Fearless (Taylor's Version)

''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' is the first re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on April 9, 2021, by Republic Records, as part of Swift's re-recording project following the 2019 dispute over the master recordings of her back catalog. The album is a re-recording of Swift’s second studio album, '' Fearless'' (2008).

A country pop album, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' includes re-recorded versions of the songs from Swift's 2008 studio album '' Fearless'' and the soundtrack single " Today Was a Fairytale" for the 2010 film ''Valentine's Day''. These re-recorded tracks replicate the original arrangements consisting of acoustic instruments like guitars, banjo, and fiddle. ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' additionally includes six previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks, which feature indie and electronic elements brought by synthesizers and drum programming. Maren Morris and Keith Urban featured as guest vocalists. Swift produced the re-recorded tracks with Christopher Rowe and the vault tracks with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner. The lyrics are about her adolescent reflections and feelings on love and heartbreak.

Three songs were released for download and streaming prior to the album's release: " Love Story (Taylor's Version)" (the re-recording of ''Fearless'' lead single, " Love Story"), " You All Over Me", and " Mr. Perfectly Fine". ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' became the first re-recorded album to reach number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and it topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Most critics who praised the album highlighted the enhanced production quality with sharper instruments and stronger vocals of the re-recorded tracks, which brought a refreshing listening experience and a nostalgic feel. Although some reviews complimented the vault tracks for showcasing Swift's songcraft at a young age, others considered them insubstantial to the original album.

Background

Taylor Swift signed a publishing contract with Sony/ATV Tree Publishing in 2004, at 14 years old, to become a songwriter, and a recording contract with Nashville-based independent record label Big Machine the next year to become a country singer. Her self-titled debut studio album (2006) was the longest-charting album on the ''Billboard'' 200 of the 2000s, and it established Swift as one of country music's rising stars. Her second studio album, '' Fearless'', was released on November 11, 2008. A country pop album, ''Fearless'' followed the country styling of Swift's debut and incorporated radio-friendly pop crossover and pop rock elements. It spent 11 weeks atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and, supported by the pop-radio hits " Love Story" and " You Belong with Me", catapulted Swift into mainstream prominence beyond the country-music scene. Critics lauded Swift's songwriting for portraying earnest teenage feelings, and musicologist James E. Perone commented that ''Fearless'' transformed her status from a prodigy to a "singer-songwriter superstar".' The most-awarded country album in history, it won Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Country Music Association Awards, and the Grammy Awards.

As part of Swift's contract, Big Machine released her next four studio albums, from '' Speak Now'' (2010) to ''Reputation'' (2017). She parted ways with the label after her contract expired in 2018 and thereafter signed a new contract with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. In 2019, the talent manager Scooter Braun and his company Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Records. The masters of Swift's Big Machine-released albums, including ''Fearless'', were effectively transferred to Braun, which resulted in a public dispute between Swift and Braun. Swift denounced the purchase and began re-recording her first six studio albums, including ''Fearless'', in November 2020. By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for commercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters. On February 11, 2021, she announced on '' Good Morning America'' that the re-recording of ''Fearless'', to which she added the subtitle ''Taylor's Version'', was the first in the series of her re-recorded albums.

Production

''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' comprises re-recordings of all 19 tracks on the original ''Platinum Edition'' release from 2009, 13 of which were first released in 2008 and six were ''Platinum'' ''Edition'' bonus tracks. Swift wanted to replicate the original production on the re-recording and thus examined the original tracks line by line and her vocal inflections. She revisited some parts with the aim to create a "same but better" version in mind. She worked with members of her touring band who played in the 2008 sessions. For instance, on the re-recording of ''Fearless'' lead single "Love Story", those who reprised their roles included Jonathan Yudkin on fiddle, Amos Heller on bass guitar, and Caitlin Evanson on harmony vocals. Colbie Caillat returned as a featured artist on the re-recording of " Breathe". Caillat said she agreed to Swift's invitation and went to Nashville to re-record her vocals the same day that Swift invited her to. The re-recorded album also features " Today Was a Fairytale", a soundtrack single Swift first recorded for the 2010 film ''Valentine's Day''.

