Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Taylor Swift released her first re-recorded single from her 2008 album, “Fearless.” “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” offers a nostalgic ride back to the early 2000s, and to the album that won Swift her first Grammy for Album of the Year. “Fearless” is the album that catapulted Swift to absolute stardom and earned her place in history, as it is the most awarded country album of all time.

In an Instagram post, Swift wrote:

“fearless was an album full of magic and curiosity, the bliss and devastation of youth. it was the diaRy of the new adventures and explorations of a teenage girl who was learning tiny lessons with every new crack in the facade of the faIrytale ending she’d been shown in the movies.”

Swift has been extremely vocal about why she is choosing to re-record her masters. In an effort to fight against unfair music industry standards, while taking back what is rightfully hers from music executive Scooter Braun, Swift has taken the leap of faith that so few other artists have. She wrote:

“artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work.”

“Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” showcases Swift’s matured voice and lacks the country twang of the original recording. However, with little-to-no other changes between the original and re-record, the song stands as a timeless, nostalgic, ageless bop. Swift reunited her touring band, the original fiddler, and the original background vocalist to join her on “Taylor’s Version.” She described the process as being “more fulfilling and emoTional than i could’ve imagined and has made me even more determined to re-record all of my music.”

For so many, listening to “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” has been a trip down memory lane. Much of the relationship between Swift and her fans has been built off of the notion that they have grown up together, and listening to “Love Story” has reestablished the strength of this connection. Swift noted this in her album announcement:

“so before i say anything else, let me just say that it was a real honor to get to be a teenager alongside you. and for those of you i’ve come to know more recently than 2008, i am ecstatic that i’ll get to exPerience a bit of that feeling with you in the very near future. now that i can fully appreciate it in its whimsical, effervescent, chaotic entirety.”

The original “Love Story” represented the type of love that Swift had only seen in the movies, something she had yet to experience. The central theme of the song, the story of Romeo and Juliet, finds a much sweeter ending from Swift’s pen. But now, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” represents something much deeper: a grown woman’s fight for ownership of her own work. It will also serve as a love letter to her fans, with a newly released lyric video showcasing a collage of memories and photos of Swift with fans during the “Fearless” era.

In true Taylor Swift fashion, the date of her announcement was 2/11, and fans were quick to note that 2+11 is Taylor’s lucky number, 13. The release of “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” also marks 13 years since the debut of the original “Fearless” album. Additionally, a hidden message in capitalized letters from her Instagram announcement read “APRIL NINTH”, which fans can only conclude to be the release date of the re-recorded “Fearless,” because 4+9=13, obviously.

Back in 2019, when Swift stated her unequivocal intent to re-record her old masters, she promised surprises along the way. It is safe to say that fans were shocked when she announced the rerecorded “Fearless” will feature 26 songs– with 6 brand new, never-heard songs from the vault.

“i’ve decIded i want you to have the whole story, see the entire vivid picture, and let you into the entire dreamscape that is my fearless album. that’s why i’ve chosen to include 6 never before released songs on my version of this album. written when i was betweeN the ages of 16 and 18, these were the ones it killed me to leave behind,” Swift said in a social media statement.

Swift’s sentimentality in revisiting and reworking her old music is not only a tribute to fans, but a tribute to herself and her teenage adolescence. The suspense and excitement for April 9 is growing, as is the excitement to hear her old masters in a newly creative and fresh light. It is safe to say that Swift has definitely not been bored in this pandemic!

Stream “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” now on all platforms.

Instagram Post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLJzk9MjcCe/?utm_source=ig_embed

Love Story (Taylor’s Version) Lyric Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=aXzVF3XeS8M&ab_channel=TaylorSwiftVEVO

Featured Image courtesy of Raphael Lovaski via Unsplash