MUSIC MANIA: Paint the Town RED

Red Booklet - Prologue

There’s an old poem by Neruda that I've always been captivated by, and one of the lines in it has stuck with me ever since the first time I read it. It says “love is so short, forgetting it is so long.” It’s a line I've related to in my saddest moments, when I needed to know someone else had felt the exact same way. And when we’re trying to move on, the moments we always go back to aren't the mundane ones. They are the moments you saw sparks that weren't really there, felt stars aligning without having any proof, saw your future before it happened, and then saw it slip away without any warning. These are the moments of new-found hope, extreme joy, intense passion, wishful thinking, and in some cases, the unthinkable letdown. And in my mind, every one of these memories looks the same to me. I see all of these moments in bright, burning, red. 

My experiences in love have taught me difficult lessons, especially my experiences with crazy love. The red relationships. The ones that went from zero to a hundred miles per hour and then hit a wall and exploded. And it was awful. And ridiculous. And desperate. And thrilling. And when dust settled, it was something I’d never take back. Because there is something to be said for being young and needing someone so badly, you jump in head first without looking. And there’s something to be learned from waiting all day for a train that’s never coming. And there’s something to be proud of about moving on and realizing that real love shines golden like starlight, and doesn't fade or spontaneously combust. Maybe I’ll write a whole album about that kind of love if I ever find it. But this album is about the other kinds of love that I've recently fallen in and out of. Love that was treacherous, sad, beautiful, and tragic. But most of all, this record is about love that was red.  

Love is a ruthless game unless you play good and right.

- Taylor.

I have always been captivated by Taylor Swift’s songs. The way she writes is something unexplainable. It is simple, yet it holds a lot of deep emotions. And it is no secret that I have long been a huge fan of her and her music. She just opens a lot of different portals of emotions, bringing you from extreme happiness to the most hurtful heartbreak you ever imagined, then back again to sheer joy. I like her because of the same reason all other teenage girls do - her songs are relatable.

Though I have never really experienced love that is not for family or for friends, Taylor’s love songs seep through every pore of my skin. I do not know why, but he does that to me, and maybe even to a lot of girls all over the world. From her self-titled album to her chart-topping second and third album, Fearless and Speak Now, she comes again with another album that is sure to make every fan in the world crazy – RED.

October 22, 2012 is the scheduled release for Red, both the standard and the deluxe edition. But some countries aren’t due for the release until after a few days, like the Philippines. According to MCA Music Inc., the scheduled release here in the Philippines will be on November 5, but it is now available for digital download on iTunes Philippines. *sighs* Fans just have to be patient if they really want the physical copy of the album.

As usual, Taylor’s album is in two editions – standard and deluxe. I personally prefer deluxe versions because at a bit higher price, you’ll have more songs. It is more economical than buying the standard, then the deluxe. I hope that MCA Music Inc. releases the deluxe edition in the Philippines. I just can’t afford to buy the standard edition without knowing if the deluxe will be released here or not.

RED (Standard Edition) contains 16 songs, while the deluxe edition includes additional 3 songs, a demo version of two songs from the standard edition and an acoustic version of another song from the standard edition.

Taylor Swift ‘Red’ Track Listing:

Red (Standard Edition)

Red (Deluxe Edition)

Standard Edition:
1. State of Grace
2. Red
3. Treacherous
4. I Knew You Were Trouble
5. All Too Well
6. 22
7. I Almost Do
8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
9. Stay Stay Stay
10.The Last Time
11. Holy Ground
12. Sad Beautiful Tragic
13. The Lucky One
14. Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran)
15. Starlight
16. Begin Again

Deluxe Edition (additional):
1. The Moment I Knew
2. Come Back… Be Here
3. Girl at Home
4. Treacherous (Original Demo)
5. Red (Original Demo)
6. State of Grace (Acoustic Version)

So far,  my favorite tracks are Red, Stay Stay Stay, 22, and Everything Has Changed. I haven't really heard them all too well, just played the album once. So based from that quick play, these songs stood out.



teepee J