Katherine Witts
Taylor Swift has dropped an unreleased track from her 2019 album Lover after it was leaked on TikTok.
Friday 17th March was a huge day for planned music releases, with scheduled drops ranging from Lewis Capaldi’s new single to Hozier’s new EP. But that didn’t stop Dr. Taylor Swift from surprising fans with an unreleased track and three re-recordings.
An ode to The Girls he Loved Before
The extremely catchy chorus and sweet melody of the Lover era are definitely present in ‘All Of The Girls You Loved Before.’ In this track, Swift’s lyricism once again shows her maturity, and the undeniable emotion she feels for her partner, Joe Alwyn. Swift conveys her strong love through a dreamy and magical sound.
“every experience is valuable in making us the person we are today”
The track illustrates this maturity by thanking Alwyn’s past relationships for making him the man he is with her: “Every dead-end street led you straight to me. Now you’re all I need, I’m so thankful for all of the girls you loved before.”
From the track, we’re able to understand how every experience is valuable in making us the person we are today: “All of the girls you loved before. Made you the one I’ve fallen for.”
The song also includes a tongue-in-cheek reference to Swift’s ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version)’ as sings: “Cryin’ in the bathroom for some dude whose name I cannot remember now.”
As well as Alwyn’s past relationships, the track explores Swift’s. It explores how they are both at a stage where they are truly comfortable with one another.
Fan Reception
“sure to be on your spring playlists this year”
The night before The Eras Tour began, Swift announced she would officially release the cut track ‘All Of The Girls You Loved Before.’ The Eras Tour, currently ongoing in the US, celebrates the release of Swift’s Midnights album.
Although ‘All Of The Girls You Loved Before’ didn’t make it onto Lover in 2019, fans eagerly sent a leaked version viral.
To accompany it, Swift treated us to three other previously unreleased songs; ‘Eyes Open,’ ‘Safe & Sound,’ and ‘If This Was A Movie.’
Confusion initially arose among listeners as they were unable to find the tracks on Swift’s Spotify discography. After what felt like a wild goose chase, fans discovered that Swift had hidden the tracks in their original albums. The only exception to this is ‘If This Was A Movie.’ The track was originally recorded as part of 2010’s Speak Now, but this time appeared on Fearless (Taylor’s Version).
Fans have taken to TikTok to express their gratitude towards Swift for releasing the track. Some, however, have begun to wonder whether the ‘leak’ was in fact a strategic marketing idea.
Nevertheless, ‘All Of The Girls You Loved Before’ is sure to be on your spring playlists this year. We’re excited about the surprises Swift is sure to have in store for us.
Featured image courtesy of Chaz McGregor on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Katherine Witts
Kath is a native Welsh-speaker and junior news editor for 'upday UK'. She is currently undergoing her masters in 'Visual Journalism' in Cardiff. As a former entertainment editor for Empoword and co-founder of Empoword's 'Pop Babble' podcast, Kath loves all things music, film, TV, and literature.