As a proud Swiftie, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) on Nov. 12. After Fearless was masterfully rerecorded last spring, and the nostalgia and lyricism of “old Taylor” was matched to her vocal maturity and increased musical experience, any fan could not help but look forward to the follow-up installment of Swift’s visitation into her past works.
Now, it is here! Swift is rerecording her music after a battle over control of the master recordings of her first six studio albums. They were purchased by investors, headed by the now-infamous record executive Scooter Braun. The end of 2020 marked the end of a contract that prohibited her from returning to her former songs, and Swift has been active in rerecording these masterpieces with a twist: the addition of never-before-heard vault tracks.
In Fearless, these included bops like “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” “You All Over Me,” “Bye, Bye, Baby,” and more. This time around, there are ten vault tracks to love, so please enjoy my personal ranking of these previously unpublished jams off of Red (Taylor’s Version).
1. “Nothing New”
When Taylor announced that Phoebe Bridgers would be featured on one of her vault songs, I immediately was hyped, and the final product did not disappoint! The lyrics are heartbreaking, relatable, and offer a frank commentary on women’s place in society as they age. Not to mention, the soft sounds of these two artists’ vocals mixing makes you want to listen again and again, leading it to be my clear number one favorite of the bunch.
2. “All too well (10 minute version)”
I already knew that this was going to rip my heart out, but hearing the full version with her unfiltered words hit me extremely hard. The additional verses made me wish that we always had this version, as it is of one of Taylor’s best works.
3. “The very first night”
This song has it all, both sad lyrics and an upbeat sound. Taylor’s depiction of wanting to hold on to the good feelings of her past relationship offers an engrossing narrative with a great sound as well. It also gave me Lover vibes, which was amazing to hear.
4. “Ronan”
Ronan is a melancholic tune that is sure to make you cry. It is also such a unique song and so different from the rest of the added songs, making it a high one on my list.
5. “i bet you think about me”
The country twang and harmonica in this song brings me back to old Taylor in the best way possible! Chris Stapleton’s rich vocals add such a charm to it that I cannot stop listening.
6. “Message in a bottle”
This one is really indicative of her transition to pop with Red and is super fun! I like it a lot for its listenability and radio quality.
7. “Babe”
This song is sure to be stuck in my head for weeks. I love the beginning refrain, and the lyrics remind me of her songwriting from more modern eras in terms of maturity.
8. “Run”
As an Ed Sheeran fan, I am always in favor of a collaboration with him, and Run did not disappoint. It is so romantic, soft, and sweet!
9. “Better man”
This was an emotional Taylor moment that I was living for, as if the rest of Red was not giving me enough of that, but I loved this tune all the same.
10. “Forever winter”
This was probably the only vault song that I did not like, and I say this just because it was forgettable to me. It had a lot of repetition of messages from other vault songs and kind of combined them in a way that I did not enjoy too much.
If you haven’t already, give the new Red a listen! The original tracks are even better in 2021, and the vault songs offer us an enjoyable look into the former Red era that turned so many of us into Taylor admirers for life.
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