Imagine this: you didn't get tickets to the Eras Tour during the first round of last year's Ticketmaster fiasco (or the second...or third), but now not only do you get to see Taylor Swift in the flesh, but Selena Gomez is the one sending you! Well, this is happening for at least one lucky Taylor Swift fan, and I think there's more to the story.
Rare Beauty sent out tickets to Taylor Swift's show on August 3rd ("Mine must have gotten lost in the mail," Abject_Okra_8520commented on Reddit), but the thrill didn't stop there — Swifties all over social media are also pointing out that the show date could be a clue for 1989 (Taylor's Version) and it turns out, they weren't wrong.
Will there be a 1989 Taylor's version?
Image via Neilson Barnard / Staff / Getty Images
Yes, we're (finally) getting 1989 (Taylor's Version)! The first couple of singles dropped last year during The Summer I Turned Pretty and DC League of Super-Pets, but we'll get the full album, the deluxe edition's added songs, and the vault tracks on October 27 at midnight. At 8am on October 27, Taylor also announced "Bad Blood (Featuring Kendrick Lamar) (Taylor's Version)." (Any song or album title with "(Taylor's Version)" beside it means that it's the version of the music that Taylor owns!)
"I still look back on this collaboration with so much pride and gratitude, for the ways Kendrick elevated the song and the way he treats everyone around him," Taylor says in the official Instagram announcement. "Every time the crowds on The Eras Tour would chant his line ‘you forgive, you forget, but you never let it… go!’, I smiled. The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record Bad Blood so that I could reclaim and own this work I’m so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me."
Is there a 1989 (Taylor's Version) cardigan?
Yes, there is a cardigan for 1989 (Taylor's Version)! Grab yours here. The design is the album's blue and white color palette, with some seagulls, which you can also see on the album cover. The singer began sending cardigans out in PR boxes with a note that read, "Oh hi! As I re-release and reclaim my beloved 1989 I wanted to send you some gifts to say Thank you for your support! Yours, Taylor."
Will Selena Gomez be featured on 1989 Taylor's Version?
Considering Selena Gomez came onstage during the 1989 tour (and for reputation's, another albums Taylor has yet to rerelease) I really don't think it's a stretch for her to be featured on the rerecord. Before the August 9th show, Selena posted a selfie in a light blue tank top (the color for 1989), too!
In addition to hoping for a Selena collab, the newest theory on 1989 (Taylor's Version) features came after Taylor Swift began posting vault track lyrics to her Instagram story. One of her posts features the phrases "Aquamarine," "Moonlit Swimming Pool," "What If," and "All I Need Is You," and one TikTok user believes they could be surprise track titles featuring artists like Harry Styles and Lorde — written in each artist's handwriting.
"'Moonlit Swimming Pool' is 10000% lorde's handwriting," one user comments. "lorde's insta gives hints too."
"The w in 'What If' is absolutely 1000% Harry's handwriting," another speculates. "I have 'we'll be alright' tattooed, it's identical."
These lines ended up being lyrics to "'Slut!' (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)," but we can't deny that they are written in some familiar handwriting...
How many songs will 1989 (Taylor's Version) have?
1989 (Taylor's Version) will have 21 tracks in all — the original tracklist, the deluxe songs, and five unreleased vault track songs. In Taylor Swift's announcement on Instagram, she says, "To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!"
In Taylor Swift's official vault track announcement, however, she only announced four — and saved "Slut! (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)" for a separate announcement. Considering so much of Taylor Swift's career has been marked by her boyfriends instead of her business, songwriting, and marketing genius, I love the way she takes control over the narrative. If "Shake It Off" taught us anything, it's that "haters gonna hate" and Taylor's just going to keep dancing.
Here's the 1989 (Taylor's Version) tracklist so far:
- "Welcome to New York (Taylor's Version)"
- "Blank Space (Taylor's Version)"
- "Style (Taylor's Version)"
- "Out Of The Woods (Taylor's Version)"
- "All You Had to Do Was Stay (Taylor's Version)"
- "Shake It Off (Taylor's Version)"
- "I Wish You Would (Taylor's Version)"
- "Bad Blood (Taylor's Version)"
- "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)"
- "How You Get The Girl (Taylor's Version)"
- "This Love (Taylor's Version)"
- "I Know Places (Taylor's Version)"
- "Clean (Taylor's Version)"
- "Wonderland (Taylor's Version)"
- "You Are in Love (Taylor's Version)"
- "New Romantics (Taylor's Version)"
- "'Slut!' (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)"
- "Say Don't Go (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)"
- "Now That We Don't Talk (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)"
- "Suburban Legends (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)"
- "Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)"
- "Bad Blood (Featuring Kendrick Lamar) (Taylor's Version)"
What are the song lyrics?
