Photo via @taylorswift on Instagram
By Claire Leibowitz, Marketing and Outreach
Everyone knows Taylor Swift to be a clever artist who’s politically active, caring towards her fans and genuinely likable. Yet, this doesn’t mean that everyone is a fan of her music and unfortunately I can not say I am a Swiftie. I like her, just not in a die-hard way.
Initially, I was excited to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version) because I love sad heartbreak music. Have I ever had my heart broken? Nope. Did I know why the internet was mad at Jake Gyllenhall? Definitely not. Did I understand why people online were excited to listen to this song after heartbreaks because they felt like they were in Taylor’s mindset? No.
I want to make it clear that I genuinely think Red (Taylor’s Version) is a really good album; I did not dislike any songs. When I was listening, I was filled with nostalgia for when I was ten years old, sitting in the car waiting for my mom to finish running errands, listening to “I Knew You Were Trouble” on blast.
With the release of this new version, you can really tell that Swift is taking back her sound. The lyrics sound more confident, the audio quality is stronger and her voice is more developed. Taylor’s Version is similar to the original, just more elevated. Swift sounds more sure of herself, bolder, older and even a bit careless.
According to Vox, Swift is re-recording old songs to finally take her power back from Scooter Braun and regain control of the licensing of her music.
The maturity Swift has developed in the last nine years has also swept over fans–they’ve gone through puberty, graduated from different schools and faced different challenges. According to Shelley Zuckerman, GW sophomore and self-proclaimed Swiftie, people online “want to be sad and actually relate to the emotions” that Swift sings about, as they now have a better understanding of her feelings.
“The Lucky One (Taylor’s Version)” really stood out to me. I was glad that I could actually relate to what Swift was singing about; I felt that higher understanding. I don’t think my fifth-grade self knew the significance of the line “Cause you don’t feel pretty / You just feel used.”
I got flashbacks hearing cult classics like “Red,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “22,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” I started to remember distinct moments with old friends from birthday parties and carpool rides, feeling so young and small, but so powerful.
Unfortunately, I found myself a little bit bored towards the middle of the album. I didn’t know a majority of the songs, not to mention they just weren’t my taste.
I was, however, excited for the nine new songs “From the Vault”. Swift wrote these at the time of the original Red album to eventually put on other albums, but they never ended up fitting the right vibe. Swift did not disappoint, especially in her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers in “Nothing New (Taylor’s Version)”: the lyrics are beautiful, and their voices blend perfectly together.
Swift has always been a genius in terms of her lyrics and “Easter Eggs” she drops as hints to fans about lyrics and album drops. They can be social media posts, mentions of certain clues in interviews or symbols in her everyday life. Swift explained in an interview with Jimmy Fallon how she “wanted to do something that incentivized fans to read the lyrics because [her] lyrics are what [she’s] most proud of out of everything [she does].” As per her request, I had the lyrics pulled up online as I listened to each song. If you haven’t already, I would definitely recommend doing this.
My favorite song on the album was “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” and I am not alone in this. Initially daunted by the length, I had an intense talk with my roommate about Swift’s songs “from the vault,” and how the original version of this song was ten minutes, but for the first album she shortened it to five. A ten-minute song seems like a chore to listen to, but with Swift it was nothing. The beauty of her style is the power behind her lyrics, I appreciate the effort and dedication she puts into her music. I could tell immediately that in addition to “The Lucky One,” this would be another song to overplay.
So overall, Red (Taylor’s Version) is a solid album. I may be basic in the sense that I only like her popular songs, but that may just be because pop isn’t my taste. However, I do think Swift’s lyrics, dedication to her music and power in the industry make it easy for anyone to appreciate her work.
Taylor Swift deserves the hype and love she gets from taking ownership of her music back. I will gladly stream Taylor’s Version over the originals to support her talent, commitment and resilience.
