In honor of Taylor Swift’s re-release of Red, here are our favorite songs from “The Vault.”
As a loyal Phoebe Bridgers fan, I can’t not say that “Nothing New” was my favorite fault track. I was desperately hoping that Phoebe would have a verse, especially after Taylor Swift having a history of having female features only do background vocals. I cannot describe how elated I was when I heard Phoebe come in with her own verse. Besides that, the lyrics of this one were particularly moving for me. “How did I go from growing up to breaking down?” and “It’s a fever dream/The kind of radiance you only have at seventeen” really hit hard.
-Hannah Grinnell, ‘24
Every song off the vault was absolutely worth our nine year wait for this re-record, and the tracklist didn’t disappoint. I felt like I was hit with an emotional battering ram from the lyrics of the 10 Minute Version of “All Too Well,” Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor’s collaboration “Nothing New,” and the heartbreaking track “Forever Winter.”
The extended and explicit version of “All Too Well” gives us more insight into Taylor’s heartbreak and doesn’t shy away from telling the story of her relationship with an older celebrity. I think “Nothing New” is a perfect mix of Taylor and Phoebe’s vocals, and the song’s message reminds me so much of folklore’s “mirrorball.” “Forever Winter” was my biggest surprise from the vault tracks; Taylor sings about struggling to balance a relationship with someone coping with mental health and depression and the track’s storytelling and relatability make it really stand out to me.
– Maria Sell ‘23
In true Red spirit, none of the new tracks felt like skips. They all brought in their own sounds: some being very emotional, others pulling from her country roots, and some sounding very pop. After my initial listening, my favorite has to be “The Very First Night”. It’s very fun and bouncy and is a great pick me up before getting plunged into the All Too Well (10 Minute Version). Even though it sounds more like a 1989 vault track, I am loving hearing how the eras blur through these new songs.
– Caitlin Boyd ‘24
I love all of the Vault songs from Red (Taylor’s Version), but “Nothing New,” “Better Man,” and “I Bet You Think About Me” are definitely my top three. “Better Man” is one of my all time favorite songs (Little Big Town’s version is absolutely incredible), and it’s such a special song to me and my friends. Taylor finally releasing her version feels incredibly powerful. “Nothing New” is one of those songs that feels like Swift went inside your mind to write this song. Every single lyric has meaning and it completely crushes you in the best way.
– Lucie Bernheim ‘24