Taylor Swift has proven it’s never too late to sing about an ex

I’m not proud of it, but I criminally underestimated the impact that the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) would have on my life – professionally and otherwise. Taylor Swift unveiled the album, a re-recorded version of the 2012 original, on 12 November. That was a Friday. Twenty-four hours later, she stood on stage at the Saturday Night Live studio – she was the show’s musical guest for the evening – and sang a new, 10-minute version of her song “All Too Well”. Reader, that’s when I knew Red (Taylor’s Version) was going to stay with me for a long time.

“All Too Well”, originally released nine years ago, has long been one of Swift’s most popular songs. It was long rumoured to be about her 2010 romance with Jake Gyllenhaal. Swift herself has never confirmed it, but the track’s lengthened version includes more clues, and most fans are now convinced that the song is indeed about Gyllenhaal.

There has been no shortage of online chatter about the topic. Some have expressed compassion for Swift. Some have praised her for articulating feelings they’ve had about their own relationships. One very funny tweet (for which I am sorry to say I can no longer find a link) included a photo of a young, devastatingly handsome Gyllenhaal and a caption to the effect of: “No judgment, I would’ve written him an opera.”

Some people have suggested that writing a 10-minute song about a past relationship, years after the end of said relationship, might not be the healthiest thing. They have tried to make the case for moving on. And perhaps it is an indictment on my own ability to hold on to grudges for inordinately long periods of time, but to this, I say: no thank you.

When we tell people, as adults, that they should “move on” from the painful experiences of their past, we risk depriving them of a chance to talk about these painful things once they have the maturity necessary to identify them, and the vocabulary to describe them.

Clearly, the song has struck a chord with an immense number of listeners. Red (Taylor’s Version) broke two records on the day of its release, becoming the most streamed album in a day by a female artist on the platform, while Swift herself became the most streamed female in a day in Spotify’s history.

There is something healing in the ability, as an adult, to put words – and, if your name is Taylor Swift, make art out of – on the messy experiences of your youth. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go listen to all 10 minutes of “All Too Well” while gazing mournfully out a window.

Yours,

Clémence Michallon

US culture writer