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It's here and it's ours. We can't believe Speak Now (Taylor's Version) is finally here! Ofc, we Swifties just had to listen right at midnight to round up our absolute favorite moments from the re-recordings of familiar favorites and vault tracks. 

The echoes, breaths and violin instrumentals in "Haunted (Taylor's Version)"

Jaws = *dropped*. Taylor really fed us with this re-recording. Right away, we hear echoes of the first few verses which really play into the theme of ghosts and spirits. When she sings "holding my breath" at 0:50, the extra breaths had us screaming. And, ofc, the super dramatic (but much needed) violin instrumentals and "I know" repetitions around 3:00. 

The lyric change in "Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)"

Taylor also changed an infamous line from this re-record after Swifties voiced their concerns that the lyric was misogynistic. The line was changed to "He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches." Some fans think that the complaints about the lyric change are just another thing for you to roll your eyes at:

better than revenge taylor’s version is better than stolen pic.twitter.com/mezjDwF2QT

— lav (taylor’s version) | 7/7 sntv (@m3rrorball) July 7, 2023

Other fans are disagreeing, saying that Taylor isn't a saint for the lyric change:

STREETS ARE SAYING TAYLOR CHANGED BETTER THAN REVENGE LYRICS ?! pic.twitter.com/219OGkWbRU

— julia ♡🕊️|| ERAS 8/3 (@maroonswiftieee) July 5, 2023

The intensity and instrumentals in "Back to December (Taylor's Version)"

The jury is in: Taylor ate and left *no* crumbs. The chorus gets more intense every time she sings it throughout the song, not to mention the instrumentals at 2:55. She sings an amazing ballad about regretting the way she ended her relationship with Twilight star Taylor Lautner back in 2009. Many people online have already pointed out that the instrumental build-up in the second verse (starting at 1:40) is way more intense than in the original, causing Twitter to already claim it as the saddest song on the album.

The reconciliation in "Dear John (Taylor's Version)"

While Taylor's Version of this song hasn't changed too much stylistically, you can def hear the difference of emotion in her voice. In the original song, Taylor sounds much sadder, and you can hear the betrayal in her voice. But in the re-released version, she sounds much more calm and less heartbroken, like she's already reconciled with everything that happened and moved on.

The bridge in "Castles Crumbling (feat. Hayley Williams) (Taylor's Version)"

Taylor clearly has a love of the castle motif, with "my castle crumbled overnight" and "I could build a castle/ Out of all the bricks they threw at me." But this vault track is much more heart-wrenching, *especially* the bridge. At around 3:30, the instrumentals and lyrics build up and add sooo much to this already super intense and beautiful track. 

The beats in "I Can See You (Taylor's Version)"

No, because this track totally caught us off guard—in the best way imaginable. Its catchy intro is so different than the other tracks, but we're here for it. It's sassy, it's fun and it's the perfect soundtrack for those beginning-of-the-relationship feels. 

What are YOUR fave moments from the album?
Share them with us on Threads @girlslifemag!

Slider and top image: @taylorswift
All GIFS via Giphy

by Anne Chen and Haley Kramer | 7/7/2023