Red, Taylor Swift’s fourth studio album, was released five years ago today, on the 22nd October 2012.
Whilst Swift had been moving away from country music for a while, this album truly signified her shift into pop territory. It also cemented her star status, with singles such as We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and I Knew You Were Trouble becoming commercial successes that remain regular radio plays.
The album is also notable for being a break-up album, depicting the ‘tumultuous, crazy, intense, semi-toxic relationships that [Swift] experienced.’ Her songs had always been built on real relationships and deeply felt, personal feelings, which is why her music resonated so strongly with audiences, especially young women. But the songs in this album, such as the deeply emotional All Too Well, properly identified her as a woman who wrote about love, relationships and heartbreak.
The album received several Grammy nominations and won the Billboard Music Awards for ‘Top Billboard Album’, ‘Top Country Album’, and ‘Favourite Country Song’ for Begin Again. Red became the fastest selling album in over a decade in America and was Taylor Swift’s first no1 album over here in the UK.
Taylor Swift may be a household name and pop icon now, but it was Red, with its pop beats and heartbreak anthems, that truly sealed her status in the music world.
Remind yourself of this modern classic below:
