Taylor Swift became a household name many years ago and is now regaining her place. Somehow, she managed to produce almost the exact same music from 10 years ago and still broke Spotify. In addition to becoming one of the most listened to artists this past year. If you're unaware, Taylor Swift started releasing music in 2006 and has since lost the rights to almost all of her albums. She makes no profit off her old music anymore and has now made albums such as ‘Lover’, ‘Evermore’ and ‘Folklore’ almost all throughout the pandemic.
Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) earlier this year which was composed of her old songs from her 2008 album, re-recorded so she now owns the rights to them. She also included (From the Vault) tracks which are songs written in the time of that album but have not made it in the release. And she did it again! Taylor just released Red (Taylor’s Version) with the same songs from Red and more Vault tracks.
In my eyes, Taylor is one of the best lyrical writers of our generation, and this album proved that thoroughly. Listening to the same songs but with the addition of her voice 10 years later makes me realize how much her music has changed over the years and how she has never missed the mark.
Let's talk about her Vault tracks. She brought in Phoebe Bridgers for a song called ‘Nothing New’ that is absolutely cry worthy. The two sing about being young and how women are often controlled by a narrative. I love that she gave Bridgers this place in her song to show just how powerful women in the industry are. She also released a song named ‘I bet you think about me’ with Chris Stapleton and a music video shot by Blake Lively. Both were beautifully done and quite emotional. The fact that these heartbreak songs that were written 10 years ago are now being sung by an emotionally healthy Taylor makes it all the more enjoyable, and proves that it does get better.
The most surprising was the best release on the album was ‘All Too Well (10 minute version)’. As she stated on Jimmy Fallon, the original song ‘All Too Well’ was 10 minutes long but she couldn't put it into the Red album, yet I am so glad she put it in this time. Listening to a 10 minute story of a relationship and the stages of grief she went through is something I and many others have never heard before. The details and intricate imagery she used in her song helps me feel what she felt and really understand why and how she was hurt, and shows how she is doing better now. She also released a Short Film that captures what she's singing incredibly starring Dylan O'Brien and Sadie Sink with an appearance at the end by Taylor herself.
When a song written 10 years ago is made new and given a new meaning it means it’s something special, and that's what she did 30 times over in this album. I'll never get tired of listening. If I had to give it a numerical score, I would give it a 5/5.
Rating: 5/5
