Fans of Taylor Swift now know that the next album in her expansive “Taylor’s Version” project will be titled “Speak Now.” This news comes after weeks of carefully placed hints and speculation driven by TikTok.
Swift announced that “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” will make its debut on July 7, as she was performing as the headlining act at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Friday night. It is the third episode of her continuous excursion into back catalog re-recording, following “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).”
Swift dropped a few hints about the announcement in the days leading up to the stop on her “Eras” tour that she would be making this weekend in the city that was essential in the beginning of her career as a trendsetter.
Swift remarked, “I’ve been planning something for a while,” as the Friday night audience erupted in excitement. “I’m really excited about it.” “In our relationship, you speak my love language. I plot. I scheme. I plan. And after that, I get the opportunity to tell you about it.”
She continued by saying, “I think, rather than me speaking about it, I’d rather just show you,” as the name of the album and the date of its release were displayed on the screen at the stadium.
Another night in Nashville, eh? pic.twitter.com/oPtBuEU4yN
— Matthew Leimkuehler (@mattleimkuehler) May 6, 2023
Swift concluded the premiere of “Taylor’s Version” with an acoustic performance of “Sparks Fly,” a track that was released in 2011 from her album “Speak Now.” Swift made the revelation during the latter stages of a performance that lasted for three and a half hours and featured 45 songs spanning all 10 of her studio albums. The first night of the tour broke the record for attendance at Nissan Stadium, with about 70,500 people in attendance.
In honor of the news, Swift gave the entire town a purple makeover, which is the color associated with her song “Speak Now.” In honor of Taylor Swift’s album announcement on Friday night, several buildings in downtown Nashville, including the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, the Tennessee State Capitol, and the Alliance Bernstein Tower, were lit up in various hues of purple lightning.
Swift started releasing re-recorded versions of her first six albums in 2021. This was done as a result of a dispute over the ownership of her songwriting with her former record label, Big Machine. The albums, which normally launch with a handful of previously unreleased tracks and collaborations, are referred to as “Taylor’s Version.” Examples include a 10-minute rendition of the fan favorite “All Too Well,” as well as a 2021 Chris Stapleton duet titled “I Bet You Think About Me.”
Swift announced the inclusion of six tracks from her unreleased back catalog in “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” via her social media channels late on Friday. Swift’s third studio album, “Speak Now,” was first made available to the public in 2010. It is well known for the hits “Mean” and “Back to December,” among other songs.
“The songs that came from this time in my life were distinguished by their ruthless honesty, unfiltered confessional diaristic style, and wild wistfulness.” This album is one of my favorites since it is a story of growing up, making mistakes, soaring and crashing, and yet being able to talk about it.