Ranking 1989 (Taylor's Version) AND Fixing the Tracklist 😲 *CONTROVERSIAL*

Zacha, the Swiftologist, delves into the re-recorded tracks of Taylor Swift's "1989," offering a detailed analysis and reshuffling of the album's tracklist to create a more cohesive narrative. He critiques the production quality, highlighting standout re-recordings such as "Out of the Woods," "I Know Places," and "Wonderland," while expressing disappointment in others like "Style" and "New Romantics." Zacha also discusses his anticipation for the release of his "Red" tracklist reshuffle and thanks Skillshare for sponsoring the video. He concludes by reordering the tracks to reflect the emotional journey of the album, cutting some songs that don't fit his narrative, and expressing excitement over the commercial success of "1989 Taylor's Version," including the vault track "Is It Over Now."

• Zach, the Swiftologist, is continuing 1989 month with a final order of business.
• The focus is on ranking and reshuffling the tracklist of Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version).
• Zach aims to create a more cohesive and better-narrated tracklist than the original.
• He suggests Taylor Swift does not put much thought into her tracklists.
• Red (Taylor's Version) is mentioned as another album that Zach has reshuffled but is yet to release.

"I of course have to do my tracklist ranking and reshuffle."

The quote explains that Zach is set to rank and reshuffle the tracklist for Taylor Swift's 1989 album, which is a recurring theme in his content.

• Zach expresses excitement about a Skillshare sponsorship.
• He discusses how Skillshare offers a range of creative classes.
• Zach shares his interest in learning to use ChatGPT for structuring video essays.
• He recommends Peggy Dean's Skillshare class on ChatGPT for creatives.
• Zach plans to take Ali Abdaal's Master Class on Notion for productivity.

"I am so excited to be working with Skillshare."

This quote shows Zach's endorsement of Skillshare and sets the stage for discussing the benefits of the platform and specific classes.

• Zach introduces a tier system for categorizing the tracks on 1989 (Taylor's Version).
• The top tier is "the truly discovered supermodel," followed by "a legend an icon," "she's pretty good," "well... yes," and the bottom tier is "style Taylor's version."
• The categorization reflects Zach's personal opinions on the re-recordings.

"The top tier the most iconic place that you can be in this scenario is the truly discovered supermodel."

The quote outlines the highest tier in Zach's ranking system, indicating the best possible status for a re-recorded track.

• Zach shares his thoughts on the quality of the re-recordings compared to the original tracks.
• He expresses disappointment in some of the re-recorded tracks, particularly "Welcome to New York."
• Zach praises the array of Vault tracks from 1989 (Taylor's Version) as the best he has seen.

"1989 Taylor's version surprisingly has made me do I would say the biggest turnaround on songs that I thought I would never come around on."

This quote reflects Zach's change of heart regarding certain songs from 1989 (Taylor's Version), highlighting the impact of the re-recordings.

• Zach is torn between historical allegiances to songs and the quality of their re-recordings.
• He criticizes the production quality of certain tracks, such as "Welcome to New York" and "Style (Taylor's Version)."
• Zach encourages constructive criticism and is open to changing his opinions on the songs.

"Constructive criticism is helpful, it's useful."

The quote emphasizes the value of constructive criticism in improving projects like the Taylor's Version albums.

• "Out of the Woods" is praised for its emotional resonance and simplicity.
• Zach highlights the importance of Taylor Swift's creative relationship with Jack Antonoff.
• He appreciates the care and attention given to the re-recording of "Out of the Woods."

"Out of the Woods came out of the woods and smacked us all in the face because it had this emotional resonance to it that was very plaintive and simple."

This quote conveys Zach's admiration for the emotional impact of "Out of the Woods" and its significance in the context of Taylor Swift's discography.

• Zach comments on Taylor Swift's re-recordings, categorizing them with terms like "discovered supermodel," "legend and an icon," and "well yes."
• He notes the meticulous attention given to the re-recordings and the challenges of mixing and mastering.
• Zach expresses disappointment and satisfaction with various aspects of the re-recorded tracks, from vocal adlibs to instrumental arrangements.

"I can definitely put it in a legend and an icon because it was given like a surprising amount of attention I wasn't expecting Taylor to like really not fumble the bag on that."

This quote shows Zach's positive reaction to the attention to detail in the re-recording process, specifically mentioning the track's successful mixing and mastering.

• Zach observes that some re-recorded songs closely match the original, while others have noticeable differences.
• He praises Taylor Swift for the bridge and last chorus of "Shake It Off" but deducts points for the high-pitched white noise present in the re-recording.
• Zach is critical of the guitar sample in "I Wish You Would," feeling it lacks the original's punch and lushness.

"I felt it was vocally very close to the original I thought the bridge was excellent I really like the last chorus this is one where she nailed the ad libs she decided to put them forward in the mix as they should always be."

Zach appreciates the vocal fidelity to the original and the prominence given to adlibs in the re-recording of "Shake It Off."

• Zach is disappointed with the re-recording of "Bad Blood," citing a fumbled adlib.
• He empathizes with the audio engineer who mixed and mastered the tracks, acknowledging the difficulty of the project and the public pressure faced.

