Usually nothing is hidden from Swifties. By now, Taylor Swift's biggest fans already know what to make of the lyrics, music videos and other possible teasers she's released. After all, the 11-time Grammy winner is the queen of Easter eggs. While their expert sleuthing abilities are unparalleled, one of Swift's 2008 songs recently surprised her fanbase and went viral on TikTok.
On January 9, a user discovered that Swift's "Untouchable" was actually a cover of '90s rock band Luna Halo. User micman04 shared the original song with the caption: "How did Taylor hear this song and go, yes, this could make a whimsical love song." His comment section was filled with surprised followers By. One person wrote: "I feel like my whole life has been a lie, how did I not know that was a cover." Another commented: "I think it really shows that she is an artist and she took something away and makes it so different, honestly, she’s a genius.”
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"Untouchable" originally came from her November 2008 album Fearless: Platinum Edition and is an expanded version of "Fearless ," the same album that also gave us "Love Story." It also features six songs, including "SuperStar," "Forever & Always" (piano version) and "Come in with the Rain." "Untouchable" became an instant hit, and Swift even performed the song while serving as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009.
Luna Halo member Nathan Barlowe talks about being covered by Swift in 2009. He told The Tennessean , "She could have chosen any cover in the world, but this is what she chose." Barlowe also shared how the cover came to be, saying, "It was originally given to her by her label president, Scott Borchetta. It happened while listening to (our) CD. Then, when she was doing a TV show called Stripped , he told her she had to come up with a cover.”
Like everything Swift touched, the song turned to gold. “We’re really lucky,” Barlow added. "She covered the song and it sounded great, so from then on the song got a lot of hits on YouTube and a lot of people watched it and copied it, and that's when the record company decided to record it record." He later shared that sales of their version had increased, adding that people would come up to him and say, "I never would have found you without Taylor Swift." (Swift continued to play. That's the kind of influence Oscar-winner Laura Dern gained in January with her appearance in the music video for "Bejeweled."
While the song's lyrics and chorus melody remain the same, the lyrics are nearly unrecognizable. Calling her "one of the greatest artists in the world, if not the greatest artist," Barlow said, "When she wants to make some changes to your songs, I'm okay with that, you know?"
Apparently, Swift chose to cover "Luna Halo" as a surprise to her then-manager, who was a fan of the band and even helped sign them from Nashville. "She knew I loved the band," Borchetta said at the 2012 CMA Music Festival.
Unfortunately, her relationship with Borchetta soured in 2019, when Borchetta reportedly struck a $300 million deal with Scooter Braun, who acquired Swift Master rights to the first six albums. "When I handed my masters to Scott, I accepted that he would eventually sell them," Swift wrote on social media. "In my worst nightmare," she added , I never imagined the buyer would be Scooter.”
In response to the agreement, Swift was no longer allowed to perform her old songs and she re-recorded her old albums. In April 2021, she released Fearless (Taylor's Edition) , which included her cover of "Luna Halo."
If you want to fully appreciate how Swift recreated the song, read the original version.
