Taylor Swift, an artist that has remained heavily in the spotlight for the last 15 years, has finally released the long awaited re-record of her 2012 album Red. The record was announced in June and fans have waited five long months to hear Taylor’s Version of the “sad girl fall” album. 

Swift was relatively silent in the five months following the announcement of the album. Fans came up with theories almost every week, anticipating a lead single. The previous re-record, Fearless, had three singles before the full album was released so fans were excited to see what Swift would put out for Red (Taylor’s Version). Despite all the excitement, the single never came. 

In the announcement tweet for Red (TV), Swift stated that the album would be out in November and “[it] will be the first time you hear all 30 songs that were meant to go on Red,” and she wasn’t lying. However, even without any singles from the album, Swift has stayed incredibly relevant and the anticipation for Red (TV) skyrocketed as the release date neared. 

Nine years later and emotions still run strong throughout the album. With the original 20 songs and 10 tracks from the vault, the album is a whopping two hours and 11 minutes long. Red (TV) includes songs featuring artists Ed Sheeran, Phoebe Bridgers, Gary Lightbody and Chris Stapleton. 

The re-recording process has already been monumental for Swift and fans alike. Swift gets the opportunity to take back what is hers and fans get to relive every iconic era. Each song on Red (TV) is so powerful and really makes the listener feel. It is an album that dives into heartbreak and that can be heard on tracks such as “All Too Well” and “The Moment I Knew.” Classic hits such as “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” feel even stronger than they did before.

Swift has proven time and time again that she is an incredible songwriter and while that was clear with the original tracks, it is reinforced with the vault tracks. “Nothing New” featuring Phoebe Bridgers is a gut wrenching song that explores the feelings of being scared for what the future holds. For Swift, this relates directly to her career. As a woman in the industry, she is constantly thinking of how to reinvent herself. Her emotions really shine with lyrics such as “Will you still want me when I’m nothing new?” The track was written fully by Swift and with the addition of Bridgers, it has the potential to become a quick fan favorite. 

Almost every fan of Swift knows how iconic “All Too Well” is. It has become a very meaningful song between Swift and her diehard fans so when she announced that Red would include the 10-minute version, Swifties went crazy. The song dives even further into the whirlwind heartbreak that was the Swift/Jake Gyllenhaal relationship and it leaves listeners feeling as if they experienced it all right next to Swift. Strong emotion can be heard throughout the song and each new lyric hurts more than the last. 

Taylor Swift is arguably the best artist of our generation. Knowing that she finally owns songs that define such a big part of her career is a phenomenal feeling. Red (TV) is showstopping and it begs to be heard by the masses. Whether you’re a diehard Swiftie or you’ve never made the effort to listen to her music before, take a few minutes today to appreciate the masterpiece that is this album.