In addition to the re-recordings, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' contains six unreleased tracks that Swift wrote when she was in her teenage years and intended to include in, but ultimately left out of, the original ''Fearless'' release. These tracks are subtitled "From the Vault" in the physical releases and "(Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)" on streaming platforms. Swift said by including these unreleased tracks, which she "absolutely adored" but "were held back for different reasons", the re-recorded album proved that "the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work". Maren Morris appears as a featured artist on " You All Over Me", and Keith Urban on " That's When". Urban played electric guitar and contributed harmony vocals, but was uncredited as a featured artist, on "We Were Happy". Swift toured as an opening act to Urban's 2009 Escape Together World Tour, and Urban agreed to record with Swift after she contacted him via texts.

Swift and Christopher Rowe produced the 20 re-recorded tracks, which are all subtitled "Taylor's Version". David Payne recorded them at Black Bird and Prime Recording Studios in Nashville, and Rowe recorded Swift's lead vocals at Kitty Committee Studio, which is Swift's home studio in London. Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner respectively co-produced four and two vault tracks; both had produced Swift's 2020 albums ''Folklore'' and '' Evermore''. Antonoff and engineer Laura Sisk recorded them at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Electric Lady Studios in New York, and Rough Customer Studio in Brooklyn; and Dessner as well as Bella Basko at the former's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley. In total, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' comprises 26 tracks, and Swift is credited as the sole writer on 11 of them. Serban Ghenea mixed the album at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.

Music and lyrics

Composition

''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' is a country pop album that feature country-music instruments such as guitars, banjo, and fiddles. They incorporate prominent pop and pop-rock elements; Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' found them to have "indelible melodies and choruses with the efficiency of a Nordic pop factory". Written during Swift's teenage years, the lyrics explore her coming of age and the feelings and reflections ensuing from love that many teenagers could relate to: heartbreak, first kisses, frustrations, and dreams.

The 20 re-recorded tracks feature the same arrangements and lyrics as on the original recordings that led to many critics commenting that a casual listener might not catch any differences. The production has a clearer fidelity, a clearer mix, and more defined instruments— ''Pitchfork'''s Dani Blum said "each peal of guitar is sharper". Michael A. Lee, a professor in commercial music, said the re-recorded album has a much richer sound because it was recorded with more use of the outside environment which allows the mixes to "spread a lot wider". According to Lee, the engineers equalized the instruments with fuller range of frequencies incorporating mid- and low-frequency elements, which makes the instruments sound "more like themselves" whereas the original's sounded thin because of their "bright high ends". Some critics identified certain tweaks: Blum said the re-recorded "Love Story" features an "invigorating blast of fiddle", and according to Jon Pareles from ''The New York Times'', the title track " Fearless" omits the original's 10-second organ intro, and "Tell Me Why" scraps the fiddle echo. Lee wrote each re-recorded track prioritizes certain parts—the tambourine is clearer and the guitar solo is less distorted in " Change", the cymbals in the break of " Hey Stephen" are louder, and the guitars and strings on "Breathe", "You're Not Sorry", and "Today Was a Fairytale" are more prominent because they were recorded at a closer vicinity to the microphones.

A multitude of critics said that Swift's vocals were the most significant change; although she sang the same notes and retained a light country-music twang, they became richer, deeper, and more controlled. ''Clash'''s Lucy Harbron attributed this change to Swift's artistic evolution encompassing country, pop, and indie styles. The drums are occasionally tuned a degree lower than the original to match Swift's deeper vocal tones. Lee pointed to " You're Not Sorry" as the re-recorded track where her voice most improved: it sounded "less nasal and more from the chest". Paula Clare Harper, an assistant professor in musicology, agreed that Swift performed with more chest-driven vocals but also said she retained some "signature aspects" of country music. Many critics remarked how Swift's matured vocals brought forth a different listening experience: Blum felt they had an air of melancholy, and Pareles said they reflected Swift's wisdom at 30 years when she looked back at her teenage experiences. ''Slate'''s Carl Wilson wrote that although Swift managed to recreate her once-teenage vocal inflictions and mannerisms, her matured voice made the album sound nostalgic. For Lee, the re-recorded tracks lose the original's sense of earnestness because Swift seemed more hesitant on some of the lyrics which "she maybe was able to sing ..in a little more unmitigated way".

