By Grace Koennecke, Managing Editor

Sadly, my love letter writing is officially coming to an end as finals week approaches and I prepare to graduate from the university I’ve considered my second home for the last four years. However, that means that I’ve saved my most important love letter for last, as I’ve been contemplating on who I should dedicate it to since I started this column in January.

I don’t think it would be right to leave ACRN without talking about the artist who has probably had the most impact on me as a writer and a person: Taylor Swift. Yes, I am a proud Swiftie, and have been since I was six years old. Despite what you may think of the singer, Swift is an artist that has always been at the center of pop culture and pop music for her honesty and relatability within her songwriting, and it should continue to be respected and celebrated.

Read more: A Love Letter to The 1975 by The 1975

Picking my favorite Taylor Swift album is always a challenge for me, as all of her albums have meant something to me at different points in my life. Right now though, I think the album I identify the most with is Red (Taylor’s Version) because it was written when Swift was 22, the age I am now. A record mostly about coming of age and entering the hardships of your 20s, I love this album because it feels so personal and intimate while also nostalgic and bittersweet. As someone who has looked up to Swift since I was a little girl, this album has been in the background of much of my life, and it’s emotional to listen to Red (Taylor’s Version) now in its re-recorded form because the singer has accomplished so much since. Also, I’m not a little girl anymore and am about to be a college graduate…time is so weird!

The first song from the album, “State Of Grace,” I believe is one of Swift’s best songs in general but definitely one of the best songs off Red (Taylor’s Version). This song is simply magical and euphoric on every listen, with the singer starting off on an optimistic note about new love and new beginnings. Even though this album is a breakup album, which will be discussed shortly, this song is so hopeful and makes you feel the thrill and excitement that come with entering a new stage of life. I love lyrics like, “I’m walking fast through the traffic lights / Busy streets and busy lives / All we know is touch and go / We are alone with our changing minds / We fall in love ‘til it hurts or bleeds, or fades in time,” and how Swift is able to transport listeners into a setting of a big city.

“Red” is another song that is one of Swift’s most underrated because it combined her country sound previously seen in albums like Fearless and Speak Now with a more upbeat, pop sound. This mixture of sounds would eventually lead Swift to crossing over into pop music, but this song in particular is so well crafted because of its lyricism and placement in the story the singer is trying to tell. Remembering her past relationship fondly, Swift details how quickly she fell in love and how abruptly her connection with this person ended: “Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street / Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly.” Its addition on the album makes it a fun and thrilling tale of young love and how brutal it can be to be in love in your 20s, and I really like how Swift isn’t afraid to admit to being a romantic.

The major song on this album is obviously “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” which is Swift’s longest song to date and arguably one of the best pop songs ever written. Supposedly about her short-term relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, the singer’s anger and grief is on full display in this track about trying to move on from a relationship with an older man. It’s the ultimate heartbreak anthem, and one that I think is so beautifully written. You can’t deny Swift’s pen with striking lyrics, such as, “And maybe we got lost in translation / Maybe I asked for too much / But maybe this thing was a masterpiece ‘til you tore it all up” and “And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest.”

Obviously, you can’t discredit Swift’s iconic pop songs like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and while they all are strong tracks on the album, they don’t carry as much significance as collaborations like “The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol)” and “Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran).” 

The first of the two collaborations is one of Swift’s best found in her discography, especially since Lightbody’s vocals are perfectly layered to create a song about the unsaid things that are left behind during a breakup. I personally love this song the most on Red (Taylor’s Version) because its imagery is haunting, with Swift painting a scene between two ex lovers who are both on the verge of returning to one another. Lines like, “Find myself at your door / Just like all those times before / I’m not sure how I got there / All roads, they lead me here” and “And right before your eyes / I’m breaking / No past, no reasons why / Just you and me,” showcase Swift and Lightbody’s writing abilities, as well as their chemistry in this song, and they’re gorgeously  placed with only a piano and their vocals.

The second collaboration with Sheeran is one of the more wholesome moments on an album revolving around breakups, as Swift sounds more hopeful and eager to find love again after months of pain and sorrow. If you’re a real Swiftie, this song is one the fanbase loves because it truly embodies the friendship between Swift and Sheeran, and how much they both value each other as songwriters. This song makes me believe that love and pain can exist simultaneously, and that finding someone who actually accepts you is what makes partnership so sweet. 

Another wholesome moment for me on this album is “Begin Again,” which is definitely in my top five favorite Taylor Swift songs. For someone who is a hopeless romantic just like Swift, this in my opinion is one of the best love songs ever written. The slow introduction of just acoustic guitar strumming and a mandolin makes this song sound so dreamy, and I love how Swift creates the image of a first date. She sings about the nerves and anxiety that come with jumping into a new relationship, and how much she hopes this new person can love her better than those in the past. I feel like we also really get to know more about Swift in this song, and therefore highlights a very intimate dialogue between herself and her listeners.

I love lines like, “I’ve been spending the last eight months / Thinking all love ever does / Is break and burn, and end / But on a Wednesday in a cafe / I watched it begin again” and “And for the first time / What’s past is past,” and I just think it reminds me of my childhood self and how much I loved this song back then. Sorry, I’m a very nostalgic person!

While I could talk about this album, and Taylor Swift, forever, I won’t bore you all to death. Instead, all I’ll say is that Swift is one of my biggest inspirations because she has never been afraid to be herself in her music and talk about things that affect women, and she has been a constant voice in my life because of that. As someone who finds comfort in music and writing, she is one of those artists who makes me feel seen and inspires me to do the same in my own writing. 

So, I hope for anyone who has read this over the last few months that you maybe could relate or share the same passion about the artists and albums I lovingly wrote about, and that it left you feeling seen as well! I will always be grateful to ACRN that I have been able to have the freedom to write about the music I love, and I urge anyone reading this to keep being annoying about your own passions because someone out there will most likely share the same love you do! Peace out, ACRN! Go Rock Lobsters!

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