This Love (Taylor’s Version) Reaction and Discussion

Cameron and Lisa, hosts of the "Swiftly Spoken" podcast, delve into Taylor Swift's "This Love (Taylor's Version)" from her album "1989." They highlight the song's uniqueness as the only solo-written track on the album and its evolution from a pre-"1989" poem to a fully produced song, noting the subtle lyric changes in the re-recorded version. The hosts also discuss the significance of the song's production shift from Nathan Chapman to Christopher Rowe in the context of Swift's reclamation of her music. Additionally, they speculate on the implications of new merchandise featuring original album logos and what it might mean for the future of Swift's re-recordings, pondering the potential of a double album release for "1989" and "Speak Now."

• "This Love" is a track from Taylor Swift's album "1989."
• It is the only song from the album that was completely written solo by Taylor Swift.
• The song holds a special significance for Swift as it was the first song written for "1989."
• "This Love" was written before the album had a defined theme or direction, which was later influenced by the Grammy Awards.

"This Love" is the only song from 1989 that was a complete solo write by Taylor she has collaborators on all other songs on that album so obviously this is a very special song for her.

The quote emphasizes the uniqueness of "This Love" within the "1989" album, as it is the sole track written entirely by Taylor Swift without any collaborators.

• "This Love" was the first song written for the "1989" album.
• The song's creation predated the album's pop-driven '80s sound, which was inspired by the Grammy Awards.
• There's speculation about whether the original production of "This Love" was altered to fit the album's theme.

"It was also the first song that was written by Taylor for that album long before the album had a theme to it or even the Grammy Awards then fateful Grammy Awards that changed everything and led Taylor in the specific direction for 1989."

This quote reveals that "This Love" was written before the album "1989" had a clear theme, indicating its foundational role in the album's development.

• Solo-written songs by Taylor Swift are considered special and unique.
• Swift is known to be protective and fond of her solo-written tracks, referring to them as her "babies."

"Solo rights are always so kind of special they always kind of have this there's something about them the solo Taylor rights that are just really kind of unique and just have this feeling about them."

The quote discusses the distinctiveness and emotional connection Taylor Swift has with her songs that she writes alone, highlighting their importance in her discography.

• "This Love" was dated to October 17, 2012, according to Swift's diary entries.
• The song was written in Los Angeles, five days before the release of Swift's album "Red."
• This timeline places the songwriting during the "Speak Now" era, according to album release dates.

"According to the original giraffe that was featured in the Lover diary um deluxe versions of Lover um the song is dated to October 17 2012 which is actually five days before the release of Red so technically Speak Now Taylor wrote This Love."

This quote provides a precise date for when "This Love" was written, situating it within the context of Swift's career and album eras.

• The original handwritten lyrics of "This Love" featured in the "Lover" diary had some lines that were not included in the final version.
• Two notable lyric changes were discussed: "Twisting turning try to keep warm with someone new" was altered to "Tossing turning struggled through the night with someone new," and "But you come back to what you need you're what I need" was scrapped.

"There are some original lyrics that were not featured in the then release version of 2012 and one of these is twisting turning try to keep warm with someone new."

The quote points out a specific example of a lyric that was modified from the original draft to the released version, showing the evolution of the song's lyrics.

• In Taylor's version of "This Love," there are minor lyric changes and additions compared to the original.
• The phrase "for only you" in the original was changed to "for only you" in Taylor's version.
• Another change is the addition of "baby" in the second verse of Taylor's version.

"In the original version when she says uh lantern burning flickered in my mind for only you she actually doesn't say that for she says it's looking at my mind only you in Taylor's version she does say that for."

This quote highlights a subtle change in the lyrics between the original and Taylor's version of "This Love," which may be of particular interest to long-term fans.

• "This Love" was originally produced by Nathan Chapman, Swift's longtime country producer.
• For Taylor's version, the song is produced by Christopher Rowe, who has taken over Chapman's role for the re-recordings.
• The transition from Chapman to Rowe is noted, with no apparent bad blood between Chapman and Swift.

"This Love is the only song on 1989 that was produced by Taylor's longtime country producer Nathan Chapman who she had collaborated with on her previous four country albums however the Taylor's version is now produced by Christopher Rowe."

The quote discusses the change in producers for Taylor's version of "This Love," indicating a shift in the production team for her re-recorded music.

• "This Love" originated as a poem written by Swift in her journal.
• Swift transformed the poem into a song after hearing melodies that matched the words she had written.