"From the Vault" tracks

On the six "From the Vault" tracks, Antonoff and Dessner reprised some of their production styles on Swift's albums ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore,'' creating a sound that infuses country pop with indie elements brought by diverse instruments such as synthesizers, horns, and programmed drums. '' Consequence'' Katie Moulton selected "Don't You" and "Bye Bye Baby" as the tracks with "electronic atmospherics" that deviated from the overarching acoustic sounds of ''Fearless''. Thematically, the vault tracks are about past romantic relationships, and their lyrics feature melodramatic tendencies from an adolescent perspective. For some critics, they offered a glimpse into Swift's songwriting process and how it evolved over her next albums, and her grown-up reflection on her once youthful optimism.

"You All Over Me", a track about being unable to move on from an ex-lover, is an acoustic ballad with country-indebted guitars, fiddles, and harmonica, alongside synth drum loops. " Mr. Perfectly Fine" is a track combining country, pop rock, and rock and roll, with a prominent pop melody instrumented by synth accents and dynamic refrains. The song's lyrics contain sarcastic remarks at a former lover. The slow-paced "We Were Happy" is about reminiscing over the beautiful moments of a broken relationship, such as watching sunsets together, dreaming about buying a family farm, and getting married. The couple in question split even though they were still happy, which made the ending hard for the narrator to accept. Its minimal instrumental incorporates a chiming guitar riff, accents of cello and lap steel guitar, and vocal harmonies from Urban.

In "That's When", a country pop and indie folk tune with layered vocal harmonies, Swift and Urban duet about two past lovers reuniting after making amends for their past mistakes. "Don't You" is a minimalist pop track with an atmospheric electronic production that incorporates layered keyboards—including a prominent Rhodes piano throughout, flutes, electric guitars, and drums, The lyrics of "Don't You" depict the narrator running into a former lover and pining for their past relationship. The closing track, "Bye Bye Baby", whose demo had circulated on the internet for years, is about the narrator being resolute in letting go of a broken romance that no longer serves them. Its melancholic production consists of thrumming beats and a unison of violin, Wurlitzer organ, and flute.

Marketing and release

Compared to the extensive promotional rollouts of Swift's other albums, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' was preceded by a rather minimal campaign that relied on social media. ''Pitchfork'' included it in their list of the most anticipated albums for spring 2021. On February 11, Swift announced ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' on ''Good Morning America'' and her social media. The following day, she released "Love Story (Taylor's Version)". It peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart and made Swift the second artist after Dolly Parton to have both the original and re-recorded versions of a song atop the chart. Two vault tracks, "You All Over Me" and "Mr. Perfectly Fine", were released for download and streaming on March 25 and April 7. Both reached the top 10 on Hot Country Songs; they respectively peaked at number six and number two.

Before releasing the track list on April 3, Swift teased the titles of the vault tracks through an animated clip containing scrambled anagrams on her social media. In the hours leading up to the album's release, Swift released snippets of some re-recorded tracks across social media platforms. On April 8, the singer-songwriters Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray, whom had been contacted by Swift, posted clips of themselves dancing to excerpts of "You Belong with Me (Taylor's Version)" on TikTok and "White Horse (Taylor's Version) on Instagram. Other snippets made available on social media were those of " Fifteen (Taylor's Version)" on Snapchat, "Breathe (Taylor's Version)" on Tumblr, and "Hey Stephen (Taylor's Version)" on Twitter. She again appeared on ''Good Morning America'' to preview "Fearless (Taylor's Version)". Related merchandise including clothes and accessories all featured the extended moniker "Taylor's Version". ''The New York Times''' Ben Sisario commented this promotion created a "communal and celebratory experience" for Swift's fans who found the music nostalgic and the "Taylor's Version" branding empowering.

