifically the vault tracks. I think this is one of her best rerecordings yet, and I’m excited to be able to tell you why I love each vault track off this album. As a long-time fan of over ten years, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that she is able to reclaim her songs for her own while simultaneously giving us the gift that is the vault!
- Now That We Don’t Talk
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As Taylor’s officially shortest song, this one just has a grip on me. The catchy melody has been stuck in my head for days. As many have pointed out, this song can be interpreted in many different ways, and one popular TikTok iteration is that “Now That We Don’t Talk” is about a toxic friendship. As someone who’s experienced a lot of different (and toxic) types of relationships in my life, the nostalgic and yearning lyrics really resonated with me.
- Is It Over Now?
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From the first listen, the lyrics of “Is It Over Now?” had surprised me in a good way. It has those hard-hitting lyrics only Taylor would think of. It sophisticatedly but casually admits both of their faults while also expressing the desire and attachment that lingers for the relationship. It always shocks me that Swift is able to express a specific situation so clearly without ever explicitly saying anything. I’m glad that this is the single off the rerecording as it’s definitely one of her strongest vault tracks thus far.
- Say Don’t Go
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Now when 1989 (Taylor’s Version) first released, this song was by far my favorite. I loved the way the chorus picks up to a catchy melody while the rest of the song is deliberately slow to express the longing that results from a one-sided relationship. It’s one of her longer songs at four minutes and thirty-nine seconds, but I think that just adds to the overall desperation expressed in the song.
- Suburban Legends
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I’ve come to adore “Suburban Legends,” specifically the nostalgia that radiates from the chorus. I feel like it’s one of those songs that makes me reminisce about my high school or childhood days, where I felt in love and on top of the world. The only reason it’s not higher on the list is simply because I feel like the lyrics weren’t as hard-hitting as the above-mentioned songs.
- Slut!
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I think everyone was expecting this to be an upbeat song, perhaps twisting the narrative like “Blank Space” or reclaiming the derogatory term for her own. So the slow nature of the song confused me at first, but I gradually grew accustomed to it. While I think the lyrics are very telling of Swift’s ability to cultivate a beautiful scene in your head, I just found that this song had less impact on me after I listened to the rest of the vault tracks of 1989 (Taylor’s Version).