Taylor Swift | All Too Well (2012)
"All Too Well" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fourth studio album, Red (2012), which was released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records.
2012-10-22 19:00:00 - Taylor Swift
Swift wrote "All Too Well" as the first song for Red, while embarking on her Speak Now World Tour. She collaborated with longtime co-writer Liz Rose, who helped trim the song to five minutes from its original 10-minute length.
Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "All Too Well" is a power ballad combining country rock, soft rock, folk and arena rock styles, with lyrics narrating a romantic relationship and its subsequent dissolution using vivid imagery. It is often regarded as Swift's greatest song by music critics, fans, and media outlets.
After Red was released, "All Too Well" peaked at number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 59 on the Canadian Hot 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Swift first performed "All Too Well" at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2014, and included the song on the set lists of her shows for the Red Tour (2013–14) and the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) among many other concerts.
Critics have hailed "All Too Well" as one of the best songs ever made, highlighting its cathartic songwriting; emotional engagement; specific, expository details; slow-burning production; vocal performance; and musical climax.
The song featured on many publications' lists of the best songs of the 2010s decade, and ranked 69th on Rolling Stone's 2021 revision of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. "All Too Well" has earned a cult following, with its "scarf" reference becoming a popular culture phenomenon.
In 2021, following the controversy regarding her masters, Swift re-recorded two versions of "All Too Well"—that of the 5-minute track and its unabridged, 10-minute-long version, for her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), released on November 12 via Republic Records.
It was accompanied by All Too Well: The Short Film, a romantic drama written and directed by Swift, starring Sadie Sink, Dylan O'Brien and herself, which premiered on November 12.
Surpassing the 2012 track's chart performance, "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" was met with international commercial success, topping the charts in various countries. It broke the Guinness World Record for the longest song ever to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Reviews lauded the songcraft of the 10-minute song and dubbed it a career highlight for Swift, ranking in various year-end lists of best songs of 2021.