1. An 11th debut for “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” – close to the top 10 and the original 4th peak, but still very impressive for a new version of an old hit. On a scale of 1 to 10, if you are Taylor Swift, how happy are you with this performance?
Jason Lipshutz: I would be at 8. A new version of a song that has been on the air for over a decade, which sounds almost identical to the original version, debuted at No. 11 on the Hot 100! Even with Taylor Swift’s stardom and general curiosity about her re-recording effort in mind, this debut is quite remarkable on paper, and not the kind of resurgence of old songs that is typical of the upper layers of the charts. Get two points for the first 10 near misses – maybe that comes with “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)”.
Mia Nazareno: I would be off the charts in an 11! Thirteen years after the original “Love History”It was released, I would be stoked know that the track is still snoring with your fans – many of whom are in a totally different life stage from when Fearless came out in 2008. In addition to the numbers and strong debut on the charts, nsomeone forgets the first time they heard the introduction of the dreamy guitar, leading to: “We were both young when I first saw you.” If I were Taylor, I would be proud of emotional bonds wrought with her fans since that time it’s still very much there.
Andrew Unterberger: If I were her listening to this a month ago, I would say that she would be at least 9 – there was no way to predict how much fans would endeavor to support a re-recording that didn’t offer a ton of difference from the original, and clearly the returns there are almost without positive precedents. But if I hear it a few days a week, after the first day’s response was so overwhelming and some parade watchers were predicting a Top 5 Hot 100 debut, I could feel more like a 7 that ended up a shy place among the first ten. So, I’ll divide the difference and say 8.
Denise Warner: Very happy – I’m going with 7. She faced super fan Olivia Rodrigo, who continues to dominate, The Weeknd, who just performed on the biggest stage of the year, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and more. There is no shame in “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” hitting. 11 with all that strong competition. But the no. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart is a beautiful cherry on top.
Christine Werthman: No. 1 or nothing, baby! I’m just kidding. I would be very happy with this placement. It is a new recording, but it is deliberately not a new version of the original, so the fact that I managed to climb so much is a huge victory. Let’s call it 8.
2. Do you think we can expect similar chart returns for any other potential early track releases of Fearless (Taylor version)? Or was it due to a unique curiosity, unlikely to repeat itself?
Jason Lipshutz: The re-recorded version of “You Belong With Me” could fly higher if it debuted during the right week of the charts – after all, it was the biggest hit of Fearless (reaching second place on the top 100 list, while “Love Story” reached fourth place), it was a clearer advance for Swift at the time and seems to have survived more prosperously in popular culture in the past decade. However, the real answer to this question concerns the six new tracks that Swift will reveal with his re-recording Fearless: If at least one is released before the album to attract longtime fans desperate for more songs from their 2008 era, Fearless (Taylor version) could get a top 10 hit.
Mia Nazareno: I think it will be repeated over and over again. “Love story (Taylor version)“it was a provocation – to irritate the interest of your fans and bring them back to 2008, a much better year. This sets the mood for the other tracks to follow. Everyone has their favorite song off in Fearless, and I think a little bit they will surpass “Love Story (Taylor’s Version).” What will be interesting is to find out which songs have aged particularly well and may even represent better than its original.
Andrew Unterberger: I bet more graphics, but I would be very surprised if another Fearless (Taylor version) corte corresponded to the 11th debut of “Love Story”. I’m betting that a lot of people took a spin out of curiosity to hear how different she was planning to make her rewrites, and now that the answer is clearly “not much”, there will be less casual fans adjusting to the next one. But I didn’t think even the first one would get that high, so I could definitely be wrong about that, too.
Denise Warner: Her fans will support the album’s previously unreleased songs – and if she follows the video and multiple remix manual she used with “Cardigan” and “Willow”, she could have another new one not. 1 in your hands.
Christine Werthman: I think all of your new recordings will chart. His fans are loyal enough to tune in, and casual listeners are interested in playing the “find the difference” game. But I’m skeptical that any of the other new recordings will travel this high, except “You Belong With Me”. That original reached number 2, the highest of Fearless singles, so I suspect that the rewritten version may stay in the top 10.
3. Now that we know that most of Swift’s plans to rewrite these songs quite faithfully to their original versions, there is some Taylor version of Fearless do you think can still be particularly revealing?
Jason Lipshutz: “You Belong With Me” is the obvious choice – still one of Swift’s top 10 songs, and much of its momentum comes from its vocal nuances. However, I have also been thinking about the rework of Colbie Caillat’s collaboration, “Breathe”, and trying to imagine how it would sound with both artists now in their thirties, singing from a wiser perspective. I think we’ll see soon!
