![Join WSPN’s Marissa Mendoza, Edge Wheeler, Ainsley Jay, Bowen Morrison and Sofia Ciciarelli as they cover seniors’ involvement in the election and the viewpoint from a WHS educator. “[The election is] a really toxic environment,” WHS history teacher Katherine Bassen said. “It would be disingenuous for me to say, ‘oh, everything's going great.’ Obviously it's not, right?”](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0282-1-1200x800.jpg)
![The Boy Scouts will be selling trees on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. until they sell out.
“This event is one of the things that [the Boy Scouts] get to have a direct impact on the community,” freshman Alex Macleod said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-11-at-8.38.38 AM.png)
Taylor Swift never goes out of style and her Oct. 29 release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” proves that to be true. Swift continues to re-record and release her music to gain true ownership of her craft after Scooter Bran, her former record label’s founder, bought her music in 2019 without her knowledge. After she announced the re-recording of her 2014 album “1989” during the Aug. 9 show of her “Eras Tour,” Swift’s “1989” era was in full swing… again.
Swift’s “1989” era is one of New York City, polaroids, red lips and rosy cheeks. But, the element that has several fans obsessing over this record is the person that it’s about: Harry Styles. Styles and Swift, also known as Haylor, dated back in 2012 for several months, which was two years before the album’s release. Because of the duo’s lasting friendship throughout the years after they broke up, some fans thought Styles may be featured on the re-recording. With Swift’s infamous easter eggs, hidden clues that artists intentionally shares with the public, this fan speculation grew.
The five “From the Vault” songs listed on the record also drew fans into this album. “From the Vault” songs are tracks that Swift recorded during the time period of the original album, but did not release. Releasing these songs now allows Swift to add new music to her discography along with the re-recordings. When Swift shared the “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” vault track titles, anticipation for its release heightened.
Although “1989” isn’t our favorite Taylor Swift album, we still felt like Oct. 29 was Christmas morning. We were well prepared to listen to some of Swift’s most iconic songs tuned to a new voice. Some might get overwhelmed by an album with 21 tracks, but it’s nothing that Swifties, like ourselves, can’t handle.
The quintessential claps at the beginning of track No. 1, “Welcome To New York (Taylor’s Version),” made our hearts sing with nostalgia. The same goes for “Blank Space (Taylor’s Version).” Our eyes glimmered when we heard the idyllic voice of Swift in the re-recording of “This Love (Taylor’s Version),” and when we heard “Shake It Off (Taylor’s Version),” Swift’s legendary music video replayed in our heads. The theme of this album is bubbly and hopeful, yet heartfelt and promiscuous. As we expected, the five vault songs follow the same vibe.
The first listed vault song is “Slut!” With a title like that, we were immediately drawn in to investigate the lyrics. In the song, Taylor recognizes that she has dated quite a hefty number of men, but shows us that she is tired of the public’s slut shaming. “It became clear to me that for me, there was no such thing as casual dating, or even having a male friend who you platonically hang out with,” Swift said in her album’s prologue. “If I was seen with him, it was assumed I was sleeping with him, and so I swore off hanging out with guys.” This love song filled with hints of anger and sarcasm conveys Swift’s feelings when being labeled as a “boy-crazy psychopath.”
“Say Don’t Go,” another vault song, is a heartbreaking tune about asking for someone to stay while knowing they’re falling out of love with you. This track is second chance song. Although this track contains both high notes and quiet, airy whispers, it does not stand out to us.
We feel the same way about the vault song, “Suburban Legends.” Although it was co-written by Swift’s collaborator, Jack Antonoff, this track wasn’t anything special. However, the storyline of the song – reminiscing about a small, suburban-town high school relationship – is cute for Swift.
The fourth listed vault song, “Now That We Don’t Talk” caught our attention after the first listen. Although on the shorter side, we enjoy its bouncy chorus and snappy bridge.
The fifth and final vault song, “Is It Over now?,” as of Nov. 15, is he number one song in the world. Swift has broken many records with this album, even surpassing some of her own. Six of the tracks fill the Billboard’s Global 200 top spots, with “Is it Over Now” being No. 1.
With its melodramatic bass beats, echoing lyrics and catchy chorus, “Is It Over Now” is reminiscent of Swift’s “Midnights” album. From the investigative skills of a few fans, it’s been discovered that this song is about Styles. Some fans believed that there was no hard feeling during their breakup, but this song has altered their thoughts. Swift sings, “blue dress on a boat,” which is likely referring to when Swift was pictured wearing a blue dress alone on a boat while on vacation with Styles. It’s presumed they broke up that day. She sings “flight,” another ambiguous reference to her paper airplane necklace she wore while dating Styles.
Let’s just say, we have no bad blood with this album. This re-recording has climbed our list of Taylor Swift albums, bringing us everything from nostalgic dance tunes to heartfelt, gut-wrenching ballads. We recommend this album to anyone looking for a taste of the 2010s and a glimpse into some of Swift’s most iconic works. This work of art has told us to be vengeful and sarcastic when needed, as well as reminisce and “Shake It Off” when we want to.
