After Taylor Swift made headlines for changing a controversial lyric from "Better Than Revenge," fans have discovered a second, subtler update to the song. Originally released in 2010 on her third and entirely self-written album "Speak Now," "Better Than Revenge" was revised when Swift re-recorded the album. A line from the chorus, "She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress," became "He was a moth to the flames, she was holding the matches." Halfway through her plan to re-record albums purchased by Scooter Braun in his acquisition of her former label, Swift took the opportunity to make the change after years of criticism that the line was slut-shaming and misogynistic.
While "Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)" still includes lines such as, "She's not a saint, and she's not what you think, she's an actress," and "I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling," the singer also made a swap in the background vocals from, "You know that she deserved this," to "You know that you deserved this." Swift's updates to both lines have been met with mixed reactions. Changing even one lyric makes the re-recording different from the original, potentially detracting from her attempt to devalue the old, Braun-owned track. Additionally, some fans miss the line for sentimental reasons, while others celebrate a change they feel is long overdue.
Released on July 7, "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" became Swift's 12th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Swift became the first living artist in 60 years — and the first female artist ever — to have four albums in the top 10 at the same time.
