“Happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way” honestly is the only way to describe my state of mind since “Red (Taylor’s Version)” dropped on Nov. 12, 2021.
As is in the nature of Taylor Swift, the album has already made history by being the most-streamed album in a day by a female, reaching 90.8 million global streams on Spotify. This album has been all over social media, and Swift made three late night appearances this weekend on Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She has been applauded for her innovation in reclaiming her music by re-recording it as her own. It’s safe to say, with all the praise going around for “Red (Taylor’s Version),” none of us really are “fine at all.”
Whether you’ve listened to the album or not, you’ve most likely heard the acclaim for “All Too Well,” but not the five-minute version —no, this time, it’s the 10-minute, explicit version, which Swift cut down when she originally recorded the record. If any artist could convince her fans to listen to a five-minute and 10-minute version of the same song in one album, it’s Taylor Swift.
She performed the new “All Too Well” track at the release night for the accompanying short film and then again at SNL on Nov. 13. While “All Too Well,” the stolen version, has always been a fan favorite and has garnered many tears among Swifties, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” generates a beautiful mixture of sorrow… and hatred. Though Taylor has never confirmed who the song is about, the short film, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, has unofficially confirmed theories about which of Taylor’s exes is the song’s subject.
However, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” is not the only vault song Swift has re-released for the new version of “Red.” While the original album had 16 songs, “Red (Taylor’s Version)” has 30 tracks, and all of them are worth listening to. Along with the vault songs, Swift re-recorded songs she had originally given away, such as “Babe,” which she gave to Sugarland and “Better Man,” given to Little Big Town. She also released new songs, featuring artists such as Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers.
Swift’s most notable artistry trait is her lyricism, which manages to express profound truth through clever metaphors and imagery in a way few artists can match. Along with “Fuck the patriarchy,” there are lyrics from the vault songs that I just have not been able to shake from my brain.
“How did I go from growing up to breaking down?”
“Nothing New” feels like a diary entry from college women everywhere. Swift’s and Bridger’s vocals are soft and timid in this song, and that captures the heart of the song, which is about the fear and changes that come with growing up.
“I know the bravest thing I ever did was run.”
The moment I listened to “Better Man,” I knew it was about to be my new favorite Taylor Swift song. I’ve listened to and loved the version by Little Big Town, but Taylor’s version has so much heart and shatters me every time I put it on. This song is perfect for a cry-sesh and beautifully describes the bittersweet feeling of missing the past but knowing the choice you made was correct. Sometimes the hardest things we have to do are the best decisions we can make for ourselves. It’s criminal that Taylor kept this version in the vault for nine years!
“And I’ll sing like no one cares/No one to be, no one to tell.”
“Run” was written just so “cowboy like me” from “evermore” could shine. This song follows lovers who feel lost and misplaced, but they cling to each other through it all. Another track featuring Ed Sheeran, the sentimental friendship between Swift and him is obvious in their vocals, which fit together in a seamless, yet jagged way.
“No one knows about the words we whisper/No one knows how much I miss you.”
“The Very First Night” fits perfectly into “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and has the same upbeat energy as “State of Grace” and “Holy Ground.” Had Swift released this track in 2012, it would have made a fantastic single. This song reminisces on good memories of a past love, which is fresh and comforting amidst countless tracks about heartbreak and residual bitterness.
“And there we are again when nobody had to know/You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.”
There are many lyrics I could pick from the new version of “All Too Well,” but this is the one that stuck with me when I first heard it. The added lyrics to “All Too Well” are brutal and reveal the mixed emotions Swift felt when she wrote this song. Swift not only conveys her heartache, but her confusion, betrayal and ruthless acidity towards her ex. This song pushes boundaries by not only being 10 minutes long but by expressing emotions without any sugar coating (and I mean, absolutely everything is laid out in the open).
The songs on “Red (Taylor’s Version)” bring with them a new level of depth and maturity for Swift, both in a lyrical sense and in her vocals. Even if half the tracks are re-recorded, she has created a refreshing record to both people who know the album by heart or are new fans of hers.
There’s an unmatched feeling to hearing the songs you loved as a kid as if for the first time again when you’re almost 20 in college. Her lyrics bring out a whole new meaning, and if you’ve followed Taylor’s career and life over the past few years, there are new meanings for her, as well. Although it is still unclear whether “Speak Now” or “1989” is coming next, the “Taylor’s Version” records make one thing clear: Taylor Swift is not slowing down, and her music really does keep getting better.