Taylor Swift Red
As the world’s spotlight shines on Taylor Swift’s recent pop album 1989, people tend to bypass the record that helped paved her success. Swift’s 2012 album Red set the stage for her transition into a pop artist. The album smashed chart records, earning Taylor her third No.1 album on Billboard’s Top 200. With her first self-titled debut and her 2008 album Fearless, she became known for her confessional songwriting skills. Then came Speak Now, combinations of the two previous albums with ballads of innocence and heartbreak. But the transition from high school sweetheart to a mature 22 year old was depicted in the 16-track pop/rock/country album Red. The album pulsates with the emotional roller coaster of adulthood, and the insights of what any twenty something year old might endure. The outcome was an ultimate take on feelings of happiness, rejection, and love . With the opening track “State of Grace” the song painted a new portrait for Taylor’s country persona, and her effort to be heard by a
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vast audience was not ignored. The pop/rock track with the noticeable presence of drums and a chiming electric guitar, does not set the mood for the rest of the album, but eloquently exhibits the path Taylor took instrumentally. The similar music of the album titled song “Red”and “Holy Ground”, effortlessly brought in the sounds of a banjo and electric guitar in one. Lyrically, the songs become catchy ballads that get stuck in your head, with some becoming deal-breakers, or a bold statement.
The likes of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” resonates with the catchy chorus that almost seems never-ending and becomes a break up anthem for anyone who never ever wants to get back together with their ex.
Playing the same upbeat tune for the hit “22”, where Taylor sings about making fun of exes and dressing up like hipsters with her friends. The top charting pop song “ I Knew You Were Trouble” becomes a confession of her foolish tendencies to fall for the bad boy, and is perfectly put together with electro-country sounds. She does not only compose memorable upbeat songs on the album, but creates stripped-back ballads like my personal favorite “All Too Well.” Taylor goes back to her emotional recollection of a lost love that makes her try to find herself again, and somehow makes listeners feel like they were apart of the relationship. The affairs of the heart are undeniably shown in “ Sad Beautiful Tragic” with a melody accompanied by an acoustic guitar and
harp.
Swift abandoned her usual self-penned style and did not forget the importance of collaborating. The two top charting hits “ I Knew You Were Trouble” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, rose to the top with the recruitment of the hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback who have worked with Britney Spears and Pink, just to name a few. Close friend Ed Sheeran, and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, were also apart of the collaboration process. Both lent their voices and songwriting skills on the contrasting tracks “Everything has Changed” and “ The Last Time.” Swift ventures off of her typical relationship songwriting genre, and writes “The Lucky One”, about the pressures of fame, and enduring it’s reality. The album is wrapped up by “Begin Again” with an acoustic guitar, singing about a new and hopeful relationship. Red is a depiction of everything she has experienced with others and herself. From the beginning of the album to the very end, connections are made and you almost seem to know her on a personal level.
Taylor’s same central themes of love and heartbreak were still predominantly the focus for majority of the songs. She has walked the same path in songwriting since 2006, but has turned to a mature and darker tone than before. With the collection of nostalgic tunes of different genres, the album cannot be pinpointed into a specific category, making Taylor an incredibly talented singer-songwriter in almost every direction in music. She sticks with what she has done in the past, but illuminates by experimenting with new sounds and approaches. People automatically dissect and add their commentary about Taylor Swift’s music by the songs that are continuously heard on the radio. The blind judgement creates false accusations and meticulously makes her appear to be an artist who only writes about heartbreak. But Red is a constant refresh of diary-entries about significant relationships, and with moments of self-doubt and self-discovery, makes the album one the most iconic records of her career.
vast audience was not ignored. The pop/rock track with the noticeable presence of drums and a chiming electric guitar, does not set the mood for the rest of the album, but eloquently exhibits the path Taylor took instrumentally. The similar music of the album titled song “Red”and “Holy Ground”, effortlessly brought in the sounds of a banjo and electric guitar in one. Lyrically, the songs become catchy ballads that get stuck in your head, with some becoming deal-breakers, or a bold statement.
The likes of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” resonates with the catchy chorus that almost seems never-ending and becomes a break up anthem for anyone who never ever wants to get back together with their ex.
Playing the same upbeat tune for the hit “22”, where Taylor sings about making fun of exes and dressing up like hipsters with her friends. The top charting pop song “ I Knew You Were Trouble” becomes a confession of her foolish tendencies to fall for the bad boy, and is perfectly put together with electro-country sounds. She does not only compose memorable upbeat songs on the album, but creates stripped-back ballads like my personal favorite “All Too Well.” Taylor goes back to her emotional recollection of a lost love that makes her try to find herself again, and somehow makes listeners feel like they were apart of the relationship. The affairs of the heart are undeniably shown in “ Sad Beautiful Tragic” with a melody accompanied by an acoustic guitar and
harp.
Swift abandoned her usual self-penned style and did not forget the importance of collaborating. The two top charting hits “ I Knew You Were Trouble” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, rose to the top with the recruitment of the hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback who have worked with Britney Spears and Pink, just to name a few. Close friend Ed Sheeran, and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, were also apart of the collaboration process. Both lent their voices and songwriting skills on the contrasting tracks “Everything has Changed” and “ The Last Time.” Swift ventures off of her typical relationship songwriting genre, and writes “The Lucky One”, about the pressures of fame, and enduring it’s reality. The album is wrapped up by “Begin Again” with an acoustic guitar, singing about a new and hopeful relationship. Red is a depiction of everything she has experienced with others and herself. From the beginning of the album to the very end, connections are made and you almost seem to know her on a personal level.
Taylor’s same central themes of love and heartbreak were still predominantly the focus for majority of the songs. She has walked the same path in songwriting since 2006, but has turned to a mature and darker tone than before. With the collection of nostalgic tunes of different genres, the album cannot be pinpointed into a specific category, making Taylor an incredibly talented singer-songwriter in almost every direction in music. She sticks with what she has done in the past, but illuminates by experimenting with new sounds and approaches. People automatically dissect and add their commentary about Taylor Swift’s music by the songs that are continuously heard on the radio. The blind judgement creates false accusations and meticulously makes her appear to be an artist who only writes about heartbreak. But Red is a constant refresh of diary-entries about significant relationships, and with moments of self-doubt and self-discovery, makes the album one the most iconic records of her career.