Taylor Swift is revisiting her groundbreaking album from 2014, “1989.” It was a big deal for her because it marked her official entry into the world of pop music.
She shared the news about her new album on September 8th (which cleverly matches her birth year, ’89) at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles. This was also the last date of the first part of her highly successful Eras tour. The tour will return for more shows in North America in October 2024.
So, what’s the deal with “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”?
When will “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” be released?
The album will be available on October 27th, which happens to be the same date the original album came out nine years ago.
Taylor Swift surprised her fans with this announcement on social media, saying, “The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27th.” She also mentioned that re-recording “1989” was her “most favorite rerecord I’ve ever done.”
Why is Taylor Swift re-recording all her albums?
This new version of “1989” is the fourth in Taylor Swift’s journey to regain control of her music. She started doing this after her original recordings were sold in 2020, which was a tough moment for her. She believes artists should own their own work, and she’s on a mission to make that happen.
She began with “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” in April 2021, followed by “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in November 2021, and “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” in July. All three albums quickly made it to the top of the Billboard charts.
With “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift now has 12 albums that reached the number one spot on the Billboard charts. That’s more than any other female artist in history.
When was the original ‘1989’ album released?
The original “1989” album came out in 2014 and was a massive success. It spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Some of its most famous songs include “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar. “1989” was in the top 10 on the Billboard charts for a whole year, making it one of only five albums to achieve that feat. It even outsold the next three biggest albums of 2014 combined!
On top of that, “1989” earned Taylor Swift 10 Grammy nominations, and she took home three Grammys in 2016, including Album of the Year.
Will there be bonus tracks on ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’?
Yes, Taylor Swift announced that there will be a secret bonus track on the tangerine edition of the vinyl. You can get this special edition at Target stores on October 27th.
And here’s a fun twist: Swifties had a big scavenger hunt on September 19th. Taylor Swift teamed up with Google to reveal some “From the Vault” tracks. Fans from all over the world had to solve 89 puzzles to uncover the song titles. Once they complete a whopping 33 million of these challenges, the vault will be unlocked, and we’ll know all the song titles.
So, get ready for the reimagined “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on October 27th, and keep your eyes peeled for those bonus tracks!
Technical “Glitch” made some fans upset with the new release
Frustrated fans encountered difficulties while attempting to solve a series of Easter egg puzzles to unveil the titles of new songs from “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”
Taylor Swift’s dedicated fanbase faced challenges as the pop sensation led them on a virtual Easter egg hunt to discover the track titles for her upcoming release, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” Swift had initially revealed her plans for this re-recording during a performance in Los Angeles, promising fans some previously unreleased songs as part of the “Taylor’s Version” album. In her previous re-recordings, she had pleasantly surprised fans with these special vault tracks, providing an exciting bonus for those who streamed or purchased her albums.
Before, Swift had shared vault tracks for “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” through videos featuring scrambled letters as part of the puzzle.
On Tuesday, Google joined in the fun by introducing a search feature that presented fans with a series of 89 puzzles to solve, eventually revealing the names of the new songs. Google explained, “You’ll be helping Swifties around the world unlock the vault as everyone collectively solves 33 million puzzles. And that’s how it works, that’s how you get the vault track titles!”
Some observant international fans had already noticed a small blue vault icon appearing when they searched for “Taylor Swift” on Saturday, creating anticipation as Swifties eagerly awaited the revelation of the vault’s significance.
