It was Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, and the anticipation was killing me. My classes inched by, making this day seem impossibly long. Days always feel like that, if you are waiting for something.

Then finally, the afternoon rolled around, and I was free. My entire afternoon was cleared out for one thing: “Red (Taylor’s Version),” and I was thrilled to finally listen to it.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t sing along so that I could hear all of the heightened and clear instruments and Taylor Swift’s new vocals, but I genuinely could not help myself with this album. As soon as I heard “State of Grace (Taylor’s Version),” one of the best openers to any album ever, I leaped from my seat and started dancing. It’s just such a heartbreak anthem, a perfect start to an album that generally expresses the same theme. All the metaphors in this song are so vivid and powerful: “Pierce the room like a cannonball,” “You’re my Achilles heel / This is the golden age of something good and right and real.” Not to mention the oh’s adorning the second chorus— so catchy, impossible not to sing. Also, the drums are so much more prominent than in the original version, and I love it.

Another noticeable song from the original album that I want to mention is “22 (Taylor’s Version).” Of course, it’s brilliant, fresh, and still so catchy— but, seniors, Class of 2022! This is our song! I propose we play this version at prom, graduation, and every other event left in the year— all of it. This is our class’s song, so let’s make it ours!

Like “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” there were a few songs “From the Vault” that were added to the end of this album. Here are the most noticeable ones:

“Ronan (Taylor’s Version)”

This song had been previously released, but since it was not included on the original album, I am including it here— even if it is not, technically, a vault song.

I heard from people who had listened to it before that it was sad, but I truly did not expect this. A song about a mother who lost a four-year-old child, with lyrics taken straight from her blog?

Pain. So much pain.

I thought “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” would be the first song from “Red (Taylor’s Version)” to shatter me, but this is the one that broke my no-crying streak. The guitar was so mournful, yet optimistic and happy, which complimented the lyrics and Swift’s delicate delivery so well. Many of the lines in “Ronan (Taylor’s Version)” are a memory, detailed by child-like experiences, like “Race cars on the kitchen floor, plastic dinosaurs.” It sets up the song perfectly— without saying it at first, you know that this song is speaking about a child.

One line in the chorus especially pinched my heartstrings:

“Come on, baby, with me, we’re gonna fly away from here / You were my best four years.”

I like to read lyrics as I listen to new songs, but after about a minute into “Ronan (Taylor’s Version),” I could no longer see said lyrics because acid rain (fellow Swifties will get that reference) blurred my eyes. Also, I was wearing my blue-light glasses and they completely fogged up. This song wrecked me.

“Babe (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”

Talk about this tonal shift!

This song, too, was previously released, but it’s included here for the same reason as “Ronan (Taylor’s Version)”. Originally, this song featured Sugarland, a country duo, on the version that I had heard before; while I wish that this band could have been featured, “Babe (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” really shined, even without a featured artist.

I really needed this bop to lift me up post-Ronan.

The chorus SHINES. It SLAPS. The echo of “What about your promises, promises?” is addicting and so fun to repeat. Like other songs on this album (such as “Red [Taylor’s Version]” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together [Taylor’s Version]”), it’s a breakup song, but it somehow manages to be upbeat and a bop in general- especially with those trumpets most prominent at the end of the song!

I love the transition into the chorus — “How could you do this, babe?” — and how each of the following lines ends with “babe.” It heightens the sass level up to a ten, and I love it.

Now— clearly, out of the (From the Vault) songs— there tends to be a favorite among Swifties and curious music-listeners alike: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” the ultimate heartbreak song.

To hear my thoughts on “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” lookout for a podcast episode where I, along with a few friends, share our thoughts on this song, as well as the rest of the album.