August 10, 2023
Taylor Swift revealed the release date for "1989 (Taylor's Version)" on Wednesday during her final Eras Tour show of the year.
The rerecorded album will be released Oct. 27, exactly nine years after the original album came out in 2014. After the revealing the news during her sixth concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Swift performed a toned-down version of "New Romantics," which appeared on the deluxe version of "1989."
"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 27th," Swift wrote on social media. "To be honest, this is my most favorite re-record I've ever done because the (five) 'From the Vault' tracks are so insane. I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!"
Unlike with some of the singer's previous rerecorded albums, Swifties have gotten a taste of "1989 (Taylor's Version)" well before it comes out. In September 2021, Swift released a rerecorded version of "Wildest Dreams," partly due to the original song being used in a TikTok trend. And in May 2022, Swift released the rerecorded version of "This Love" after a snippet of it was used in the trailer for Prime Video's "The Summer I Turned Pretty."
Surprise!! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to you 🔜! 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 27th. To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done… pic.twitter.com/JFYOWhBxhj
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 10, 2023
Earlier this summer, Swift released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," the rerecorded version of her 2010 album. She also has released rerecorded versions of "Red" and "Fearless." The singer is rerecording her first six albums after music executive Scooter Braun purchased her master recordings before selling them for millions in 2019.
The rerecordings give Swift ownership over her entire catalog, and Swift fans have encouraged each other to listen to the rerecorded versions in place of the original albums. Swift's four most recent albums – 2019's "Lover," 2020's "Folklore" and "Evermore" and last year's "Midnights" – will not be rerecorded, because Swift already owns the masters.
Some fans have speculated that Swift got the idea to rerecord her albums from Kelly Clarkson, who tweeted the suggestion at the pop star shortly after Braun purchased her master recordings. Clarkson once discussed the idea on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," noting Reba McEntire took a similar approach to regain ownership of her catalog. But in June, she refused to take credit during an apperance on Andy Cohen's Sirius XM show, "Radio Andy," saying Swift is "brilliant" and would have come up with the idea on her own.
The original "1989" was Swift's fifth studio album and is regarded as the first in which the Berks County native traded in her pop-country sound to create a full-fledged pop album. Inspired by 1980s synth pop, "1989" spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 200, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. It also earned Swift Grammy Awards for album of the year, best pop vocal album and best music video for "Bad Blood."
Each of Swift's rerecorded albums have featured collaborations with other artists, including Maren Morris and Keith Urban on "Fearless," Chris Stapleton, Phoebe Bridgers and Ed Sheeran on "Red," and Fall Out Boy and Paramore on "Speak Now." It remains unclear if anyone will be featured on "1989."