Republic Records released ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' on April 9, 2021. The cover artwork is a sepia-toned photograph of Swift shot from a low camera angle that shows herself with windblown hair locks. In it, she recreates her pose on the original album cover but looks in the opposite direction. The standard physical copies were made available for pre-order on Swift's website, and CDs with collectible posters available for pre-order exclusively at Target. The vinyl LPs came in two editions, one golden in color and the other red; the former was available on Swift's website and the other at Target. Swift appeared on ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' on April 13, 2021. In the weeks after the album's release, Swift put out four streaming-exclusive compilation "chapters" that feature select tracks from ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'': ''The Halfway Out the Door Chapter'', ''The Kissing in the Rain Chapter'', ''The I Remember What You Said Last Night Chapter'', and ''The From the Vault Chapter.'' On September 20, 2021, she released limited-edition autographed CDs exclusively via her website for 72 hours.

Commercial performance

''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' amassed 50 million global first-day streams on Spotify. In the United States, the album was Swift's ninth consecutive to debut atop the ''Billboard'' 200. Of its first-week tally of 291,000 album-equivalent units, 179,000 were pure album sales. It was first re-recorded album to reach number one and registered the biggest sales week for a country album since 2015. With ''Folklore'', ''Evermore'', and ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'', Swift became the first female artist to have three number-one albums in less than a year. ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' was her sixth number one on Top Country Albums, and 18 of its tracks charted on Hot Country Songs the same week. The album made Swift return to the top of '' Billboard'' Artist 100 chart for a record-extending 47th week. Following the release of its vinyl LPs and signed CDs, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' returned to number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, for a second week, from number 157, the third-largest jump to number one in history. It was the fifth-best-selling album of 2021 in the United States, with sales of 521,000 copies. ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' had accumulated 1.81 million album-equivalent units, of which 737,000 were pure sales, in the United States by July 2023.

In the Anglosphere, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' peaked atop the charts of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It made Swift the female musician with the most number-one albums of the 21st century in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In Australia, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' topped the chart 17 weeks after ''Evermore'', which registered the fewest weeks between two number-one albums by the same artist. In the United Kingdom, it helped Swift surpass the Beatles to claim the fastest accumulation of three number-one albums. It also reached number one in Argentina. In China, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' sold more than 205,000 copies on digital music platforms in less than five minutes. On some albums charts, sales of ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' helped bolster the chart performance of the original ''Fearless'', which reached new peaks in 2021 including number two in Austria and Germany, and number three in Switzerland.

The album received gold certifications in France and the United Kingdom, and platinum certifications in Australia and New Zealand. According to a March 2022 report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' was one of the 10 global best-selling-albums of 2021, with pure sales of 980,000 copies.

Critical reception

On Metacritic, a review aggregator site that assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from mainstream publications, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' received a weighted mean score of 82 based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". AnyDecentMusic? compiled 16 reviews and gave it an average score of 7.7 out of 10.

Critics praised the re-recording's production for remaining faithful to the original and felt it had an enhanced quality. Many complimented the production as crisper and warmer, but ''Rolling Stone'' Jonathan Bernstein thought the re-recorded tracks were "less slick". ''The Guardian'' Alexis Petridis and ''The Daily Telegraph'' Neil McCormick wrote that ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' made them appreciate ''Fearless'' as an outstanding album filled with catchy melodies. Praise also directed toward Swift's vocals for how they became fuller and richer while retaining the teenage sentiments, but some said that her voice conveyed the messages from a nostalgic or rather melancholy perspective and at times lost the earnestness of the original recordings.

Another point of praise was Swift's lyrics: many critics remarked that the songs explore the feelings that not only teenagers but also many people could relate to, which made ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' a reminder of how the original album withstood the test of time and an introduction to a new generation of Swift's fans. Will Hodgkinson of ''The Times'' lauded the album as "a masterclass in classic Nashville songwriting". Petridis and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the ''Financial Times'' wrote that the songs are timeless because they explore and mythologize the adolescent feelings that will become snapshots of one's youth for them to look back in their life. ''Slant Magazine'' Jonathan Keefe was more critical and said the songwriting tropes and lyrical imagery were "juvenile" compared to Swift's later albums.

