Red (Taylor Swift song)
"Red" | ||||
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Single by Taylor Swift | ||||
from the album Red | ||||
Written | September 2011 | |||
Released | June 24, 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:43 | |||
Label | Big Machine | |||
Songwriter(s) | Taylor Swift | |||
Producer(s) |
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Taylor Swift singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Red" on YouTube |
"Red" is a song by the American singer-songwriter
Swift performed the track on many television shows and included it on the set list of her 2013–14 Red Tour. A music video for "Red", a compilation of footage from the tour, was released on July 3, 2013. Swift's acoustic rendition of "Red" at the 2013 Country Music Association Awards, featuring Alison Krauss and Vince Gill on background vocals, was released on November 8, 2013. The single received mixed-to-positive reviews from contemporary critics; some complimented the production for straddling the boundary between country and mainstream pop, while some other deemed it inconsistent and underwhelming.
"Red" peaked within the top 30 on
Background and release
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, in October 2010. She wrote the album entirely by herself and co-produced it with Nathan Chapman, her longtime collaborator.[1] The album's sound expands on the country pop sound of her two previous albums, with elements of radio-friendly pop crossover that had been evident on its predecessor Fearless (2008).[2] On Speak Now's follow-up, Red, Swift aimed to experiment beyond her previous albums' formulaic country pop sound.[1]
Swift initially continued working with Chapman in her career base of
To promote Red, Swift premiered one album track on
Composition
"Red" is a genre-spanning song; it incorporates elements of
The lyrics are about the conflicting emotions recollected from lost romance.
Live performances and music video
Swift performed "Red" for the first time at
Swift included "Red" on the set list of
Critical reception
Upon its initial release, "Red" received mixed-to-positive reviews from contemporary critics. Rolling Stone provided a positive review, writing that the production effectively accompanied the "simple but effective" lyrics.
Reviews of "Red" in the context of Red album reviews remained mixed-to-positive. Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine and Randall Roberts from the Los Angeles Times commented that the underwhelming and occasionally clumsy metaphors of "Red" were subpar for Swift's lyrical abilities.[42][43] Billboard appreciated the lyrical sentiments, but felt that the electronic elements might not appeal to Swift's traditional country audience.[15] On a positive side, Jewly Hight from American Songwriter lauded the country-pop production as "sensory, synesthesia-style poetry",[17] and Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone selected "Red" as one of the songs on the album that proved Swift's maturity as a songwriter.[19] Jordan Sargent, in a 2017 retrospective review of Red, called the title track "perhaps the album's best pop song since Swift flirts with Fleetwood Mac".[44]
In a review of Swift's entire catalog, Jane Song from
Commercial performance
In the U.S., "Red" debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 11, 2012. It was Swift's 13th song to reach the top 10 on the Hot 100.[48] On the Hot Country Songs, "Red" peaked at number two on the chart dated October 20, 2012, and was Swift's longest-charting song, spending 42 weeks.[49][50] By November 2017, "Red" had sold two million digital copies in the U.S.[51] The single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in July 2018.[52]
The single reached the top 30 of
Credits and personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of Red[7]
- Taylor Swift – lead vocals, backing vocals, songwriter, producer
- Nathan Chapman – producer, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Dann Huff – producer, bouzouki
- Steve Marcantonio – recording
- Seth Morton – assistant recording
- David Huff– digital editing
- Justin Niebank – mixing
- Drew Bollman – assisting mixing
- Hank Williams – mastering
- Mike Griffith – production coordinator
- Jason Campbell – production coordinator
- Tom Bukovac – electric guitar
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Ilya Toshinskiy – ganjo
- Jimmie Sloas – bass
- Jonathan Yudkin – cello, fiddle
- Charlie Judge – upright piano, synth, B-3 organ
- Aaron Sterling – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[58] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[52] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Red (Taylor's Version)"
"Red (Taylor's Version)" | |
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Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Red (Taylor's Version) | |
Released | November 12, 2021 |
Studio |
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Length | 3:43 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) | Taylor Swift |
Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"Red (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube |
Swift re-recorded the track for her re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version), which was released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records.[72] Prior to the album's release, Swift posted a snippet of the re-recorded track via her Instagram on October 23.[73] Compared to the original version, "Red (Taylor's Version)" features a more refined and mellowed production.[74]
The re-recorded track peaked within the top 10 of the singles chart in Ireland and Singapore,[75][76] and top 20 Australia,[77] Canada,[53] Malaysia,[78] and New Zealand.[79] It also charted on the Billboard Global 200 at number 13.[80]
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of Red (Taylor's Version)[81]
- Taylor Swift – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, producer
- Christopher Rowe – producer, vocal engineer
- David Payne – recording engineer
- Dan Burns – additional engineer
- Austin Brown – assistant engineer, assistant editor
- Bryce Bordone – engineer
- Derek Garten – engineer, editor
- Serban Ghenea – mixer
- Amos Heller – bass guitar
- Jonathan Yudkin – bouzouki, strings
- Matt Billingslea – drums, percussion
- Max Bernstein – electric guitar
- Paul Sidoti – electric guitar
- Mike Meadows – Hammond B3, synthesizers
- David Cook – piano
Charts
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[77] | 12 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[53] | 12 |
Global 200 (Billboard)[80] | 13 |
Ireland (IRMA)[75] | 9 |
Malaysia (RIM)[78] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[79] | 15 |
Portugal (AFP)[82] | 88 |
Singapore (RIAS)[76] | 4 |
South Africa (RISA)[83] | 78 |
South Korea Download ( Gaon)[84]
|
170 |
South Korea BGM ( Gaon)[85]
|
96 |
22 | |
US Billboard Hot 100[66] | 25 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[67] | 5 |
Certification
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[58] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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