Taylor Swift is never finished. Since 2019, she has put out eight (!) albums: August 2019’s Lover, July 2020’s Folklore, December 2020’s Evermore, April 2021’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version), November 2021’s Red (Taylor’s Version), October 2022’s Midnights, July 2023’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and today’s (October 27) 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Not to mention, her ongoing The Eras Tour and its subsequent Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film.
So, Swift releasing “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]” as one of her 1989 (Taylor’s Version) “From The Vault” tracks is a bit of an oxymoron. Because no, it is never over with Swift. And she’s in on the joke.
“‘Is It Over Now?’ was a song I wanted to end the album because I think it’s the kind of funny play on words of like, ‘Is the album over now,’” Swift explained in a 43-second audio clip posted to Tumblr. “I always saw this song as sort of a sister to ‘Out Of The Woods’ and ‘I Wish You Would.’ I kind of saw those songs as similar, so unfortunately, when we were making these decisions on what to put on 1989 and what to leave behind, I had to make some tough choices.”
The perennial chart-topper continued, “Now, that doesn’t matter anymore because you guys are gonna hear all the songs, so I am so happy about this one being out. I really love the ‘Let’s fast forward to 300 takeout coffees later’ — that section, just, I feel like head-banging to every time it comes on. Hope you agree!”
Swifties had already tied an invisible string between “Is It Over Now?” and “Out Of The Woods” when decoding Easter eggs alluding to Swift’s past relationship with Harry Styles.
For example, in “Is It Over Now?,” Swift sings, “When you lost control / Red blood, white snow,” which feels connected to the “Out Of The Woods” bridge: “Remember when you hit the brakes too soon? / Twenty stitches in the hospital room.” Many publications, such as Billboard, view both lyrics as referencing Swift and Styles’ snowmobile accident that Swift first spoke about with Rolling Stone in 2014.
Listen to “Is It Over Now?” above.