By Yilin Yao | Staff Writer
Taylor Swift, a 32 year old singer and songwriter, released a new album titled: “Red (Taylor’s Version)” on Nov. 12. This album not only shows how amazing of an artist she is, but also shows how far she has come in her career as a singer. I was extremely excited to listen to the songs when it came out.
The album consists of 30 songs and features fan-favorite songs re-recorded such as “22”, “Red,” and “Holy Ground.” Ever since Swift announced to the public that she was dropping the new Album, remaking her 2012 classics, all of her fans and I had very high expectations for it. Swift, however, not only achieved the expectations set by her fans, but the album also turned out even better than anyone had hoped for.
When Swift publicized “All Too Well” in 2012, fans were anticipating the original 10-minute version of the song ever since. So, when she told her fans that she would be re-recording her 2012 album “Red,” they were more than thrilled for it to be released.
One of the biggest hits and my favorite of the album is the original version of “All Too Well (10-minute Version).” This song broke the record for the longest song to reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is a thousand emotions wrapped in one. Swift wrote this as a memory of a failed relationship and she also specifically emphasizes the age difference between the lovers throughout the music video and lyrics within the song. It is also the first time Swift quoted her father in her song: When a guy fails to appear for her birthday, her father tells her, “it’s supposed to be fun, turning 21.”
This was a palpitate moment that I believe almost every listener experienced. Every single emotion that is felt in this song, whether that is heartbreak, grief, happiness, rage, or loneliness, is a detail that hits way back home.
The most meaningful part of the album is how each lyric is phrasized and written. Most fans can definitely relate to how Swift herself was feeling when she was creating the song. For example, in “All too Well,” one part of the lyrics says “maybe we got lost in transition. Maybe I asked for too much.” This shows how this relationship is one sided yet the girl still refuses to believe that. She puts a lot of responsibility on herself, and believes that she is the one who is causing trouble in the relationship.
This whole album is meaningful to a lot of Swift’s fans out there because each one tells a specific story that many people have experienced before. It also acts as a guide to those who are young and unfamiliar to the whole new world ahead of them. For adults, listening to her songs may have the same feeling as flipping through a photo album, but for the younger fans, listening to the songs may be a new adventure.
As a fan of Taylor Swift, I can definitely tell that this album is one of the best I have ever heard. Listening to each song is like reading a story, each with its own unique meaning and purpose.