The vault tracks received mixed reviews. Some critics deemed them inferior to the re-recorded ''Fearless'' tracks, but others appreciated them for offering a glimpse into Swift's evolving songwriting at the time. '' Variety'' Chris Willman particularly enjoyed "You All Over Me" and "Mr. Perfectly Fine" but deemed the remaining tracks rather dull. Keefe praised the vault tracks for showcasing Swift's "preternatural gifts for song structure and melody" but deemed them insubstantial and their lyrics weak. Saloni Gajjar of '' The A.V. Club'' thought otherwise and opined that they fit in well with the album, and McCormick was impressed with the "sharp turns of phrase and touches of biting wit" of "We Were Happy" and "Bye Bye Baby". ''Spin'''s Bobby Olivier and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the vault tracks are the album's most appealing, and the latter appreciated them for blending their "younger, dewy-eyed perspective" with a "mature" production from Dessner and Antonoff.

Accolades and impact

Swift did not submit ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' to contend for the Grammy Awards and Country Music Association Awards. A Republic Records statement explained that Swift decided to do so because she wanted the awards committee to focus on ''Evermore'', which was submitted for all eligible Grammy categories. It added that the decision came after Swift's "careful consideration" regarding the original ''Fearless'' status as the most-awarded country album up to that time. At the 2022 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' was nominated for Top Country Album, which was won by ''Red (Taylor's Version)'', another re-recorded album by Swift. After ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' was released, the original ''Fearless'' dropped in sales and, as of July 2023, did not reappear on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Journalists described ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' as a key event in raising awareness for artists' rights in the music industry. They considered the ''Taylor's Version'' branding an effective strategy in mobilizing Swift's fans to consume the re-recorded album over the original. Writing for ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', Giselle Au Nhien-Nguyen opined that the ''Taylor's Version'' projects not only allowed Swift to gain ownership of her music but also gave her fans a chance to reflect on her artistic evolution. Willman wrote that Swift's highly publicized move to reclaim her masters, starting with ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'', would inspire other artists to "further deputize or weaponize fans in their own business disputes". '' Marie Claire'' Kate Dwyer also appreciated it for "divorcing wift'smusic from the sexist media narrative that followed her during her adolescence", which allowed Swift to control her narrative by "inviting listeners and critics to engage with the same songs today without as much gender bias".

There were minor criticisms including one from the ''Los Angeles Times''' Mikael Wood, who downplayed the re-recording as an act of "bare-knuckled capitalism". ''NME'' Mark Beaumont said the updated production might alienate some listeners who enjoyed the original album when it was first released, but he remarked that Swift's story and cause behind her re-recording endeavors made it "the right thing" to embrace the ''Taylor's Version'' releases.

Track listing

Notes
* signifies vocal producer
* On the physical releases, tracks 1–20 and 27 are subtitled "Taylor's Version" and tracks 21–26 are subtitled "From the Vault".
* On digital and streaming platforms, all tracks are subtitled "Taylor's Version" and tracks 21–26 are additionally subtitled "From the Vault".
* The CD packaging contains 2 discs, one including tracks 1–13 and the other 14–27.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Fearless (Taylor's Version)''.

