On Monday, Taylor Swift released the track list and named the collaborators she worked with for the re-release of her album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).”
Here’s what we know about the album.
Why is Taylor Swift re-releasing her first six albums?
In 2018, Swift discovered that her music catalog had been sold to music executive Scooter Braun. She said that she was not consulted before the sale and that she would have bought the rights to the music. Swift made public that she was not a fan of Braun and claimed that he had bullied her in the past. After the incident, Swift announced she would be re-recording six of her previous albums that were owned by Big Machine Records so that she would be the owner to the rights and profits from her songs. Braun has since sold the records, but Swift is marching on with the re-recordings.
When will Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’ re-release be available?
“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” will be released on July 7 — Swift typically releases her albums to streaming platforms at 10 p.m. MDT. She has vinyl, cassette tapes and CD versions of the album on her website for pre-sale, as well as a Target exclusive “Lilac Marbled Vinyl” version with unique photos and album jacket sleeves that will come out July 8, according to Target’s website.
When did Taylor Swift announce ‘Speak Now’ would be next?
Swift announced that “Speak Now” would be the next album she would re-release during a performance onstage for The Eras Tour in Nashville on May 5.
She has already re-released “Taylor’s versions” of two of her albums — “Fearless” in April 2021 and “Red” in November 2021.
Who are the collaborators on Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’?
Swift announced that two songs on the album would feature other artists, including Hayley Williams, from the band Paramore, and Fall Out Boy.
“I’m VERY excited to show you the back cover of Speak Now (my version) including the vault tracks and collaborations with @yelyahwilliams from @paramore and @falloutboy. Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album. They’re so cool and generous for agreeing to support my version of Speak Now,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post.
What is the track list for ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’?
Swift released the track list on Monday for “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and included the artists she collaborated with for songs, including Williams and Fall Out Boy.
“I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and can’t wait to unveil it all to you on July 7th,” Swift posted on Instagram.
- “Mine (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Back to December (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Dear John (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Mean (Taylor’s Version).”
- “The Story of Us (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Never Grow Up (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Innocent (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Haunted (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Long Live (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Ours (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Superman (Taylor’s Version).”
- “Electric Touch (Featuring Fall Out Boy) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
- “When Emma Falls In Love (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
- “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
- “Castles Crumbling Featuring Hayley Williams (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
- “Foolish One (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
- “Timeless (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
What was the inspiration behind Taylor Swift’s original ‘Speak Now’?
Swift released “Speak Now” in 2010 and it was the first album she released where she alone wrote every song on the album. In 2010, Swift told Yahoo!Music about the backstories to some of the songs she wrote for the album.
“Every single song is like a road map to what that relationship stood for, with little markers that maybe everyone won’t know, but there are things that were little nuances of the relationship, little hints,” she said, per MTV. “And every single song is like that. Everyone will know, so I don’t really have to send out e-mails on this one.”
Many of the songs reference relationships, whether serious or not, Swift had at the time of writing the songs, with stars such as Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Joe Jonas and Cory Monteith.
She even wrote the song “Innocent,” which she first performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, about the dramatic confrontation she experienced with Kanye West during the 2009 Grammy Awards, per People.
According to Parade, she concluded the original album (not the deluxe version) with “Long Live,” which was meant to be “an anthem to her team and her fans, reflected in even the hidden message, which read, ‘For you.’”
The heart of the album is raw and at times, heartbreaking, but it still includes the catchy love songs that capture the feeling of young love characteristic to Swift’s writing. To many fans, the album marked her first big shift away from country music toward pop music — showcasing which fans were purely fans of hers, which fans were more fans of country and which fans enjoyed more pop sounds from the artist.