Thirteen Years Later, Taylor Swift’s Fearless Returns The Same, Only Stronger
Sofia Aguilar ’21
Via Republic Records, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) cover art
On April 9, Taylor Swift released the re-recordings of her sophomore album Fearless (2008) after gaining the legal rights to remake the project last November. With all-new vocals and production, a track list of twenty-six songs and a runtime of almost two hours, Fearless (Taylors Version) allows Swift to reclaim ownership of her work, bring us some much-needed nostalgia and reveal the full story of the album that launched her into mainstream stardom thirteen years ago.
Swift has been open about her reasons for re-recording her back catalog. Even before her legal dispute with her former manager Scooter Braun over the ownership of her master recordings — resulting in her old label releasing a 2008 live album last year and selling the masters to another company, both without her authorization — she’s advocated for artists to own the rights to their work and earn fair compensation for their creative labor, especially on streaming services.
Still, her stances have been controversial and conflicting throughout the years, considering that her mainstream status means her lack of royalties will never affect her that much, even over a substantial period of time.
Some have even criticized this new re-recorded album as a poorly veiled capitalist scheme because just like live-action movies of old cartoons, Swift, they argue, is banking on our associations with her past work.
But by encouraging fans to hide the original album on Spotify so that Braun doesn’t continue to make a profit, Swift has brilliantly turned her old recordings into a moral and ethical question, as well as a trip down memory lane.
Having listened to Swift’s music since middle school, I loved the original Fearless for many reasons. At the time, it didn’t matter much to me that it became the most awarded album in the history of country music –– with four Grammy Awards to its name –– or that it propelled Swift into popularity.
What mattered most to me was Swift’s lyricism in the classic hits like “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” which perfectly reflected the yearning and romanticism of first love that I experienced from my early pre-teen years into adolescence. Or I’d listen to “Fearless” and fall into daydreams about what it would be like to be a teenager ( of course, only to be later disillusioned). Fearless was the beginning of the soundtrack to my life.
Listening to the 2021 versions of more-than-a-decade old songs was no different. Suddenly, I was back in 2008 and feeling that familiar nostalgic ache I experience when watching the movies or shows that shaped my childhood. The melodies are the same, the backing instrumentals eerily similar to the originals, and even Colbie Caillat’s vocals on “Breathe” make a triumphant and carbon-copy like return.
Only Swift’s voice has changed over the years.
Her singing sounds less nasally, her high notes more controlled rather than strained. Even her tone has deepened with the years, a maturity that is most obvious on “Fifteen (Taylor’s Version).” No longer does the track sound like it’s been sung by a teenager on the cusp of profound discovery; instead it’s found new meaning and life in the adult version of Swift, who sings with all the wisdom that her younger self was searching for.
The six new additions that were cut from the original tracklist of Fearless didn’t disappoint either.
Penned about Joe Jonas after his infamous break-up with Swift in 2008, “Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” is the obvious stand-out track with its juicy backstory and inventive lyrics that reminded me of Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All” (2011). It also helped that the song featured Swift’s first use of the phrase “casually cruel,” which would be used again in “All Too Well” from Red (2012), giving fans a fun and clever Easter egg.
I also enjoyed the slower ballads, including her collaboration with Keith Urban on “That’s When (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).” With its guitar twangs and soft drum rhythms, the production is reminiscent of her old music, and her voice works astonishingly well with Urban’s in their soft delivery. Given his own country sound, Urban was the perfect choice for the track.
More than a way to take back Swift’s iconic work, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is a love letter to our childhoods and the passage of time that feels even more pronounced compared to the original project. Such themes have become even more relevant in Covid times when we’re not only aching for older and better memories but also our normal, everyday lives. After thirteen years, we’ve grown up and, with this newly re-recorded album, so has Swift.