A Second Glance at Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’

BY CLARA MCCOURT

Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album Red, released October 22, 2012, marked a watershed moment in her career. Swift’s musicality and public perception were drastically altered, establishing her as a woman of depth, talent, and power through unabashed vulnerability. As fans eagerly await the re-recorded version of Red, titled Red (Taylor’s Version), due November 19, 2021, a look back on the original Red will make the new one even more meaningful.

Red mixes chart-topping hits with emotional fan-favorites, exploring messages of love, turmoil, heartbreak, and freedom. One of Swift’s deepest assets is her perspective on love, and this is utilized beautifully. Swift is not afraid to get intimate, and many of the songs center around a tumultuous relationship. “Treacherous” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” reflect an uncertainty around a new love and where it leads. These songs carry the crackling electricity of anticipation that comes with a budding relationship.

Other songs on the album take a less intricately personal approach. “Starlight” details the 1940s romance of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy. “The Lucky One” is an ode to Joni Mitchell detailing the dangers of celebrity. This third-person approach is an interesting move for Swift, whose personal life at the time was highly publicized. She later tapped back into this perspective through songs on her albums Folklore and Evermore.

Swift’s collaborations on Red pave the way musically to her recent collaborations with Justin Vernon, or Bon Iver, and Aaron Dessner of the National. “The Last Time,” a duet with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, taps into the same melancholic production that Swift would later explore with Vernon on Folklore’s “Exile.” “Everything has Changed,” a duet with Ed Sheeran, employs the same acoustic feel as “Renegade,” Swift’s collaboration with Vernon and Dessner under the moniker Big Red Machine. The Red (Taylor’s Version) tracklist revealed a second collaboration with Sheeran, as well as Chris Stapleton and Phoebe Bridgers. It will be interesting to see how these songs retain the music style of Red while taking influence from Folklore, Evermore, and Big Red Machine. 

Red boasts a versatility of genre that marks a shift in Swift’s musical career. It is the perfect bridge between the country-rock stylings of Speak Now before it and the pop-anthem-heavy 1989 after it. Songs like “Sad Beautiful Tragic” and “The Moment I Knew” combine classic country heartbreak with the might of power ballads. “Holy Ground” and “State of Grace” dip their toes into upbeat arena rock. “22” and “Red” mark the beginnings of Swift’s distinct pop sound blasted across radio stations worldwide.

Swift’s lyricism is best showcased on fan-favorite “All Too Well.” The soft rock-country ballad details the minuscule specifics of a relationship preserved in memory. Swift expertly juggles emotion and motifs through her lyrics, bringing back ideas throughout the song as if they are within the listeners’ own memory. “All Too Well” becomes the emotional centerpiece of an album layered in complexity. 

Red is truly a testament to Swift’s talent and star power. Some consider Red to be her magnum opus of lyricism, long before Folklore and Evermore were even an idea. Swift has a writing credit on every song on the 19-track deluxe album, an impressive feat for an in-demand pop star. While some songs, like the quirky, ukulele-driven “Stay Stay Stay,” are products of 2012 pop culture, Red is timeless at its core and has truly stood the test of time. Red (Taylor’s Version) will be a welcome revival of Swift’s emotional journey.

Red

Taylor Swift

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Retrospective Review

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