36 ENTERTAINMENT
Taylor Swift releases “Fearless: (Taylor’s Version)” after losing rights to original “Fearless” album BY ROSALIE DEGENHART assistant editor Taylor Swift has been knocking out album after album since the summer of 2020; it is safe to say that no one saw it coming, but, when she began hinting to upcoming album releases, fans began to thrive off of the anticipation. Swift released “folklore” last July and its sister album “evermore” last December. “Fearless: (Taylor’s Version),” a rerecording of her 2008 album “Fearless,” was released this April. Taylor’s motive to rerecord “Fearless” came upon in 2019 after Scooter Braun, the big music manager for stars such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, obtained the rights to Swift’s old recording company, Big Machine Label, and with it Swift’s first six master albums. To Swift, this was a shock and an extreme let down, for she left Big Machine Label in late 2018 and knew her music would be sold, but not to the bully of the music industry. Therefore, since November of 2020, Swift has been allowed under her contract to rerecord these albums, only having to wait five years after their original release to begin the production process. This rerecording of “Fearless” has given her fans high doses of nostalgia and astonishment; being a major Taylor Swift fan from the beginning, myself and other fans included can hear how Swift’s voice has matured over the years. Songs like “White Horse” and
“Love Story” sound even more magical than before. No longer sung with a naive southern twang, Swift’s voice is smooth and complete as she narrates stories, fairy tales and young love. Other artistic changes in this rerecording can be heard in the beginning of the song “The Way I Loved You.” In the 2008 version, listeners can hear a strumming guitar keeping the tempo, but, in the most recent version, the beat is kept with a drum, giving the song a more compelling, electrifying sound. Another artistic shift can be heard in the song “Fearless.” In the 2008 version, the song is sweet with delicate instrumentals. However, in the rere-
corded version Swift doesn’t hold back instrumentally or vocally; she truly was fearless when rerecording this song to its fullest potential. These subtle artistic changes may not mean much to the average person, but to fans who have been listening to her music since the beginning, it makes these original songs so much more meaningful than before. The changes Swift made in her musicality only highlights the talent young Swift had all those years ago, and, after years of self discovery and vocal growth, Swift had the opportunity to transform these songs into “Taylor’s Version,” an opportunity she took boldly and fearlessly. Recently prone to surpris-
ing her fans with music drops, Taylor Swift included six, never before heard songs on “Fearless: (Taylor’s Version).” These songs were intended to make it on the original Fearless album, but they never made it on, and they are listed as being from “The Vault.” “Mr. Perfectly Fine” is an upbeat song from “The Vault” with lyrics that capture the inner indignation and boggling of one’s mind after a break up. In lyrics like, “Hello, Mr. perfectly fine/ How’s your heart after breaking mine?/ Mr. always at the right place at the wrong time/ Hello, Mr. casually cruel/ Mr. everything revolves around you/ I’ve been Miss misery since your goodbye,” the word play with “Mr.” is clever and catchy, but the lyrics are profound and real. “You All Over Me” and “That’s When” are both simple but beautiful songs also featured on “The Vault,” and they both feature musicians like Maren Morris and Keith Urban. Swift dug into her country roots it seems like in these songs, but, nevertheless, the lyrics and melodies are a Swift signature. Taylor Swift is deemed as one of the most revolutionary and talented artists of this generation. From country, to pop, to alternative, she has done it all, and has award winning albums to prove it. Reviving “Fearless” to make it even more outstanding than before takes patience and ambition, and Swift achieved just this, as well as harboring love and nostalgia from her fans.