"Taylor said that the song it started off as a poem that she was just writing in her journal she was writing about things that had happened in her life she kind of put the journal down on her nightstand and then suddenly she was hearing these melodies in her head."

This quote describes the creative process behind "This Love," from its inception as a poem to its development into a song, showcasing Swift's artistic approach.

• Nathan Chapman's production was pivotal in shaping Taylor Swift's early albums.
• His work was particularly notable on the album "Speak Now," where he had a significant role.
• Cameron and Lisa agree that there is mutual respect between Taylor and Nathan due to their collaborative history.

"He really helped craft her sound and especially those first four albums...especially Speak Now who he did the majority of that all of that album really with Taylor."

The quote highlights Nathan Chapman's contribution to Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" album, emphasizing his role in creating the album's distinct sound, which Cameron and Lisa recognize as significant.

• Christopher Rowe has successfully replicated the sound of Taylor Swift's original tracks.
• Cameron and Lisa express admiration for Rowe's work, noting the close resemblance to the original versions of the songs from the "Red" and "Fearless" albums.

"Christopher Rowe seems to be doing a really really good job...it sounds very very close and all the Fearless tracks as well."

This quote conveys the speakers' approval of Christopher Rowe's production work, particularly how closely the new recordings resemble the original tracks, which is a point of satisfaction for both Cameron and Lisa.

• Taylor Swift has a special fondness for the song "This Love."
• She described it as hypnotic, romantic, wistful, and relaxing.
• "This Love" was featured on the 1989 World Tour but was cut from the final shows in Australia, which Lisa found disappointing.

"Taylor has been always quite fond of this song...it was always a song that you know was very dear to her."

The quote reflects on Taylor Swift's personal connection to "This Love," indicating its importance to her and how it holds a special place in her catalog, as discussed by Cameron and Lisa.

• Taylor Swift has been teasing her re-recorded songs in trailers and other media.
• This strategy showcases her ability to license her versions of songs for various projects.
• Lisa speculates that Taylor is demonstrating her songs' potential to bring attention to media projects.

"It's interesting to see that all of the other songs that we've got up to now from 1989 TV or snippets that we've got from them have all been featured in trailers for something or another."

The quote points out the pattern of Taylor Swift's re-recorded songs being used in trailers, suggesting a strategic approach to music licensing and promotion, which Cameron and Lisa find intriguing and potentially indicative of a broader business strategy.

• Discussion on the changing album covers for "This Love (Taylor's Version)."
• The original and subsequent cover reveal sparked curiosity and a mix of reactions from fans.
• Lisa expresses a preference for new and distinct visuals for each re-recorded album.

"Other than this kind of announcement how did you feel about...we technically have two covers for this album."

The quote initiates a conversation about the album artwork for "This Love (Taylor's Version)," leading to a critique of the creative choices and the desire for originality in the visuals accompanying Taylor Swift's re-recordings, as shared by Cameron and Lisa.

• Discussion on the aesthetics of album covers, specifically Taylor Swift's "1989" and its potential new cover.
• Comparison of the new cover to previous album covers such as "Fearless" and "Red."
• The new cover's lack of connection to the original album's vibes and themes.
• Preference for a different cover that better represents the album's essence.

"It's not it's a normal picture posing as a polaroid picture... it's always going to look a bit strange in that case."

This quote explains the speaker's perception that the picture in question, which is styled like a Polaroid, does not match the authenticity of an actual Polaroid, hence looking odd.

"It just doesn't give any 1989 vibes... doesn't mimic whereas the fearless and red ones enhanced on the originals and took the elements of the originals and spun them in a way."

This quote highlights the speaker's opinion that the new cover does not evoke the same feel as the original "1989" album cover, unlike the reimagined covers for "Fearless" and "Red" which built upon and enhanced the original designs.

• Analysis of Taylor Swift's re-recorded versions of her songs and how they compare to the originals.
• The clarity and distinctiveness of the re-recorded vocals and production.
• The challenge of re-recording songs that fans have cherished for years.
• The importance of matching the original to give no reason to prefer the old versions over the new ones.

"Taylor's vocals are clearer, the production is more distinct and clearer, and not as muffled."

This quote indicates that the speaker finds the re-recorded versions of songs to have improved vocal clarity and production quality compared to the originals.

"It's very difficult to mimic something so spot-on... she does a good job."

