Taylor Swift's rerelease of her "1989" album is officially here.
The pop star's "1989 (Taylor's Version)" record arrived at 12 a.m. ET on Oct. 27 after months of anticipation.
"My name is Taylor and I was born in 1989," Swift wrote on Instagram, alongside photos from her latest re-recorded album, announcing its arrival.
The singer also included a hand-written note that said, “I was born in 1989, reinvented for the first time in 2014, and a part of me was reclaimed in 2023 with the re-release of this album I love so dearly.”
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the magic you would sprinkle on my life for so long,” she continued. “This moment is a reflection of the woods we’ve wandered through and all this love between us still glowing in the darkest dark.”
“I present to you, with gratitude and wild wonder, my version of 1989. It’s been waiting for you,” she concluded.
Swift first announced during an August concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, that the next "Taylor's Version" re-recording would be of her "1989" album, which was originally released in October 2014.
During the surprise song portion of the show, at 11:09 p.m. PT, Swift announced to the audience that she was going to rerelease the "1989" album, before launching into a rendition of "New Romantics."
Swift's official social media accounts shared the news as well.
"The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27," she posted at the time. "To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!"
Each of Swift's new versions of her classic albums has featured several new songs "from the vault" that didn't make the original cuts.
On Sept. 20, Swift announced the titles of the five vault tracks from “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”:
- “Slut!”
- “Is It Over Now?”
- “Now That We Don’t Talk”
- “Say Don’t Go”
- “Suburban Legends”
Why Taylor Swift is rerecording albums
Swift has been rerecording and releasing her first six albums in a mission to fully own her music. Big Machine Records sold the masters from the first six albums in 2019 to Scooter Braun, who later sold them to a private equity firm. Swift was vocal about her disapproval of the sale, and announced that she would rerecord all those albums she initially made with Big Machine.
“I have recently begun rerecording my older music and it has already proven to be both exciting and creatively fulfilling,” she said in a statement posted on social media in 2020. “I have plenty of surprises in store.”
And she has certainly delivered on those surprises. In addition to the "from the vault" tracks and new album art, she's even made music videos.
When is "1989 (Taylor's Version)" coming out?
October 27 is a special date for Swifties. This date is no surprise to fans since "1989" was released on that exact same date in 2014.
Which albums has Taylor rerecorded so far and which are left
Over the last years, Swift has mark each re-release as "Taylor's Version." As of now, she's released:
- "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" (2021)
- "Red (Taylor's Version)" (2021)
- "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" (2023)
- "1989 (Taylor's Version)" (2023)
The only rereleases that remain are her debut album, "Taylor Swift," originally released in 2006, and her 2017 album, "Reputation."
How fans knew "1989 (Taylor's Version)" was next
Fans had a clue in early July 2023 that "1989 (Taylor's Version)" was on its way. Shortly after she released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," she debuted a music video for one of the new songs, "I Can See You." In the final seconds of the video, she is seen driving off with stars Taylor Lautner and Joey King, crossing a bridge that has a sign at the top reading "1989TV."
Some Easter egg-hunting Swift fans also thought her July 7 Instagram post documenting her "belated Independence Day" party at her Rhode Island beach house hinted at a "1989" re-record.
In the post, Swift posed with Selena Gomez, the Haim sisters and more friends in a series of Polaroid images. Swifties were quick to point out that the album cover for the original "1989" album is a Polaroid pic of Swift. Her July Fourth parties at her summer home were also a staple of her "1989" era.
On July 28, Swift's Taylor Nation account reshared one of her Fourth of July pictures, with the singer posing in a blue dress in front of the ocean, sending fans spiraling due to the cryptic message, "the air is getting pretty salty."
Fans got increasingly excited ahead of and throughout the Aug. 9 concert as Swift dropped more hints — most notably swapping out four of her previous outfits worn on the tour for blue versions.
"You might've noticed there's some good outfits in the show," she quipped during the Aug. 9 announcement.
Blue is the color most often associated with the album. Her website also became blue ahead of the announcement; it had previously been purple as the singer promoted her “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” album.
