While Taylor Swift officially opened "The Vault (Taylor's Version)" when she released "You All Over Me" back on March 26, now the door to the vault is wide open. Which means it is time to rank these new (but actually pretty old) songs!
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Fearless (Taylor's Version) features 26 tracks (27 if you count the "Love Story (Taylor's Version) [Elvira Remix]" on the physical copies of the album, which we do but also 27 isn't 13x2 like 26 is so… maybe we don't). This is a hefty album. The original had 13 tracks, because of course it did, and the platinum edition had 19 tracks because Taylor Swift is nothing if not prolific.
So what are these seven extra tracks? The first one, not from the vault, is "Today Was A Fairytale" (I wore a dress) from the "Valentine's Day" soundtrack. That movie she was in where she played Taylor Lautner's girlfriend and then became his actual girlfriend because sometimes life imitates art, but we will get into that when she releases Speak Now (Taylor's Version). The other six tracks are songs she wrote for Fearless (not Taylor's Version) that didn't make the cut. When she announced that Fearless (Taylor's Version) would be her first re-record release, she said "I've decided I want you to have the whole story, see the entire vivid picture, and let you into the entire dreamscape that is my fearless album." So now that we have the whole story… let's break it apart!
So here is our absolute definitive ranking of Taylor's "From The Vault (Taylor's Version) tracks!
6.We Were Happy
This is one of the slower tracks from the vault. When Swift announced Fearless (Taylor's Version) she said "Only I know which songs I wrote that almost made the Fearless album. Songs I absolutely adored, but were held back for different reasons (don't want too many breakup songs, don't want too many down tempo songs, can't fit that many songs on a physical cd.) Which gives us a pretty good idea as to why "We Were Happy" didn't make the cut. It is a down tempo breakup song, of which there are quite a few on the album already! While this song has some great lyrics "Oh, I hate those voices telling me I'm not in love anymore. But they don't give me choices and that's what these tears are for," (she has always written a killer bridge!) it just doesn't hit as hard as a track like "White Horse." However, we love the return of Aaron Dessner as producer! He is officially a part of the Swiftie family now!
5.That's When (featuring Keith Urban)
This track from the vault is a full circle moment, as Taylor opened for Keith Urban during her Fearless era! It is hard to imagine Taylor opening for someone…but back in 2008 she was! This track fits the vibe of Fearless perfectly, but was probably left off for "Tell Me Why" or "You're Not Sorry." Maybe she couldn't find the right person to duet with her? Maybe it was always meant to be Keith Urban 13 years later. The track is classic yee-haw Taylor, especially with the addition of Urban's vocals but it is ranked number 5 because sorry Keith, there is a better duet from the vault.
4.Don't You
Even though it was written no later than 2008, this track has serious 1989 vibes. Of course that could be from Jack Antonoff's production, but we are low-key obsessed and like to imagine it was foreshadowing for where her career would go. We would love to hear a version from 2008 and see how much it has changed in the last 13 years. Was it more country? Has it always been this pop? We can only speculate but with Swift that's half the fun. Also, more speculation, if it is about Joe Jonas and Camilla Bell we are so sorry that Joe hurt you so much Taylor. If it's not about Joe…sorry Joe hey by the way where does this fall on Sophie's ranking?
3.Bye Bye Baby
"Because you took me home but you just couldn't keep me." Dang, Taylor. She has always been the queen of zingers. We're glad that Taylor chose to release this track from the vault. We can see why it probably didn't make the cut for Fearless the first time around, but it definitely would have been a good addition to the Platinum Edition. Sorry "Superstar", we love you, but this slot should have gone to "Bye Bye Baby." With a line "Then "The here and the now floods in. Feels like I'm becoming a part of your past" how could this have been cut?
2.Mr. Perfectly Fine
To quote Sophie Turner herself, it's not NOT a bop! This track definitely should have been on the album, either the first edition or the platinum edition. It is upbeat, fun and scathing: The best type of Taylor Swift song! It also has a lot of references to, probably, allegedly Joe Jonas. For example she says Mr. 27 times, which is how long the conversation was where Joe broke up with her. The possible reference to the American Music Awards where Jonas Brothers won big shortly after their breakup and Taylor had to watch from a different table. Woof. This track was clearly cut in favor of "Forever and Always" but we are glad we now live in a timeline (Taylor's Version) where we get both.
1.You All Over Me (featuring Maren Morris)
The first track we were given, and our favorite. It is so quintessential Taylor that it is hard not to love. It fits both 2008 Taylor and 2021 Taylor, which is hard since those Taylors are so different. Maren Morris' vocals add a lush layer to it that gives it more depth than if it was just sung by Taylor and we can't wait for Taylor's next tour where she brings Maren out to sing it (manifesting this so it happens). The line "But like the dollar in your pocket, it's been spent and traded in. You can't change where it's been. Reminds me of me," will live rent free in our minds for at least the next 13 years. Can you believe a teenager wrote that? Taylor Swift has always been an incredible lyricist.
WATCH MORE: From Kendrick Lamar to Ed Sheeran: Taylor Swift's Biggest Artist Collaborations
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