Her 2006 self-titled debut and 2008香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淔earless香蕉视频直播� had inspired both acclaim and criticism for her bold bridges and keen lyricism 香蕉视频直播� these are masterful country-pop songs, critics argued, but surely a teen idol wasn香蕉视频直播檛 responsible for them. Swift proved her detractors wrong on 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now,香蕉视频直播� an album that arrived just before her pivot from country香蕉视频直播檚 youngest hope to pop香蕉视频直播檚 freshest voice.
The album served as a close document of her nascent fame and future career ambitions, and now, 13 years on, it香蕉视频直播檚 back. released Friday, is the third release of the six albums The Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun香蕉视频直播檚 sale of her early catalog, represent Swift香蕉视频直播檚 effort to control her own songs and how they香蕉视频直播檙e used 香蕉视频直播� a fitting ethos for 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now,香蕉视频直播� a record built exclusively of her own voice.
In preparation for 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now (Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 Version),香蕉视频直播� The Associated Press reached out to Taylor Swift scholars to discuss all the ways listeners can and should think about the release.
ADOLESCENCE TO ADULTHOOD
Before 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now香蕉视频直播� became 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now,香蕉视频直播� the working title was 香蕉视频直播淓nchanted,香蕉视频直播� named after the power ballad of the same name. The mythology ( ) behind the shift is that Swift香蕉视频直播檚 label president at the time, Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta, to move on from whimsy and fairytale iconography 香蕉视频直播� she was entering her 20s and this LP warranted a more mature title.
Transition creates an interesting framework for thinking about this album: Written largely between the ages of 18 and 20, released when she turned 21, 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now香蕉视频直播� is a collection of songs on a precipice 香蕉视频直播� of adulthood, of fame, of declaring ownership but still concerned with the subject matters that concern a young adult. There are crushes (香蕉视频直播淪uperman,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淪parks Fly香蕉视频直播�) and bittersweet breakups (香蕉视频直播淏ack to December,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淚f This Was a Movie香蕉视频直播�), alike.
香蕉视频直播淵ou hear a youngness when you listen to these songs,香蕉视频直播� says musicologist Lily Hirsch, author of 香蕉视频直播淐an香蕉视频直播檛 Stop the Grrrls: Confronting Sexist Labels in Music from Ariana Grande to Yoko Ono.香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 all about these romantic relationships. The world hinges on all of that, which is so typical of that age. So, it is interesting hear the re-recordings bring a more mature voice to those earlier preoccupations.香蕉视频直播�
Elizabeth Scala teaches a course on Taylor Swift香蕉视频直播檚 songbook at the University of Texas at Austin as an introduction to literary studies and research methods.
香蕉视频直播淚 think 香蕉视频直播楽peak Now香蕉视频直播� is still in the vein of 香蕉视频直播業 don香蕉视频直播檛 have enough life experience at my ripe age of 18 to give you a fully autobiographical anything, but I香蕉视频直播檓 going to use what I read and what I know from other people,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 she says of the songs香蕉视频直播� lyrical content, which still manage to 香蕉视频直播渕ake really beautiful, coherent things out of the messiness and inaccuracy of our memories.香蕉视频直播�
IN CONVERSATION WITH HER CRITICS AND CELEBRITY
Coming a year after Kanye West interrupted at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now香蕉视频直播� is the moment in Swift香蕉视频直播檚 career where she began to use her celebrity as a mirror to her interior life.
香蕉视频直播淢ean,香蕉视频直播� a takedown of a rock critic, becomes a banjo-led treatise on antagonism of any kind; the blues-y 香蕉视频直播淒ear John香蕉视频直播� centers on a young woman香蕉视频直播檚 tumultuous relationship with an older man.
香蕉视频直播淚nsults are everywhere in music, and men don香蕉视频直播檛 get the same flak for it,香蕉视频直播� Hirsch says, in reference to 香蕉视频直播淒ear John香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淢ean.香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 this idea that women especially are supposed to take the high road, turn the other cheek and all of that, and men can get away with the low road, and they certainly do in music. It香蕉视频直播檚 a kind of double standard. Women are labeled 香蕉视频直播榗atty香蕉视频直播� when confronting bad behavior, like in 香蕉视频直播楧ear John.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
A common pastime among Swift fans is to unearth the identities of her songs香蕉视频直播� subjects. But, to Scala, 香蕉视频直播渢he most boring way to think about Taylor Swift is in terms of her biography.香蕉视频直播�
At a recent stop of her Eras Tour in Minneapolis, Swift seemed to agree, playing 香蕉视频直播淒ear John香蕉视频直播� live for the after delivering this introduction:
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 33 years old. I don香蕉视频直播檛 care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together. So what I香蕉视频直播檓 trying to tell you is, I香蕉视频直播檓 not putting this album out so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago.香蕉视频直播�
Scala sees a throughline between this album and its successors, with 香蕉视频直播淒ear John香蕉视频直播� as a precursor to and 香蕉视频直播淢ean香蕉视频直播� as prescient to a song that parodies how she香蕉视频直播檚 been portrayed in the media.