Mia Nazareno: “YOU BELONG TO ME”!!! It is my favorite Taylor Fast music and The go along that started it all for me when I was 15. But since its original debut, “You belong With Me ”took on a different narrative in pop culture, involving the 2009 VMAs and a certain rap eccentric. RThe electronic release of your version of the song could be a way for her to this come back of the drama. After all, isn’t it all about ownership?
Andrew Unterberger: “Fifteen” seems to be the most ripe for reinvention – even in terms of the small subconscious differences in vocal performance that look like it will be inevitable for Swift to sing the teen tale for the first time in her early 30s. I will also be very looking forward to the new “Hey Stephen”, a favorite deep cut that always seemed to have been written and recorded at a specific point in an initial crush; it will be fascinating to hear you try to recapture that feeling.
Denise Warner: In my opinion, the obvious answer is “You Belong With Me”. Even without changing the lyrics, I imagine Taylor is experienced enough to imbue a sense of “friendship zone” that is missing from the original for his narrator. However, “Fifteen” can be even more fascinating – at 18, Taylor was singing about a recent period of her life. At 31, things look a little different.
Christine Werthman: I’ll put this in writing now: “Fifteen” will surpass the original, which reached number 23. Listening to Taylor sing this song now in his 30s? Chills. I have goosebumps! I know that I will be tuning in repeatedly to see if I can detect any reflective sighs or knowing smiles when Taylor remembers that specific teen story.
4. Which other album by a pop star of the past 15 years would you be most interested in hearing a re-recorded version of?
Jason Lipshutz: Grimes has become such a brilliant producer in the past decade that I’ve long been curious to see how it would rework some of its pre-Visions material if I had the chance – after all, there are songs in 2010 Geidi Primes and Halfaxa which contain the kind of melodic beauty that indicated his future discovery. These projects contain a lot of lo-fi charm, but if Grimes re-recorded them now (or eventually), they would be a must-have for me.
Mia Nazareno: What I wouldn’t give to relive Lorde’s 2017 set Melodrama – the soundtrack of my 20s. It would be nice to hear a strippedlooking like staying at home capitulation in “Supercut”, “Caseiro Dynamite” or any of the other jewels of the your second year album. But at this point, I’m going to pick up anything from the pop star raised in New Zealand. Come over baaaack.
Andrew Unterberger: I would love to hear Kesha trying to get her back Animal/Cannibal it was. She can never totally get rid of Dr. Luke from those songs, since of course he co-wrote most of them, but she can at least get rid of some of the memories she has of her involvement in her specific recordings – and probably work in some In the process, entertaining Kesha-style reinventions of the 2020s of the electro-pop classics of their dollar sign days.
Denise Warner: Sorry, I’m still with Taylor here, just because I can’t wait to hear the new one Red. Give me a faithful rewrite And give me one Folklore-esque version.
Christine Werthman: Kanye West counts as a pop star? If so, I would like to hear you do 808s and heartbreak now, after your divorce. God knows that man needs some musical catharsis again. If not, then Beyonce Birthday, maybe with a extended extended mix of “Get Me Bodied”. In addition, a “Freakum Dress” 2021 would be very timely: “I think I’m ready / I was locked up at home for a long time.” Right?!
5. A year from now, you’re at the supermarket and start “Love Story”. Be honest: what chance do you have of identifying whether it is the original 2008 version or the new “Taylor version”?
Jason Lipshutz: Zero! Supermarkets are not the forum for subtle changes in production, at least for me. There’s a lot going on to sniff out the renewed instrumentation! Maybe I would have better luck in the post office, in the cafe or in the doctor’s waiting room? Time will tell in which day-to-day scenarios I will be able to stand up and declare: “Taylor’s version!”
Mia Nazarene: Depending on how chaotic that is at the supermarket (fingers crossed, there won’t be another pandemic-induced grocery craze next year!), I think I could identify the version with an 80% success rate. Taylor’s voice changed slightly of 2008. In version 2021, she looks confident and so sure of herself. Its 2021 version looks very growth – as if she didn’t need Romeo after all – and that’s what we like to hear.
Andrew Unterberger: Maybe 40%? It depends on how clearly I can distinguish the levels of the violin in the chorus or whether I stay here long enough to hear how long she holds the final note.
Denise Warner: Zero percent. The only way to know now is if I’m looking at my phone while each version plays one after the other. I highly doubt that I am able to distinguish in the jungle.
Christine Werthman: Zero percent chance. Shameless.