At the time, Swift was under contract with Big Machine Records, which kept the master recordings of her first six albums when she signed with Universal Music Group in 2018. In 2019, her masters were sold to talent manager Scooter Braun, whom Swift has publicly accused of “endless manipulative bullying.”
Needless to say, she wasn’t happy that Braun owned her music. She therefore decided to re-record these albums – starting with “Fearless” from 2008 and now “Red” – which her current contract ensures her to own (hence the pointed addendum “Taylor’s Version” in the titles).
Okay, now back to the present. Fans are in awe of the album, which includes 10 tracks “from the vault”, meaning written for the original album, but not included. The extended 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” a heart-wrenching ballad almost confirmed to be about Gyllenhaal, has people most excited. Mainly because a short film “All Too Well”, written and directed by Swift and starring Swift, Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, will also be released on November 12.
Gyllenhaal was reportedly dating Swift at the end of 2010. Many fans believe the actor dreads the reissue of “Red”, especially after deducing that the actors in the short have a similar age difference to Gyllenhaal and Swift for their relationship. There was also a lot of talk about “the scarf”, which we would explain, but you’d probably be better off listening to “All Too Well” yourself.
It’s not just fans who are buzzing with impatience about “Red (Taylor version). The Empire State Building released a video of the red-lit skyscraper in honor of the album’s release on Wednesday, and Starbucks updated his biography on social media to lyrics by Taylor Swift, sparking rumors the coffee chain will release a Swift-inspired drink to coincide with the album’s release. Photos and videos of a so-called memo also began to circulate, indicating that the drink, a large fat-free caramel latte, would be available to order from November 12 to 14.
| @ taylorswift13 X @Starbucks collaboration:
# 1. Taylor’s Latte / Taylor’s Version / Taylor’s Drink: Fat Free Grand Caramel Latte
# 2. Their stores will play his songs
# 3. We can customize it
# 4. The label will have “Tay’s” written with the name of the drink pic.twitter.com/iRf9nsNbJz– Taylivia Team (@TayliviaTeam) November 9, 2021
I don’t like coffee but I’m quite ready to drink Starbucks to get a Taylor Swift mug
– eME! Rald (Taylor’s version) 🧣 (@hushmirrorball) November 8, 2021
Swift, for her part, spent the week leaving a series of cryptic messages, most notably in the TikTok comments. Her fans have come to expect cryptic hints from the singer whenever she announces a new project, and interpretations abound. For example, a fan observed that the car featured in the trailer for the short film “All Too Well” was a model from 1989, perhaps a nod to his album “1989”, which has yet to be reissued. The still evasive Swift left this comment:
Does that mean “1989” will be the next album to be re-recorded? Not so fast. Other possible Easter Eggs might indicate a different answer, such as the price of a signed CD of the “Red” reissue on Swift’s website being listed at $ 20.10 and written in purple font. “Speak Now,” Swift’s third studio album, was released in 2010 and had Swift sporting a purple dress on the cover, which has fans wondering if “Speak Now” will be her next reissue. Maybe it’s a triple whammy of “Red”, “Speak Now” and “1989”? Fans can only hope.
GUYS THE PRICE IS $ 20.10 AND IN 2010 TAYLOR RELEASED SPEAKING NOW … ALSO THE POLICE IS PURPLE … IS TAYLOR ANNOUNCING SPEAKING NOW ON TV AFTER RED TV?!?!? !! pic.twitter.com/usePYTidiM
– layla🎷🧣 (@ falsegodlayla13) November 9, 2021
Along with all the detective work, fans are expressing their excitement about finally hearing the re-recorded album they’ve been waiting for nearly six months and their joy that the singer now has another of her albums. Swift looks just as excited – she posted a photo recreating one from nine years ago, the day before the original “Red” was released. We’ll decode the reissue when it’s released, so you don’t have to. Stay tuned.
Taylor Swift will own more than half of her discography on Friday.
– Andy (@repTourAndy) November 10, 2021
Dana Gerber can be reached at [email protected]