As autumn leaves fall like pieces into place, Taylor Swift once again takes over the fall season and aesthetic by re-releasing her fourth album “Red.” Now Swift fans get to see this timeless era begin again.
And I know what you may be thinking, what’s so important about an album being re-recorded and re-released?
Well, first off it’s empowering for Swift and her fans to see her claim what she had taken from her, but it’s also very nostalgic.
After switching labels and management, Swift lost the rights to her old music. This included the albums starting from her self-titled debut album, and ending with her 2017 album “Reputation.” This means she couldn’t perform, use, or profit off of her old music without the permission of her past management. So, to take back what is rightfully hers, Swift has been re-recording her past albums.
The first album to be released was “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” on April 9,2021, but on November 12, it was time for her iconic, fall-centered album “Red (Taylor’s Version)” to take over.
Along with the original songs released on the first version of “Red”, Swift re-recorded the unreleased music from the era to include on the newest version of the album. Altogether there were 30 tracks to this album, including a ten minute version of her popular song “All Too Well.”
Personally, this track is what I was most excited for and it did not disappoint. Swift has always had a powerful way of expressing her emotions through song, but her version of the heartbreak song added a new depth of vulnerability the original lacked.
I mean: what other artist can release one song about a bad breakup from over a decade ago, and inspire the entire internet to hate the ex? And yes, I am talking about Jake Gyllenhal.
Besides “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”, and the eight other tracks “from the vault” (as Swift calls it) that were released, my favorites from this collection were “Nothing New” featuring Phoebe Bridgers and “The Very First Night.” Along with beautiful writing that lays out every emotion perfectly, I felt like these songs were the most reminiscent and fit best with the original era of “Red”.
The original “Red” album was released in 2012, when I was only eight years old. Of course I still loved Swift at that age, but I wasn’t old enough to understand or relate to the concepts of the songs.
Now almost ten years later, I got to hear all of the songs like it was the first time and was able to relate to every lyric which makes this so special. Even though I already knew the songs that were being released, it’s still exciting and something not a lot of fan bases can have. Some might even say we’re “the lucky ones.”
It’s also interesting to be able to see how far Swift has come as a vocalist and her newer takes on the songs.
Of course I love all of the songs since I grew up with them, but one thing I find odd is how exact every song is to the original. Even the laugh Swift has at the end of “Stay Stay Stay” is the same, but I don’t think it should be.
In the originals the talking and laughing she adds feels authentic and as if those moments genuinely happened. Now they feel scripted and like she rehearsed it.
Although I appreciate how similar each re-released song is to the original, I’m looking forward to see what stylistic changes she could make on the upcoming albums that are “Taylor’s Version”. In future albums I would want to see new moments in the studio incorporated instead of her remaking them.
Though some listeners may be confused about how a re-released album is gaining so much traction, it just comes down to the nostalgia fans feel and getting to have the excitement over our favorite albums all over again.
The release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” certainly did not disappoint and I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to more of her albums in ‘22.
