Waking up on Oct. 27, 2023, I had only one intention in mind: to listen to the new 1989 Taylor’s Version (From The Vault) tracks as soon as possible.
Having grown up with Taylor Swift’s first official pop album, 1989, I was especially excited for the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version). I’ve always been a fan of Swift’s previous re-releases as well, such as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), but 1989 has always occupied a special place in my heart.
For context, Swift began to re-record and re-release her first six albums in 2019 after she discovered from the public that her previous manager at Big Machine Records, Scooter Braun, had purchased the master rights to her first six albums.
Along with the subsequent re-releases come (From The Vault) tracks. These are tracks that initially would have been released with said album but didn’t make the final cut. As a gift for her fans, along with an incentive to stream the (Taylor’s Version) albums, Swift decided to add these songs to her re-recorded albums.
The 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) tracks are “Sl*t!,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Suburban Legends,” and “Is It Over Now?” Each song has a completely different rhythm and beat, with “Sl*t!” conducting soft-spoken vocals into a beautiful love song and “Now That We Don’t Talk” with a textbook pop tempo. However, most of the Vault tracks have lyrics that seem to depict Swift getting hurt by Harry Styles, 1989’s initial album inspiration.
Styles is yet another huge pop artist, recently wrapping up his critically acclaimed “Love On Tour” in July 2023. Swift and Styles once had a romantic relationship, beginning in March 2012 and ending abruptly in January 2013. It’s clear that some if not all of the (From The Vault) songs on 1989 TV are written about Styles, with the ever-popular “Is It Over Now?” and “Now That We Don’t Talk” containing lyrics such as “Let’s fast forward to 300 takeout coffees later / I see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waiters / You dream of my mouth before it calls you a lying traitor,” and “I don’t have to pretend that I like acid rock / Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht / With important men who think important thoughts / Guess maybe I am better off / Now that we don’t talk” which reference Swift and Styles’ disaster Caribbean vacation just a few days before their breakup.
Due to these controversial lyrics, impassioned Swifties (Swift’s fandom) took to Styles’s social media pages to roast the singer, calling him a cheater and a horrible person for “what he did” to Swift. One user quoted a lyric, saying, “You search in every model’s bed for something greater baby. And is it over now?” Another user said, “Just listened to 1989, AND I HAVE QUESTIONS HARRY.”
However, there were also numerous fans of Harry and respectful Swifties who defended Styles, with a Swift fan page typing, “Guys leave Harry alone, Harry and Taylor are friends now. Taylor trusted us with these vault songs to not attack him.” Another fan account said, “Taylor would be ashamed and embarrassed by y’all. As both a swiftie and a harrie it breaks my heart to read all the nasty comments. Leave him alone.”
As an avid Swiftie myself, there is no reason that we, as fans, should be attacking another singer whom Swift has positive relations with. It’s been known for years that there is no more “Bad Blood” between Swift and Styles since their relationship ended. They’ve talked to each other multiple times since 2013 with the most well-known examples at the Grammy Awards in 2021 and 2023.
At the Grammys in 2021, Styles visited Swift’s table for a nice chat after Swift won Album of the Year for folklore and Styles for Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar.” It was Styles’s first Grammy win, and Swift stood and applauded for him when the announcement was made.
Similarly, at the Grammys in 2023, Styles won Album of the Year for Harry’s House but was met with little applause, as many members of the audience believed Beyoncé should have won for her most recent album, Renaissance. Swift stood defiantly in solidarity to support Styles, and she was the only person in the crowd standing.
Both Swift and Styles have plenty of respect for each other, so why are we Swifties creating animosity that doesn’t even exist over From The Vault songs in 1989 (Taylor’s Version) that were written almost a decade ago?
It is evident that Swift wouldn’t want this from her “loyal” Swifties. Swift and Styles both have platforms that are based on love and acceptance, and the hate that Styles is receiving for a few old songs is entirely unacceptable, especially from fans of a person that he trusts personally.
Toxic Swifties must take notes from the very person they claim to idolize and follow Swift’s steps of respect for her counterparts.
