Taylor Swift released her version of her fourth studio album Red, and after listening to it non-stop since it came out, I know it “All Too Well.” With the updated vocals and the additional songs from the vault, the album sounds even more beautiful and heartbreaking than it did during its original release in 2012. The album has already broken multiple records and has been extremely successful, making it a “must listen to” album.
Red is known as an autumn album about heartbreak, and it is one of the saddest albums in her discography. It is important to remember that Taylor was only 22 when the album originally came out and she is now much stronger vocally, which makes the lyrics she is singing hit so much harder. This difference was something I realized right away during “State of Grace” at my first listen, and it made the album resonate even more with me. I always found the songs sad and understood the meaning to them, but I feel like the meaning behind them is even more clear now.
This re-recording has also made me appreciate songs that I may not have seen as a “favorite” from the stolen version (which is what we call the “original” versions of the albums). This isn’t to say there were songs I didn’t like on the album, because I am a fan of all of them, but there are songs that I would skip a lot that I now see as a song to have on repeat. This is one of the things I love most about the re-recordings; they help you find a new love for the songs you already loved before or help your love for a song grow. Since it is her version, the songs have their own little twist (or in the case of “Girl At Home,” big twist) to make them new and exciting for all the fans. Good examples of this would be “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble,” two of her most popular songs from the album. These differences may not be the most obvious in all the songs, but if you listen closely, you’ll hear them.
Since this is my review, I have to talk about my favorite song from the album, and it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone to hear that it is the 10 minute version of “All Too Well.” If you’re a Swiftie, you’ve probably heard of this version of the song years ago but never knew if we would ever have the chance to hear it. Of course, Taylor knew she couldn’t release her version of this album without putting it on there, and it was even more amazing than we expected. Even though the song has a little more of an upbeat tone than the cut-down version, it is even more emotional, taking you through her mind and feelings during this time in her life. By the end of the song, you will feel as if you also experienced this relationship, whether you can relate to it or not (I hope not). The song also makes references to other songs on the album, like “The Moment I Knew,” and puts a new perspective on other songs such as “22,” when we now realize that she was so excited for this birthday because her 21st was ruined by a toxic relationship. One or two tears will most likely fall down your face when listening, but when a song can do that, you know it is good.
This version of “All Too Well” is only one of the many beautiful vault songs that we now get to hear. Songs like “Babe” and “Better Man” may have already existed as songs Taylor sold to other artists, but we now get to hear how she would sing them herself. She also released a lot of other songs that we never heard before, and they are all wonderful. “Message in a Bottle” and “The Very First Night” give off a more pop, upbeat sound, while “Run” and “Nothing New” are slower (and amazing collabs with Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers), and “Forever Winter” is one of those songs that may not have the saddest tone to it, but the lyrics are heart wrenching. Of course, we can’t forget how Taylor goes back to her roots of country music in “I Bet You Think About Me” ft. Chris Stapleton (even though there are other country songs, as it is still considered part of the country genre). The vault songs highlight Taylor’s wide range of music she likes to perform and made me and the rest of her fans excited for her future re-recordings.
My expectations were high for this album, yet Taylor still surprised me with how amazing it actually is. It has been on repeat ever since it came out on November 12 and took over my most listened to songs for the month of November. If you have not listened to the album yet, what are you waiting for? Listen now and start theorizing with the rest of us Swifties about what the next re-recording will be.