Taylor Swift drops 5 new dazzling vault tracks on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – here’s the complete rundown

Taylor Swift has finally put out 1989 (Taylor’s Version) today (27 October) and fans are already dissecting the tracks to within an inch of their lives.

The beloved album which really put her on the map as a fully-fledged pop star has arrived (again) for Swifties. 

It come complete with five never-before-heard Vault tracks, as well as shiny re-recordings of all 16 songs we know and love. 

These additions seem to pave the gap between the 2014 original version of 1989 and her most recent all-original record, Midnights.

We’re here to give you the complete lowdown on each track one-by-one, so let’s dive straight in.

“Slut!”

It’s the track Swifties have all been desperate to hear, ‘”Slut!”‘ kicks off the quintet of new tracks. Its title acts as a pointed reminder to years of the megastar branded a serial dater and being slut-shamed. 

The quotation marks and exclamation points may seem subtle, but are very deliberate additions here, with Swift emphasising the word “slut” herself at one point towards the close.

A shimmery intro leads us into gorgeous imagery; a mix of pink, blue and purple hues, as she recalls a night out with a past lover through the eyes of nostalgia. 

“Got lovestruck went straight to my head, got lovesick all over my bed / But if I’m all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us / If they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once.”

“Everyone wants him, that was my crime. The wrong place, at the right time,” she sings over gorgeous synth sounds, as the 80s influences Swift has always looked to for 1989 take hold.

Say Don’t Go

The subtle strum of the guitar underneath is immediately reminiscent of another two stand-outs from the original album – ‘Clean’ and  ‘All You Had to Do Was Stay’

‘Say Don’t Go’ has the strongest emotional depth of all five tracks, with some painful lyrics about a romance coming to an end. 

“Why’d you have to lead me on, why’d you have to twist the knife, walk away and leave me bleeding, bleeding?” she asks a former flame, words hitting hard through a punchy chorus. 

“I would say forever if you say, don’t go,” she adds. It’s the only one of the five not co-written with Jack Antonoff, teaming up with Diane Warren instead for the track most resembling a pure Swift ballad. 

It definitely provides the most gut-punching outcome too, as she resigns herself to the fact “but you won’t.”

Now That We Don’t Talk

This track absolutely could have its place on Midnights, Swift gives us the perfect a satirical melody coupled with a dramatic vocal and healthy dose of nostalgia on ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’.

The gradual pop build-up throughout which feels, initially, slightly underwhelming leads us to a dynamic thumping chorus that only Swift can pull off. 

She even succeeds in bringing hilarity through the sadness, singing: “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock / Or that I like to be on a mega yacht / With important men who think important thoughts”.

Suburban Legends

With nods to past eras very present here “mismatched star signs / class reunions / standing in a 1950s gymnasium,” we get hints of the classic teenage love themes that she started her career on in the very vivid lyrics of ‘Suburban Legends’.

“You kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever,” Swift swirls over the infectious sparkle of 80s synths.

“I broke my own heart ‘cause you were too polite to do it,” she adds, recalling the pain of trying to let go from a high school crush. 

Is It Over Now?

‘Is It Over Now’ acts as an obvious sequel to ‘Out of the Woods’. From the powerfully familiar yells and steady tempo, pulling you straight back into that initial crashing moment of heartbreak. 

She offers up some incredible vulnerability on the track, revealing toxic impulses to fans:“I think about jumping off of very tall somethings / Just to see you come running / And say the one thing I’ve been wanting.”

It’s acts as the perfectly poignant way to end this knockout group of tracks.