Swift, T. (2012). Red.
[CD]. Nashville, TN: Big Machine Records.
Genre: Indie Rock,
Pop, Rock
Reading level/
interest age: 16+
Plot summary:
Released in October of 2012, Red is Taylor Swift’s fourth album. She described the album during
a live conference a few months before the album hit the shelves:
All the different emotions that are
written about on this album are all pretty much about the kind of tumultuous,
crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I’ve experienced in the
last two years. All those emotions — spanning from intense love, intense
frustration, jealousy, confusion, all of that — in my mind, all those emotions
are red. You know, there’s nothing in between. There’s nothing beige about any
of those feelings (Smith, 2012).
Red contains
sixteen songs in total that are a collaborative work with several other
artists. Listeners will probably recognize the album from the song “We Are
Never Ever Getting Back Together” which became her first number one single to
hit US Billboard Hot 100. The song
was released before the album came out on iTunes and customers downloaded it
623,000 times in its first week (Wikipedia, 2014).
Reader’s annotation:
Taylor Swift is back to bashing her exes in another amazing
album.
Information about the
author:
“Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Swift spent her early years on her family's Christmas
tree farm. Her grandmother had been a professional opera singer, and Swift soon
followed in her footsteps. By the age of 10, Swift was singing at a variety of
local events, including fairs and contests. She sang ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’
at a Philadelphia 76ers game at the age of 11, and began writing her own songs
and learning guitar at 12 years old.
"To pursue her music career, Swift often visited Nashville,
Tennessee, the country music capital. There she co-wrote songs, and tried to
land a recording contract. Noting her dedication, Swift and her family moved to
nearby Hendersonville, Tennessee, in an attempt to further Swift's career”
(Biography.com, 2014). The rest is history.
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1. What
is your favorite song from the album and why?
2. What
do you admire about Taylor Swift?
Critical evaluation:
Taylor Swift does another fantastic job in this album. Her
songs resonate with the younger generation because lyrics generally speak of
heartbreaks and life experiences. Teens can easily relate to the songs and the
tunes are quite catchy. Red is a good
album to promote because the lyrics are free of curse words and other trashy
language. Taylor Swift also serves as a good role model for her mostly positive
portrayal by the media (despite her failed romances). Red is a great example of Taylor’s later works as the genre
deviates even further from her original debut in country. This album
demonstrates how far Swift has come and contains many Indie Rock songs. Red is a springboard for Taylor’s
transition into her newest album, 1989
which is rumored to be entirely in the pop genre. Red may well be the last of Taylor’s Indie phase. Fans should snap
this album up and hold it close as Taylor prepares to slingshot into another
genre.
Challenge issues: N/A
Why included:
Taylor Swift is a widely popular artist with works that span
several genres. Listeners may hear this album and be interested in her earlier country
works. This could help expose or transition a listener to a different genre
that may never have liked before.
Reference:
Biography.com (2014). Taylor
Swift Biography. Retrieved August 29, 2014 from
http://www.biography.com/people/taylor-swift-369608#synopsis
Smith, G. (2012). Taylor
Swift reveals single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,”
announces new album
“Red.” Retrieved September 11, 2014 from
http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/08/14/taylor-swift-we-are-never-ever-getting-back-together-red/
Wikipedia. (2014). Red
(Taylor Swift album). Retrieved September 11, 2014 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_%28Taylor_Swift_album%29#cite_note-Live_EW-2
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