Steven Wilmot, a singer, shared a cover of the song “Need” on February 13th, sparking speculation among Taylor Swift fans on TikTok about its origins. The song, believed to be an unreleased “vault song” from Swift’s “Lover” era, has never been officially released. It is not registered with ASCAP or BMI, nor is it included in the U.S. Office music database alongside Swift’s other works. Despite some online leaks in February 2023, all versions of the song were swiftly removed, including a YouTube video by Universal Music Group, Swift’s label. Fan sites like Taylor Swift Switzerland have documented the song’s lyrics, which begin with the lines: “Want is the cigarette smoke on a jacket / You wore to the wrong part of town / Desire is the sound of the whiskey / Telling me you miss me.”
Wilmot’s rendition of the song featured similar chorus elements to the leaked track, and he credited Swift as the sole writer and producer on music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Following fan backlash and concerns over incorrect credits and the artwork cover, Wilmot removed his cover from YouTube and Spotify but left it up on Apple Music temporarily.
Swift is known for her collection of unreleased songs, which she occasionally shares as “from the vault” tracks on reissued albums. She has only unveiled one such song from the “Lover” era, titled “All of the Girls You Loved Before.” Additionally, Swift has supported cover versions of her songs, such as the Jack Leopards & the Dolphin Club rendition of “Look What You Made Me Do” featured in the BBC series “Killing Eve.”
Janice Jackson, a music industry veteran from Nashville, explains that while artists can obtain compulsory licenses to cover commercially released songs, unauthorized covers of unreleased material are not permissible.
“I’m sure Taylor did — it’s considered copyrighted in the eyes of the law,” Jackson says. She checked another database that licenses music, the Harry Fox Agency, and could not find the song. “Which means he would have to get a license direct from Universal,” she explains. Jackson admits she has never heard of a case in which an artist covers an unofficial song, but says it’s considered copyright infringement. In the comments on Wilmot’s TikTok post, he said the song will “slowly disappear from streaming services (YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify will be sooner, Apple Music takes a few days) but it’ll be back soon 💕.” Swift’s team did not respond to an email requesting a comment. Don’t miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat. Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok, and X as @BryanWestTV. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Can artists cover a leaked Taylor Swift song? An expert weighs in.
