Taylor Swift fans are convinced they’ve found a hidden meaning behind her re-recorded albums
Fans are convinced they know the release order of Taylor Swift’s re-recorded albums (John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Taylor Swift fans are convinced that they’ve figured out the order in which the singer will release her re-recorded albums, following the announcement of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – complete with a final bonus album.
If you’re new here (‘here’ being the internet), you might not know that record-smashing songstress Taylor Swift is currently in the middle of a few things. For one, Swift is currently 19 shows through the city-name-altering, 52-date-long Eras Tour to celebrate every single one of her past albums (and eras!), from Taylor Swift to Midnights.
One of Swift’s many other irons in the fire is the re-recording and re-releasing of her first six studio albums after a dispute with former manager Scooter Braun, who reportedly sold her back catalog in 2020. This meant that Swift, who wrote the albums, did not have ownership of those records. In an effort to regain control of her music, she announced in 2019 that she would be re-recording Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation.
Thus far, Taylor Swift (sometimes known affectionately as ‘blondie’) has released two “Taylor’s Version” albums – Fearless and Red – and announced her third, Speak Now, will be released 7 July during an Eras Tour show in Nashville.
What order is Taylor Swift releasing her rerecorded albums in?
One thing about Taylor Swift, though, is that she drops more Easter Eggs than a drunk Easter bunny – and the order of her re-recording rollout is no different.
Fans might notice that the order in which she has released her “Taylor’s Versions” are not the same order in which the albums were originally released, leaving many fans confused – until the Nancy Drews of TikTok and Twitter got involved.
Cast your mind back, if you will, to the music video for Lover track “The Man”, which featured Taylor Swift as Tyler Swift. In one particular scene, Tyler is seen urinating against a wall with all of female Swift’s album names scrawled upon it.
Stay with us, but the sleuths of the internet have deduced that those graffiti marks are the key to Swift’s rerecording rollout order. Not to go all Hunger Games: Catching Fire on you but; it’s a clock.
Fearless, Red and Speak Now all appear in descending order clockwise from the ‘midnight’ position – which we’ll get back to later – the same order, one might notice, that Swift has released her “Taylor’s Version” albums in.
This would make Reputation her next release, followed by Taylor Swift and finally, 1989.
Eagle-eyed fans will notice that right atop the ‘clock’ sits the name Karma.
Long considered something of an urban legend within Taylor Swift’s fandom, Karma is the name of a rumoured secret album by the singer – and its position on the ‘key’ to Swift’s re-record release schedule has prompted Swifties everywhere to jump to the conclusion that after Swift releases 1989 – Karma‘s next.
One thing’s for sure – being a Swiftie sure is fun.
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