‘All Too Well’ Might Be Taylor Swift’s Saddest Song; An Investigation
Fans of Taylor Swift’s music can attest to many things. Like the fact that her songs have made a massive impact on their lives. Or the fact that her songwriting has changed over time.
With the release of her eighth studio album folklore, many are stewing over the fact that this might possibly be her saddest album. However, what is her saddest song? For many, it’s “All Too Well.” But why? Well, it goes far beyond the person that the song is about.
Swift’s song ‘All Too Well’ is much more than a song (allegedly) about Jake Gyllenhaal
Let’s get the elephant out of the room right now: “All Too Well” is allegedly about Jake Gyllenhaal, but that’s not necessarily what makes it sad.
Red is the last pop-country crossover album before she went full-pop with 1989. And she sort of stayed with that pop sound until her most recent album, folklore. And like a lot of Swift’s songs on 2012’s Red, “All Too Well” is raw and has really clever lyrics. It starts slow and builds and builds until it’s just a mix of bold sounds and a climax that hits you in the feels harder than before.
The song details a love that ended pretty tragically because the two lovers were just so deep in their affections. Seeing little mementos, like a scarf or photos, or regular, everyday items such as a traffic light, reminds her of the tough breakup. But more than anything, she remembers the love and happiness “all too well.”
The bridge might be the best, most-pained lyrics in the whole song.
Maybe we got lost in translation
Maybe I asked for too much
But maybe this thing was a masterpiece
‘Til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there, I remember it all too well
And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
‘Cause I remember it all… too well
It’s never fun to look back at someone who might have hurt you. But the worst is when there are so many “what ifs.” What if things had worked out? What if you could have kept the “one real thing you’ve ever known”? The fact that those lyrics come at the climax of the song also doesn’t help the heartache. Because right when she’s tearing you apart, she hits you with that powerful instrumentation, too.
‘All Too Well’ had the lyrics that Swift was ‘most proud of’ in 2012
In an interview with PopDust in 2012, Swift said that she wrote the song during a soundcheck on her previous tour. And she loves that bridge the most.
“The lyric I’m most proud of is from ‘All Too Well,’” Swift shared. She was referring to that part that went, “And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / so casually cruel in the name of being honest.”
Swift said she went on a “rant” as she was playing the chords that would eventually make up the song.
“I was going through a really hard time then, and my band joined in playing, and one of the first things that I came up with, just, like, spat out [that line.].”
The rest of the songs on Red, range from aggressive break-up songs like “We Are Never Getting Back Together” or happier songs about just beginning a new relationship like “Begin Again.”
One other track almost rivals “All Too Well” in sadness factor, and that’s “The Last Time” featuring Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody. It carries strong emotion and it builds in a similar way as well. It sort of has a better outcome, with the two lovers trying one more time. But there’s still a doomed aspect to it.
Many fans say that ‘folklore’ is an extension of ‘All Too Well’
A lot of fans would agree that “All Too Well” is not only one of Swift’s best songs, but that it is the saddest. However, with folklore, there are several top contenders, and that’s due to the fact that most of this album is filled with sadness. And fans have even noted that the feeling of the whole album is as if Swift created a tapestry of music based on the story and feelings of “All Too Well.”
For instance, there’s “Exile,” which is like “The Last Time”’s older sister, where those two lovers who tried to work on their relationship failed miserably. And then there’s “Betty,” which tells the perspective of someone who was in love but ruined it by cheating. Fans have even mashed up “All Too Well” and “Betty,” eliciting many, many tears.
Swift is an expert at pulling on heartstrings. Along with being a brilliant songwriter, she really thrives when it comes to describing her feelings in a way that hits home. Because not only are her sad songs relatable, but they make you want to feel sad too. It’s a weird dichotomy, but it works.
Whether “All Too Well” is her saddest song is up to the listener. But it certainly is one of the most painful. And fans thank Swift for it, every day.
