The next chapter in Taylor Swift’s re-recording saga is finally here.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was released at midnight on Friday (7 July), and it’s already being hailed by fans as one of her best albums yet (and, dare we say it, it’s maybe an improvement on the already stellar 2010 version?).
Taylor’s decision to alter the controversial lyrics in Better Than Revenge has already sparked conversation online – and there are a handful of other subtle changes that Swifties’ carefully attuned ears have already picked up on too (notably some more amped-up musical arrangements in tracks like Haunted).
As we’ve come to expect from Taylor’s re-records, we’ve also been treated to a selection of songs from the vault – tracks that didn’t make the cut the first time around,
These include collaborations with emo icons like Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy, as well as bona fide bangers like I Can See You.
It’s a lot to take in, but these tweets go some way to summing up how we’re processing Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) so far…
Normal life is on hold right now while we appreciate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in all of its glory. Surely your manager will understand.
Listening to Taylor’s re-records, it’s hard not to think about time passing – and where you were when you heard Speak Now for the very first time.
Everyone is putting their extremely Taylor-specific skill set to the test
Castles Crumbling is one for all the emo kids who had Taylor Swift and Paramore on their iPod Nanos (it’s me, hi!)
When the bridge kicks in…
And if you thought the lyrics were ringing a bell, you’re totally correct: it turns out that all this time, Call It What You Want (from 2017’s Reputation) included a sneaky nod to Castles Crumbling, a track that Taylor probably wrote some time between 2008 and 2010. Her mind.
The sheer drama when those strings kick in at the start of Haunted
The feminine urge to crash a wedding after listening to Speak Now’s title track
The Better Than Revenge mattress: gone but not forgotten
And who are we to resist the opportunity to appreciate a good Princess Diaries 2 reference when we see one?
Let’s take a moment to remember that Taylor wrote the original Speak Now without a single co-writer. Between the ages of 18 and 20.
Never Grow Up certainly has a whole new resonance in 2023 (especially if you’ve boomeranged back to your childhood room)
This one has always been a tearjerker – and the re-record really leans into that
When we hear the new intonation when 32-year-old Taylor shouts “next chapter!”
Here’s one for all of us trapped in a state of suspended adolescence
Who advised Taylor not to include I Can See You on Speak Now the first time round? I have some questions for you
Seriously, though...
It looks like I Can See You might be getting the attention it deserves now, though: fans reckon that Taylor has already recorded the video (and it might be why she was spotted in Liverpool earlier this year)
We will never be the same again.