Lauryn Clarke
On Friday, pop icon Taylor Swift released her third re-recorded studio album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). Fans are delighted by her latest release, and it came just before European Eras Tour dates went on sale!
THE ALBUM
“Throughout this album she reminisces on her experiences of adolescence from an adult perspective.”
Speak Now is known for its themes of teenage angst, pettiness, and sass, and I’m so here for it! Hearing a 33-year-old Taylor sing songs she wrote at 18 adds another level of emotional depth. Throughout this album, she reminisces on her experiences of adolescence from an adult perspective. This contemplation is particularly evident in her track Never Grow Up, where she sings about wanting to enjoy her childhood before facing the loneliness and complexity of adult life.
You can also witness Swift’s personal growth in the newer version of her much-critiqued song Better than Revenge. The lyrics hint at her break up with Joe Jonas and his new girlfriend Camilla Belle. The original recording contained the lyrics, “She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.”
“You grow up and realise no one takes someone from you if they don’t want to leave.”
Swift soon received criticism for slut-shaming and in a 2014 interview for The Guardian, she explained her choice of words. Speaking with Hermione Hoby, Swift admitted that she was young and naïve at 18, and “that’s the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realise no one takes someone from you if they don’t want to leave.”
Her latest recording replaced the lyrics with, “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.” This change received mixed reviews from die-hard fans, with some happy to see her abandon the derogatory lines but others missing the sassiness of the original.
FROM THE VAULT
As with the previous re-recordings, Swift has added some new songs that didn’t make it onto the album the first time. These tracks are referred to as being From the Vault. Recent additions to the Taylor Swift catalogue include a song that is rumoured to be about Emma Stone and two tracks featuring Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams. These collaborations are fitting for an album that Swifties claim to be the most emo out of her entire discography. Considering that it was written when Swift was in her late teens, I would expect it to be!
“Electric Touch, featuring Fall Out Boy, is a perfect blend of the respective artists’ styles.”
Williams and Swift shared a public friendship for years. Williams supported Swift on her original Speak Now Tour and will do the same on the European leg of the Eras Tour in 2024. The pair sound beautiful together on Castles Crumbling, which explores the pressures of being a young female musician through a much-loved metaphor.
Electric Touch, featuring Fall Out Boy, is a perfect blend of the respective artists’ styles. It is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine, and I have a sneaky feeling I’ll be adding this one to my treadmill playlist for the gym.
THE ERAS TOUR
Swift released her latest project just in time for the European Eras Tour tickets to go live. Monday 10th July marked the first day of the pre-sale and according to BBC News, 40,000 people were in the virtual queue for tickets. However, don’t worry if you didn’t get access to the pre-sale, as long as you registered for the general sale, you’re still in with a chance of securing these highly sought-after tickets.
If you did manage to get tickets to the Eras Tour but Speak Now isn’t your thing, fear not. The Eras Tour concerts are a staggering 44 tracks long – so I’m sure there will be something for you to enjoy. But seriously, how can you not at least love The Story of Us?
My favourite song on the album would have to be Dear John. What can I say, I love the classics!
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Featured image courtesy of Chad Davis on Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Lauryn Clarke
Lauryn is currently working as a coordinator for an education charity, but enjoys writing articles about pop culture and politics in her free time. She enjoys pizza, white wine, and ranting on Twitter.