Taylor Swift sent a sweet note of appreciation to songwriter Diane Warren, who co-wrote the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) vault track “Say Don’t Go” with her.
“Diane, It was a dream come true to write with you. I hope you love ‘Say Don’t Go’ as much as I do!! Sending the biggest hug to you! Love, Taylor,” Swift penned. Warren shared a snapshot of the letter, and a glimpse at the flowers that came along with it, on Instagram Sunday (Oct. 29).
“Just got this from @taylorswift. Not the cat, I already had that. If U want to know why she is the biggest artist on the planet, this kind of kind gesture is one more reason why,” wrote Warren.
“Say Don’t Go” was written at the end of 2013, and a demo with Swift playing acoustic guitar was recorded on New Year’s Day 2014, but the ballad didn’t make it onto the original track list of 2014’s original release of 1989.
After fans heard it for the first time thanks to its inclusion as one of five “From the Vault” tracks on Swift’s re-recorded 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Warren told Rolling Stone that the song has the same lyrics she remembers from their co-writing sessions nearly a decade ago. “It still stands,” she says. “It’s timeless.”
“Everything has its time, you know? It took a while to see the light of day, but I’m glad it finally did,” Warren said. “It was worth the wait.”
“She was very particular about how she said certain things,” she added, describing what it was like to co-write with Swift. “It was a really interesting experience. She gets her audience. She’s deeply aware of how her fans want to hear something. I can’t explain it, but that’s probably why she’s the biggest f—ing star in the world.”
Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S. on just its first day of release, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. After just one day, the album had the third-largest sales week of 2023. Sales of the album will continue to increase in the coming days, with the current tracking week ending on Thursday, Nov. 2.
See the flowers and note Swift sent Warren below. (And get a peek at Warren’s cute cat.)
