Taylor Swift continues to make her way through re-recording her old music by releasing the new version of her fourth studio album “Red” last week. Swift plans to eventually rerecord her first six albums, with the end goal of owning her entire catalog of music. This endeavor has proved to expand far beyond the initial idea.
What started as a statement about artists owning their own work has since become a much larger project for Swift. With each updated version comes a more complete look into Swift’s original vision for the album, consequently offering a more intimate look into Swift’s life at the time of the album’s initial release.
“Red (Taylor’s Version)” is no different. The album includes nine songs “from the vault” that did not make the cut of “Red” back in 2012, making “Red (Taylor’s Version)” a whopping 30 tracks long. Just like the rest of the album, the vault tracks are eclectic in genre, switching between country songs dripping with twangy vocals and upbeat pop tracks riddled with horns and synth keyboards.
The album opens with its original 19 tracks, Swift’s mature vocals adding a layer of sophistication to the already intricate songwriting. Swift is meticulous in her rerecordings, matching her original inflections almost exactly. She sings with the same cheeky enthusiasm in songs like “22” and “Stay Stay Stay.” She masterfully captures the quiet desolation of songs like “I Almost Do” and “Sad Beautiful Tragic,” just as she did almost a decade ago.
The vault tracks follow, allowing the listener a more complete tale of young adulthood and heartbreak than before. “Red” is no doubt a breakup album, but “Red (Taylor’s Version)” goes beyond this simple label.
The album captures all facets of heartbreak, exploring the dread and melancholy that accompanies growing older, as exemplified in the song “Nothing New.” The startlingly poignant track features Phoebe Bridgers and is one of Swift’s most vulnerable songs to date. “How can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22?” Swift sings.
Vault tracks like “Better Man” and “I Bet You Think About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton)” not only reminds the listener of Swift’s country roots, but provide context to a much larger story of relationship failure that she sings of earlier in the album. The album is a patchwork of genres, however. “Message in a Bottle” already sounds like a familiar pop classic, reflecting the subtle transition to pop music Swift began making back in 2012.
The crowning song of the album is the long-awaited 10-minute version of the cult classic, “All Too Well.” The track features an ethereal drum beat, effectively combining the style of Swift’s recent endeavors in alternative music with a passionate callback to the breakup song that captured fans’ hearts nine years prior. Swift outdoes herself lyrically, singing in the fourth verse “and did the twin flame bruise paint you blue? Just between us did the love affair main you too?”
A day after the album’s release, Swift debuted a short film for the 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” The 13-minute video stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, depicting the collapse of the relationship described in the song. Sink’s performance is especially impressive, as she captures the unfiltered agony of failed young love. The film is directed by Swift herself and is shot on 35 millimeter film, making the viewer feel as though they are watching a reel of Swift’s personal memories.
“Red” represented a crossroads for Swift, both in her music and in her life. The mixture of genres mirrors the mixed feelings of post-adolescence, with Swift eloquently capturing the inevitable heartbreak that comes during those years. “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is even more intimate, elevating the ingenious artistry behind the album to new heights.
