Taylor Swift's recent record 1989 (Taylor Version) saw the release of five vault tracks, including one that saw the prolific artist team up with the legendary songwriter Diane Warren for the first time.
But if Diane has her way, it won't be the last.
Speaking to HELLO! at the 2023 Women in Film Honors, Diane shared her surprise at the success of 'Say Don't Go' and thanked her fans for making it the hit it has become in just five short weeks.
© VALERIE MACON"Taylor is the biggest artist on the planet and I am so glad it has come out now," Diane told HELLO!
"I just saw a live version and it's been out for a month and everyone was singing every word! It usually takes a couple years for that to happen to my songs for people to get that familiar, but I am really happy and I would love to do more with her – she's great."
Diane had previously revealed the process she and Taylor enjoyed back in 2013 when they first wrote the song, telling Rolling Stone that they say down together to write the ballad "from scratch," recalling that the 33-year-old was "very particular about how she said certain things," and was "deeply aware of how her fans want to hear something."
Diane expected the song to appear on the 2014 record 1989 but it did not make the final cut.
Yet it finally saw the light of day this year, when Taylor included it as one of five "from the vault" tracks that she has decided to release as additional tracks at the end of her re-records.
© Beth GarrabrantIn August 2019, Taylor announced that she would be re-recording and releasing her first six albums after famed artist manager Scooter Braun purchased her former label, Big Machine Records, for an estimated $330 million through his holdings company Ithaca Holdings.
Taylor and Scooter had long had a fraught relationship, but through the publishing rights she held over her work – given she is the primary songwriter for every single one of her songs – she was able to re-record with new production.
Each album has been rebranded as (Taylor's Version), and includes vault tracks including the infamous 10 minute long version of 'All Too Well' on Red (Taylor's Version) which was released in 2021, nine years after the original release.
© Kevin MazurDiane made an appearance at the Women in Film Honors to support Eva Longoria, who was honored with the Crystal Award for Advocacy.
Diane wrote the song 'The Fire Inside' for Eva's film Flamin' Hot, and revealed that she "kept bugging" Eva to let her know when the film was ready for a soundtrack because she was so keen to work with the filmmaker.
But Diane, who infamously has never won an Oscar after 14 nominations, told HELLO! that writing the song for the film came easy to her: "I wrote down the title as I watched the first cut, and there were two meanings - the Flamin' Hot Cheetos themselves, but also it's about passion to make something happen when every door slams – and I lived that. I didn't know anyone in the film or music business, so I was always told I couldn't do it, so writing this, I was writing about myself too."
