On June 18, 2021, Taylor Swift announced the release date of her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor’s Version). While Swifties were ecstatic over the entire album, what caught their attention the most was the vault track “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)(From The Vault)” or “ATW(10MV)(TV)(FTV).”
While re-recording her albums, Swift has been adding songs that are known as “vault tracks.” These songs were originally written at the same time as the original albums but weren’t released. That is why they are considered to be “from the vault.”
Red was originally released on October 22, 2012. It was re-released on November 12, 2021, with “(Taylor’s Version)” added at the end. If one of her albums has that in the title, it means she officially owns that album.
How did Taylor Swift write 10 minutes worth of lyrics?
On November 3, 2021, Swift spoke with Rolling Stone for its “500 Greatest Albums” podcast. While writing Red, Swift was on her Speak Now Tour. “I was like a broken human walking into rehearsal, just feeling terrible about what was going on in my personal life.”
She further explained, “I walked in, and I remember we had just hired David Cook, who [has been] my band leader ever since then. I ended up playing four chords over and over again, and the band started kicking it. People started playing along with me. I think they could tell I was really going through it. I just started singing and riffing and ad-libbing this song that basically was ‘All Too Well.'”
Luckily, one of the employees who worked as a sound engineer during the tour happened to record the free-style singing. “It was that song that had probably had seven extra verses. I included the f-word, and I remember my sound guy was like, ‘I burned a CD of that thing you were doing in case you want it.’ I was like, ‘Sure.’ I ended up taking it home and listening to it and was like, ‘I actually really like this, but it’s 10 minutes long. I need to pare it down.’ “
Why did Swift choose to release the 10-minute version?
The original “All Too Well” was only 5 minutes and 28 seconds long. Swift originally wrote it as a cathartic release of emotions and never intended for it to become a fan-favorite song. Essentially, she was an emotional wreck in need of a vent session before her show.
However, when Red was released in 2012, it immediately became a hit for Swifties. This song was comprised of metaphors like “I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here” and similies like “And you call me up again just to break me like a promise.” These lyrics described what it felt like for Swift to be extremely heartbroken, and the fans resonated with that. What made this song so popular was its relatability to the listener.
Swift is an artist who listens and cares for her fans. When she mentioned a ten-minute version of “All Too Well,” the Swifties wouldn’t let it go. So Swift did what was asked of her and released it from the vault.
Swift released “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)(From The Vault)” because she knew her fans would appreciate it and because she was proud of it. She wrote this song to get through a hard time in her life. It’s proof that everything you lose is a step you take. She survived a hard breakup and wrote a successful song that helped her in countless ways.
Eventually, it broke the record for the longest song in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“ATW(10MV)(TV)(FTV)” has become the new standard version of the song.
