On Friday, Nov. 12, Taylor Swift released “Red (Taylor’s Version),” which is a re-release of her fourth album “Red.”
Swift opted to re-record her first six albums after the first record label that signed her, Big Machine Records, sold them to Ithaca Holdings for $300 million. As such, Scooter Braun was granted ownership of Swift’s masters – the first recordings of her songs, which are then copied – until he sold the six albums to Shamrock Holdings in Nov. 2020.
Rather than earning an album for each new album she produced, Swift opted to sign onto a new record label, Republic Records, after Braun and former president of Big Machine Records Scott Borchetta denied Swift’s allegations that she wasn’t offered an opportunity to buy her masters.
With Republic Records, Swift has recorded three new albums – “Lover,” “folklore” and “evermore” – and re-released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and now “Red (Taylor’s Version),” which has allowed fans to hear vault tracks that were intended for the original album but didn’t make the cut.
“Red” didn’t slip away into a moment in time. In 2021, Swift became the owner of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and its masters after the re-release on Friday, Nov. 12.
“Red (Taylor’s Version)” included “Ronan (Taylor’s Version),” which was previously released as a single in honor of Swift’s fan Ronan Thompson, a 4-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma in 2011. Nine vault tracks were included on the album, including what is arguably Swift’s most anticipated release: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
Two of the songs, “Better Man (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” and “Babe (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” were previously recorded by country artists Little Big Town and Sugarland, respectively. Despite such, Swift’s songs are distinct from Little Big Town and Sugarland, allowing fans to enjoy the differences between her songs and theirs.
My favorites from the original album were “The Last Time,” “The Lucky One,” “Come Back…Be Here” and “Girl At Home,” which are only amplified by Swift’s mature vocals on “Red (Taylor’s Version).” Her songs age like fine wine, though there are audible differences, as expected.
The vault tracks on the album fill the blank space left by heartbreak. Of the nine vault tracks, “Better Man (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” “Forever Winter (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” and “The Very First Night (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” offer fans an opportunity to belt out the songs and finally embrace their heartache through Swift’s country-pop era.
For fans of Swift’s “1989” pop era, “Message in a Bottle (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” is reminiscent of Swift’s fifth album, which producers Max Martin and Shellback also worked on.
As for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” it showcases that this song is a masterpiece that can never be torn up. “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” however, remains a classic as it showcases the artistry that Swift and co-writer Liz Taylor put into trimming down the song from 10 minutes to five minutes and 29 seconds.
Swift has four more albums to re-record, which are as follows: her self-titled debut album “Taylor Swift,” “Speak Now,” “1989” and “Reputation.” Although Swift recently released “Red (Taylor’s Version),” fans began to theorize about her next re-release. Based on Swift’s infamous Easter eggs, fans theorize that Swift is alluding to a re-release of her third album “Speak Now” as a signed copy of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” was listed in a purple-colored font for $20.10, which was the release year of “Speak Now,” and she’s worn purple in recent sightings.
To truly embrace your heartache, listen to “Red (Taylor’s Version),” but just know that you may know a box of tissues all too well.
