Her 2006 self-titled debut and 2008含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淔earless含羞草研究社� had inspired both acclaim and criticism for her bold bridges and keen lyricism 含羞草研究社� these are masterful country-pop songs, critics argued, but surely a teen idol wasn含羞草研究社檛 responsible for them. Swift proved her detractors wrong on 含羞草研究社淪peak Now,含羞草研究社� an album that arrived just before her pivot from country含羞草研究社檚 youngest hope to pop含羞草研究社檚 freshest voice.
The album served as a close document of her nascent fame and future career ambitions, and now, 13 years on, it含羞草研究社檚 back. released Friday, is the third release of the six albums The Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun含羞草研究社檚 sale of her early catalog, represent Swift含羞草研究社檚 effort to control her own songs and how they含羞草研究社檙e used 含羞草研究社� a fitting ethos for 含羞草研究社淪peak Now,含羞草研究社� a record built exclusively of her own voice.
In preparation for 含羞草研究社淪peak Now (Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Version),含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社淪peak Now含羞草研究社� became 含羞草研究社淪peak Now,含羞草研究社� the working title was 含羞草研究社淓nchanted,含羞草研究社� named after the power ballad of the same name. The mythology ( ) behind the shift is that Swift含羞草研究社檚 label president at the time, Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta, to move on from whimsy and fairytale iconography 含羞草研究社� 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, 含羞草研究社淪peak Now含羞草研究社� is a collection of songs on a precipice 含羞草研究社� of adulthood, of fame, of declaring ownership but still concerned with the subject matters that concern a young adult. There are crushes (含羞草研究社淪uperman,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淪parks Fly含羞草研究社�) and bittersweet breakups (含羞草研究社淏ack to December,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淚f This Was a Movie含羞草研究社�), alike.
含羞草研究社淵ou hear a youngness when you listen to these songs,含羞草研究社� says musicologist Lily Hirsch, author of 含羞草研究社淐an含羞草研究社檛 Stop the Grrrls: Confronting Sexist Labels in Music from Ariana Grande to Yoko Ono.含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 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.含羞草研究社�
Elizabeth Scala teaches a course on Taylor Swift含羞草研究社檚 songbook at the University of Texas at Austin as an introduction to literary studies and research methods.
含羞草研究社淚 think 含羞草研究社楽peak Now含羞草研究社� is still in the vein of 含羞草研究社業 don含羞草研究社檛 have enough life experience at my ripe age of 18 to give you a fully autobiographical anything, but I含羞草研究社檓 going to use what I read and what I know from other people,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 she says of the songs含羞草研究社� lyrical content, which still manage to 含羞草研究社渕ake really beautiful, coherent things out of the messiness and inaccuracy of our memories.含羞草研究社�
IN CONVERSATION WITH HER CRITICS AND CELEBRITY
Coming a year after Kanye West interrupted at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, 含羞草研究社淪peak Now含羞草研究社� is the moment in Swift含羞草研究社檚 career where she began to use her celebrity as a mirror to her interior life.
含羞草研究社淢ean,含羞草研究社� a takedown of a rock critic, becomes a banjo-led treatise on antagonism of any kind; the blues-y 含羞草研究社淒ear John含羞草研究社� centers on a young woman含羞草研究社檚 tumultuous relationship with an older man.
含羞草研究社淚nsults are everywhere in music, and men don含羞草研究社檛 get the same flak for it,含羞草研究社� Hirsch says, in reference to 含羞草研究社淒ear John含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社淢ean.含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 a kind of double standard. Women are labeled 含羞草研究社榗atty含羞草研究社� when confronting bad behavior, like in 含羞草研究社楧ear John.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
A common pastime among Swift fans is to unearth the identities of her songs含羞草研究社� subjects. But, to Scala, 含羞草研究社渢he most boring way to think about Taylor Swift is in terms of her biography.含羞草研究社�
At a recent stop of her Eras Tour in Minneapolis, Swift seemed to agree, playing 含羞草研究社淒ear John含羞草研究社� live for the after delivering this introduction:
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 33 years old. I don含羞草研究社檛 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含羞草研究社檓 trying to tell you is, I含羞草研究社檓 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.含羞草研究社�
Scala sees a throughline between this album and its successors, with 含羞草研究社淒ear John含羞草研究社� as a precursor to and 含羞草研究社淢ean含羞草研究社� as prescient to a song that parodies how she含羞草研究社檚 been portrayed in the media.
REVISIONIST HISTORY
Much surrounding the re-recording of 含羞草研究社淪peak Now含羞草研究社� has centered on 含羞草研究社淏etter Than Revenge,含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檚 2007 pop-rock hit 含羞草研究社淢isery Business,含羞草研究社� a similar song . (In fact, on 含羞草研究社淪peak Now (Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Version),含羞草研究社� Paramore singer Hayley Williams lends vocals to a 含羞草研究社渧ault含羞草研究社� song, 含羞草研究社淐astles Crumbling.含羞草研究社�)
In the original chorus of 含羞草研究社淏etter Than Revenge,含羞草研究社� Swift sings, 含羞草研究社淪he含羞草研究社檚 an actress / She含羞草研究社檚 better known for the things she does on the mattress,含羞草研究社� a rare lyrical misstep in a career underscored by poetic turns of phrases (in the opener 含羞草研究社淢ine,含羞草研究社� she sings 含羞草研究社淵ou made a rebel of a careless man含羞草研究社檚 careful daughter含羞草研究社�). In her 2023 含羞草研究社淏etter Than Revenge含羞草研究社� version, the lyric becomes 含羞草研究社淗e was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚f we think about 2010, slut-shaming rhetoric certainly existed in movies and shows. She含羞草研究社檚 certainly not the only one who has done this at that time,含羞草研究社� Hirsch argues, quick to point out that Swift has also been the target of sexist vitriol.
Swift含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檛 performed 含羞草研究社淏etter Than Revenge含羞草研究社� live for well over a decade, she hasn含羞草研究社檛 needed to confront this particular song, in this particular way.
含羞草研究社淲e are willing to replace the old version with Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Versions because they are exact replicas, as much as they can be,含羞草研究社� Scala argues. 含羞草研究社淚f she does something different, it becomes a different song.含羞草研究社� A different song, this time, owned by Swift.
ART EVOLVES WITH TIME
含羞草研究社淔rom a literary historian含羞草研究社檚 point of view, when you first hear 含羞草研究社楽peak Now,含羞草研究社� you could only look at her career up to that point: It meant something in her creative timeline,含羞草研究社� says Scala. 含羞草研究社淎nd now we have the rest of her career to compare it to, so it含羞草研究社檚 hard to listen to the record the same way. You can compare it to the older recording, but its deeper and richer.含羞草研究社�
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 含羞草研究社淔rom the Vault含羞草研究社� tracks, unreleased songs from each album含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檚 hard not to think of 含羞草研究社淐ould含羞草研究社檝e, Would含羞草研究社檝e, Should含羞草研究社檝e含羞草研究社� from her where Swift sings 含羞草研究社淕ive me back my girlhood, it was mine first,含羞草研究社� as a self-reflection of her 含羞草研究社淪peak Now含羞草研究社� self. That track is a creative reclamation of the teen who wrote 含羞草研究社淒ear John含羞草研究社� as an adult; 含羞草研究社淪peak Now (Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Version)含羞草研究社� is the literal reclamation.
含羞草研究社淥wning these masters, she decided to take back that control,含羞草研究社� Hirsch says. 含羞草研究社淚 love what it communicates: that we all have power, we don含羞草研究社檛 have to just sit back and take these situations, especially when it concerns our own voice.含羞草研究社�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
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