‘Handmaid’s Tale’ uses Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ revamp
Swifties have been anxiously waiting for the pop star to release “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” for some time.
WASHINGTON — Pop singer Taylor Swift is storming the headlines once more with the surprise debut of a re-recorded version of her hit song “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version).”
The revamped music debuted Tuesday in an episode of Hulu’s hit series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” This newly-refreshed rendition premiered during the opening scene of the ninth episode in the show’s sixth and final season.
The use of Swift’s re-recorded track comes in a pivotal scene featuring Elisabeth Moss’s character, June Osborne, leading an insurgence against the oppressive regime of Gilead.
In a statement to Billboard, Moss, an executive producer and star of the show told the outlet she’d been set on using one of Swift’s songs for a long time coming.
“I’ve been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show and we finally found the perfect spot for a track from her, and I’m so glad we waited because there could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment,” said Moss, who attended an Eras Tour stop alongside her “Handmaid’s Tale” co-star Bradley Whitford last year. “Taylor has been such an inspiration to me personally. As a Swiftie myself, and I think I can speak for [co-star] Yvonne [Strahovski] and our entire cast as well, who are all Swifties, it’s such an honor to be able to use her music in the final episodes of our show.”
Swift’s decision to re-record her early albums stems from the 2019 sale of her master recordings to music executive Scooter Braun. The re-recording allows her to take back ownership over her songs.
While many applauded the thematic compatibility and emotional resonance of Swift’s re-recorded song with “The Handmaid’s Tale,” some have criticized that the new version offers little enhancement compared to the original.
Swifties have been anxiously waiting for the pop star to release “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” for some time. This October will mark two years since she last dropped a “Taylor’s Version” album, according to Billboard.
She’s already released newly recorded versions of “1989,” “Red,” “Speak Now” and “Fearless.”