On the evening of May 19, Taylor Swift made a striking debut of her re-recorded version of the hit single, "Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)," originally from her 2017 album, Reputation, on an episode of the acclaimed series The Handmaid's Tale. This particular track featured prominently in the ninth episode of the show's sixth season. As of now, the song has yet to be unleashed online or via streaming platforms, and Swift has kept mum about the full re-release of Reputation under the moniker "Taylor's Version." Experience it firsthand in the embedded player below.
Elisabeth Moss, the lead actress and executive producer of The Handmaid's Tale, expressed her excitement to Billboard, stating, "For years, I've harbored the desire to incorporate a Taylor Swift song into our show, and we've finally stumbled upon the ideal moment. I'm thrilled we waited, as this song couldn't be more perfectly suited to this pivotal scene. Taylor has been a personal inspiration to me. As a fellow Swiftie, I believe I speak for Yvonne [Strahovski] and our entire cast, who are all avid Swifties, when I say it's an immense honor to feature her music in our show's final episodes."
Reputation, bolstered by singles such as "Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready for It?," marked Swift's fifth album to top the charts and served as her swansong with Big Machine Records, which had distributed all her previous long players. Despite earning her a sole Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, she ultimately missed out to Ariana Grande's Sweetener. Swift collaborated extensively with Max Martin and Shellback on Reputation, with Jack Antonoff contributing to one segment. She also ropes in Future and Ed Sheeran for the track "End Game."
To date, Swift has re-released four of her albums: Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) in 2021, followed by revamped versions of Speak Now and 1989 in 2023. This re-recording spree began in 2019, shortly after Scooter Braun acquired her catalog through his purchase of Big Machine Label Group. In a 2022 interview with NPR, Braun expressed regrets over how the deal transpired.
In between her re-releases, Swift has kept the momentum going with fresh material, issuing her tenth studio album, Midnights, in October 2022, followed by her eleventh, The Tortured Poets Department, in April 2024. Recently, she concluded her groundbreaking Eras Tour, which traversed the globe over several years, setting new records.
Revisit Pitchfork's insightful essays, "The Handmaid's Tale: A Show Smarter Than Its Soundtrack" and "Taylor Swift's Music Ownership Controversy With Scooter Braun: The Significance and Impact," for deeper perspectives on these topics.