"Bad blood is going into well yes because she really fumbles one of those ad libs in the last chorus and you'll see a lot of the times that many of these songs were fumbled at that specific hurdle."

Zach points out a specific flaw in the re-recording of "Bad Blood," which affected his ranking of the song.

• "I Know Places" surprised Zach with its re-recording quality, changing his previous dislike for the song.
• He praises "Wonderland" for its intense, enhanced production in the re-recording.
• "You Are In Love" and "This Love" are considered very successful re-recordings, with "This Love" being noted as one of the most successful note-for-note remakes.

"I Know Places is a discovered supermodel this is like a huge moment in the Swiftolist Nation because I have been banging on about how I hate this song for so long and this re-recorded version was so good that it made me kind of like the song."

Zach expresses his change of heart toward "I Know Places" due to the quality of the re-recording.

• Zach provides a tiered ranking of the re-recorded songs, with some fluctuating between categories.
• He notes the evolution of his preferences, with songs like "Wildest Dreams" and "Clean" falling out of his top five from the 1989 album over time.
• Zach prefers the music video version of "Wildest Dreams" due to the drums in the last chorus.

"Wildest dreams. I think was number one I think it was wildest dreams and clean that were like number one number number two so funny because neither of those songs would even really be in my top five from 1989 at this point."

This quote reflects on Zach's changing preferences, indicating that his top songs from the 1989 album have shifted over time.

• Zach discusses the vault tracks from the re-recordings, looking for new insights into the album.
• He appreciates the additional dimension and understanding these tracks bring to the album as a whole.
• "Now That We Don't Talk" stands out to Zach as one of his favorite tracks, highlighting its humor and unfinished quality that mirrors the unresolved nature of the relationship it depicts.

"I'm putting her in discovered supermodel because I love the scene setting that's being done here. I love the imagery I love the language that's used in this."

Zach praises the vault track for its imagery and language, which contribute to its high ranking in his review.

• Zach critiques some of the re-recorded songs for generic or weak lyricism, except for key moments that provide crucial understanding.
• He enjoys the melodic songwriting of "Say Don't Go" and its essential place in the album's narrative.
• "Suburban Legends" has grown on Zach due to its catchiness, despite its somewhat generic writing.

"Say don't go is a legend and an icon I think it's a beautiful piece of melodic songwriting if you watched my lyric analysis if you haven't go watch that my lyric analysis with my podcast co-host mateline evolution of a snake we cheered we kind of think that the lyricism on this song is a little bit weak it's a little bit generic it doesn't really go there apart from in the bridge."

Zach acknowledges the beauty of the song's melody but criticizes the generic lyrics, with the exception of the bridge that provides deeper insight.

• The choice of closing track on Taylor Swift's album "1989" significantly impacts the story and emotional journey.
• "Clean" as a closing track versus "Is It Over Now" would alter the narrative flow and conclusion.
• The placement of tracks can upend the story being told within the album.

"The difference between having 'Clean' as your closing track and having 'Is It Over Now' as your closing track completely changes the entire narrative flow and conclusion of 1989."

The quote emphasizes the importance of track arrangement in an album's storytelling, highlighting how the final song can redefine the entire narrative experience of the album.

• Personal opinions on songs can differ from the general consensus or rankings based on re-recordings.
• Individual preferences can lead to the reshuffling of songs within an album's tier list.
• The speaker expresses their unique perspective by elevating some songs and demoting others based on their personal enjoyment and interpretation.

"Shall we do something fun and just go through and rank these songs based on like how I feel about them rather than the re-recordings literally just like my personal opinions on these songs."

The quote indicates a shift from objective analysis to personal subjective ranking of songs, demonstrating the speaker's intent to categorize songs based on personal taste rather than technical aspects of re-recording.

• Re-recordings can offer a new perspective on songs and highlight which ones are superior efforts.
• The speaker identifies specific songs as standout re-recordings, indicating their higher quality or improved experience in comparison to others.
• The discussion of re-recordings allows for a re-evaluation of the album's content and the artist's growth.

"In terms of the re-recordings, 'Out of the Woods', 'I Know Places', and 'Wonderland' really are the superior efforts."

This quote identifies specific songs that the speaker feels have benefited from re-recording, suggesting they stand out in the context of the album's re-release.

• Reorganizing an album's tracklist can create a more cohesive narrative and improve the listening experience.
• The speaker takes on the task of reshuffling the tracks of "1989" to tell a more coherent story.
• The reordering process may involve cutting tracks that do not contribute to the narrative or repeat established points.

"This is me trying to get as close to a book as suppose a chronological order of a story based on what I have to work with."

The speaker explains their approach to reorganizing the album, likening it to arranging a story in chronological order to enhance the narrative flow.

• The opening and closing tracks of an album are crucial as they set the tone and conclude the journey, respectively.
• The speaker discusses the significance of these "directional poles" and how re-recordings can change the listener's journey through the album.
• The addition of Vault tracks in the re-recordings is said to offer a broader understanding of the album and the artist's experiences.

