Pop superstar Taylor Swift has unveiled the last remaining mystery vault track for her upcoming rerecorded album “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” following an online puzzle challenge for fans.
On Tuesday, September 20, Swift posted on social media revealing titles for five new unearthed songs that will appear on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, set for release in October.
The *search* was worth the pain, because we got a long list of #1989TaylorsVersionVault Tracks!!!!! 😮💨🔓🩵 pic.twitter.com/Gjs2mBbtyO
— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) September 20, 2023
She listed four track names initially but left the fifth one scrambled as “T-S-!-U-L”, launching a partnership with Google to have fans collectively solve word puzzles to unscramble the letters.
But what about the 5th #1989TaylorsVersionVault track? 👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/7Lx6NLZfkO
— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) September 20, 2023
After frenzied online puzzle solving, the fifth and final vault track was revealed to be titled “Slut!”. Fans had hotly debated whether the scrambled letters spelled “Slut!” or “Lust!”.
swifties typing taylor swift into google every 30 seconds trying to get the 1989 tv vault puzzles to work pic.twitter.com/g26sxz7LZT
— cali is on her own, kid 💫 (@longstorycali) September 19, 2023
Vault tracks are songs Swift recorded during an album’s original sessions but did not release at the time. Her re-recorded albums have all included new vault tracks, creating excitement among fans.
The full tracklist of unearthed songs for “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is:
“Is It Over Now?”
“Now That We Don’t Talk”
“Say Don’t Go”
“Suburban Legends”
“Slut!”
Unlike her previous re-records, Swift is not featuring high-profile collaborations on the 1989 vault tracks. Fans had speculated artists like Harry Styles, Nicki Minaj and Selena Gomez could appear.
This online puzzle reveal mirrored Swift’s rollout of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021, when she also made fans solve clues to unlock vault track titles.
Swift began systematically rerecording her first six albums after the masters were sold by her former label Big Machine in 2019 to Scooter Braun, who she objected to owning her work. Braun later sold them to an investment firm.
By remaking the albums, Swift can regain control of her catalog. “1989” was her full pop breakthrough, featuring huge hits like “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.”
“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 27,” Swift posted previously.
The months-long puzzle solving leading up to each rerelease has become a hallmark of Swift’s re-recording process, allowing her to creatively engage fans while building anticipation.
With the final vault track title for “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” now revealed after the Google puzzle challenge, another chapter in Swift’s mission to reclaim ownership of her music is complete. The unveiling of “Slut!” closed out the promotional game that had Swifties buzzing for weeks.
Come October, fans will finally get to hear all five unearthed gems from 1989’s vault after piecing together the clues.