REVISIONIST HISTORY
Much surrounding the re-recording of 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now香蕉视频直播� has centered on 香蕉视频直播淏etter Than Revenge,香蕉视频直播� a pop-punk song that takes aim at another woman instead of the man that wronged them both. It takes both sonic and thematic cues from Paramore香蕉视频直播檚 2007 pop-rock hit 香蕉视频直播淢isery Business,香蕉视频直播� a similar song . (In fact, on 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now (Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 Version),香蕉视频直播� Paramore singer Hayley Williams lends vocals to a 香蕉视频直播渧ault香蕉视频直播� song, 香蕉视频直播淐astles Crumbling.香蕉视频直播�)
In the original chorus of 香蕉视频直播淏etter Than Revenge,香蕉视频直播� Swift sings, 香蕉视频直播淪he香蕉视频直播檚 an actress / She香蕉视频直播檚 better known for the things she does on the mattress,香蕉视频直播� a rare lyrical misstep in a career underscored by poetic turns of phrases (in the opener 香蕉视频直播淢ine,香蕉视频直播� she sings 香蕉视频直播淵ou made a rebel of a careless man香蕉视频直播檚 careful daughter香蕉视频直播�). In her 2023 香蕉视频直播淏etter Than Revenge香蕉视频直播� version, the lyric becomes 香蕉视频直播淗e was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚f we think about 2010, slut-shaming rhetoric certainly existed in movies and shows. She香蕉视频直播檚 certainly not the only one who has done this at that time,香蕉视频直播� Hirsch argues, quick to point out that Swift has also been the target of sexist vitriol.
Swift香蕉视频直播檚 alteration of the song in her re-recording follows a lineage of other pop stars doing the same. and to songs deemed offensive. Weird Al no longer performs his Michael Jackson parodies. And because Swift hasn香蕉视频直播檛 performed 香蕉视频直播淏etter Than Revenge香蕉视频直播� live for well over a decade, she hasn香蕉视频直播檛 needed to confront this particular song, in this particular way.
香蕉视频直播淲e are willing to replace the old version with Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 Versions because they are exact replicas, as much as they can be,香蕉视频直播� Scala argues. 香蕉视频直播淚f she does something different, it becomes a different song.香蕉视频直播� A different song, this time, owned by Swift.
ART EVOLVES WITH TIME
香蕉视频直播淔rom a literary historian香蕉视频直播檚 point of view, when you first hear 香蕉视频直播楽peak Now,香蕉视频直播� you could only look at her career up to that point: It meant something in her creative timeline,香蕉视频直播� says Scala. 香蕉视频直播淎nd now we have the rest of her career to compare it to, so it香蕉视频直播檚 hard to listen to the record the same way. You can compare it to the older recording, but its deeper and richer.香蕉视频直播�
Technology has changed from 2010. So has Swift: Her voice has matured, no longer possessing the sweet self-restraint that colored her earliest releases.
Each release comes with a few 香蕉视频直播淔rom the Vault香蕉视频直播� tracks, unreleased songs from each album香蕉视频直播檚 period reimagined for the current moment. They, too, give a fuller picture.
AN EXERCISE IN ARTISTIC AUTONOMY
Beyond all of the music and cultural considerations, the fact is: Taylor Swift is re-recording this album to own her work, like she is doing with so many of her records 香蕉视频直播� but this is the only album in her discography that is entirely self-penned, the one celebrated for its dismissals of exploitative male characters and poetic embrace of girlhood.
In fact, it香蕉视频直播檚 hard not to think of 香蕉视频直播淐ould香蕉视频直播檝e, Would香蕉视频直播檝e, Should香蕉视频直播檝e香蕉视频直播� from her where Swift sings 香蕉视频直播淕ive me back my girlhood, it was mine first,香蕉视频直播� as a self-reflection of her 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now香蕉视频直播� self. That track is a creative reclamation of the teen who wrote 香蕉视频直播淒ear John香蕉视频直播� as an adult; 香蕉视频直播淪peak Now (Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 Version)香蕉视频直播� is the literal reclamation.
香蕉视频直播淥wning these masters, she decided to take back that control,香蕉视频直播� Hirsch says. 香蕉视频直播淚 love what it communicates: that we all have power, we don香蕉视频直播檛 have to just sit back and take these situations, especially when it concerns our own voice.香蕉视频直播�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
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