Red (Taylor's Version) Review

Hi! Long time, no blog. I've recently started university and I'm now searching for a part time job, but I decided when Taylor announced her rerecordings that I would blog my reaction to each of them, even if I quit blogging everything else. As always, my dedication to Taylor and her music is unwavering, so here I am. I'm so proud of Taylor and happy listening, Red stans! I hope it's just as magical as our first listen was in 2012.

The songs I'm most excited for are Stay Stay Stay, The Lucky One, and The Last Time (plus Girl At Home and Better Man)

OG Red

State of Grace: Her voice maturing always surprises me, I don't know why. It makes me appreciate this song ten times more than I ever have before. The lyrics stand out so much more in this version.

Red: The intro is so much cleaner now! Her enunciation was already good and somehow she still improved, swoon. The background vocals feel different but I'm not mad about it! It feels more polished now, and I love it but still have so much nostalgia for the original.

Treacherous: Taylor has been expanding my vocabulary since I started listening to her in 2007. I remember asking my mom what treacherous meant when the album came out (I was 9). I love hearing how much Taylor's voice has changed. The lines "That nothing safe is worth the drive / And I would follow you, follow you home" hit so hard now that I've been in love once or twice.

I Knew You Were Trouble: This was my go-to karaoke song for years. Thanks for bringing the obsession back, Tay. I still think of Pentatonix using this for Dorothy Gale in their Wizard of Ahhs video. The lyrics feel more "understood" in this recording. I feel silly for saying it, but life experience really does change the way music sounds and feels.

All Too Well: Ahhh, the pauses between words are different. The way she says "even now" is so much softer. This time, I was crying by the time the first chorus came around. The second chorus has always been my favorite part of this song and it had me bawling. I was so not prepared for this rerecording. Now it feels like a recollection instead of a memory being lived in.

22: Yet another karaoke favorite...I've always loved dancing to this song. The "who's taylor swift anyways, ew" still makes me laugh and I'm glad she made it more audible. It reminds me that my idol is also a real person who has dealt with more than her fair share of BS.

I Almost Do: Another song I never appreciated enough before. Goodbyes suck, and circling back makes it feel ten times worse. Another lesson Taylor learned first, haha.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: This version still has the original feeling of Taylor talking to a friend about her on-off situationship. Though so many things have changed (most for the better), I’m glad some things never change. The indie record line being more sarcastic gave me a good giggle.

Stay Stay Stay: I've had friends say this song sounds like a target holiday ad. I don’t care. It’s one of my favorites because it’s so lighthearted and makes me believe in simple, happy love. The football helmet line sounded like Taylor was smiling during it! And the background vocals on the chorus? Immaculate. The bridge is still bouncy and soft!! I couldn’t stop grinning during it. Her “so fun” at the end had me giggling too.

The Last Time: I love hearing how Gary’s voice has changed too and their voices melt together even better in this recording. The guitar part was incredible. The bridge was fantastic, it’s everything I wanted.

Holy Ground: Anyways, this song made me realize that I've never appreciated Red enough before. Some of my friends and I have a TS Discord server named after this song and now I think about the friends I've been lucky enough to make over the years. Middle school me would never believe that I am so loved now (yes, I cried typing that). I've been through so much and I'm finally at a place where I'm happy more times than not. This song simultaneously makes me feel so grateful and reminds me of times when I never thought this was possible.

Sad Beautiful Tragic: "And you've got your demons / And darlin' they all look like me" I never understood that line until I had my own "Jake" (coincidentally, he was also a J name). I don't think this song will ever be at the top of my rankings, but I can say that it's a good song and Taylor's voice is forever gorgeous.

The Lucky One: This song has been on loop for years. I can't help but wonder if Taylor feels like it's even more relatable now. Her subtle sighs throughout the song me teary eyed. I saw a TikTok comparing the rose lines in this song and the lakes and it had me bawling. "I understand it now" was a whole new kind of hurt.

Everything Has Changed: The intro with Ed hasn't changed. I don't know why I'm so happy about that, but I think I thought it would be different and I hate change. Ironic considering the song, huh? This pair of friends rerecording together has me emotional. The additional background vocals were unexpected but cool.

Starlight: I love happy Tay songs. For some reason, this song makes me think of Christmas (the chord progression? the background music? who knows.) and I love it. I love the way this song feels.

Begin Again: From the first note, I was crying. This song makes me feel hopeful for every tomorrow. The parallel from "you throw your head back laughing / like a little kid" to "wait by the door like i'm just a kid" is chilling to me every time.

The Moment I Knew: Ugh, the way being stood up feels. This song makes me feel better about school dances and the embarrassing moments. Now I know that I wear red lipstick for me and I impress me. This song strengthens my sense of self worth.

Come Back...Be Here: “This is falling in love in the cruelest way.” I think about my crush during this line. Ouch. Long distance sucks--another Taylor-taught lesson.

Girl At Home: It’s so much more…pop. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. I like the vibe of the original a lot and this is so different. I didn’t like the chorus much. I did like the bridge though.

State of Grace (Acoustic): Ahhh emotions. Like the “normal” version, I appreciate this version so much more now. It’s soft and sweet and definitely going on my “sleep” playlist.

Additional Songs

Ronan: Tears were shed. Many, many tears. I read Maya's blog (link: xx) from time to time. I'm so glad Ronan belongs to Maya and Taylor again.

Better Man: Ouch. Back to back tearjerkers, Taylor? That's casually cruel. The harmonies were incredible. This song feels like it's right at home with the rest of Red. I'm still hoping for a studio acoustic version though.

From The Vault

Oh man, here we go.

Nothing New: Feels like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" meets "The Lucky One" meets "Mad Woman". Unexpected, but incredible. And Phoebe! I was expecting her to do background vocals only. "How did I go from growing up to breaking down" had me sick to my stomach because it's so close to home.

Babe: I love the intro! And the guitar part is so fun. "I hate that because of you, I can't love you babe" had me giggling. The little horns in the background put me in such a good mood.

Message In A Bottle: Incredibly pop from the beginning...and Taylor really does love to mention freckles and eyes! I'm kind of glad that this wasn't on the original recording of Red. I don't think it would've received the love 1989 did and it doesn't fit the original vibe of Red. I like it a lot and I think it's a fun song.

I Bet You Think About Me: This makes me think about her SNL monologue song...I love it. Petty Taylor always makes me giggle. I don't know why I'm so startled when a grown woman swears but it does. The joke about her being insane for her song writing...I love her.

Forever Winter: Taylor loves 3AM, doesn't she? I love the chorus of this song so much. And I love the production style of it. It reminds me of the indie pop sound of AJR that I love so much.

Run: I love the harmonies of this song and the way Taylor says darling. The oohs are so pretty.

The Very First Night: My commentary is falling apart (I’m so tired but it’s worth it!). This song is so bouncy, the vault tracks haven’t disappointed at all. I think I like the Red vault tracks more than the Fearless vault tracks. I’m definitely not ready for the vault tracks from Reputation.

All Too Well (10 Minute Version): Jake Gyllenhaal, count your days (kidding, kidding). In all seriousness, the wordiness of this version has me speechless and in awe of Taylor's ability to carve raw emotions into her songs. The anger and hurt of this version made me realize just how public her life has been.

Extra

A Message From Taylor: Hearing Taylor talk about this album and how proud she is of it makes every Swift-induced all-nighter worth it. Anyways, stream Red (Taylor's Version) all day like I definitely will (And please do Not check my twitter feed, I am a mess). Good night Swiftiesand friends <3