A reflection on RED T.V. and nostalgia
If you have opened a social media app lately, you have probably heard that Taylor Swift has been releasing new albums. Here’s the twist: they’re technically not new. Let’s start with some backstory. Long story short, Taylor Swift got a new record label as her contract with Big Machine record label ended. When she left her previous label, she lost the rights to her first six albums. This meant that she needed permission to sing them, use them in commercials, etc. She had signed her recording contract as a young teenager and did not realize she was signing away her rights as an artist. She tried to purchase her music catalog or create a deal with her old label head Scott Borchetta. Instead, he turned around and sold her catalog for $300 million to music exec Scooter Braun. Due to this, Taylor decided to re-record her first six albums so she could continue to play them and use her past music. She released her first re-record Fearless (Taylor’s Version) on April 9th, 2021, and her second re-record Red (Taylor’s Version) on November 12th, 2021. I will be focusing on Red (Taylor’s Version) as it is her most recent release and my favorite album of hers. For more information on the reason behind the re-recordings, I recommend this article: https://time.com/5949979/why-taylor-swift-is-rerecording-old-albums/
Red was originally Swift’s fourth studio album. It was released on October 22nd, 2012. It received critical acclaim for its songs including the pop hits “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. It was her first album that transcended genres, landing on the intersection of country and pop. It originally consisted of 16 songs with 6 bonus songs on the deluxe version. The album went along with the themes of heartbreak, storytelling, love and growing up as many Taylor albums often do. It was mostly inspired by her relationship and subsequent breakup with actor Jake Gyllenhal and her next relationship with Conor Kennedy (of the Kennedy family). It hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 and #1 on the US Top Country Albums and won many other awards, famously losing out at the Grammy awards for Record of the Year. This album is considered a fan-favorite of Taylor Swift fans.
Red (Taylor’s Version) includes all of the same tracks but with the addition of 10 bonus “vault” tracks. While adding new tracks and taking away others, Red (Taylor’s Version) is a 30 song album. These tracks include collaborations with artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Ed Sheeran. It also includes the song “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) (10 Minute Version) (From the Vault)” which is an extended version of the fan-favorite song “All Too Well”. The extra bonus tracks were a great idea to encourage fans to stream and buy this version instead of streaming the original album. It keeps the money out of Scott and Scooter’s pockets and puts it back in Taylor’s where it belongs. Here’s what I think about the new release:
I was scared that the re-recording would be too different for me, but it felt like coming home. It was warm, comforting and timeless. The original Red came out when I was 11 years old. As a child, I could not relate to the heartbreak and romance themes. Instead, I twisted their meanings to fit my own life. The song “22” at that time represented how happy I was hanging out with my friends after school. As a 20-year-old, that song now has a different meaning for me. It talks about how being in your 20’s is a very difficult time but your friends keep you grounded. Re-released songs helped me evaluate how my life has changed. I’m able to relate to her songs in different ways as I am now at a similar age to Taylor when she originally wrote Red. This time around, I was able to connect the songs with different experiences which made them deeper and more meaningful to me. The songs become relatable in a new way as both Taylor and her listeners age together.
She also stayed true to the original music and lyrics, while also having some subtle differences. The main difference now is that it felt older, smoother and more put together. As a 31-year-old, Taylor’s vocals have improved a lot over the years. She dropped the country accent and grew as a vocalist. She also doesn’t have to try so hard to hit the notes, making it sound effortless. The vault tracks fit seamlessly into the album. They have become some of my new favorite songs and showed improvement over the Fearless (Taylor’s Version) vault tracks. It’s hard to imagine the album now without these extra tracks. The extended version of “All Too Well” stayed true to what made the original a fan favorite: the lyrics. It flawlessly added new verses and choruses that expanded on the original song without ruining it. It was also accompanied by a short film starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, which was beautifully done and helped listeners truly understand the story behind the song.
The re-recording process seems daunting. It is extremely heartbreaking that Taylor has to do all of this to access her old music (most of which she wrote herself). The re-recordings ended up being a blessing in disguise though. Listeners were able to revisit their childhood in a new way, especially in a time where nostalgia is very profitable. Taylor was able to release her vault songs that would have previously been unreleased to the public. A new generation of listeners were introduced to Taylor’s music and now more people can grow up with these songs, just as I did. That’s the magic of Taylor Swift. She was able to take a bad situation and make it powerful and timeless, taking back her narrative, and delighting fans along the way. This album also sent a message to the music industry. Taylor is now a big advocate for artists owning their masters and this album was revenge towards Scott and Scooter who think they can own her. Stay tuned for the re-recordings of her albums Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 1989 and Reputation (all Taylor’s Version) with the dates to be announced. Also listen to Fearless and Red, both Taylor’s versions.