More about: Taylor Swift

This is it guys: we’re on the home stretch racing towards the release date of Red (Taylor’s Version). The second album to be re-released in Taylor’s mission to reclaim control over her life’s work, Red has been long-awaited...she began teasing it way back in the summer.

Featuring a Phoebe Bridgers guesting, a 10-minute version of 'All Too Well' and a handful of more unheard vault songs, there’s a lot to get excited about. But for me, I’m hoping to finally see some respect be placed on the name of some of Ms. Swift’s greatest tracks. Housing some of her most painfully-underrated songs, Red’s forgotten gems are getting a second chance. Ranked in order of how criminally slept on they are, here are the Red tracks I need you to pay more attention to.

19. '22'

Much like releasing a Christmas song, naming a tune after an age is an absolutely genius, money-making move. Soundtracking birthdays worldwide, '22' is a banger when you’re blowing out candles, but does threaten to immediately stale by the age of 23. While I’d still enjoy it if it came on at a party, its impossible to label a global hit on this scale as underrated in the slightest. 

18. 'I Knew You Were Trouble.'

Much the same, 'I Knew You Were Trouble.' absolutely dominated charts and radio stations when it was released. Taylor’s choppy fringe and pink ombre in the music video also had a death grip on me that I’m still trying to shake. Remixed to infinity and still remaining a must-play at cheesy pop nights out, the singles are mostly void of underrated status.

However, Taylor’s electric guitar, rock rendition of the single is wildly underrated and deserves to be on Spotify ASAP.

17. 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'

Featuring PJ sets, nerd glasses and a band dressed like woodland animals, the music video for 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' is a beautifully nostalgic 2012 time capsule. As a perfect precursor to the cheese-pop of 'Shake It Off', 'WANEGBT' is another huge hit. However, I think we definitely underrated the track as Taylor’s best guilty pleasure, being just shady enough to forgive all cliché.

16. 'Everything Has Changed'

Sure its sweet, sure the its nice to sing along to, but it’s big hit twee-ness and addition of Ed Sheeran earns it a low rank.

15. 'Girl At Home'

Buried in the deluxe version, 'Girl At Home' is the most forgettable of all the bonus tracks. Still a banger and especially foretelling of the electronic pop direction 1989 would take, 'Girl At Home' steps into the next era musically but not quiet lyrically as I, even the biggest of Swifies, kinda forgot it existed.

14. 'Starlight'

'Starlight' does remain on a lot of my getting-ready playlists for when Im wanting annoying, cute vibes. The chorus is effortlessly catchy and the way Taylor pronounces "tune" scratches my brain in a nice way. However, I’ve always seen 'Starlight', 'Holy Ground' and 'The Lucky One' as a little gang, and 'Starlight' comes in as my least favourite of the three. 

13. 'Stay Stay Stay'

The older sister to 'Paper Rings', 'Stay Stay Stay' is maybe the last truly cheesy Taylor Swift love song before she fell in love with a British boy and stopped singing about football helmets. So, for that fact, I have to secretly love it. No doubt a track that’s absolutely screamed at Taylor Swift club nights, this is one for the Swifties who still know every single word from when 2012 taught them this was the epitome of relationship goals.

12. 'Red'

I’m putting this here only because a title track can never really be underrated: however I do think the instrumental deserves more attention. If we ignore the Goth opera of Speak Now’s 'Haunted', 'Red' was Taylor’s heaviest track yet. It perfectly sums up what she was trying to do in the Red era, merging pop effects with a different approach to country guitars. It's one the tracks im most excited to hear in the rerecording, but I cant quite give it underrated status.

11. 'Come Back…Be Here'

Here we go: diving into the underrated tracks I demand justice for. Hidden away on the bonus tracks, 'Come Back…Be Here' is a good old fashioned Taylor ballad. Complete with string sections, and a simple subject matter, anyone in a long distance relationship should add this to their feelings playlist immediately.  

10. 'The Lucky One'

An oddly foretelling prophecy, I wonder if Red Taylor had any idea that in a couple of years she’d totally drop off the face of the earth for a year? Singing about all the dark corners of the industry and how fame is never how it seems, 'The Lucky One' is a gentle ease into a conversation that would come to dominate years of her career. Inspired by a long list of women she loves, from Joni Mitchell to The Chicks, I wish 'The Lucky One' got more attention as an important track that probably means more to Taylor more now than ever before.

9. 'All Too Well'

A year ago, 'All Too Well' would’ve been top of the list as I used to regularly rant about how Taylor’s most brutal lyrics were going underappreciated. But thanks to TikTok, 'All Too Well' finally got the recognition it deserves and with a 10-minute version on the way, we’re truly about to be spoilt. As the album's infamous track 5, what starts as simple storytelling derails into one of Taylor’s most gut-wrenching moments. "Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it / I'd like to be my old self again / But I'm still trying to find it" – ouch. No amount of attention will ever be enough.

8. 'The Moment I Knew'

Next up please can TikTok focus its attention on getting 'The Moment I Knew' its moment in the sun? Another big heart punch on Red, this is 'Come Back…Be Here’s evil twin as Taylor writes a visceral scene of pure disappointment and heartbreak. With cellos and a pounding chorus beat, this is the one for a huge dramatic cry and I need it to take its place in the league of Taylor’s most tear-inducing tracks. When she says, "You should've been here / And I would've been so happy", I’m sliding down the door crying movie style. 

