Disclaimer: I know this has been released for a couple of years, but I still wanted to share my favorite songs!
Taylor Swift released her long-awaited album Red (Taylor’s Version) on November 12, 2021. In a bid to regain control of her masters, Red (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s second re-recorded album to be released following Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which was released earlier in 2021. The original Red was released in October 2012. As someone who owned Red in 2012 and is a huge Taylor Swift fan, I was extremely excited to listen to Swift’s new take on her beloved album. After listening to Red (Taylor’s Version) in its entirety and for weeks on repeat, here are my top five songs from the album.
- All Too Well (10-Minute Version)
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The ten-minute version of “All Too Well” may be one of Swift’s best and most popular songs. The lyric video and short film Swift wrote and directed have garnered millions of views since its release. Like “The Moment I Knew,” “All Too Well” paints a clear story that you feel you’re watching in your head as Swift sings, which is most likely why Swift made a short film for the song. The song is not too slow yet isn’t too fast. It’s the perfect in-between as Swift recalls various moments of her past relationship that has now ended. She took her pain from the relationship and breakup and turned it into something that millions of people can listen to and relate to in their own lives if need be. The lyrics are catchy yet meaningful. After listening to this ten-minute version, I had the song stuck in my head for at least a week. While you’d think the ten-minute version would be too long to listen to, I have surprisingly found it very easy to listen to, and it doesn’t feel repetitive. I never feel like I’m listening to a song for ten minutes. I think the additional lyrics in the more extended version paint a clearer story of Swift’s feelings throughout the relationship. Plus, the new lyrics hint at other songs and memories of Red, such as Swift’s “It’s supposed to be fun turning twenty-one,” matching the lyrics about her birthday party in “The Moment I Knew.”
“All Too Well” is arguably one of Swift’s most emotional and powerful songs to date. I think the song has a universal message and a truth in it that resonates with so many people who go through devastating breakups. I particularly love how Swift compares her feelings and associates them with the weather and different seasons. I adore the ending as it fades off slowly and beautifully, almost like Swift will always remember the memories and ups and downs of the relationship. While it was painful, she ultimately learned lessons from it that she’ll keep forever.
- The Moment I Knew
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“The Moment I Knew” has to be one of the songs, if not the song, I’ve listened most to off of Red (Taylor’s Version). I absolutely adore the strings and piano in the beginning and throughout the song. “The Moment I Knew” just feels like a very timeless song that you want to sing along to. It starts off reflective and then picks up to go to a faster beat. There is then a significant buildup to the chorus, and suddenly the song becomes loud and intense. It’s a song you just want to belt out and sing along to.
Additionally, the lyrics paint a story, and there’s a stark contrast between the soft and loud parts of the song. For example, when Swift thinks about all of the things her former love would be doing if he were there currently, she sings it softer, almost happily in a way. However, once the chorus hits, there’s a sudden transformation to a faster beat and more sorrowful singing. In the chorus, Swift recalls her crowded birthday party where she’s wearing red lipstick, and people are asking her where her boyfriend is. The friends then follow her as she feels worse and ask her where her boyfriend is. Swift sings, “He said he’d be here.” Yet he never shows up, and she’s alone, deeming “the moment she knew” that their relationship was over and had run its course. “The Moment I Knew” is an emotional song that paints a vivid story you can picture. Plus, its powerful production makes the song one I simply cannot stop listening to.
- Nothing New (ft. phoebe bridgers)
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“Nothing New” is a newly released track from “the vault,” meaning Swift wrote it around 2012 but is just now releasing it. The song features singer-songwriter, Phoebe Bridgers. It’s one of the slower songs on the album, and I love its message. Swift wrote the song by herself and talks about sexism in the music industry. Swift said in an interview, according to Genius’s website on the song’s lyrics, that the song details feeling scared of aging and of things ultimately changing. I believe the song details the pains of growing up and having those existential crises that we all have now and again. With lyrics like “…I know it’s sad, but this is what I think about, And I wake up in the middle of the night” and “How can a person know everything at eighteen but nothing at twenty-two,” the duo captures the essence and emotions that come with growing up and being scared of the future and what it means. People don’t want to feel old and replaced, and that’s a struggle that Swift deals with throughout “Nothing New.” I believe the track has one of the most powerful messages throughout Red (Taylor’s Version). Bridgers also has a softer voice that blends well with Swift’s and the song’s overall tone.
- Everything Has Changed (ft. ed sheeran)
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Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are a dream team. The two singers and songwriters seem to complement each other so well. “Everything Has Changed” was their first song together and was solely written by the duo. Compared to the original, the new “Everything Has Changed” seems softer, has clearer vocals, and louder strings used in the background. After listening to the older and more recent versions, I believe the new track is just as good, if not better, than the original. The song, about the moment when you fall in love with someone for the first time, is beautiful and calming. It’s a well-written love song with a lot of emotion. I also love the use of strings throughout the pre-chorus. While Swift and Sheeran have also collaborated on “End Game” and “Run” (a track also from Red Taylor’s Version), I believe “Everything Has Changed” remains supreme. As a big fan of the original and even more of the new track, it’s a song I’ll forever have fond memories of and return to.
- I Almost Do
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“I Almost Do” details the difficulties of trying to move on when you know a relationship is over and it’s best to move on. However, it’s much easier said than done. Swift recounts memories of her past love and recalls what she thinks they’re doing. She then sings powerfully yet with sorrow that it takes everything within her to not call or go back to this past flame, yet she says, “I Almost Do.” The song isn’t too fast yet isn’t too slow. It’s the perfect song to sing along to, and it has a meaning that so many people can relate to. “I Almost Do” brings back Swift’s country singer-songwriter style yet in a more modern way that connects to her current sound. The track reflects on past meaningful memories and is a great song to sing along to in order to release similar emotions people may be feeling.
In all, Red (Taylor’s Version) might be one of my top albums from Swift to date. You really can’t go wrong with listening to any of the thirty songs on the album. Each one has something special about it. Overall, the album is very cohesive and definitely one I enjoy listening to. If you have some free time after finals, take some time to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version). I don’t think you’ll regret it.