On November 12th, 2021, Taylor Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version). This album included every song that she released in 2012. Along with those 16 songs, 14 other songs were released from “The Vault.”

Swift released her version of this album following her release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) back in April 2021. When she announced that she would be releasing her version of Red, she originally said it would be on November 19th. But, when Adele announced her album 30, would be released that same day, Taylor moved it.

Releasing her own version of her music is beyond a new sound. It means she owns the songs herself and she decides how they should sound.

On Red (Taylor’s Version), my favorite rerecording was The Last Time (Taylor’s Version) Ft. Gary Lightbody. This song sounds similar to the original version. But it also sounds different because her voice sounds more mature. She was only 22 when the original was released. When the rerecording was put out, she was only a month away from turning 31. The Last Time (Taylor’s Version) is also very interesting to hear again because of the buildup in the middle of the song. Of course, there is still a buildup in the rerecording, but it sounds softer. To me, all of her songs sound softer and calmer in the rerecording.

All Too Well was rerecorded twice. When Swift originally wrote the song back in 2012, it was ten minutes long. But she cut it to six minutes. But, in Red (Taylor’s Version) she released both. First there is All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) which is the same lyrics as the original version. Then, there is All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) (Ten Minute Version) (From The Vault). This one is longer than the original and has different lyrics.

Personally, I like the ten-minute version better. The lyrics are more mature, and they tell the story better than the original version. This one has more details and lets the listener imagine themselves in that situation.

Swift said, “Musically, and lyrically ‘Red’ assembled a heartbroken person. It was all over the place, a fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end. Happy, free, confused, and lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild and tortured by memories past. Like trying on pieces of a new life, I went into the studio and experimented with different sounds and collaborators. And I’m not sure if it was pouring my thoughts into this album, hearing thousands of your voices sing the lyrics back to me in passionate solidarity, or if it was simply time, but something was healed along the way.”

This album captured the feeling that she wanted. As you go through the songs, you can feel the story and the emotions behind it. It’s sad but nostalgic at the same time. I can remember being young and hearing “Red” for the first time. This time around I can appreciate the meaning and the lyrics behind all the songs.