Break Down: Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version) - Vault Tracks

Don't lie. You skipped to the vault tracks.

As always, Taylor has more up her sleeve when it comes to the rerecords. Not only do you get more modernized versions of her original tracks, but you also get more unreleased material that either didn’t make the original cut or was unfinished at the time. So far, the vault tracks for Red (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) have all been excellent. Rightfully so, there’s a lot of hype for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) surrounding the vault tracks for this album - especially when you have a track titled “Slut!”

With an album as great as 1989, the vault tracks have a lot to live up to.

“Slut!”

It’s interesting that not only is there an exclamation point in the title of the track, but there are quotation marks around it. I think a lot of people were expecting this to be an upbeat dance track. I’m pleasantly surprised at the low-tempo, ballad-like love song.

I love the production of this track. It’s both retro and modern at the same time. The very basic drum kit and the synth give this song a very timeless vibe. Then comes the pre-chorus with that hard hitting 808 bass line and trap-esk hi-hat. It’s a nice contrast.

This track coming straight after New Romantics on the standard (previously deluxe) version of this album is an interesting choice. This track reminds me of Castles Crumbling from the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) vault. The song featured Hayley Williams from Paramore. Rightfully so, a lot of fans (including myself) were expecting a much higher tempo song than what Castles Crumbling ended up being. “Slut!” is the same way.

Lyrically, “Slut!”, in my opinion, paints a very complicated picture of a relationship that was very much scrutinized in the public eye against Taylor. A relationship where she takes the fall for everything, while he gets to live his life scot-free post breakup. Lyrics that stood out to me include “I’ll pay the price, you won’t” and “If they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once.”

Say Don’t Go

On my first listen, Say Don’t Go was my favorite vault track. One week later, it still is. I love the driving drum/bass/guitar combination that progressively gets more intense as the track plays. The same could be said about the tone of the lyrics. It builds and builds and builds. This is especially notable in the line, “Say, ‘Don’t Go. I would stay forever if you say, Don’t Go,” where the backing vocals and harmonies get progressively more intense.

Something I noticed is that the first verse—for lack of a better term—sounds a bit thin, centered, and dry. The second verse throws that away and adds a hint of reverb that’s notably missing from the first verse, giving Taylor’s vocals much more room to breathe, filling out the soundscape.

Say Don’t Go is also one of those tracks that sonically sound very happy and upbeat, meanwhile lyrically is very dark and sad. For example, the line, “Why’d you lead me on? Why’d you have to twist the knife? Walk away leave me bleedin’, bleedin'?” is casually talking about murder. Say Don’t Go gives me, No Body, No Crime vibes. Sonically a song you can get up and dance to but is lyrically very dark in tone.

Now That We Don’t Talk

The thing that stood out to me the most about this song is that it doesn’t stop after the first verse. There are no breaks. The beat and the vocals keep going. There are no breakdowns, there’s no moment to take a breath. First verse withstanding, once you hear the first word, you hear Taylor all the way until the end of the song. Which makes sense as to why the song is only 2:26 long.

Those that know me know I’m a sucker for short songs. One of my favorite tracks of all time is Sabrina Carpenter’s Mona Lisa, which clocks in at 2:18. Similar to that track, I do hope that Taylor has plans to not only play this song live but also give us an unreleased verse or two when doing so. The unreleased verse to Mona Lisa is fantastic.

I love the vocal pattern for this line in the pre-chorus, “I call my mom, she said that it was her the best. Remind myself the more I gave, you’d want me less,” and all the subsequent versions of this line as Taylor changes up the line as the song progresses. I’m no vocal expert, but something about that line specifically grabs my attention every time. Likewise, I love how much the bass plays off of the synth throughout this song.

And don’t get me started on the second verse. There’s so much energy built up from the first chorus, only for it to drop off the face of the earth. We’re back to just the drums, bass, and synth that sounds familiar but a little different. If you listen closely, you can hear the shaker and what sounds like a cowbell in the left channel. It’s very low in the mix, but it sounds very close. Going into the pre-chorus, you notice that the shaker swaps sides and is much higher in the mix.

Now That We Don’t Talk is almost deceptive. You get caught off guard by how short the song is. But as you listen to it over and over again, you realize it’s actually a fast paced song. While it may sound simple, Now That We Don’t Talk is actually quite complex in its composition with things constantly being thrown at you and taken away in the same amount of time. I feel like this is one of those songs that I could listen to 100 times and still discover something I missed the other 99 times.

Suburban Legends

Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this song. It’s not my favorite track of the five vault tracks. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad song, but just not for me. And that’s perfectly fine. A few lines that stood out to me were, “And you kissed me in a way that’s gonna screw me forever. Tick-tock on the clock. Face down your block. I broke my own heart ‘cause you were too polite to do it.” Like damn, Taylor.

What struck me right away was the pulsating bass/synth throughout the song. The drums on this song were fairly interesting in that it’s a fairly basic kick drum, with a shaker and snap for the first half. That gets replaced by a hi-hat and clap at the bridge and carries through to the end of the song.

Is It Over Now?

Let’s start with the lyrics here because there’s a lot to unpack. Some of my favorite lines are, “Let’s fast forward to three hundred takeout coffees later” and “Let’s fast forward to three hundred awkward blind dates later.” We’ve all been there. Wanting to move on past that initial “getting to know you” state, but they aren’t ready yet and you feel like they never will be ready.

In terms of production, the reversed vocals at the beginning of the track are super cool, even though I can’t make out what she’s saying. The out-of-time “ah’s” (some are saying this is a cat? 💀) are cute and whimsical. I love the use of toms for the beat on this track. It very much reminds me of Out Of The Woods from earlier in the main album, just less intense. The far out tambourine in the right channel on the second half of the song is very cool as well.

Bad Blood (featuring Kendrick Lamar) [Deluxe?]

One of my favorite things about this feature is that Taylor ends up taking parts of this remix and the original song and blends them together when Taylor and her band play this track live. Having heard both versions of the track (in this case, the original, and Taylor’s Version for both), I think that was a smart move. It’s recognizable for non-Swifties going to support their Swiftie friends. And it plays homage to those of us who live, sweat, and breathe the Swiftie fandom.

The synth in the verses of this song rounds out the fairly basic drum and bass pattern in the non-remix version of this song. Kendrick’s verses elevate the track quite nicely. The song sticks to the same sonic structure with a bit of inspiration to differentiate itself from the original track.

Plus, the fans singing, “You forgive, you forget, but you never let it… go” in the live rendition of this song is one of the reasons I love being a Swiftie.

Conclusion

I think the vault tracks are very respectable. I can understand why songs such as “Slut!” and Suburban Legends didn’t make the cut for the original album. As vault tracks that live beyond the original album, I think they’re all great. If you were looking for upbeat, dance-driven songs, you may come out of the vault tracks disappointed.

However, the vault tracks gives a glimpse into “the other side” of 1989 and what it could’ve been if its main focus was a more contemporary, story driven album. Personally, my favorite vault tracks so far are from the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) vault.

From a marketing perspective, I understand why Bad Blood (featuring Kendrick Lamar) was added later as part of a “Deluxe” album. It allows Taylor’s Version of the album to show up when you search for 1989 deluxe on your favorite music streaming service.

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Note: This review was written after listening to Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version) [Deluxe] on Apple Music (with AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) and Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos enabled), Tidal (Hi-Fi Plus, playing at 24-bit 48kHz), Spotify (Very High with Loudness disabled), and on Qobuz via Roon (streaming at 24-bit 48kHz).