The wait is finally over, Taylor Swift has shared the re-recorded version of her 2010 album Speak Now. The album marks the third Taylor’s Version release in the singer-songwriter’s attempt to own all her own music.
Videos by American Songwriter
The re-recording effort of Speak Now is particularly important for Swift given that the album is completely self-written. In today’s co-write-laden music scene, an album like this is seldom seen.
“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20,” Swift wrote on Instagram when she announced the release. “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it.”
The fan favorites from the album have been given a refresh, including “Back to December,” “Mean,” “Dear John,” “Never Grow Up,” and more. Each of the updated versions lives somewhere between a young Swift who is coming of age and a 33-year-old Swift who has long put the stories on this album to bed. Despite being over a decade old, Swift manages to perform each song like they are fresh on her mind.
“It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours,” Swift wrote in a recent post. “It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas, and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20.”
Along with the original track list, Swift has unveiled six new “From the Vault” tracks: “Electric Touch (feat. Fall Out Boy),” “When Emma Falls in Love,” “I Can See You,” “Castles Crumbling,” “Foolish One,” and “Timeless.”
“I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story,” Swift added. “I had to be ruthless with my choices, and I left behind some songs I am still unfailingly proud of now. Therefore, you have 6 From The Vault tracks!”
“I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and the memories it brought back filled me with nostalgia and appreciation,” she continued. “For life, for you, for the fact that I get to reclaim my work. Thank you a million times, for the memories that break our fall.”
Swift previously released re-recorded versions of Fearless and Red. With three Taylor’s Version albums under her belt, she only has three more to go: Taylor Swift, 1989, and Reputation.
Photo by Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
