When Taylor Swift’s masters were sold and she announced her plan to re-record her first six albums, we Swifties were ready to ride with her. That meant dropping the old records as Taylor’s Version came out, and making sure we didn’t listen to the music she didn’t outright own. Well, now, she owns all of her music, which begs the question: Which version should we listen to now? Well, thankfully, Taylor Swift herself answered that question.
We have four (Taylor’s Version) albums – Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989. For a while, those were the only versions Swifties were willing to listen to, as they stood in solidarity with the pop star and the music she owned. However, now she owns it all, and we’re a bit confused. Thankfully, while on New Heights, Jason Kelce asked her which versions we should listen to, and she provided a great answer, explaining:
It’s really whatever you guys want, because I love both of them. I would not have put out the re-records if I didn’t think that they held up or were better. I think a lot of the vocals I did on the re-records are better than the originals. But it’s like if you found a nostalgia in the originals and that was what you were listening to when you were 12 years old, bopping around in your bedroom, go crazy. We got them all.
As her boyfriend Travis Kelce mentioned, it really is “dealer’s choice” when it comes to which version you listen to. And now, you can mix and match, and have it all if you want it all.
This means you can go back and rock out to the OG version of “You Belong With Me” while also adding that Taylor’s Version of “Long Live” to your playlist, for example. Those mixed playlists already exist, too. When she bought back her masters, my friends and I immediately started discussing which versions were the ones that belonged on our respective Taylor Swift playlists.
Personally, I’ll be sticking with the Taylor’s Versions. The re-recordings of Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989 deserve a lot of credit for helping me fall back into being a hardcore Swiftie, and that has a lot to do with that choice. However, from a technical standpoint, I also simply think they sound a lot better than the originals.
Swift made that point earlier in the podcast as well while explaining that her live band played on all her re-records. After gushing about how talented these musicians are, she commented on the new albums in general, saying:
The Taylor’s Versions, I kind of prefer a lot of that stuff. I think it sounds incredible, but I’m happy to have all of it.
I’m happy she has it all, too! Now, every single song can co-exist in peace without the plagued issue of someone else owning the original version of the track.
Of course, while it’s great that Swift owns her first six albums again, there are still questions about what will happen with the re-recordings of Reputation and her debut album. When she announced that she bought back her music, she did address this, noting that Rep TV wasn’t even close to fully recorded, while Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) is completed.
She also said that if Swifties are “into the idea” of her first album and the vault tracks of Rep, she’d release them. However, as of right now, we have no idea if/when that will happen. But whenever we do get this music, you can listen to whatever version of any song whenever you’d like.
So, now, as we prepare to listen to Taylor Swift’s newest album, The Life of a Showgirl, which Travis Kelce said is “12 bangers,” on October 3, you can go back and listen to her discography in any way you want. That means all Taylor’s Version, all originals, or a mix of it all. According to her, there’s not one right answer to this question. It’s 100% up to the listener, because she now owns 100% of her music.
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