"The bookends are always a very important part of the Taylor Swift album story, that is the beginning and closing track."

This quote highlights the conceptual importance of the first and last tracks on an album, framing them as essential elements that guide the listener's experience.

• The speaker reflects on the authenticity of Taylor Swift's "1989" era, suggesting that the presentation of a carefree life contrasted with underlying personal struggles.
• The reorganization of the album aims to explore this dichotomy more fully.
• The speaker's reorganized tracklist is designed to reflect a more holistic and turbulent image of Swift's inner world during that era.

"The era of itself was very much focused on appearances and presentation of being this cool girl and moving to a big city and being very happy and not needing a man in her life when really there was a situationship a relationship an on again off again kind of arrangement that was causing her a lot of grief."

The quote discusses the perceived discrepancy between the public image projected during the "1989" era and the more complex personal experiences that were occurring behind the scenes.

• The reorganized version of "1989" begins with "New Romantics," which is seen as a perfect opening due to its themes of heartbreak and friendship.
• The speaker has altered the iconic three-track run from the original album to tell a different story.
• The new arrangement is said to create a seamless transition between songs that better reflects the narrative and emotional highs of the album.

"So my reorganized version of 1989, I start the album with 'New Romantics'."

The speaker introduces their reorganized album with "New Romantics" as the opening track, which sets the stage for the narrative they aim to convey through their version of "1989."

• "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space" are discussed as songs that address Taylor Swift's public persona, with themes of shaking off criticism and satirizing media stereotypes.
• The speaker views these songs as connected in their approach to dealing with public perception and rumors.
• The reorganization of the album places these songs together to emphasize their thematic relationship.

"Shake It Off is really about trying to well for lack of a better phrase she said it herself. it's about trying to shake off the presumptions and the stereotypes and the rumors that people spread about you."

This quote explains the theme of "Shake It Off," relating it to the artist's desire to dismiss negative public perceptions and enjoy life despite them.

• Track fives on Taylor Swift's albums are known for their emotional depth and clarity.
• "Say Don't Go" is considered too general and lacks the specific emotional resonance expected of a track five.
• "All You Had to Do Was Stay," while a sad song, is not sharp enough to fit the track five mold.
• "Out of the Woods" fits the criteria for track five with its themes of anxiety and uncertainty but is track six.

"1989 doesn't have the strongest contenders for a track five... it doesn't have that like startling Clarity that Dear John and all too well have."

The quote emphasizes that "1989" lacks a standout track five, which traditionally has a significant emotional impact, such as "Dear John" or "All Too Well."

• The album tells a story of a relationship's lifecycle, from euphoria to tentative commitment, to the struggle to maintain it, and ultimately its dissolution.
• "I Know Places" signifies the end of the relationship's first phase, highlighting the impossibility of thriving in secrecy.
• "Say Don't Go" marks the point of breakup and emotional shift on the album.
• The album explores two dominant modes of regret: wistful nostalgia and a false sense of resolution.

"I Know Places is kind of the death rattle of the first iteration of the relationship because it is about being hunted... no relationship can thrive in the darkness."

This quote describes "I Know Places" as the turning point where the relationship begins to deteriorate due to external pressures and the need for secrecy.

• "Say Don't Go" is the active breakup moment, while "Wonderland" represents the initial step back to assess the fallout.
• "All You Had to Do Was Stay" serves as the moment of clarity, assigning responsibility for the breakup.
• "Wildest Dreams" and "I Wish You Would" reflect on the desire for a different outcome and the possibility of reconciliation.
• The album's narrative oscillates between acceptance and longing, never fully concluding the emotional journey.

"After say don't go we go into Wonderland... that you'd fallen down a rabbit hole and wondering how you got there."

This quote illustrates the transitional phase post-breakup, where there's a reflection on the unexpected turn of events leading to the relationship's end.

• "I Wish You Would" and "Now That We Don't Talk" depict the protagonists' unwillingness to reach out and the resulting impasse.
• "Clean" is initially presented as a conclusion but feels inauthentic due to unresolved emotions throughout the album.
• "Is It Over Now" serves as the true ending, questioning the finality of the relationship and the lingering emotional dilemma.

"The concluding track of 1989 is is it over now because it's a clever way to end a record... the question of it all the idea that he might interrupt her wedding one day."

This quote conveys the unresolved nature of the relationship and the ongoing emotional conflict, which is reflected in the album's concluding question.

• The reshuffle aims to create a cohesive narrative, removing songs that do not fit the intended story arc.
• "Welcome to New York" and "Bad Blood" were cut due to their lack of relevance to the relationship storyline.
• "How You Get the Girl" and "This Love" were omitted due to their instructive nature and vague conclusion.
• "Suburban Legends" was excluded, and the speaker is open to suggestions on where it could fit within the reshuffled album.

"I cut Welcome to New York. I just couldn't see it fitting into the track list here... Bad Blood also didn't make onto the track list because it doesn't fit with the story I'm trying to tell."

This quote explains the rationale behind excluding certain tracks from the reshuffled album, emphasizing the focus on a coherent narrative that aligns with the theme of a relationship's progression and resolution.