Fans’ predictions that Taylor Swift might use her 8/9 date at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium to announce a re-recorded version of “1989” proved correct.
Swift took several minutes out of the three-and-a-half hour show to reveal that “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” will be arriving Oct. 27, just before giving a long-awaited performance of “New Romantics” as one of the night’s two acoustic “secret songs.” (See video of her announcement and subsequent song below.)
“So now, here we are on the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, in the eighth month of the year, and the ninth day,” Swift began, teasing the ecstatic sold-out crowd.
“Notice there’s some new outfits in the show,” she continued, calling out what eagle-eyed Swifties already noticed. By Swift Easter-egg standards, the buildup to this reveal throughout the show had not been particularly subtle: Swift had switched her wardrobe to a nearly all-blue set of costumes, beginning with a sparkling blue gown to perform “Enchanted” and “Long Live,” followed by more blue looks as the set list progressed into the “Folklore” and “1989” tracks. Blue, as many fans know, is the shade that has been associated with “1989” on Swift’s color wheel.
Finally, Swift cut through the crowd’s screams of anticipation and broke the big news.
“There’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really, really, ridiculously embarrassingly long time. And I think instead of just like telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you something I’ve been excited to show you,” she said as the crowd erupted with glee. The new “1989” album art appeared on the screens behind her, featuring a sky blue backdrop and a brightly-smiling Swift, along with the fall release date.
Swift then launched into “New Romantics” — the only song from “1989” she hadn’t yet played on tour — and “New Year’s Day,” the second secret song. As she played the final notes of the latter, the album release news went live on her social media channels.
“Surprise!! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to you,” reads the post, which revealed the new album cover to the rest of the world. “The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27th.” The re-release date holds special significance too, as the original “1989” dropped on the same date in 2014.
The post continued: “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!”
Surprise!! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to you
