Note: This review is number two in a series looking back at Taylor Swift’s first 10 albums.

“Fearless” became the introduction to Swift’s project of rerecording her first six albums after Scooter Braun purchased the master copies in 2019.

Swift had been attempting to buy back her masters at the same time and felt betrayed by Braun’s actions. However, Braun only owned the original recordings, not the music and lyrics.

Thus, Swift is able to re-record the original six albums now labeling them as “Taylor’s Version.” This project showcases how rerecording her albums essentially takes back ownership and prevents Braun from profiting on his purchase. 

Swift introduced tracks “From the Vault” on the first album rerelease, composed of songs previously not on the original, as a bonus for fans and encouraged them to buy the new version. Swift has repeated “From the Vault” tracks on every rerelease since.

In Swift’s second album, “Fearless”, she strays away from the heavier country sound she produced in her debut album. This is symbolized in songs in this album such as “Change,” reflecting Swift’s passion for success in the industry. This album brought her many new successes in the music industry, and arguably jump-started her career towards becoming a global star. 

“Fearless” continued to bring Swift popularity and success as she received multiple Teen Choice awards and Grammys, one Grammy being for Album of the Year. She even embarked on her first tour, the Fearless Tour, from 2009-2010 following the release of this album. “Fearless” reveals Swift’s journey in dealing with challenges in love and the lessons she has learned along the way.

These songs have become beloved by many Swifties, especially as she reminisces on them during performances on the Eras Tour, such as “Fearless,” the title track, setting the tone for the album as the feeling of falling in love. 

Additionally, she continues her rebellious ways of calling out past relationships through her song lyrics. During this album, Taylor Swift had been dating Joe Jonas until he broke up with her over the phone, which she has referenced many times throughout performances and interviews.

Jonas’s influence and mistakes throughout their relationship are sprinkled throughout “Fearless”. In “Forever & Always” the introduction is 27 seconds long, seemingly insignificant until Swift mentioned in an interview how the call time between Jonas and Swift when they broke up was exactly 27 seconds long as well.

 This marks a significant change of focus for Swift and introduces more complex meanings to each song, which only true fans would be able to detect. 

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