Musicians

* Taylor Swift – lead vocals, songwriting, production (all tracks), background vocals (11, 14–16, 27)
* Mike Meadows – 12-string acoustic guitar (1), acoustic guitar (1–3, 5–8, 10–15, 17–19), background vocals (1, 3–5, 9–11, 17–19), Hammond B3 (1, 4), mandolin (1–3, 6–8, 15, 18–20), banjo (3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 19, 20), finger clicking (4), piano (7, 10), electric guitar (9, 10), synthesizer (13, 16), synthesizer programming (13, 16), dobro (19)
* Caitlin Evanson – background vocals (1–4, 6, 8, 13)
* Paul Sidoti – background vocals (1, 3, 8, 11), electric guitar (1–3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17–20), piano (5, 9, 10, 16), acoustic guitar (7)
* Amos Heller – bass (1–15, 17–20)
* Matt Billingslea – drums (1–15, 17–20), finger clicking (4), drum programming (6, 11, 14), electronic percussion (19, 20)
* Max Bernstein – electric guitar (1–3, 7, 9–11, 13, 14, 18, 19), vibraphone (4), steel guitar (6, 8, 17), synthesizer (15, 16, 18, 20), synthesizer programming (15, 16, 20), banjo (20), glockenspiel (20)
* Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14), cello (2), strings (5, 7, 9, 10, 16, 17)
* Christopher Rowe – production (1–20), background vocals (2, 8, 10, 17, 20), vocal production (27)
* Liz Rose – songwriting (1, 5, 6, 8, 17, 18, 23, 26)
* Hillary Lindsey – songwriting (1)
* Dan Burns – drum programming (6, 11, 14), synthesizer programming (13, 15, 16, 20), electronic percussion (19, 20)
* Colbie Caillat – vocals, songwriting (7)
* Brian Pruitt – drum programming (8)
* John Rich – songwriting (10)
* Cary Barlowe – songwriting (15)
* Nathan Barlowe – songwriting (15)
* Tommy Lee James – songwriting (15, 25)
* Aaron Dessner – production, acoustic guitar, bass, drum programming, electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer (21, 23), piano (21)
* Eric Slick – drums (21, 23)
* Josh Kaufman – electric guitar, harmonica (21), acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar (23)
* Maren Morris – vocals (21)
* Scooter Carusoe – songwriting (21)
* Jack Antonoff – production (22, 24–26), acoustic guitar (22, 24), background vocals (22, 25), bass (22, 24, 26), electric guitar (22, 24–26), percussion (22, 24, 26), keyboards (22, 25), programming (22, 25, 26), synthesizer (22), drums (24, 25), synthesizer programming (25), piano (26)
* Sean Hutchinson – drums (22, 24, 26)
* Mikey Freedom Hart – electric guitar (22, 24–26), pedal steel (22, 24), 12-string acoustic guitar (22), bass (24, 25), celesta (24), drums (24), Hammond B3 (24), keyboards (24, 25), piano (24, 26), percussion (25, 26), Rhodes (25), Wurlitzer organ (26)
* Michael Riddleberger – percussion (22, 24, 26)
* Evan Smith – saxophone (22, 24, 26), flute (24–26), percussion, electric guitar, synthesizer programming (25)
* Keith Urban – background vocals, electric guitar (23), 12-string acoustic guitar, vocals (24)
* Clarice Jensen – cello (23)
* Brad Warren – songwriting (24)
* Brett Warren – songwriting (24)
* Bobby Hawk – violin (25, 26)
* Elvira Anderfjärd – production, remixing, background vocals, bass, drums, keyboards, programming (27)

Technical

* Taylor Swift – executive producer
* Randy Merrill – mastering (all tracks)
* Serban Ghenea – mixing (1–20, 22, 24–27)
* John Hanes – engineering (1–20, 22, 24–27)
* Christopher Rowe – vocal engineering (1, 6–26), recording engineering (2, 3)
* David Payne – recording engineering (1–20)
* Sam Holland – vocal engineering (3–5, 27)
* Bella Blasko – engineering, recording engineering (21, 23)
* Aaron Dessner – engineering, recording engineering (21, 23)
* Jonathan Low – mixing, engineering (21, 23)
* Julian Burg – vocal engineering (21)
* Greg Kurstin – vocal engineering (21)
* Jack Antonoff – recording engineering (22, 24–26)
* Laura Sisk – recording engineering (22, 24–26)
* Nick Rowse – vocal engineering (23, 24)
* Jon Gautier – recording engineering (25, 26)
* Mike Williams – recording engineering (25, 26)
* Elvira Anderfjärd – recording engineering (27)
* Lowell Reynolds – additional engineering, assistant recording engineering (1, 4–20)
* Derek Garten – additional engineering (1, 4–20)
* Sean Badum – assistant recording engineering (3)
* John Rooney – assistant recording engineering (24–26)
* Jon Sher – assistant recording engineering (24–26)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2021
* List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Australia)
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Canada)
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Ireland)
* List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
* List of number-one albums of 2021 (Scotland)

Notes

References

Print sources

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External links

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2021 albums
Albums produced by Taylor Swift
Albums produced by Aaron Dessner
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Country albums by American artists
Country pop albums
Republic Records albums
Taylor Swift albums
Albums produced by Chris Rowe
Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios
Re-recorded albums