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Taylor Swift ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: Release date, tracklist, pre-buzz and all you need to know about re-recorded album

Taylor Swift has confirmed that single 'Love Story' will arrive on February 11, while the album is set to release in April 2021

Taylor Swift has officially announced that the re-recorded version of ‘Love Story’ would be available from midnight February 11, 2021. The acclaimed musician, who surprised her fans in 2020 with two new albums, ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, has now confirmed on social media that she has finished re-recording her ‘Fearless’ album and would be releasing it to the public very soon. Swift’s official website is currently accepting the pre-orders of ‘Fearless (Taylor's Version)’ that will have six new songs.

Swift’s ‘Fearless’ was originally released in 2008 and is hailed as one of the finest albums of all time. Upon release, ‘Fearless’ went on to win an all-genre album of the year award and country album of the year award from the Grammys and the Academy of Country Music and the American Music Awards. Scooter Braun had sold the rights to her first six albums to a private equity firm in a deal worth more than $300 million. Since then, Swift had tried to buy back her masters, but due to the NDA agreements and other legal concerns, she chose to re-record her old songs.

While speaking during a Good Morning America segment, Swift gave in-depth details of ‘Fearless (Taylor's Version)’ and what her fans can expect from the six new songs. In Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’, Swift will re-record all 26 songs from ‘Fearless’ platinum edition plus six new songs that have never been released to the public.

“I’ve now gone back and recorded those so that everyone will be able to hear not only the songs that made the album but the songs that almost made it,” Swift said.

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Release date

‘Fearless’ was Swift’s second studio album, originally released on November 11, 2008, by Big Machine Records. The re-recorded ‘Fearless’ album is currently available for pre-order on Swift’s website, which reveals that the re-recorded version of the album is scheduled to be released on April 9, 2021.

Concept

Swift wrote most of the songs from the original album while she was promoting her self-titled debut studio album in 2006. Of the 13 tracks on the standard edition, eight were solely written by Swift. ‘Fearless’ is deemed a country-pop album with elements of crossover pop that was found appealing by the mainstream audience. Swift has mentioned earlier how she was heavily influenced by Sherly Crow’s truthfulness and amazing storytelling skills via the lyrics that helped herin  writing her own songs. Swift stated during one of her earlier interviews that she tried to write more about what she "feels and guys and love." As per the singer, “That’s what fascinates me more than anything else — love and what it does to us and how we treat people and how they treat us."

While announcing ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’, the pop star took to Twitter, sharing the concept and what it took to make this version. The singer wrote, “When I think back on the ‘Fearless’ album, and all that you turned it into, a completely involuntary smile creeps across my face. This was the musical era in which so many inside jokes were created between us, so many hugs exchanged and hands touched, so many unbreakable bonds formed. So before I say anything else, let me just say that it was a real honor to get to be a teenager alongside you, and for those of you I’ve come to know more recently than 2008, I am ecstatic that I will get to experience a bit of that feeling with you in the very near future. Now that I can fully appreciate it in its whimsical, effervescent, chaotic entirety.”

Swift added that the original ‘Fearless’ album was “full of magic and curiosity” as it was a journal where a teenage girl talked about her adventures. Swift also addressed the issue as to why she is remaking her first six albums. The acclaimed singer stated that there was a time when she couldn’t bring all the songs of her choosing into ‘Fearless’ as people close to the album pointed out that the album should not have too many break-up songs or one cannot simply fit that many songs into one physical CD, but now things have changed. Now she wishes her fans to have the whole story.

“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. That's why I’ve chosen to include 6 never before released songs on my version of this album, written when I was between the ages of 16 and 18, these were the ones it killed me to leave behind.”

Album Cover

Swift shared ‘Fearless (Taylor’s version)’ details on her website, along with the album cover. Fans have also shared it on Twitter, writing: "#FearlessTaylorsVersion will be released on April 9th! The new version contains 26 songs including unreleased songs from the vault. #TaylorsVersion".

Tracklist

Swift has previously talked about most of the tracks from the ‘Fearless’ album. As per the singer, ‘Fifteen’ was about her freshman year at Hendersonville High School. Swift decided to add ‘Love Story’ when her second studio album was already in production. She wrote ‘Hey Stephen’ about her hidden feelings for Stephen Barker Liles from country band Love and Theft. ‘White Horse’ is a ballad based on acoustic guitar and muted piano with accents of a cello.

Fearless

The lyrics go: “There's somethin' 'bout the way / The street looks when it's just rained / There's a glow off the pavement / You walk me to the car / And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there / In the middle of the parking lot.”

Fifteen

The lyrics go: “You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors / It's the morning of your very first day / You say "Hi" to your friends you ain't seen in a while / Try and stay out of everybody's way.”

Love Story

The lyrics go: “We were both young when I first saw you. / I close my eyes and the flashback starts: / I'm standing there / On a balcony in summer air.”

Hey Stephen

The lyrics go: “Hey, Stephen, / I know looks can be deceiving, / But I know I saw a light in you. / And as we walked / We were talking / I didn't say half the things I wanted to.”

White Horse

The lyrics go: “Say you're sorry / That face of an angel / Comes out just when you need it to / As I paced back and forth all this time / 'Cause I honestly believed in you / Holding on.”

You Belong with Me

The lyrics go: “You're on the phone with your girlfriend / She's upset, she's going off about something that you said / 'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do.”

Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat)

The lyrics go: “I see your face in my mind as I drive away / 'Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way. / People are people, and sometimes we change our minds. / But it's killing me to see you go after all this time.”

Tell me Why

The lyrics go: “I took a chance, I took a shot / And you might think I'm bulletproof, but I'm not / You took a swing, I took it hard / And down here from the ground I see who you are.”

You’re Not Sorry

The lyrics go: “All this time I was wasting / Hoping you would come around / I've been giving out chances every time / And all you do is let me down / And it's taken me this long / Baby but I figured you out.”

The Way I Loved You

The lyrics go: “He is sensible and so incredible / And all my single friends are jealous / He says everything I need to hear and it's like / I couldn't ask for anything better.”

Forever & Always

The lyrics go: “Once upon a time, / I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eye / And we caught onto something / I hold onto the night, / You looked me in the eye / And told me you loved me.”

The Best Day

The lyrics go: “I'm five years old / It's getting cold / I've got my big coat on / I hear your laugh / And look up smiling at you / I run and run.”

Swift or her publicist has not yet revealed the details of the new six songs.

Where to stream

Swift’s ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ will be up for streaming on digital platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Spotify.