by Reade Fenner ‘22

Due to issues with the ownership of her first six studio albums, American musician Taylor Swift announced in November of 2020 that she planned to re-record these albums, labeling them Taylor’s Version. Following the re-recording of her second studio album, Fearless, Swift has now recreated her fourth album, Red. Released on November 12, Red (Taylor’s Version) is a collection of 30 songs.

Red (Taylor’s Version) is a fantastic recreation of an already amazing album. The first 20 songs include those originally on Red, plus those from the deluxe edition, excluding the original demo recordings of “Red” and “Treacherous.” Aside from more mature vocals from Swift, which enhance the album overall, each song sounds almost identical to its original. 

The one disappointment is Swift’s new rendition of “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” one of Red’s iconic singles. The song’s use of childish tones for words such as “we” in the chorus clash with Swift’s mature voice, resulting in an off-putting sound. 

Swift added “Ronan” to Red (Taylor’s Version), an emotional charity single inspired by Maya Thompson’s blog “Rockstar Ronan” in which she details the experience of her son Ronan, who passed away at age three due to neuroblastoma, a type of nerve cancer. With Thompson’s permission, Swift included this touching song when re-releasing Red, continuing to credit her as a songwriter. 

As a bonus for fans, Swift also released nine “From the Vault” songs, pieces she wrote while creating Red but never released. “Nothing New” is a somber collaboration with indie rock musician Phoebe Bridgers about aging and how it relates to maintaining relevance in the music industry. Swift joins Ed Sheeran, a pop musician she works with frequently, to create the tranquil rustic song that is “Run,” and performs alongside country artist Chris Stapleton in the bitter break-up song “I Bet You Think About Me.” 

The most anticipated “From the Vault” song, however, is Swift’s extension of “All Too Well,” a power ballad ranked 69 on Rolling Stone’s 2021 “500 Best Songs of All Time.” “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” is a song fans have been begging Swift to release since she admitted that the song was originally ten minutes long. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” meet the fans’ expectations, capturing the vulnerability and pain of the original, while adding biting lyrics such as “And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes / ‘I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age.’” 

Each song was released with a beautifully produced lyric video, with “All Too Well” receiving its own short film starring “Stranger Things” actress Sadie Sink and “Maze Runner” actor Dylan O’Brien. Swift also released a fantastic music video for “I Bet You Think About Me” on November 15, which stars actor Miles Teller and is directed by close friend and actress Blake Lively.

Red (Taylor’s Version) concludes with “A Message From Taylor,” in which Swift describes Red as a “A fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end” and thanks her fans for their support.

Like Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) does not disappoint. The nearly identical re-recordings and the immense volume of new content ensures that longtime fans of Swift can properly enjoy this passionate heartbreak album with the comforting knowledge that Swift finally has ownership.

Rating: A