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Summary
- Taylor Swift’s re-releases, known as Taylor’s Versions, allow her to reclaim ownership of her earlier albums and showcase her musical legacy on her terms.
- The re-recordings are a response to Swift’s battle with her original label and the purchase of her catalog by her former producer, Scooter Braun.
- Swift’s ambitious plan to re-record her albums demonstrates her commitment to asserting control over her music and ensuring her artistic vision is preserved.
The Taylor Swift album release order was somewhat complicated by the introduction of her Taylor’s Versions, but the re-releases represent the powerhouse artist reclaiming her early musical legacy on her terms. Bursting on the pop scene in 2006 with her country-influenced debut album, Taylor Swift quickly positioned herself as one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and every one of her releases has been a smash hit. Known for her powerful lyrics of love gone wrong and her open and honest approach to storytelling, Swift is a new kind of pop diva for the 21st century who can back up her bravado with abundant talent.
The music industry hasn’t always been very fair to its artists, and Swift’s notorious battle with her original label, Big Machine Records, was further escalated when her former producer Scooter Braun purchased her catalog in 2019 (via The New York Times). Because she switched labels, Taylor Swift actually owns only a handful of her albums, which has led her to embark on her ambitious plan to re-record the albums that she dropped while on Big Machine. Known as Taylor’s Versions, Swift has reclaimed ownership of her earlier albums by re-recording them as full-length records now that she is with Universal Music Group.
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![Taylor Swift performing during the Eras Tour](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/eras-tour-movie-title-explained_-all-9-taylor-swift-eras-featured-in-the-concer.jpg)
Eras Tour Movie Title Explained: All 9 Taylor Swift Eras Featured In The Concert
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has quickly become a cultural and economic phenomenon, but not everyone knows what her nine featured eras in the tour are.
Every Taylor Swift Album In Original Release Order
- Taylor Swift (2006)
- Fearless (2008)
- Speak Now (2010)
- Red (2012)
- 1989 (2014)
- Reputation (2017)
- Lover (2019)
- folklore (2020)
- evermore (2020)
- Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Midnights (2022)
- Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
- 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
Taylor Swift (2006)
October 24, 2006
Swift’s debut album dropped when she was a teenager, and it illustrated her early country music influences in a way that would make it nearly unrecognizable to her modern hits. Singles like “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Tim McGraw” were seminal songs in the rising country pop genre, and the album continued to produce singles into 2008. Swift herself was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2008, and Taylor Swift spent 157 weeks on the Billboard 200 (via Billboard).
Fearless (2008)
November 11, 2008
Even as her debut album was still riding high, Taylor Swift released her second album in 2008. Fearless still showed signs of Swift’s country roots, but songs like “You Belong With Me” not only incorporated more pop but also set the tone for her love gone wrong theme that still peppers her biggest hits today. Setting a record at the time as the youngest artist to win the award, Swift snagged Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards along with Best Country Album and firmly established herself as the newest thing in music.
![Taylor Swift Eras Tour All Too Well](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/untitled-design-15-2.jpg)
10 Taylor Swift Music Videos That Would Make For Great Feature Films
The captivating visual storytelling in Taylor Swift’s music videos often provides a solid foundation for an engaging feature-length film.
Speak Now (2010)
October 25, 2010
Fully blossoming into an adult artist, Taylor Swift’s third studio album, Speak Now, showed maturity in the singer/songwriter and was something of a concept album about growing up. Though questions of her country music authenticity had persisted since her debut, singles like “Back to December” led mainstream critics to declare that Swift had moved in an entirely pop and rock direction (via Los Angeles Times). Continuing her impressive album sales, Speak Now flew off the shelves, and by 2020 it was certified six times platinum (via RIAA).
Red (2012)
October 22, 2012
Though many tried to make Swift’s country pop image stick, 2012’s Red represented the singer/songwriter’s final push towards mainstream radio pop. Generally considered one of Taylor Swift’s more naughty albums, she broadened her horizons in the songwriting process and stripped away the cutesy naïveté that dominated her first three records. Boisterous anthems like “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “22”, and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” completely transformed her sound. She earned an Album of the Year nomination at the Grammy Awards, and it managed to crack seven times platinum (via RIAA) before her earlier albums.
1989 (2014)
October 27, 2014
If questions lingered about where Taylor Swift stood regarding country music after Red, the debut single from 1989 was a definitive answer. Pop anthems like “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” were certified radio juggernauts without a hint of the twang that had carried Swift for her first few albums. By 1989, Swift’s personal life began dominating the discourse regarding her music, and her distinct songwriting style fueled the flames of celebrity gossip. Despite winning Album of the Year, 1989 divided critics, with some criticizing her overt attempts to be commercial (via Slant). Regardless, Swift had finally come into her own as the new Queen of Pop.
![An image of Taylor Swift in front of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games and Kya in Where The Crawdads Sing](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/an-image-of-taylor-swift-in-front-of-katniss-everdeen-in-the-hunger-games-and-kya-in-where-the-crawdads-sing.jpg)
10 Best Uses Of Taylor Swift Songs In Movies & TV Shows, Ranked
Taylor Swift’s songs have been used to soundtrack many movies and television shows, and here are the 10 best usages of her music in pop culture.
