On May 30, 2025, just under two decades after making her musical debut, Taylor Swift announced an end to the long, complicated saga of trying to reclaim the rights to her music after producer Scooter Braun bought the masters to Swift’s first six albums in 2019 when he acquired Big Machine Label Group. Aside from the tabloid fodder this musical feud inevitably became, it also set Swift on a long, arduous mission of re-recording all six albums under “Taylor’s Version.”
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Unsurprisingly, given her immense star power following her record-breaking Eras tour, each re-release was incredibly popular and soared to the top of the charts. Swift had re-released four of the six when she announced that she was able to buy back the rights to all six albums, effectively ending her years-long fight as soon as the check cleared. Reputation and Taylor Swift, the singer’s eponymous country debut, were the last two.
In a statement on her website, Swift revealed that while she had been struggling to come up with a new version of Reputation, she had already finished recording her debut. “Those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that’s something you guys would be excited about,” Swift wrote.
At the time of this writing, we have no idea when or if her remade debut will be released, but we have a sneaking suspicion that it will be. Here are the tracks we’re most excited to hear from it.
“Should’ve Said No”
“Should’ve Said No” was a bona fide, love-scorned banger when Taylor Swift first released it on her debut album in 2006. The ninth track off her first record was full of confused, angry teenage angst, which was appropriate, given that Swift was only 19 when she released the song. To say she’s lived a thousand lives since then is an understatement. Hearing Swift sing those same words over two decades later with all her gained wisdom and experience will add even more layers to a song that already hits.
“Picture to Burn”
One of the most controversial lyrics in Taylor Swift’s catalogue comes from “Picture to Burn.” Tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy. That’s fine, I’ll tell mine that you’re gay. She’s since changed the words to That’s fine, you don’t mind if I say, and an initial search of the lyrics will take you to the latter instead of the former. Who hasn’t said something they regretted when they were an actual child? We don’t doubt that the “Picture to Burn” of Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) will pack the same punch but without the homophobic jabs.
“Tim McGraw”
One of the most popular, successful, and wealthy pop stars of all time returning to their debut single is a kind of full-circle moment that you don’t see very often. The simple, heartfelt ballad is Taylor Swift at her peak country music writing. Faded blue jeans, Georgia stars, Tim McGraw playing on a Chevy pick-up truck radio: it doesn’t get more sweetheart of Americana if you tried. We’re excited to hear how Swift reimagines this childlike track as a grown woman with more mature love and heartache under her belt.
“Our Song”
Speaking of innocent love songs rife with Americana imagery, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include “Our Song,” the closing track off Taylor Swift’s debut. The instrumentation is so vastly different from anything she’s done in the past decade and a half, it will be interesting to see how true she stays to the crystalline country arrangement or if she branches out and puts a little grit on it. In either case, we will be screaming, er, singing along to the chorus—even that weird lyric about talking reeeeal slow.
Photo by Picture Perfect/Shutterstock
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