Taylor Swift has so far re-recorded four of her six Big Machine-owned albums, and some of the re-recorded tracks have been streamed more than the originals. Swift set out to rerecord her albums when Scooter Braun bought her former record label in 2019.

After bragging on Instagram about owning Taylor Swift, the singer humbled Braun with her Taylor’s Version albums.

The unprecedented re-recording project became a massive success for Swift, even inspiring her record-breaking Eras Tour. Swifties rallied behind the singer, vowing to stream her new music instead of the stolen versions.

Unfortunately, many of Swift’s older songs still outperform the re-recordings, like “Blank Space.”

However, there are also quite a lot of rerecorded songs with much higher streaming numbers than the originals.

You Belong With Me

Taylor’s Version Has 863,869,918 Streams

“You Belong With Me” is one of Taylor Swift’s most beloved songs, and one of the most popular on Fearless. It took over the airwaves in 2009, and its accompanying music video, which has over a billion views, made Swift the first country artist to ever win a VMA Award. However, despite the popularity of the initial track, “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” has outstreamed its original recording.

Besides Swifties’ loyalty to streaming the work Swift owns, there are a few other factors that could have contributed. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was the first re-recording the pop star released, which made the listening process extra exciting. Swift also promoted “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” more than some of the other tracks on the album.

One of her promotional techniques was getting fellow singers Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray to make a TikTok, briefly recreating the original music video.

Olivia Rodrigo is often referred to as the main “Taydaughter,” or pop singer who’s directly influenced by Taylor Swift.

Back in 2021, when the rerecording was released, Rodrigo was on the rise with her debut single “driver’s license,” and having her promote “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” certainly gave the rerecorded song an extra push into popularity. The nostalgic track was also included in the Fearless set on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which may have further inspired fans to stream it.

9The Way I Loved You

Taylor’s Version Has 486,644,191 Streams

Swift also broke her own original streaming numbers with the re-recorded version of “The Way I Loved You.” The Fearless track was never made a single, which could be why the original song’s streaming numbers are fairly low. However, “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)” heavily improved upon its original production. The song’s drumbeat, resembling that of a marching band, is far more prominent in the re-recorded version of the song, and it makes it sound a lot more interesting.

Another reason the song may have outstreamed the original is that Fearless (Taylor’s Version) allowed newer fans to visit some of Swift’s lesser-known songs. “The Way I Loved You” was highly underrated during Fearless‘ initial release, so the re-release was a chance for it to finally get recognition. However, one of the biggest contributing factors may have been the song’s appearance in the popular Amazon series The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The song played during the debutante ball when Jeremiah, Belly’s date, was nowhere to be seen, so his brother Conrad danced with Belly instead. Conrad seems to be the more popular choice for Belly’s romantic interest amongst fans, and he’s the one Belly ends up with in the book series. “The Way I Loved You” became an anthem for fans who love seeing Belly and Conrad together and gave the Fearless track further recognition.

8Fearless

Taylor’s Version Has 386,023,840 Streams

Fearless‘ title track became the final single on the album on January 4th, 2010. It also became the first song Swift would use to make a tour music video, something she would do for her next three albums, too. However, the song falls way behind its re-recorded version in streaming numbers. While “Fearless” was never the most popular song on the album, it was still loved amongst Swifties.

I don’t know how it gets better than this

You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless

And I don’t know why but with you I’d dance

In a storm in my best dress, fearless

Like the other songs, the main reason “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” outperformed the original is probably because so many fans were streaming the re-recorded album when it came out and revisiting the less popular songs. Also, at the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift opened the Fearless set with the title track, playing a recreation of her iconic sparkly guitar. The performance led to one of the most wholesome and nostalgic moments of the show, when Swift would hold her hand-heart up after the song’s bridge and the crowd would mimic it back to her.

7Red

Taylor’s Version Has 343,590,152 Streams

When Taylor Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version), it was an even bigger deal than when she released Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

This is mainly due to “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” and all the promotion she did for its short film. Unsurprisingly, this led to a lot of the rerecorded Red songs, aside from the popular singles, surpassing the streaming numbers of the originals. While Red was a massive success when it was released in 2012, it got some mixed reviews from critics.

Generally, it was considered incohesive, which inspired Swift to make her sonically cohesive, all-pop album, 1989. However, its re-release garnered different reactions, and many felt that they were finally understanding the album in a way they didn’t a decade earlier.

It’s now generally considered one of her best works.

The new admiration for Red likely contributed to the songs going up in streams, and since “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is the album’s title track, listeners are likely to stream the song more.

