Welcome back to this week’s edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week. In celebration of the Eras Tour, this week’s pick is “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” by Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Kentucky-born singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Released Nov. 15, 2021, as a part of her 12th studio album but her second rerecorded “Red (Taylor’s Version),” “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” is a song about an ex who broke her heart and now she reflects in anger and disappointment as she has healed from the relationship. In the song, Taylor sings about how she knows her ex isn’t over her and how she hopes he will never get over her. She also sings about how he will never find true love because what they had was the love he has been searching for before and after the relationship. Back in Nov. 2020, Taylor Swift announced on CBS’s This Morning that she will be re-recording her first six albums in an effort to claim ownership of them (as they were previously owned by her former manager, Scooter Braun) and “Red (Taylor’s Version) is the second of the re-recorded albums after “Fearless (Taylor’s Version). 

Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Taylor Alison Swift is an multi-award-winning and nominated country/pop singer-songwriter best known for either her impeccable songwriting abilities which have earned her multiple awards, honors and nominations like “Songwriter-Artist of the Decade” or her award-winning albums which earned her a Guinness world record and a spot in Grammys history as the first vocalist to win the most Best Album of the Year award at the Grammys. Growing up in a small village in Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift had a strong inclination for music but not enough resources to pursue it. Growing up, she also had a strong love for country music and always knew she wanted to be a country music artist. In 2003, at the age of 14, Swift moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams of being a country artist and in 2004, she signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and in 2005, a recording deal with Big Machine Records. In 2012, Taylor Swift started experimenting with the idea of switching genres from country to pop with the release of her fourth studio album “Red.”  Following the success of hits like “All Too Well,” “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift decided to switch from country to pop with the release of her fifth studio album and her first ever pop album, “1989.” Taylor Swift’s entire discography has always been heavily influenced by her life experiences and the many versions of herself over the years and “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” is a prime example of her discographic style.

“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” is my third favorite song from the album and in my top 10 favorites from Taylor Swift’s discography but it has been on my mind this week. In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” Swift sings about a time in her life when she was in a “perfect” relationship that ended abruptly. Swift narrates in detail all of the memories she experienced during the relationship and how it wasn’t in fact perfect. She reflects on their time together and she narrates and describes the flaws in the relationship. Finally, Swift comes to terms with the end of the relationship and is happy with how much she has healed from it but she also states that she is absolutely confident that her ex will never get over her. She notes that every relationship after her will always be a poor excuse to reclaim what they had. “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” is one of the many songs Taylor Swift says comes from the Vault. The Vault is a group of songs that were supposed to be released with the original version of the re-recorded album but weren’t.

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and Taylor Swift understood that when writing “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault].” In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” Swift utilizes storytelling, metaphor and pathos to narrate a confusing and disappointing time in her life. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“But now that we’re done and it’s over.

I bet it’s hard to believe.

But it turned out I’m harder to forget than I was to leave.

And, yeah, I bet you think about me.”

Toxic exes are a recurring theme in Swift’s discography. In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault],” Taylor Swift gives an account of her experience with a relationship that should have been perfect but wasn’t. She creates a platform for her fans to relate and filter their feelings through. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.