Taylor Swift: ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
On Nov. 12, Taylor Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version), a re-recorded album of her 2012 album Red. The re-recorded album was acclaimed by critics. On Nov. 21, Billboard announced that Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Taylor Swift’s new album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Each week, the Billboard 200 ranks the top albums in the U.S. based on sales and streams. With Red (Taylor’s Version) debuting at No. 1 on the chart, the album became Swift’s 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
According to Billboard, “Red (Taylor’s Version) earned 605,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 18, according to MRC Data. That marks the second-largest week of the year, trailing only the debut frame of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which racked up 613,000 units in the week ending Sept. 9. Red (Taylor’s Version) also launches with the best week of the year in terms of traditional album sales: 369,000.”
The report continues, “Of Red (Taylor’s Version)’s 605,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 18, album sales comprise 369,000, SEA units comprise 227,000 (equaling 303.23 million on-demand streams of the set’s 30 tracks), and TEA units comprise 9,000 units.”
A lot has changed since Taylor Swift released the original ‘Red’ album
When Red was first released in 2012, it also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and it spend several weeks at the top spot on the chart.
While both Red and Red (Taylor’s Version) reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the promotion for both albums has been quite different.
In an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Swift shared that promoting Red (Taylor’s Version) has been a happier experience.
“At the time I was, like, honestly, really sad ’cause I’d actually gone through the stuff that I had sung about,” Swift told Meyers. “But this time, I’ve got sunglasses on and a mojito and just, like, it’s chill this time. It’s really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad, not be taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I’m telling you, it’s much better this way.”
‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ includes a new version of ‘All Too Well’
While it was not a single, “All Too Well” became one of the most popular songs on Red in 2012. Over the years, the song amassed its own fan base and became a fan-favorite track on the album.
For Red (Taylor’s Version), Swift released a re-recorded version of “All Too Well” and included a 10-minute version of the song as a “From the Vault” track.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Swift admitted “All Too Well” is also one of her favorite songs on the album.
“Basically, when I was writing the Red album, I knew I had a favorite on the album and it was a song called ‘All Too Well,'” she told Fallon. “But oftentimes, my personal favorites don’t line up with songs that end up being singles or having videos.”
She continued, “I always just have these favorites where I’m like, ‘That one’s just my favorite.’ But what happened on this album was this song became the fans’ favorite on its own. My favorite and their favorite song aligned.”
