Swift, aiming to experiment with as many styles as she could, decided her fourth studio album would not follow one coherent genre. [11] To this end, she recruited musicians whose works she admired, hoping to learn from them. [12] Although Swift wanted to experiment with various musical styles, she prioritized the lyrics over the production and strove to capture her emotions, as she had done on her previous songs. Songwriting would start by identifying an emotion with a song, and production would follow. [13] On songs Swift co-wrote, she first presented her co-writers with the feelings she had been going through, played a rough demo on her guitar, and asked for their ideas on ways to better convey the story. [9] Each song's production corresponded to the emotion it portrayed, resulting in an eclectic mix of styles. [11] Caulfield, Keith (November 12, 2015). "Greatest Billboard 200 Albums & Artists of All Time: Adele's 21& The Beatles Are Tops". Billboard . Retrieved June 16, 2023.

Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor’s Version) - (CD, Vinyl LP Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor’s Version) - (CD, Vinyl LP

a b c d e f g Lewis, Randy (October 30, 2012). "Taylor Swift raises the bar with a savvy Red marketing campaign". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020 . Retrieved December 28, 2020. Top 40/Mainstream > Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013 . Retrieved December 5, 2012. Mylrea, Hannah (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift: every single album ranked and rated". NME. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020 . Retrieved September 27, 2020.Year-End Comprehensive Albums Chart] (in Chinese). Sino Chart. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015 . Retrieved January 22, 2015.

Taylor Swift: Red (Taylor’s Version) review - The Guardian Taylor Swift: Red (Taylor’s Version) review - The Guardian

Larocca, Courteney (December 30, 2019). "The 15 best albums of the decade, ranked". Insider . Retrieved April 10, 2021. Vincent, Alice (August 19, 2014). "Taylor Swift's new single Shake It Off shakes up pop music". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015 . Retrieved November 27, 2015. I Knew You Were Trouble". The Daily Telegraph. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 . Retrieved December 26, 2020.Critics often considered Red to be a sign of Swift growing up. Billboard considered Red to be her first adult pop album, describing her previous works as that of "an accomplished teenager". [22] Caramanica stated that her growth was "largely musical, not experiential." [23] He noted that she was beginning to show more maturity as a strategist and adult. [23] Caramanica asserted that there are indications that Red shows her "body is as alive as her mind," which was "territory she’s generally skipped before now." [23] Dolan considered the album part " Joni Mitchell-influenced maturity binge" and part pop, describing the combination as "not just inevitable but natural." [28] Spin 's Michael Robbins characterized the album as a record "full of adult pleasures". [88] a b c d Dukes, Billy (October 19, 2012). "Taylor Swift, Red". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017 . Retrieved December 25, 2020. Taylor Swift Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017 . Retrieved December 29, 2020.