Listening Party: Taylor Swift Turns Back Time with ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’

Enchanting, timeless, and ours – ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ takes listeners on a nostalgic journey in the latest of her re-recorded masters. 

GRAMMY-winning pop star Taylor Swift takes Swifties, old and new, on a nostalgic journey through love and heartbreak with the third installment of her re-recording project, ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, that gives her full ownership of the record.

Three years since her public dispute with music executive and Ithaca Holdings founder Scooter Braun, ‘Speak Now TV’ marks the halfway point of her mission to re-record her first six albums. Swift recounted in an Instagram post:

“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20… The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness.”

The captivating Speak Now era

Back during the release of ‘Speak Now’ in 2010, Swift had just won her first four GRAMMYs for her sophomore studio album, ‘Fearless (2008).’ The Speak Now era marked Swift’s transition into adulthood, the limelight, and her attempts to navigate through both. A year after its release, the title was nominated for Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Soon after, the single Mean won Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards. There was clearly strong recognition – and possibly an even stronger resonance with the experiences Swift sang of in her third album. 

As Swift revisits the experiences that inspired ‘Speak Now’, so do we. The re-recording of ‘Speak Now’ gives us the opportunity to revisit whoever we were all those years ago but with a refined perspective on all the things we were singing about. Swift wrote on Instagram:

“I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and the memories it brought back filled me with nostalgia and appreciation.”

Small revisions, big differences

The album opens just like its 2010 version with Mine, in which Swift sings of a hopeful story about believing in love. Her refined vocals make a big difference alongside a notable absence of her country accent, with the track also featuring an even more prominent backing vocal. 

With the evolution of Swift’s vocal range and musical capabilities alongside recent technological advancements, the tracks in ‘Speak Now TV’ are noticeably different compared to previous “Taylor’s Version” installments. There is an obvious, new, and refreshed sound to the same lyrics and chords from all those years ago. While the 2010 version gave listeners shaky breaths, jagged inhales, and the tone of youthful naivete, the re-record treats us to a sense of weighted finality. 

Yet despite all these additions and changes, that enchanting feeling listeners felt all those years ago still remains the same.

Not only are listeners given the opportunity to go back in time but a special treat of six never-before-heard tracks “From The Vault” also come with the rerecorded album. 

Swift collaborates with pop-punk legends Fall Out Boy to confront hope and uncertainty on Electric Touch and Hayley Williams as they scrutinize relationships and the public eye. As Swift sings of the hopeless romantic on Foolish One and soulful commitment in Timeless, the six new tracks mesh perfectly into the album for listeners to extend their Speak Now experience. 

Turning back time with Taylor’s version

While ‘Speak Now (2010)’ was always accessible to the public for listening, there was always something about committing to the wait for Swift’s re-recording to be rightfully hers; and for the opportunity to listen to this new and refined version knowing what we know about ourselves now.

Singing along to these re-recorded tracks – which are the same yet completely different – offers a nostalgic and emotional journey through our own experiences in the past thirteen years. From that once-in-a-lifetime friendship in Long Live, to that persevering defiance in Mean, and that inexplicable feeling in Enchanted, until the heartbreak of Last Kiss and Back to December, and even the betrayal in Dear John. 

It begs the question, what couches are we jumping and dancing on now, and more importantly – what do we carry in our hearts now that we didn’t back then? ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ will help you feel and sing your way to the answer.