Image via Taylor Swift on Instagram
The songs we know and love from the original 1989 should stay the same, but Taylor Swift just posted a sneak peek at some lyrics we've never seen before. In an Instagram story on October 24, she uploaded a photo of a notebook with lyrics that read, "Let's fast forward to 300 takeout coffees late / I see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waiters."
Some of us are guessing it's "Now That We Don't Talk (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)," while I'm wondering if it's "Suburban Legends (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)." We'll find out on October 27!
When are we getting 1989 (Taylor's Version)?
Now here's where the Easter eggs get a little ~crazy~. After announcing Speak Now (Taylor's Version) at one of her concerts, the era officially began with the album's drop on July 9th, a month before her final American Eras show on August 9. But on July 27, Taylor switched her social channel themes back to Midnights, something she usually does to signal the end of an era (literally).
All in all, she gave us the Speak Now TV era for 19 days. Pair that with the final show date (8/9) and you have...wait for it...1989. And during the surprise song segment of the August 9th show, she announced that 1989 (Taylor's Version) would be out on October 27!
Not only did the numbers point to the 1989 TV announcement, but so did a lyric from"When Emma Falls In Love" (a Speak Now TV vault track about BFF Emma Stone). The line "she's so New York when she's in LA" had fans guessing that Taylor would wait until her LA shows to announce the rerecord.
Is Matty Healy going to be on 1989 (Taylor's Version)?
No, according to Daily Mail, Taylor's new rerecord 1989 (Taylor's Version) will not feature Matty Healy or his band The 1975. According one of Taylor's reps, "neither Matt Healy nor The 1975 are on this album."
What does the cover look like?
Image via Beth Garrabrant/Taylor Swift/Republic Records
The cover of 1989 (Taylor's Version) is definitely my favorite part. Taylor has been very vocal about how the 1989 era was a very difficult era in terms of mental health and her personal life, and a lot of her lyrics talk about anxiety or the public's negative perception of her. The original cover emphasizes those themes because of the way it cuts off her eyes and doesn't allow us to see her whole face.
But on the cover of 1989 (Taylor's Version), we get to see her whole face *and* she's laughing! It feels like a reclamation of an era where she spent a lot of time hiding, and I am so excited for her.
How do you unlock the Taylor Swift vault?
On September 19, fans noticed that if they Googled "Taylor Swift," the search engine provided them with a word scramble game. The answers were filled with memes, song lyrics, titles, and other references that fans would know from over the years. After the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) vault tracks were leaked without Taylor's permission, it makes sense that she'd want to give us something extra special for 1989 (Taylor's Version)!
There's a good chance if you google "Taylor Swift," you'll be able to see her announcement now that the vault is unlocked.
Where can I buy 1989 (Taylor's Version)?
You can preorder the album on Taylor Swift's official website, and there are a bunch of different versions you can get! Here's the full list:
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Vinyl ($32)
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) CD ($13)
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Cassette ($20)
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Digital Album ($12)
You can also get four special edition deluxe CD's (all for $15) until August 18:
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Crystal Skies Blue Edition Deluxe CD
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Rose Garden Pink Edition Deluxe CD
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Aquamarine Green Edition Deluxe CD
- 1989 (Taylor's Version) Sunrise Boulevard Yellow Edition Deluxe CD
What's with all the blue?
Taylor Swift has a color associated with each of her albums, and for 1989 and 1989 (Taylor's Version), it's light blue. On August 9th, she came out onstage in a blue dress for the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) set, the folklore set, the 1989 (Taylor's Version) set, and the surprise songs! If there was any debate over which color the album has, she put it to rest.
What 1989 songs have a Taylor's version?
Image via Christopher Polk / Staff
So far, we have "This Love (Taylor's Version)" and "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)," both of which you can stream on Spotify! Even though "Bad Blood (Taylor's Version)" is featured in DC League of Super Pets, it hasn't been released to the public yet.
Is 1989 by Taylor Swift about Harry Styles?
1989 is widely thought to be about Harry Styles, from the "long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt" he had at the time to how Taylor says her 1989 ex and her were "two paper airplanes flying" (Harry and Taylor wore paper airplane necklaces while they dated).
Are you excited for 1989 (Taylor's Version)? Which song from the original is your favorite? Let us know on Facebook.
Lead image via Beth Garrabrant/Taylor Swift/Republic Records