7. 'I Almost Do'

I always think of 'I Almost Do' as the other side of the coin to 1989’s 'I Wish You Would'. Taking on a different perspective, stepping out of the pining role, 'I Almost Do' tackles the role of the dumper. So simple, the hook of "everytime I don’t, I almost do" is surely one of the clearest examples of Taylor’s talent for saying so much in so little. A forgotten gem on the album, 'I Almost Do' is one of those perfect songs where the songwriting feels so easy and the instrumental carries you along with it. Making the ultimate soundtrack to staring out of windows on late night journeys, this is one for when you’re heartbroken in a different way.

6. 'The Last Time'

Honestly I debated putting this at number one as 'The Last Time' is possibly my favourite song on the record. I usually hate Snow Patrol—nothing on earth could compel me to play their discography—but I’ve been spinning this tune on repeat since I was a teen, letting it soundtrack every drop of angst I’ve ever felt. Almost sounding like a prequel to Taylor and Bon Iver’s tracks on Folklore and Evermore, The Last Time is made with the same narrative structure as Taylor and Gary Lightbody argue two sides of the same fight.

A song about begging someone just to give you what you deserve, something about this track is utterly heartbreaking in its total non-event lyrics. There’s nothing grand or special about the scenario it describes, but Taylor’s take on asking for effort perfectly captures the feeling. With wildly complementing voices, the two are always balanced in this duet with Taylor giving a beautifully breathy performance. It hurts, but the vibes are immaculate. 

5. 'Holy Ground'

Everyday I’m chasing the level of joy 'Holy Ground' brings me. Fast-paced and hypey, 'Holy Ground' always hits unexpectedly on Red as it strays so close to the glorious pop of 1989 or Lover. As a huge sigh of relief, 'Holy Ground' feels like a totally independent love song in a way: not bogged down my any heavy feelings as it dances through all the best parts of early infatuation. The relentless guitar rhythm and chanting chorus never lets the tempo drop, building the song up and up until the neat 3 minute 22 second track overflows with pure serotonin. Nothing but good fun, listen to it daily.

4. 'Sad Beautiful Tragic'

...But if happiness isn’t your thing, 'Sad Beautiful Tragic' offers an equally overrated alternative. This could easily be a Folklore track as the guitar feels reminiscent of 'Illicit Affairs' and the haunting melody seems to predict 'My Tears Ricochet'. Simple and gut-wrenching, Taylor strays between plain and simple sentiment and pure poetry here, metaphor and vivid images that show the clear reality of the eye of the heartbreak storm. As the bridge falls apart into jagged phrases, each one as sharp as the rest, you can almost see the song written tear-stained in Tayor’s notepad. One of her finest moments, its criminal that you’re not heralding 'Sad Beautiful Tragic' as one of the all-time great heartbreak songs.

3. 'Begin Again'

Something about 'Begin Again' has had me in an absolute choke hold since it was released. I remember it vividly—bullying my dad into downloading the single only weeks after I’d painted my bedroom red and was sure this was my main character moment. Remaining a non-skipper since 2012, the grounded romance of 'Begin Again' has kept me hooked. With a touch of innocence and vulnerability, 'Begin Again' feels like the last of its kind in Taylor’s work, remaining traditionally country and girly for a final moment before she shook off the shackles of her past. Painting a complete story with keeping it easy listening, no one gives 'Begin Again' the credit it deserves—as one of Taylor's sweetest songs. 

2. 'Treacherous'

Still up there as one of my all-time favourite Taylor songs, 'Treacherous' is sheer perfection and it’s a crime we don’t talk about it more. From a soft, sensual beginning as Taylor dips her toes into the first hints of slightly sexier lyrics, the track spirals into a booming, frantic climax unlike anything else she’s ever made. The build-up is made of lyrics that seem to get better and better, throwing out the rule book of rhyming schemes or clichés she once held as law, 'Treacherous' feels like poetry set to music in the best way. The backing vocals create a siren like instrumental that ups the stakes even more as each iteration of the chorus gets more and more intense without ever losing its tenderness. The movement between acoustic and electric guitar is seamless and delicious. The fade out ending leaves you wanting more. Chefs kiss.

1. 'State Of Grace'

I would sell a kidney to see 'State Of Grace' performed live. I would pay anything, give anything, do anything to see an electric guitar-toting Taylor Swift shred out this track and scream its bridge. Launching the album, 'State Of Grace' was an immediate statement of change as Taylor swapped her acoustic for an electric, started singing about fire signs, and played about with effect pedals and feedback. With so many different textures and tempos on one song, 'State Of Grace' remains one of her most interesting creations and is easily the most exciting tune of the album as it takes all the best bits of her country roots and hints at all the greatness to come. Big and bold and beautifully new for 2012 Taylor, it’s still just as fresh in 2021 and I demand you put some respect on its name. 

Red (Taylor's Version) arrives 12 November.

More about: Taylor Swift