Maps of Music
Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021)
Where the lyrics of Fearless (Taylor's Version) take you, and where it was really made.
This album re-records a 2008 record, made after the original masters were transferred to Scooter Braun. It became the first re-recorded album to reach number one on the US Billboard 200.
View on the mapKey places
Nashville sessions at Blackbird (2021)
Recording site Blackbird Studio — David Payne recorded the re-recorded tracks at Blackbird and Prime Recording Studios in Nashville. The point marks the Blackbird studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Nashville sessions at Prime Recording (2021)
Recording site Prime Recording — David Payne also recorded re-recorded tracks at Prime Recording Studios in Nashville, alongside Blackbird. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Swift's home studio in London (2021)
Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — Rowe recorded Swift's lead vocals at Kitty Committee Studio, her home studio in London. The point is placed at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Vault tracks recorded in Los Angeles (2021)
Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Antonoff and engineer Laura Sisk recorded vault tracks at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Vault tracks recorded in New York (2021)
Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Antonoff and Laura Sisk also recorded vault tracks at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Vault tracks recorded in Brooklyn (2021)
Recording site Rough Customer — Antonoff and Laura Sisk recorded vault tracks at Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn. The point is placed at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Hudson Valley sessions (2021)
Recording site Long Pond Studio — Dessner and Bella Basko's contributions were recorded at Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley. The point is placed at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Mixed in Virginia Beach (2021)
Recording site MixStar Studios — Serban Ghenea mixed the album at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Fearless (Taylor's Version): the first re-recorded album by Taylor Swift
- Re-records Swift's second studio album, Fearless (2008)
- Released 9 April 2021 through Republic Records
- Country pop album with 26 tracks: 20 re-recorded tracks and six 'From the Vault' tracks
- Includes a re-recording of 'Today Was a Fairytale', a soundtrack single for the 2010 film Valentine's Day
- Maren Morris and Keith Urban appear as guest vocalists
- Re-recorded tracks keep the original arrangements; vault tracks add synthesizers and programmed drums
Background
- Swift signed a recording contract with Big Machine in 2005, the year after her publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree
- Original Fearless was released 11 November 2008 and spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200
- In 2019 Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Records, and the masters of Swift's Big Machine albums were effectively transferred to Braun
- Swift denounced the purchase and began re-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020
- She announced the re-recording of Fearless on Good Morning America on 11 February 2021 and added the subtitle Taylor's Version
- It was the first of her four re-recorded albums
Recording
- Swift and Christopher Rowe produced the 20 re-recorded tracks
- David Payne recorded them at Blackbird and Prime Recording Studios in Nashville
- Rowe recorded Swift's lead vocals at Kitty Committee Studio, her home studio in London
- Jack Antonoff co-produced four vault tracks and Aaron Dessner co-produced two
- Antonoff and engineer Laura Sisk recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Electric Lady Studios in New York, and Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn
- Dessner and Bella Basko's contributions were recorded at Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley
- Serban Ghenea mixed the album at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach; Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey
Cover
- Sepia-toned photograph of Swift shot from a low camera angle
- Her hair is blown by the wind; she recreates the pose of the original album cover but looks in the opposite direction
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
Disc 1
| 1 | Fearless (Taylor’s version) | 4:01 |
| 2 | Fifteen (Taylor’s version) | 4:54 |
| 3 | Love Story (Taylor’s version) | 3:56 |
| 4 | Hey Stephen (Taylor’s version) | 4:14 |
| 5 | White Horse (Taylor’s version) | 3:54 |
| 6 | You Belong With Me (Taylor’s version) | 3:51 |
