By Julia Kemp
Taylor Swift, the brilliant, honest, and talented artist, recently broke millions of hearts with the rerelease of her saddening fourth album titled Red. Not only did Red (Taylor’s Version) top the charts in less than a day, but also it broke records on the Spotify charts. The album broke Spotify records for “the most streamed album in a day by a female” and “the most streamed female in a day.” After listening to this album repeatedly since its release on November 12, 2021, I can confidently say that Red (Taylor’s Version) deserves every award, record-break, and word of praise that it receives.
Each song is like a warm hug on cozy fall night; the relatability and honesty of each lyric allows every young person who feels fractured and lost to be comforted by the similar struggles of the powerful songwriter who has achieved and grown so much since the initial release of this album in 2012. Ultimately, the album is Taylor’s reflection of past heartbreaks and confused youth and serves as a comfort to the young people of today experiencing the same thing. Songs from the album like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor’s Version),” “Girl at Home (Taylor’s Version),” “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” and “I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version)” serve as the perfect songs to scream in anger and sing at the top of your lungs. At the same time, songs like “Ronan (Taylor’s Version),” “Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” will leave you in a puddle of tears on your bedroom floor. Red (Taylor’s Version) overarchingly provides every comfort needed from an album; from empowering anger anthems to a heart wrenching ballads to nostalgically warm melodies, every song on Red (Taylor’s Version) is absolute perfection, and I believe that if every person on the planet were to listen to it the world would be a better place.