All of Taylor Swift’s Original Album Covers Compared to the New ‘Taylor’s Version’ Artwork

See how the chart-topping popstar has revisited her past looks as she rerecords her albums one era at a time

Credit : Big Machine/Republic Records

Taylor Swift is reclaiming her music one era at a time.

In 2019, Scooter Braun bought Swift’s former record label, Big Machine, from founder Scott Borchetta and with it, he acquired the masters to Swift’s first six albums. Continuing her very public fight to own her art, the “Blank Space” singer announced she planned to re-record her entire catalog of songs in an effort to reclaim her masters. Her contract legally allowed her to begin releasing her own versions of each album in November 2020, and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was the first to drop.

Since then, Swift has regifted her fans with Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). During the final night of her iconic Eras Tour, she announced that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is set to drop this October 27, leaving only Reputation and her self-titled debut album to be re-released.

As Swifties gear up for October, here’s a side-by-side of the new artwork in comparison to the original album covers.

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1989 (Taylor’s Version)

On the final night of the Eras Tour’s first U.S. leg, Taylor Swift announced the release date for her fourth re-recorded album, revealing that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is set to drop on October 27 — exactly nine years after she released its original version in 2014.

The big surprise came towards the end of her sixth sold-out show in Los Angeles. The “Anti-Hero” singer hinted at her next revived era by wearing blue ensembles throughout the night, the color most associated with 1989. After the new album cover lit up the big screen behind her, Swift launched into “New Romantics,” a surprise selection from the 1989 tracklist.

The 33-year-old singer shared her sentimental regard for the re-recording, writing on Instagram, “To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From the Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!”

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1989 (2014)

Big Machine

The first iteration of 1989 nabbed Swift album of the year award at the 2016 Grammys, making her the first female artist to win the coveted honor twice. (She first won for Fearless in 2010, and she became a three-time winner with Folklore in 2021.)

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Speak Now (2010) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

Big Machine/Republic Records

Earlier on the Eras Tour, Swift also used the acoustic portion of the concert to reveal the cover art and release date for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). During her show in Nashville on May 5, she introduced her surprise performance of “Sparks Fly” from her third album.

The songwriter followed the announcement with a reflective Instagram post that announced six previously unreleased “from the vault” tracks.

“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness,” Swift wrote. “I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it.”

Much like her other albums, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) sticks closely to the album she first created in 2010. However, some key differences set the 2023 release apart from the original. For one, Swift changed one controversial lyric in the song “Better Than Revenge.”

The original song previously featured the lyrics, “She’s not a saint, and she’s not what you think / she’s an actress, whoa / She’s better known for the things that she does / On the mattress, whoa.”

In the new version, the latter lyrics were swapped to, “He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches, whoa.”

Secondly, Swift also made amends with her ex-boyfriend, Taylor Lautner. The Twilight star famously inspired her wistful breakup hit “Back to December.” However, nearly 13 years later, Lautner — now married to big-time Swiftie, Taylor Dome Lautner — starred in the music video for “I Can See You,” one of the Speak Now songs “from the vault.”

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Red (2012) and Red (Taylor’s Version)

Big Machine/Republic Records

Red (Taylor’s Version) surprised fans with nine never-before-heard songs and a short film to accompany her extended recording of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” Swift herself directed the production, which starred Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien and took home several accolades, including a Grammy, VMAs and an American Music Award.

The re-recorded album also featured collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton as well as Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody whom she worked with on the original album. Swift’s “from the vault” song with Chris Stapleton, “I Bet You Think About Me,” got the music video treatment, too, and was directed by Blake Lively.

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Fearless (2008) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Big Machine/Republic Records

Fearless was the first era Swift revisited on her mission to reclaim her music. In the wake of her success with Folklore and Evermore — both of which were released in 2020 — the hitmaker took to Instagram to share her new (and upgraded) album news. The “Taylor’s Version” of her sophomore album came out in April 2021 and promised six songs “from the vault.” Just as she did in 2008, Swift chose “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” as the lead single for the record.

Speaking to PEOPLE about the re-recording, Swift highlighted her commitment to honoring her original music.

“In terms of production, I really wanted to stay very loyal to the initial melodies that I had thought of for these songs,” she explained. “And so we really did go in and try to create a ‘the same but better’ version. We kept all the same parts that I initially dreamed up for these songs. But if there was any way that we could improve upon the sonic quality, we did.”