| 7 | Breathe (Taylor’s version) | 4:23 |
| 8 | Tell Me Why (Taylor’s version) | 3:20 |
| 9 | You’re Not Sorry (Taylor’s version) | 4:21 |
| 10 | The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s version) | 4:03 |
| 11 | Forever & Always (Taylor’s version) | 3:45 |
| 12 | The Best Day (Taylor’s version) | 4:05 |
| 13 | Change (Taylor’s version) | 4:39 |
Disc 2
| 1 | Jump Then Fall (Taylor’s version) | 3:57 |
| 2 | Untouchable (Taylor’s version) | 5:12 |
| 3 | Forever & Always (piano version) (Taylor’s version) | 4:27 |
| 4 | Come In With the Rain (Taylor’s version) | 3:57 |
| 5 | Superstar (Taylor’s version) | 4:23 |
| 6 | The Other Side of the Door (Taylor’s version) | 3:58 |
| 7 | Today Was a Fairytale (Taylor’s version) | 4:01 |
| 8 | You All Over Me (from The Vault) | 3:41 |
| 9 | Mr. Perfectly Fine (from The Vault) | 4:37 |
| 10 | We Were Happy (from The Vault) | 4:04 |
| 11 | That’s When (from The Vault) | 3:09 |
| 12 | Don’t You (from The Vault) | 3:28 |
| 13 | Bye Bye Baby (from The Vault) | 4:02 |
| 14 | Love Story (Taylor’s version) (Elvira remix) | 3:32 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Early life
- Born December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania.
- Named after singer-songwriter James Taylor.
- Moved to Nashville area at 14 to pursue a country music career.
- Signed with Big Machine Records in 2005.
Career
- Debut album Taylor Swift (2006) peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200.
- Fearless (2008) spent eleven weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the best-selling album of 2009 in the US.
- Shifted from country to pop with 1989 (2014), which spent eleven weeks at number one.
- Released Folklore and Evermore (2020), indie folk albums that debuted at number one.
- Re-recorded her first six albums after a dispute over her master recordings.
- The Eras Tour (2023–2024) became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
- Holds 14 Grammy Awards, including a record four Album of the Year wins.
- Named Time Person of the Year in 2023.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Most critics praised the re-recording for staying faithful to the original while enhancing its quality
- Metacritic: a weighted mean score of 82 from 17 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
- AnyDecentMusic?: average score of 7.7 out of 10 from 16 reviews
- Pitchfork's Dani Blum described the guitars as sharper than the original
- The Guardian's Alexis Petridis and The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick said the album made them appreciate Fearless as an outstanding album
- The Times' Will Hodgkinson praised the album as a masterclass in classic Nashville songwriting
- Rolling Stone's Jonathan Bernstein found the re-recorded tracks less slick than the original
- Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe was more critical and called the songwriting juvenile compared to Swift's later albums
- Variety's Chris Willman enjoyed 'You All Over Me' and 'Mr. Perfectly Fine' but found the remaining vault tracks rather dull
Reappraisal
- Many critics said Swift's matured vocals were richer and more controlled, though some felt the earnestness of the original was lost
- Critics saw the vault tracks as a glimpse into Swift's songwriting at a young age, with reviews divided on their weight
- Journalists described the album as a key event in raising awareness of artists' rights in the music industry
Records
- First re-recorded album to reach number one on the US Billboard 200
- Also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom
- First-week tally of 291,000 album-equivalent units in the US, including 179,000 pure sales
- 50 million global first-day streams on Spotify
- Fifth-best-selling album of 2021 in the US, with 521,000 copies sold
- RIAA certified it quadruple platinum in September 2025
- Triple platinum in Canada, double platinum in New Zealand, platinum in Australia, France, and the United Kingdom
- One of the 10 global best-selling albums of 2021 per the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, with 980,000 pure sales
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Swift did not submit Fearless (Taylor's Version) for the Grammy Awards or the Country Music Association Awards.
- Colbie Caillat returned as a featured artist on the re-recording of 'Breathe', going to Nashville to re-record her vocals the same day Swift invited her.
- Swift appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 13, 2021.
- The album's first-day streams on Spotify reached 50 million globally.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
View on the map