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Helena Hurworth
Media Correspondent
7:03 AM 10th April 2021
arts

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Review

 
It’s been almost two years since Taylor Swift promised to re-record her first six studio albums after they were acquired by Scooter Braun and just five months since she was legally allowed to do so. As someone who has long championed the rights of artists in the music industry, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) represents a stand for an artists’ ownership and control over their work.

I’m not going to talk too much about the re-recorded tracks on this album though. For the most part they are faithful to the originals with the occasional added harmony or tweaked production. At the end of the day she wasn’t setting out to entirely redo the album, but simply to reclaim it, and that is what she has done. I am more interested in the six brand new ‘From the Vault’ tracks that added an incentive for Swifties everywhere (including myself) to purchase the new version of the album. These six tracks were written at the time when Swift was making Fearless, but for whatever reason simply never made the cut. Now, with full creative control, Swift has been able to release a version of Fearless that is a whopping 27(!) tracks long, including these never before heard records.

You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris)

‘You All Over Me’ was actually released by Taylor a couple of weeks ago, ahead of the album dropping, making it effectively the ‘lead single’ of these new tracks and it’s easy to see why. It is a classic country Taylor heartbreak anthem that tugs at the heartstrings.
Listening to it feels very familiar, as if it were released 13 years ago on the original cut of Fearless. In recording these tracks for the re-release, Swift could have given them the more indie production of her most recent albums, or even a pop flair reminiscent of 1989, but instead she’s stayed true to the production style of what remains the most awarded country album in history.

Best Lyric: “I’ve still got you all over me”

Mr Perfectly Fine

The second ‘From the Vault’ track was also released ahead of the album in a surprise drop earlier this week. The more upbeat track appears to be a scathing breakup track about one of Taylor’s early exes, Joe Jonas (and has the approval of his wife, Sophie Turner!). It has a catchy chorus, witty lyrics, and a youthful whimsy that reflects the teenage experience of heartbreak that is a recurring theme on the album.
Best Lyric: “Now I’m Miss gonna be alright someday and maybe someday you’ll miss me”

We Were Happy

Taylor Swift at the 2019 American Music Awards. Photo by Cosmopolitan UK
Taylor Swift at the 2019 American Music Awards. Photo by Cosmopolitan UK
‘We Were Happy’ is the first track on the album that I didn’t hear until the CD arrived in the post. Featuring a secret cameo from Keith Urban (who is featured on the next track, but also lent his voice to the backing vocals of 'We Were Happy') the country ballad reminisces on the happy memories of a former relationship. What I love about Taylor as a songwriter is how she is able to make incredibly specific lyrics still widely relatable; “Talking about your Daddy’s farm we were gonna buy someday” is a perfect example. Who hasn’t made plans with an ex that haven’t come to fruition? It’s a universal emotion that Taylor is able to tap into – this is what she does best.

Best Lyric: “Talking about your Daddy’s farm we were gonna buy someday”

That’s When (feat. Keith Urban)

Straight off the bat I’m going to say I love this song. I want Taylor Swift and Keith Urban to do a whole album together! It’s an uplifting, relatable track with a catchy chorus and just the perfect combination of voices. Whenever Taylor does a collaboration, especially recently, it’s just incredibly exciting. ‘Exile’ (feat. Bon Iver) and ‘coney island’ (feat. The National) have quickly become two of my favourite songs by Swift. The way she works with other artists is sublime and it always adds something to the track. This is no exception. The collaboration tells a story and makes this one of the standout tracks on the album.

Best Lyric: “When it’s sunny or storming, laughing when I’m crying”

Don’t You

Now I said I loved the last track, which is true, but this is my favourite of the new six. It is probably the only one that reflects a more up-to-date style, but that works perfectly for the track. Its an anthemic ballad reminiscent of ‘The Archer’ (Lover). It builds so beautifully, and Taylor gives it a breathy sound that gives the song its emotion. I honestly don’t have the words for how perfect this song is. I am glad, however, that it never made the original cut because I don’t think it would have sounded like this.

Best Lyric: “I heard she’s nothing like me, I’m sure she’ll make you happy”

Bye Bye Baby

So far, every single additional track has been phenomenal (It’s Taylor Swift, what do you expect!). Even though they ended up being cut, it’s clear that it must have been a really difficult decision and makes me wonder how many incredible songs we might see on future re-releases that were also cut. ‘Bye Bye Baby’ is the only one where I kind of understand why it was cut. It’s just not as good as the rest of the album, and rather than being youthfully whimsical is just juvenile. It’s still a cute song with introspective lyricism and a wonderful country twang, but maybe I’m just a little bit too old to appreciate it.

Best Lyric: “Bye bye to everything I thought was on my side”

Before I round things off, I do want to say something about the Elvira remix of ‘Love Story’. As I said at the start, for the most part the album has made small updates on the original tracks, whilst still maintaining the country stylings that fans are familiar with. I think this was the right decision, but many fans were hoping for a more reimagined approach. The Elvira remix of ‘Love Story’ gives fans a taste of this, turning a fan favourite from the album into more of a pop track that would be at home on 1989 or even Reputation. It’s fun to hear the song in a completely new way and I hope similar remixes are included on future re-releases to give fans a taste of how these songs could completely change!

Overall, it’s been really fun to hear these new ‘From the Vault’ tracks, as well as the rerecorded originals. After seeing what Taylor has done with Fearless, I can’t wait to see how she treats the other five albums (especially Red!).