Reputation (2017)
November 10, 2017
Continuing Swift’s somewhat divisive era from a critical standpoint, 2017’s Reputation didn’t struggle to pull in the cash financially, and it produced a slew of singles. After the bubblegum synthpop of 1989, Taylor Swift presented a noticeably darker version of herself on Reputation that was likely informed by Swift’s feud with the Kardashians and Kanye West. On top of that, with the media picking apart every part of her relationships, songs like “Look What You Made Me Do” had added meaning. Reputation was Swift’s fourth consecutive album to debut at the top of the US Billboard 200.
Lover (2019)
August 23, 2019
Next on the Taylor Swift albums in order is her first release following her departure from Big Machine Records, 2019’s Lover showed off a Taylor Swift who could look backward for the first time. Reincorporating earlier influences, Lover was a step back from her rising pop queen status and showed a happier and healthier artist in general. Singles like “You Need To Calm Down” poked fun at her critics, but the album was intended to be a more subdued release compared to her previous few records. While previous albums had clear hip-hop and R&B influences, Lover showed Swift setting her sights on rock and indie.
folklore (2020)
July 24, 2020
Co-produced by indie rock pioneer and guitarist of The National, Aaron Dessner, folklore was yet another major shift for Taylor Swift as she fell headlong into her indie-folk influences. Released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift traded out her love gone wrong themes for a much more heady and introspective look at herself. Critics came around to her transformation as well, and in a more stripped-down state, music publications like Pitchfork were won over by her charms and bestowed folklore with an impressive 8.0/10.
![Taylor Swift music videos collage feat. Lover, Blank Space, and ...Ready For It?](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/taylor-swift-music-videos-collage.jpg)
13 Taylor Swift Music Videos That Point To A Great Feature Film Directorial Debut
Taylor Swift made waves directing All Too Well: The Short Film, but that’s not the only video that makes her feature film directorial debut exciting.
evermore (2020)
Released right on the heels of her surprise album, folklore, Swift’s second album of 2020 was a continuation of her work with Dessner. The stripped-down evermore continued her cinematic approach to storytelling and even brought in The National to back her up on the single “Coney Island” and perennial indie favorites Haim on “No Body, No Crime.” The album debuted at number one and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
April 9, 2021
2021’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was Swift’s first attempt at reclaiming her musical legacy after the Big Machine catalog debacle in 2019. The album consists of an entire re-recording of the classic songs as well as a handful of vault tracks that were left on the cutting room floor originally. Taylor Swift was allowed to re-record her music, and she has committed herself to not only reclaiming the songs but also cleaning up many of the instrumentations and mixes that were somewhat lackluster upon the album’s initial release.
Fearless was the first re-recording to reach number one on the Billboard 200 and served as inspiration for other Taylor’s Versions.
Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
November 12, 2021
Leaving nothing off the table, Red (Taylor’s Version) was a complete passion project that showed just how committed Swift was to her brand. Along with re-recording all the songs, charity singles, and additional bonus tracks, Red (Taylor’s Version) also featured guest vocals from artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton. Swift also released the 10-minute long version of “All Too Well” which added much-needed context to the hit song.
![Taylor Swift in Netflix's Reputation Stadium Tour, Netflix's Miss Americana, and The Eras Tour movie](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/taylor-swift-documentaries-concert-movies-ranked.jpg)
Taylor Swift’s 8 Documentaries & Concert Movies, Ranked (Including Eras Tour)
From concert films to her Netflix original feature Miss Americana, here is a ranking of Taylor Swift’s documentaries, including The Eras Tour movie.
Midnights (2022)
October 21, 2022
Taking a break from reviving her old standards, Taylor Swift released 2022’s Midnights, a moody and introspective concept album that continued the trends in her previous two studio efforts. “Anti-Hero” offered a side of Swift that had never been seen before, and the Queen of Pop looked vulnerable and human as she took inspiration from the rising popularity of moody bedroom pop artists. Despite lacking the same radio-friendliness of her earlier records, Midnights proved to be Swift’s best-selling album so far (via CNBC) and was further proof of her untouchable status.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
July 7, 2023
Delving even further into her musical past, Taylor Swift returned to her re-recording streak with the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in 2023. Exercising even more musical control, Swift not only brought back all the old tunes, but added new musical influences that incorporated other sounds not previously heard in the original record. The over 100-minute record was a feast for the average Swiftie, and mightily improved on the recording standards practiced in 2010.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
October 27, 2023
In the middle of her record-breaking Eras tour, Taylor Swift announced that her next Taylor’s Version record was going to be her pop-oriented classic 1989. The album was released in October 2023 and was even bigger and grander than previous Taylor’s Version releases. The album itself has 22 songs on it, with two more on the deluxe edition. She wrote all 22 tracks herself and included six from the vault tracks to the re-recorded originals. She also brought in Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams to join her on two of those new songs. It ended up as Swift’s 12th album to top the Billboard 200, breaking Barbra Streisand’s record for female artists.
All 22 tracks from 1989 (Taylors Version) hit the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Every Taylor Swift Album That Has Released A Taylor’s Version
- Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
- 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
Along with her much anticipated Taylor’s Version records, Taylor Swift maintains the rights to all of her studio albums recorded since she jumped from Big Machine to Universal. Therefore, Lover, folklore, evermore, and Midnights were all made with Swift being fully in control of the rights and production, and her Taylor’s Version albums are quickly reclaiming the past as well. Considering how quickly she has turned out her re-releases, it can be assumed that Swifties won’t have to wait long until one of her other classic albums gets a modern redo.
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