Yes, Taylor Swift. She is a goddess and no one can deny it, especially now that more than just young girls are recognizing it.
I have loved and admired her since I was in elementary school, and as her the number of days until I see her in concert for the very first time dwindle down, I find myself becoming overwhelmed with emotion when I begin to comprehend it.
Although I never saw her live during the Red Era, I am comfortable saying that Red is my favorite album of hers because it is the one I relate to most, and the writing is the most raw and real. I will argue until the end of the Earth that Red is one of the best written albums of all time because each song is filled with emotion and magic.
Red has been the soundtrack to most of my happiest moments, as well as some of my darkest. This album covers the entire spectrum of emotion with an eloquence incomparable to anything else.
I'll explain my favorite songs and the songs I find important in the hopes that the world can understand and celebrate the magic of the Red album forever!
State of Grace
Standout lines: "We fall in love till it hurts or bleeds or fades in time." & " This is the golden age of something good and right and real."
This song opens the album with a hopeful and glorious outlook on this time period of her/your life; the Red Era, the a fore mentioned "golden age." She knows that all it takes is one exciting person to change your life, and she loves that it makes life unpredictable.
Red
Standout line: "And that's why he's spinning around in my head, comes back to me in burning red."
A romanticized form of synesthesia, Taylor looks back on a relationship and sees all of the color they brought to her life blurring into just one; a vibrant red that buzzes around in her mind and refuses to be forgotten. This also happens to be the theme of the album and Red Era.
All Too Well
Standout lines: "I might be okay but I'm not fine at all." & "You call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest." & "Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it. I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it."
This song. THIS SONG.
As Taylor looks back on the glory days of a relationship and asks why they had to end, she can't find an answer and it leaves her feeling raw and lost. In the end, she comes to the realization that it was he who lost, not her.
Holy Ground
Standout lines: "We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you,' and for the first time I had something to lose." & "Darling, it was good never looking down, and right there where we stood was holy ground."
As she looks back at an old relationship, she remembers the glorious times rather than the way it fell apart, because it was remarkable while it lasted.
Everything Has Changed
Standout line: "All I know is we said hello, so dust off your highest hopes. All I know is pouring rain, and everything has changed."
I feel extremely attached to this song in particular from the album because of its absolute optimism. She meets someone who immediately gives her more than hope that she will be okay, and that they will maybe be happy together, but she genuinely believes it. Another appearance of the theme that a person can change your life.
Starlight
Standout lines: "He said 'look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change, you'll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way.'" & "Don't you see the starlight, starlight? Don't you dream impossible things?"
This song was written about a specific evening Bobby and Ethel Kennedy shared together when they were young, but if fits the album because of it's lovely outlook on love and life. It has a magic to it that embodies Taylor's optimistic vision of love, a vision she used throughout writing the album.
Although I didn't talk about every single song, the entire album is truly remarkable and deserves a listen if you never have tried it. I hope that my understanding helps you develop a love of the album and maybe of Taylor Swift!
Thank you for reading, come back soon!
PS; none of the album art images are mine, they are all from her website!
