The long-awaited re-recording of Taylor Swift’s Red has officially been released and now it is only acceptable to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version). This album of course includes the ten-minute version of the most iconic breakup song of all time, “All Too Well”, re-recorded with new verses and paired with an accompanying short film written and directed by Taylor herself. Through hints I picked up during my initial watch of the “All Too Well” video, as well as some posts I’ve seen on the internet, it seems that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is likely the next re-recorded album coming our way. Here are a few Easter eggs I noticed indicating the anticipated release:
- “We were sitting there by the water, you put your arm around me- for the first time”: “Mine”
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Around the two-minute mark in the short film Jake – I mean Dylan O’Brien’s character (Him)– is seen putting his arm around Sadie Sink’s character (Her) while standing by the water. This was the clearest sign to me that Speak Now (TV) is coming next as “Mine” is not only an iconic song, but it’s also the very first song on the album.
- “the way you move is like a full-on rainstorm, and I’m a house of cards”: “Sparks Fly”
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Moving on to the second song on Speak Now, in her song “Sparks Fly”, Taylor compares herself to a house of cards. In the short film, after the jaw-dropping kitchen scene, Sink and O’Brien are playing cards in the living room together. In my opinion, this depicts the reoccurring cycle of being in love and fighting that Taylor was feeling in this relationship. Her sadness, like a rainstorm, was overbearing to her, as she was simply a house of cards.
- “Now I’m standing, in a crowded room and we’re not speaking”: “The Story of Us”
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For nearly a minute straight at the 8:40 mark in the short film, Sink’s character is seen walking around a room crowded with people, visibly lost not knowing anyone. This scene sparked a lot of talk on social media as it seems like a perfect depiction of the line in “The Story of Us” on Speak Now. Additionally, Her, later on, played by Taylor herself, is shown in the last scene reading the All Too Well novel to a group of people in a bookstore. Many are also saying this is hinting at elaborating on “The Story of Us” as she’s seen reading what seems to be the lyrics to “All Too Well.”
- “You were an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry”: “Dear John”
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At the end of the kitchen scene in the short film, O’Brien’s character repeats “I’m sorry” seven times prior to the continuation of the music. The ingenuine apologizing whilst fighting about ignoring his girlfriend in a group of his friends can be summarized by the “Dear John” lyric above.
Bonus: Short Film Premiere Outfit & CD Price
This isn’t in the short film itself, however, Taylor was seen wearing a purple velvet suit on the carpet for the premiere. Many took this as a sign for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) coming next, as the album cover for the original Speak Now shows Taylor in a purple gown. Lastly, with the drop of Red (Taylor’s Version) she also released new merchandise, including a CD. The CD was priced at $20.10, written in purple on the website. Between the purple, once again hinting at the album cover, as well as the price (Speak Now was released in 2010).
Nearly every song on Red (Taylor’s Version) has remained in the top charts since the release and this has so many Taylor fans excited for the next album. As someone whose favourite Taylor Swift album is Speak Now I’m truly hoping these Easter eggs aren’t wrong so that I can finally support her while listening to it. To conclude, f**k Jake Gyllenhaal.
XO