You All Over Me (From The Vault)
Single | Feat. Maren Morris | Fearless (Taylor's Version) [2021]
Over a decade on from its release, Taylor is re-visiting her second album with the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)”. As part of her unprecedented battle to regain ownership of her own music, she is re-recording her first six albums, with “Fearless” being the first to see the light of day. Alongside re-working the album, there are a few surprises – including the unearthing of previously unreleased track “You All Over Me (From The Vault)”.
FROM THE VAULT
Songs “from the vault” were written when Taylor was between the ages of 16 and 18 in the run-up to the release of album two. Back when she initially released “Fearless” in 2008, these tunes were held back for various reasons, including the fact that you couldn’t cram that many songs onto a physical CD – how very 2008. But in 2021, with the re-recording of her second album, Taylor wanted to let fans “into the entire dreamscape that is my fearless album.” In a post to social media, she shared her excitement:
“HI. I wanted to let you know that the first ‘From the Vault’ song I’m releasing from ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ […] is called ‘You All Over Me (From The Vault)’. One thing I’ve been loving about these ‘From The Vault’ songs is that they’ve never been heard, so I can experiment, play, and even include some of my favorite artists. I’m really excited to have Maren Morris singing background vocals on this song!!” — Taylor Swift
LYRICAL CONTENT
Listening to “You All Over Me” is a bit like musical déjà vu. It’s filled with country instrumentals: soaring fiddles and lilting guitars, crisp drum lines reminiscent of the album’s “Come In With the Rain” and backing vocals provided by country singer Maren Morris, who described her involvement in the project as follows: “Thank you, Taylor Swift for having me be a small part of your reimagining of the ‘Fearless’ era. And to Aaron Dessner for producing the shit out of it.”
All of this is topped off with Taylor’s vocals – more powerful than they were when “Fearless” was released over 12 years prior but still looking backwards to embrace the country twang splashed across her early record. It was a previously unheard song – but one that immediately felt strangely familiar, and like a time capsule of the “Fearless” era.
The lyrics are typically Swiftian, too. They contain similar thematic elements to Taylor’s song “Clean” that appeared on her fifth studio album, “1989” (2014). Depicting a relationship that you can’t quite shake yourself from, it demonstrates her knack for storytelling, managing to convey a whole relationship in just a handful of short sentences while also including the characteristically Swift putdown: “The best and worst day of June / Was the one that I met you”.
PRODUCTION
There is evidence, though, that “You All Over Me” wasn’t just plucked from an old demo tape, but instead got the full re-record treatment after 13 years of learning and growing in between. Produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner, the production whizz behind large chunks of previous year’s “evermore” and “folklore”, it runs the “Fearless” soundscape through a delicate “folklore”-era filter. Aaron Dessner has said the following on the song:
“In addition to the work we did together on ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’, I recently had the pleasure of helping Taylor Swift rediscover and reinterpret some of her past work. As always, it was an honor to be able to collaborate with her….I produced the first unreleased ‘From the Vault’ song Taylor is releasing — ‘You All Over Me’ is from ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ and features the incredible Maren Morris on background vocals. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it!” — Aaron Dessner
Overall, “You All Over Me” transport listeners right back into the world of “Fearless”. A country-pop song that adds a new chapter to the story of her second album, it began Taylor’s journey of allowing the world to join her on a fascinating walk down memory lane.
Lyrics
[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]
Once the last drop of rain has dried off the pavement
Shouldn’t I find a stain, but I never do
The way the tires turn stones on old county roads
They leave it muddy underneath, reminds me of you
You find graffiti on the walls of old bathroom stalls
You know, you can scratch it right off, it’s how it used to be
But like the dollar in your pocket, it’s been spent and traded in
You can’t change where it’s been, reminds me of me
[Chorus: Taylor Swift & Maren Morris]
I lived, and I learned, had you, got burned
Held out, and held on
God knows, too long, and wasted time
Lost tears, swore that I’d get out of here
But no amount of freedom gets you clean
I’ve still got you all over me
[Verse 2: Taylor Swift, with Maren Morris]
The best and worst day of June
Was the one that I met you
With your hands in your pockets
And your “Don’t you wish you had me?” grin
But I did, so I smiled
And I melted like a child
Now every breath of air I breathe reminds me of then
[Chorus: Taylor Swift & Maren Morris]
And I lived, and I learned, had you, got burned
Held out, and held on
God knows, too long, and wasted time
Lost tears, swore that I’d get out of here
But no amount of freedom gets you clean
I’ve still got you all over me
[Instrumental]
[Bridge: Taylor Swift, with Maren Morris]
I lived, and I learned
And found out what it was to turn around
And see that we
Were never really meant to be
So I lied, and I cried
And I watched a part of myself die
‘Cause no amount of freedom gets you clean
I’ve still got you all over me
[Outro: Taylor Swift, with Maren Morris]
I’ve still got you all over me
Still got you all over me
[Verse 1]
Once the last drop of rain has dried off the pavement
Shouldn’t I find a stain, but I never do
The way the tires turn stones on old county roads
You leave it muddy underneath, reminds me of you
You find graffiti on the walls of old bathroom stalls
You know, you can scratch it right off, it’s how we used to be
Like the dollar in your pocket, that’s been spent and traded in
You can’t change where it’s been, reminds me of me
[Chorus]
I lived, and I learned, had you, got burned
Held out, held on
God knows, too long, you wasted my time
Lost tears, swore that I’d get out of here
But no amount of freedom gets you clean
I still got you all over me
[Verse 2]
Guess the worst day of June
Was the one that I met you
With your hands in your pockets
And your “don’t you wish you had me” grin
I did, so I smile, and I melted like a child
Now every breath of air I breathe reminds me of back then
[Chorus 2]
Well, I lived, and I learned, had you, got burned
Held out, held on
God knows, too long, you wasted my time
Lost tears, swore that I’d get out of here
No amount of freedom gets you clean
I still got you all over me
[Bridge]
I lived, and I learned, and found out what it was to turn around
And see that we were never really meant to be
So I lied, and I tried, and I watched a part of myself die
No amount of freedom gets you clean
I still got you all over me
I still got you all, oh, over me
[Outro]
Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na na
Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na, all over me
Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na
Na na na, all over you, all over me
Oh oh oh oh oh yeah, oh oh oh yeah, yeah
Oh oh oh all over me
Album | Fearless (Taylor’s Version) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Feature | Maren Morris | |||
Released | March 26, 2021 | |||
Recorded | November 2020–February 2021 | |||
Written | 2005 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:40 | |||
Label | Republic Records | |||
Songwriters | Taylor Swift Scooter Carusoe | |||
Producer | Aaron Dessner | |||
FEARLESS CHRONOLOGY | ||||
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