Last Friday, American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift released the re-recording for her 2012 Red, now titled Red (Taylor’s Version). This is her second album to be re-launched after Fearless (Taylor’s Version) due to her previous manager selling the rights to her music.
Taylor Swift added nine new songs “from the vault” to the original tracklist, including a 10-minute version of her fan favourite hit All Too Well, which brought the album to a heart-stopping two hours of listening time with thirty songs in total. I can assure you that everyone who listened to this new edition of the song cried while hearing the despairing yet empowering lyrics.
In addition, the singer dropped All Too Well: The Short Film on Friday night starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink available to stream on Youtube. Even if it was never confirmed by Swift herself, fans believe the song is about her unsuccessful relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal and suspect the film was a reenactment of the three months she spent with the actor back in 2010. The short also had a premiere in New York City where Taylor performed the new acoustic version for the first time live to 400 fans. Personally, I think the short is a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing masterpiece that perfectly reflects all the feelings transmitted by the song and also provides the viewer with a more intimate look into what Swift was thinking at the time.
On Wednesday 17th, she also announced that she recorded a version of the song at Long Pond Studios, the same place in which her documentary concert film Folklore: the long pond studio sessions was shot. This time it’s titled Sad Girl Autumn Version and was described by Swift as a sadder edition of the track.
Fans received a lot of content in a day, however, Miss Taylor Alison Swift did not stop there. She collaborated with Starbucks Coffee to sell her favourite latte, temporarily named Taylor’s Latte or Taylor’s Version, to celebrate the release of her album. The drink is a caramel nonfat latte available in every Starbucks menu and, other than your name, baristas add a song title from the album or a “Taylor’s Version” on your cup.
You might think this is it, but the songwriter had another surprise up her sleeve: the I Bet You Think About Me music video (linked below). This is the first track from the vault, featuring vocals from Chris Stapleton, to receive video privileges, and trust Taylor when she says it’s “the reddest video EVER”. It was directed by her long-term friend, Blake Lively, and starred Miles Teller as Swift’s ex-boyfriend as she crashes his flawless white wedding, turning everything red.
Am I done yet? No, I’m not. Ahead of the release for Red, the Empire State Building went red as well. It hinted at this by tweeting an image of the structure with the hashtag #RedTaylorsVersion and by tagging the singer. Furthermore, fans got even more content after Swift appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers right before and after the midnight drop of the album. Taylor continued to appear on Saturday Night Live the next day as the musical guest, participating in a skit and performing All Too Well (10 Minute Version) once again.
Now, Taylor Swift is shattering Spotify records with Red, as was expected from the Artist of the Decade winner. The album obtained 90.8 million streams on the platform in a day, beating her 2020 surprise-release Folklore which received 78.7 streams 16 months ago. Additionally, she became the most-streamed female artist in a single day in Spotify history with more than 122.9 million streams last Friday. Lastly, rumors are circulating in the streets that All Too Well might debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
I think you can all agree with the title now. Taylor Swift has been dominating the world ever since she announced the re-release of Red, and got every single one of her fans to go red, whether it’s their nails, their clothes or their hair; everything is burning red.
Bibliography
REPUBLIC (2021). Red (Taylor's Version). [Photograph]. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-red-taylors-version/
Perea, D. (2021, November 11). Este Viernes Podrás Pedir Bebida Favorita de Taylor Swift en Starbucks. [Photograph]. DONDE. https://www.dondeir.com/musica/este-viernes-podras-pedir-bebida-favorita-de-taylor-swift-en-starbucks/2021/11/
Swift, T. (2021, November 15). Taylor Swift ft. Chris Stapleton - I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (Official Video). [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UMCrq-bBCg
Vaughan, K. (2021, November 16). Yes, You Can Order Taylor Swift's Favorite Latte at Starbucks. Food52. https://food52.com/blog/26798-taylor-swift-starbucks-drink
Willman, C. (2021, November 13). Taylor Swift Breaks Two Spotify Records in One Day With Release of ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’. Variety. https://variety.com/2021/music/news/taylor-swift-breaks-spotify-record-red-taylors-version-streams-1235111709/