The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of re-creating songs identically and commends Taylor Swift for her ability to do so effectively.

• Excitement for the re-recorded versions of songs from Taylor Swift's debut album and later works.
• Curiosity about how Swift will replicate the sound and feel of her earlier music, such as her country accent.
• The potential for new single releases ahead of the full album.

"I'm really excited for debut because... debut is a very underrated album."

The speaker expresses anticipation for the re-recorded version of Taylor Swift's debut album, acknowledging its quality and their own previous undervaluation of it.

"It's going to be interesting to see how she kind of emulates that."

This quote reflects the speaker's interest in how Taylor Swift will re-record her earlier songs, particularly those with a strong country influence.

• The unexpected release of new merchandise for "1989" and "Speak Now."
• Speculation on whether Taylor Swift has regained the rights to her old music.
• The excitement over the return of original logos and designs from past eras.

"We've got like all this 1989 merch, we've got this love coming out, and we've also got speak now merch."

This quote conveys the surprise and excitement over the simultaneous release of merchandise from different Taylor Swift album eras.

"We've got the original logo back... I was so excited."

The speaker shares their enthusiasm for the re-release of original logos, which suggests a meaningful connection to the past for fans.

• Taylor Swift's merchandise for "Fearless" and "Red" had new logos with "Taylor's Version" branding, but recent merchandise reverts to original logos.
• The use of original typefaces for album titles has been avoided, but Taylor Swift's name appears in the original font.
• Cameron and Lisa discuss the complexities of copyright and the rights to logos, typefaces, and fonts.
• There is speculation about whether Taylor Swift has regained rights to her original masters and what that would mean for the "Taylor's Versions."

"The Taylor's version stuff, everything had 'Fearless Taylor's Version', 'Red Taylor's Version' and had new logos... so it's interesting that we've got those and they're back now."

This quote highlights the change in merchandise branding, shifting from "Taylor's Version" back to original logos, which raises questions about copyright and ownership rights.

"Remember when we spoke about all of this copyright of 1989 Taylor's version, speaks out Taylor's version perhaps those papers are still you know on the way through because they wouldn't have ever stopped her from releasing music from what I understand but they would have stopped her from producing certain types of merchandise items."

Cameron suggests that ongoing copyright issues may prevent the production of certain merchandise, which could explain the absence of "Taylor's Version" branding on some items.

• Cameron and Lisa speculate on the reasons behind the merchandise changes and discuss the potential implications for future releases.
• There is a fear among fans that if Taylor Swift regains the rights to her original recordings, the "Taylor's Versions" may become redundant.
• The discussion includes the possibility of a compilation of vault songs if rights issues are resolved.

"I've always had this slight fear of what would happen if Taylor did get the rights back to her original masters, does that mean she stops with these Taylor versions?"

Lisa expresses concern over the future of the "Taylor's Versions" if Taylor Swift regains rights to her original recordings.

"I think that if something were to happen, I think she'd give us kind of like a compilation kind of thing of vault songs that she's already gone through and prepared."

Cameron hypothesizes that Taylor Swift might release a compilation of vault songs if she regains rights to her masters, which would be a way to share previously unreleased material with fans.

• The conversation touches on the unpredictability of Taylor Swift's release strategy and the confusion among fans.
• The inclusion of certain album merchandise raises questions about which "Taylor's Version" albums will be released next.
• Cameron and Lisa discuss the possibility of a double release and the potential challenges it would pose.

"It's really strange to pick... just 1989 and Speak Now and because realistically Taylor might not be able to re-record 'Reputation' until November of this year."

Cameron finds it odd that only merchandise for "1989" and "Speak Now" has been released, considering the timing restrictions on re-recording "Reputation."

"I think that a double release would just be insane... you would just be competing with yourself really and not really giving either much time or light because there would just be so much to talk about."

Lisa argues against the idea of a double album release, citing concerns over market saturation and the potential for the albums to compete with each other.

• The episode concludes with Cameron and Lisa expressing their uncertainty about Taylor Swift's next steps.
• They encourage listeners to follow their podcast on various platforms.

"But now I'm just like I have no idea what's going on me too."

Both Cameron and Lisa admit to being confused about Taylor Swift's future plans, reflecting the uncertainty shared by many fans.

"I think that it would be strange to them release say speak now... I think 929 is definitely next."

Cameron predicts that "1989" will likely be the next "Taylor's Version" album released, based on the available merchandise and released songs.