When Taylor Swift eventually released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), it was sweltering hot and July.
All 16 songs from the original and deluxe versions of the superstar’s 2010 studio album are included in the re-recording, which debuted at midnight on Friday, July 7. Additionally, there are seven previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks, including two collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams.
Since Speak Now was all about her songwriting, Swift wrote last month when she unveiled the album’s track lineup, “I chose to go to the musicians who I felt affected me most forcefully as a songwriter at that time and ask them to sing on the album. Williams makes a special appearance on the vault track “Castles Crumbling,” while Fall Out Boy is featured on the track “Electric Touch.”
She continued, “They’re really wonderful and kind for agreeing to sponsor my version of Speak Now. Vault songs are previously unheard songs that were ultimately omitted from the initial recordings of the albums they were intended to be on, as Swift has previously explained in relation to Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version), her 2021 re-recorded efforts. She stated in her article that “When Emma Falls In Love,” “I Can See You,” “Foolish One,” and “Timeless” are among the other (solo) vault songs on the revised Speak Now.
Swift first revealed Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’s release date when performing the first of three The Eras concerts at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium in May.
In a statement at the time, she said, “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness.” I adore this album because it depicts growing up, stumbling, flying, and crashing — all while remaining alive to tell the tale.
Below, you can hear Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in its entirety.
