Red (Taylor’s Version) is the second re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Released via Republic Records on November 12, 2021, as a part of Swift’s countermeasure against the purchase of the masters of her back catalog, the album is the re-recording of Swift’s fourth studio album, Red (2012), and follows the first re-recording, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021).
The 30-track Red (Taylor’s Version) includes re-recorded versions of 20 songs from the deluxe edition of Red; the 2012 charity single “Ronan“; the 10-minute-long, unabridged version of “All Too Well“; Swift’s own recordings of “Better Man” (2016) and “Babe” (2018); and six previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks. Swift and Christopher Rowe produced the album with a majority of the original producers, with new inputs from Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff amongst others. Gary Lightbody and Ed Sheeran returned to provide guest vocals, with Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton as new additions.
Met with widespread acclaim, Red (Taylor’s Version) was lauded for Swift’s vocals, enhanced production quality, and the new tracks. Contemporaneous critics described it as a classic pop record with a country core, infusing rock and electronic flairs, whilst examining various dynamics of love, life, loss, and heartache. The album broke a string of commercial records, including the biggest vinyl sales week in MRC Data history and the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for an album by a female artist.[note 2] It topped the charts in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was Swift’s fourth number-one on the Billboard 200 chart in less than 16 months,[note 3] making her the fastest artist to collect four number-one albums.
Swift promoted the album with televised appearances on NBC and the self-directed All Too Well: The Short Film. 26 of its tracks charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, garnering the record for the most single-week new entries by an artist; “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” debuted atop the chart, becoming Swift’s eighth number-one on the Hot 100 and the longest chart-topper of all time. “I Bet You Think About Me” and “Message in a Bottle” became country and pop radio singles, respectively. Publications dubbed Red (Taylor’s Version) as a key pop culture moment of 2021. It received numerous accolades, including a Billboard Music Award, two American Music Awards, a Grammy Award and two other nominations.
