Speak Now (Taylor's Version)
By Yamilet Chabla Urgiles ('25)
Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) album is finally going to be released in July of 2023! It was confirmed at Swift’s Nashville show of her “Era’s Tour” on May 5, when Swift expressed her excitement while announcing it on stage before singing a song from the original Speak Now album, titled “Sparks Fly.” This will no doubt be an experience for Swifties to hear a fresh version of Speak Now again after a long time. It’ll be interesting to hear how much Swift’s musical skills have evolved over time and how it plays out in the songs, for at the time of its initial release, the music was based on her experiences as a budding star and young teenager.
Photo courtesy of Us Weekly
Taylor likes to “plot” and “scheme,” as she has said before, and it was apparent in the "Bejeweled" music video when she was going into the elevator and pressed the purple button. This had fans theorizing that this clue meant Speak Now was going to be the next album to be re-released. Taylor wrote Speak Now between the ages of 18 and 20. According to Taylor “These songs came from a time in my life marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness.” This album tells a story of growing up, flying and crashing, and recovering from heartbreak.
Swift announced Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) on Instagram and other various social media platforms. The re-recorded album will include all twenty-two of its original tracks, as well as six new, never before released, songs to the album. It will be released July 7th, just around July 9th, an important date in one of Speak Now’s most iconic tracks. It will be interesting to hear how Taylor sings the songs this time around. It will definitely change the perspective of the songs since their original versions came out around 13 years ago.
There was speculation on whether 1989 or Speak Now would be re-recorded first and clearly Speak Now won. The new cover art for the album is similar to the dress worn in the original album, but it is now worn with a more serious expression. Speak Now is the first album that didn’t have anyone else featured on it, unlike the previous two albums, distinguishing Taylor as an artist in her own right. In the "Bejeweled" music video, after going to the third floor (which is purple, indicating Speak Now’s re-release) she got back into it and onto the fifth floor, which is light blue for 1989, rumored to be the next rerecording after Speak Now. Even then, it will be exciting to hear the album for the first time again. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how Swift’s music has evolved and hearing Enchanted again, one of my favorites from that album.
Banner photo courtesy of Wazzup.PH
Cover photo courtesy of Twitter
Photo courtesy of People