REVIEW: Taylor Swift reimagines teenage idealism with ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’

Taylor Swift’s sophomore record, “Fearless,” is about as flawless as a country album could possibly be. A nearly 54-minute long escape into heart-wrenching ballads and country-pop songs about fairytale long, the album was supposed to survive as a time-capsule, a perfect snapshot into being a teenager in the late aughts.

However, after a bitter separation and betrayal from her previous record label, the songs that defined a generation no longer sounded the same. Swift never had the option to own her own masters; the music was never hers. 

In a bid to own her own music, Swift announced on Aug. 22, 2019, she would go back to the studio and re-record her first five albums: “Taylor Swift,” “Fearless,” “Speak Now,” “Red” and “1989.” Less than two years later, Swift released her first offering, a 26-song mega album aptly named “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).”

For the most part, the original album ages really well, with only the internalized misogyny anthem, ‘You Belong With Me,’ aging like Prince William’s popularity in America. Each of the re-records, initially, sounds almost identical to the original work. Upon further inspection, Swift actually makes slight changes to the vocal performance of each song and lyrics, notably in ‘You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version).

The changes on the original tracks, mostly, enhance the songs, however, not all songs benefit from the treatment.

The Good

While the lyrics have yet to really change, Swift’s tone of her voice has matured and become stronger and more confident. This change causes some of the songs to take on another meaning and set a different mood than the original versions. 

This is most notable in ‘Fifteen (Taylor’s Version).’ Instead of the bright and sweet nature of the original that focuses on a female friendship that survived the horrors of high school, this version feels more melancholic. An 18-year-old reflecting on a time three years ago is very different than a 31-year-old looking back on her high days. ‘Fifteen’ is a cute song, but definitely the weakest on the original album. ‘Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)’ is both the highlight and the heart of the re-recorded album. 

Likewise, ‘Tell Me Why (Taylor’s Version)’ transforms from a reactionary breakup anthem into a subtle, but scathing, note on emotionally abusive relationships. Originally lost in the middle of “Fearless,” ‘Tell Me Why’ became the token “deep-cut” of the album. However, with this re-record and Swift’s minor changes, the song finally gets the spotlight it deserves as the album’s best. 

The ehhhhhh of it all

With 9 albums of work, it can be difficult to isolate some of the worst songs in Swift’s repertoire. These songs tend to be buried and forgotten within a few years only for fans to remember they exist and shudder with existential terror. 

Enter ‘Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor’s Version).’ Swift did not include this song on any previous album and she should have not added it to this album of delightful memories. Instead, listeners receive the single worst track on this album. The original song is written in the style of future works like ‘Me!’ and ‘Shake It Off.’ This is to say, it is a fun number that is not well-written. Not even Swift’s more mature vocals to save this song as she decides to sing in a weird fake teen voice. 

Another work that did not translate as well as the rest of the album was ‘Forever and Always (Taylor’s Version).’ A fan-favorite, this song appears twice on the deluxe version of “Fearless.” While ‘Forever and Always (Taylor’s Version)’ is still a really good song, Swift loses the naive quality that made this song a perfect break-up song to scream sing. Instead, this new version feels more like a woman who never got over her first love. 

New Music

The additions to the album 一 the six original bonus tracks, ‘Today Was A Fairytale” and six previously unreleased songs 一 serve as a gentle reminder of Swift’s intelligence.

New songs like ‘Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)’ and ‘Don’t You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)’ are two of Swift’s best works in her entire catalog of music. However, neither song sonically fits the album or any other album Swift’s released. 

These two songs feel like a prototype of the two types of tracks Swift would go on to perfect: the “dance in your room and scream-sing” song and the “heart-wrenching ballad that slowly kills you” song. 

None of the new ‘From The Vault’ songs are bad. Even the weakest one, ‘Bye Bye Baby (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)’ is still better than half of the bonus songs and some of the original songs. But none of them fit the album. It was a mature, and extremely smart, decision to cut them from “Fearless.”

Instead of the snapshot of teenagers during a time of denim mini-skirts and Chi straighteners, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” feels like a retrospective, of a girl reminiscing on her high school days with a gold-hued realism. 

“Fearless” got lost in the depressing ballads of “Red,” the synth-pop of “1989” and the Westeros-influenced “Reputation.” By re-recording this album, Swift forces fans to remember something lost to time 一 at 18 years old, Swift wrote and created her most cohesive album, an album that would define her career as a storyteller, first and foremost.