6All Too Well

Taylor’s Version Has 316,530,828 Streams

To no one’s surprise, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” has more streams than the original song. While the ten-minute version outperforms both, even the five-minute track has gained popularity since Red‘s initial release.

The song was never a single, but it did deeply resonate with fans, becoming a fan favorite pretty early on. The ten-minute version was a result of fans hounding Swift for the recording ever since she mentioned that the song had to be cut down from ten to five minutes to fit Red.

The song was never a single, but it did deeply resonate with fans, becoming a fan favorite pretty early on.

However, Red (Taylor’s Version)‘s release made the song even more popular. Based on streaming numbers, “All Too Well (10-Minute Version”) seems to be the preference, but when fans are in the mood to hear the shorter song, they’re clearly opting for the re-recording.

However, the 10-minute song and its accompanying music video likely contributed to the rise in streams on the five-minute version’s re-recording.

5This Love

Taylor’s Version Has 300,936,143 Streams

“This Love” is an outlier on the 1989 album. While it still fits the pop production of the other songs, it is much slower, and even features an acoustic guitar intro.

It’s not surprising that “This Love” is the least streamed song on the original 1989. The album is mostly upbeat pop songs, so anyone in the mood for a danceable album might skip over “This Love.” However, like some of Swift’s other rerecorded songs, fans found a new appreciation for “This Love” when it was re-released.

Instead of being the least streamed song, it is one of the most streamed on 1989 (Taylor’s Version.) This is likely due to Swift releasing it over a year before the album came out.

Like “The Way I Loved You,” the 1989 track made its way into The Summer I Turned Pretty’s universe, boosting its popularity. Before the season premiered, “This Love” appeared in the show’s trailer, leading Swift to release it early. It later appeared in the TSITP season 1 finale when Belly and Conrad finally confessed their feelings to each other and kissed for the first time.

4Long Live

Taylor’s Version Has 180,960,860 Streams

Speak Now always felt like Taylor Swift’s most underrated album, which could be why most of the songs are lower in streams than the songs on her other albums. “Long Live” was originally a deep cut meant specifically for Swifties.

The song was inspired by Swift’s rise to the top and her indestructible relationship with her fans. Because of this, it was shocking when “Long Live” didn’t make it onto the Eras Tour setlist.

Long live the walls we crashed through

How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

I was screaming long live all the magic we made

And bring on all the pretenders

One day we will be remembered

Luckily, when Taylor Swift released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), she brought out her old koi fish guitar for the Speak Now set to sing the album’s closing track. The recognition may have contributed to the new version being streamed more than the original recording was. However, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) also gained more appreciation than the initial album, making most of the tracks go up in streams.

3State Of Grace

Taylor’s Version Has 143,855,246 Streams

One of Taylor Swift’s most underrated songs from her entire discography is Red”s “State Of Grace.” This song is the perfect example of how many genres Swift is capable of dipping her toes into. It’s also the best evidence as to why Taylor Swift needs to make more rock-inspired songs.

This song is the perfect example of how many genres Swift is capable of dipping her toes into.

From the electric guitar to the drum beats, “State of Grace” is a pop-rock anthem, and its incredible lyricism only adds to its appeal. Unfortunately, the original recording never even hit 100,000 streams. Luckily, the re-recorded song surpassed 100,000 streams to make up for it. The song was sadly not a part of the Eras Tour setlist, but it did make it as a surprise song a few times.

2Come Back…Be Here

Taylor’s Version Has 134,479,867 Streams

“Come Back…Be Here” is one of Swift’s most heartbreaking songs that portrays her rawest emotions. The yearning Swift was experiencing during this relationship came through strong in the song’s lyrics and production. However, there’s a good reason why the original recording wasn’t streamed very much. “Come Back…Be Here” was not on the initial Red album, but on the album’s deluxe edition.

When Swift re-released the album, she didn’t release a deluxe edition, but instead included the deluxe songs as vault tracks. It’s likely some people may have heard the track for the first time when Red (Taylor’s Version) was released. The heartbreaking ballad certainly deserves the recognition it got when the album was re-released, as it was always one of Swift’s best.

1Forever & Always

Taylor’s Version Has 131,838,717 Streams

When Taylor Swift was recording Fearless, there was one song she snuck onto the tracklist at the last minute. “Forever & Always” was inspired by her split from Joe Jonas and made it onto Fearless in the nick of time. Like some of the other non-singles from Fearless, the track never got the love it deserved.

Yet, for Fearless (Taylor’s Version), “Forever & Always” received more than two times its initial streams. While there have been a lot of mixed opinions over whether Taylor Swift‘s new recordings are as good as her old ones, clearly, some of her rerecorded songs are a lot more popular amongst listeners than the originals.