Her Words, Her Voice, Her Music: Taylor Swift Breaks Her Own Record With Re-Release of “Red”

Her Words, Her Voice, Her Music: Taylor Swift Breaks Her Own Record With Re-Release of “Red”

By Jordan Gresham

On Nov. 12, 2021, Taylor Swift broke the internet yet again. Her release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” became the most-streamed album in a day by a female artist on spotify, raking in 90.8 million global streams on the first day, breaking the record already set by “Folklore’s” 80.6 million global streams. The re-release of her iconic fourth album includes the original 20 songs, as well as 10 new “From the Vault” tracks. As we learned from her rerecording of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” the vault tracks are songs that she had written to be on the album but did not make the final cut. The new songs for “Red” include features with Phoebe Bridgers, Chris Stapelton, and Ed Sheeran, and follow a variety of genres to provide something for everyone. 

Red was a breakup album, meant to make the listener feel things, whether it be sadness, relatability, relief, or hope for something new. One song that has evoked listeners since the album’s original release in 2012 was “All Too Well.” This song, allegedly written about Jake Gyllenhaal, is quite the tearjerker among large audiences. On Taylor’s Version, she put out a 10 minute long version of “All Too Well,” because it was the original length of the full thing she wrote, and, because, why not. She definitely likes to bring out emotions in her fans through her music and writing, and she certainly accomplished that with the original length and 10 minute version of these songs. Not only has she made listeners emotionally miserable with about 15 minutes worth of sadness, but she also released a short film starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink based on the song. The raw emotion makes you forget you’re even watching a film and not in a fight with an interpretation of one of Taylor Swift’s exes. 

Some people are wondering; why is Taylor re-recording and re-releasing her old music? Swift was under the management of Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records. However when she switched her management after her first six albums, they did not give her ownership of her massive hits. By releasing the albums as “Taylor’s Version,” she is going to be able to own her words, her voice, and her music again. So with that said, make sure that if you’re wanting to listen to her old music to listen to her version of all of her songs. 

When discussing the album, it is important to note that in any rankings or ratings of her songs to not include one of her vault tracks, “Ronan.” Ronan is a song about a real- life boy who died at a very young age. To avoid being insensitive, it is advised to not include that song in a discussion about the album. However feel free to feel “happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time” when listening to and discussing the album on all other accounts. 

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” Album Cover.  Image and cover photo belongs to Taylor Swift and posted by @taylorswift13 on Twitter