An Enchanting Re-recording
Review of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”
Taylor Allison Swift is a name that has been breaking headlines since her first album was released back in 2006. On May 5, 2023 Swift announced her version of “Speak Now" which would be released on July 7. The announcement was made during the acoustic section of her tour “The Eras Tour”. Fans of Swift, often referred to as Swifties, were thrilled about the release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”. For the past two years, Swifties have discovered hidden easter eggs, or hints, in music videos, Instagram posts, outfits, nail colors and even hairstyles, all leading back to the re-recording of Speak Now. The original “Speak Now" was Swift's third studio album released back in 2010, a country pop album which she wrote entirely on her own. It took her about two years to finish, starting when she was 18 and finishing when she was 20. The original Speak Now consisted of 16 songs,some of the most popular being: “Enchanted”, “Mine” and “Sparks Fly”. “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” has 22 songs, six of which are previously unreleased vault songs. The new album was absolutely enchanting.
The re-recording is a perfect mix of country pop and pop rock. Every song is driven by a mix of different instruments, consisting of the electric guitar, drums and acoustic instruments. Each song has such a drastic difference in tune making them completely unique. The beats in the song “Mean” are country played on instruments such as the acoustic guitar, tambourine, banjo and bass. It is the perfect song to clap your hands to the beat as you sing along. The song “Haunted” is quite the opposite. “Haunted” is filled with sounds from the violin, cello, piano and viola making the song a very intense pop-like song. It is the kind of song you play in the car at full volume and scream at the top of your lungs with your friends. However, a similarity between the two songs is in the re-recordings you can truly hear how much Swift’s voice has truly matured. It has been 13 years since the album was released and now fans can see the control and elegance in Swift's vocal performance and how far her career as a singer has grown and matured as time goes on.
The six vault tracks fit into place with the same pop-rock vibes as the rest of the album. Two of the songs “Electric Touch” and “Castles Crumbling” have featured artists who were a big part of Swift’s life back in 2010. Fallout Boy is featured on “Electric Touch” a pop punk song with an assortment of electric guitars. The beat of the song is a little different at first but it blends perfectly into the aspect of the album. Patrick Stump,the lead singer of Fallout Boy, and Swift's voices melt flawlessly together. You cannot help but tap your foot to the beat of the song. With such electric and fun beats, the song is a total get-up and dance tune. “Castles Crumbling” featuring Hailey Williams is piano-led and was divided into the category of emo-rock. Most of Swift’s fans speculate the song is about her 2009 VMAS experience with Kayne West based on some of the lyrics. The song is extremely emotional and talks about a dark period of fear when Swift believes she has fallen. “When Emma Falls in Love” is written about one of Swift’s close friends, speculated to be about actress Emma Stone. The song is very endearing and wholesome, it is hard not to smile at the thought of such a sweet innocent romance being described in the lyrics. The song opens with a piano which has been widely compared to Folklore, Swift's eighth studio album. Each vault song has a unique aspect about it which completes the Speak Now album making it different and exciting compared to the original.
“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” has already surpassed 200 million streams in the U.S. Many Swifies describe the album as a diary of things left unsaid. The album is truly a musical masterpiece of different instruments, matured vocal performances and unique songs.
<Star Rating>
Instrumental uses/beats: ★★★★★
Vocal performance: ★★★★★
Vault songs: ★★★★★
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