In 2018, Taylor Swift left her long-time label, Big Machine. This left her without the masters (rights) to her songs. In simple terms, she would no longer be making revenue from people listening to her older music. As a result of this, Swift decided to re-record everything she released before 2018.
Her first re-recorded album was Fearless, which was originally released on November 11, 2008. Her new version, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), came out earlier this year on April 9. Not only did Swift re-record her old songs, but she also released songs from ‘the vault’ which were originally supposed to be on the album but didn’t quite make the cut.
The next album she released was Red (Taylor’s Version). The 31 year-old star released the new album on November 12, 2021. This album was (very) long-awaited by Taylor Swift fans. The original Red album was released just over nine years ago on October 22, 2012.
So far, the re-recorded album has been a smash hit. With the long-awaited release of songs such as “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), ‘Swifties’ (Taylor Swift fans) have been listening to the album non-stop. The album includes the 30 original songs that were originally supposed to be released on Red.
As a self-considered ‘Swiftie,’ my top five favorite songs, in order, of the album are:
- “The Very First Night” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
- “I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
- “Message In A Bottle” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
- “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
- “Better Man” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
“The Very First Night” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) is by far my favorite song on the album. The upbeat tune of the sound is very similar to other songs of the Taylor Swift era that Red was written in. Even though the song is very upbeat and happy, the lyrics are about holding on to a previous relationship. Lyrics like, “I wish I could fly, I’d pick you up and we’d go back in time” and, “I drive down different roads, but they all lead back to you” illustrate the pain of missing someone who you once loved. My favorite lyric of the song is, “Not trying to fall in love, but we did like children running” because it illustrates a simile of what falling in love is like.
“I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) is one of the most popular songs of the album so far, giving confidence to those fresh out of a breakup. The song is about a breakup that was caused by differences between a couple Throughout the song, Swift is comparing her and the man who the song is about. One example is, “You grew up in a silver spoon gated community, glamorous shiny bright Beverly Hills, I was raised on a farm, no it wasn’t a mansion,” showing a comparison amongst the couple. My favorite lyric of the song is, “But it turned out I’m harder to forget than I was to leave, and, yeah, I bet you think about me” because it feels powerful.
My third favorite song of the album is yet another song from the vault, “Message In A Bottle” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault). I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about this song so far, a lot of people aren’t big fans of it. However, I love the upbeat sound and lyrics of the song. The song is ultimately about being in love with someone who you can’t be with. My favorite lyric of the song is, “‘Cause you could be the one that I love, I could be the one that you dream of, a message in a bottle is all I can do, standing here hoping it gets to you.” This is my favorite lyric because it portrays the meaning of the song very well.
Next, is “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault). Just when I thought the original “All Too Well” couldn’t get more heartbreaking, the ten-minute version was announced. I have been waiting for the ten-minute version of this song for as long as Swift told listeners that a longer version of the song exists. The song is about remembering a lost love ‘all too well.’ I was anything but disappointed by this song, it is a lyrical masterpiece. I have numerous favorite lyrics from this song, some honorable mentions are, “Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place,” “You taught me about your past, thinkin’ your future was me,” “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath,” and, “They say all’s well that ends well.” These are my favorite lyrics of the song because they show the pain that the song is portraying.
Lastly, “Better Man” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) is a Taylor Swift classic. The song is very powerful, it’s about realizing the flaws in a previous relationship. Although this song was originally written by Swift, she gave the song to the band Little Big Town since it didn’t reach the cut for the original Red album. Because of this, I already knew the song “Better Man” when it was released on Red (Taylor’s Version). However, Swift sings it differently than Little Big Town, and I personally like her version better. My favorite lyric is, “We might still be in love if you were a better man, you would’ve been the one if you were a better man.” This is definitely my favorite lyric because it illustrates the pain of missing a past love.
A few songs that didn’t quite reach my top five but are still honorable mentions are, “Stay Stay Stay” (Taylor’s Version), “Babe” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), “Forever Winter” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), “State Of Grace” (Acoustic Version) (Taylor’s Version), “Starlight” (Taylor’s Version), “Everything Has Changed (Taylor’s Version) [feat. Ed Sheeran], and “22” (Taylor’s Version).
So, to answer the question, “Is Red (Taylor’s Version) worth the hype?” My short answer is absolutely yes. All in all, I would rate this album a solid 9.5/10. Although there are a few songs I don’t like simply due to personal preference, a good majority of the songs are incredibly written. In my opinion, the lyrics in the songs communicate a level of sophistication that only Taylor Swift could achieve.
