The Beat Asia’s Top 10 Taylor Swift Songs From the Vault, Ranked
In case you haven’t heard already, music icon Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums to own her masters. In other words, to own the original recordings of her beloved creations.
When fans first heard about this in 2019, they expected to get an updated version of the albums with some minor changes. But the artist gifted us with an explosive B-side by including several unreleased tracks that didn’t make the final cut during its original recording sessions. These so-called songs “From The Vault” gave us further insight into her mindset while she was recording these albums all the while taking us down memory lane as we revisit the songs we grew up with — from her country days with “Fearless” down to her 80’s influenced pop record “1989.”
Additionally, Taylor invited collaborators on these revamped albums, featuring pop and country artists like Keith Urban on “Fearless,” Ed Sheeran on “Red,” and Fall Out Boy and Paramore’s Hayley Williams on “Speak Now.” These tracks gave the albums new life, catapulting Taylor to the top of the music industry and proving that her music is timeless and will always have a place in everyone’s hearts and playlists.
With four Taylor’s Version albums already released, we’re listing down some of the standout vault tracks that rounded out the stories of each of these albums and showcased the icon’s impressive songwriting talent. Although we believe every vault track deserves to be pored over, here are ten of our favorites ranked:
#10 “Foolish One” (Speak Now)
We’re calling this track the rational sister of “Sparks Fly” and “Enchanted” because while the latter tracks sing about falling in love with reckless abandon and painting love as this wonderous, magical thing, “Foolish One” is that friend who tells you to wake up and face reality because the man you want doesn’t want you back. Ouch!
“I’ll get your longing glances, but she’ll get your ring” really hits hard for a country track written by a 19-year-old. Might even be more scathing than “Dear John.”
#9 “Message In A Bottle” (Red)
It was reported that this was one of the first songs Taylor wrote for the “Red” album which proves that she was ready to crossover to pop since the early beginnings of this era.
It’s a love song with a catchy chorus and vocal shifts and rifts. It’s giving “Starlight” and “22” vibes, and we think it would’ve perfectly fit in the original record. But oh well, at least we have it now. Better late than never, right?
#8 “Now That We Don’t Talk” (1989)
This electro-pop bop truly embodies the “1989” sound. In the song, Taylor calls out an ex-boyfriend after their split, and how he seems to have changed so much she barely recognizes him anymore.
This track would’ve been ranked higher on this list if it was longer. It’s pretty short, just under two and a half minutes. And just when you’re getting into it, the song abruptly ends, leaving you wanting more!
#7 “Is It Over Now?” (1989)
This track was co-written with Jack Antonoff who is known to have worked the magic on some of the best Taylor Swift songs ever like “Getaway Car,” “Cruel Summer,” and “Out of The Woods.”
Taylor recalls a messy split on this track — rumored to be from Harry Styles. There are quite a few references on this song that confirm that rumor such as “blue dress on a boat,” which refers to that viral boat photo of her in the British Virgin Islands, and “your new girl is my clone,” which may be referencing Kimberly Stewart, who has quite the resemblance with the pop star and whom Harry dated shortly after their split. The tea is definitely piping hot with this one, but more importantly, it’s a fantastic pop track!
#6 “I Bet You Think About Me feat. Chris Stapleton” (Red)
We always thought “Red” was a transition album where Taylor began to experiment with genres and slowly brought out a more pop sound which eventually gave birth to “1989” two years later. But “I Bet You Think About Me” is as country as country gets!
It’s not surprising that it got left in the vault, most likely to make room for her more experimental tracks like “State of Grace” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” but this brutally honest and biting song calling out a former flame for letting go of the best thing that has ever happened to him is honestly so good it’s impossible to leave it out of this list.
The music video marked the directorial debut of actress Blake Lively, who is a close friend of the singer, and featured “Whiplash” actor Miles Teller. The MV is a comical interpretation of the song as Taylor tries to sabotage the wedding of her ex-boyfriend.
#5 “Timeless” (Speak Now)
This “Speak Now” vault track concluded the re-recorded album where Taylor sings about the type of constant love everyone hopes for. It’s a little reminiscent of “Mary’s Song Oh My My My” from her debut album, which narrates the story of childhood lovers and features that melancholic sound of country guitars and horns that was a signature in her songs during her country days.
In “Timeless,” Taylor was inspired by her late grandparents’ story and yearned for the same kind of love — the love that never ages and only grows deeper as the years go by. It’s a hopeful track that beautifully concludes the album, and we dare say, a good counterpart to “Long Live,” which was the last track on the original record.
#4 “Better Man” (Red)
“Better Man” is undoubtedly one of the best breakup tracks she has ever written, but it was a song sung from the perspective of someone much older than her age back when she was recording “Red,” which made sense as to why she gave the song to the country band “Little Big Town.” The song was unsurprisingly a hit, even winning Best Country Dup/Group Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2018.
Taylor’s vocals and lyrical talent shine through in this, highlighting her emotional intelligence and how wise she was beyond her years. Taylor collaborated with Aaron Dessner on this track, whom she also worked with on “Cardigan.” Aaron added some strings into the song that elevated that classic country music storytelling.
#3 “Slut!” (1989)
Taylor has been infamous for writing songs about her exes and turning them into mega hits. The media loved following and criticizing her relationships which she made fun of with her “1989” single “Blank Space” — a satirical take on her public image as a so-called “serial dater.”
When she announced “Slut!” as one of the “1989” vault tracks, Swifties expected a revenge song for critics who slut-shamed her back in that era, but instead, we got a vulnerable, synthy slow jam that took Instagram and TikTok reels by storm.
“In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman” is practically every girl’s theme song now.
#2 “Mr. Perfectly Fine” (Fearless)
We’re not sure why this was cut from the album in the first place when it would’ve been a sure radio pop hit following her sophomore album’s successful singles “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me.” It’s almost criminal how she kept this song from us for this long. Not to mention, how iconic it would’ve been if she had released this song while the wounds were still fresh from her controversial breakup with singer Joe Jonas — who, rumor has it, is “Mr. Perfectly Fine.”
This song embodies Taylor’s signature witty lyrics and country-pop sound and checks all the marks on what makes her songs so catchy and popular. It’s also honestly brutal as Tayor drags her former flame for acting superior after the split and always wanting to come out on top to maintain his image. We love it so much and we can’t stop singing it!
#1 “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” (Red)
It may not have been a single on the album, but it had been a favorite among fans even before the ten-minute version was released. The original recording was already longer than most of her tracks, but since Taylor mentioned that she had to cut down half of the song in an earlier interview, fans have been clamoring for the full version, which she generously gave them in the re-recording of “Red.”
And safe to say, nobody was prepared for this mammoth of a heartbreak song that expanded a heartbreaking story of love and betrayal. Taylor used her songwriting skills to tell a reckoning tale through heartfelt lyrics that put you in the moment these scenes happened. We especially loved the vivid variations of the chorus, which took listeners on a journey and tangled them inside the emotional turmoil Taylor was feeling at the time she penned the track.
Lyrics like “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath” and “So casually cruel in the name of being honest” really put Taylor’s feelings into perspective and how that almost cathartic fade-out ending told us a lot about how she felt in the aftermath: how broken and lost she had been. Taylor even wrote and directed a short film about it, which starred Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien.
Although many may argue, we believe this version is the artist’s best song yet.
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