All Too Well
"All Too Well" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was developed by Swift while she was on the Speak Now World Tour in 2011, and she co-wrote the final version with Liz Rose. A truncated version, at 5 minutes and 29 seconds, was produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman and released on Swift's fourth studio album, Red (2012). After a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's masters, she re-recorded the song as "Taylor's Version" and released a "10 Minute Version" containing the trimmed lyrics from the 2012 release as part of the re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version) in November 2021.[a]
For the film, see All Too Well: The Short Film. For other uses, see All Too Well (disambiguation)."All Too Well (10 Minute Version)"
2011
November 12, 2021
- Conway (Hollywood)
- Electric Lady (New York)
- Rough Customer (Brooklyn)
10:13
- Taylor Swift
- Liz Rose
- Taylor Swift
- Jack Antonoff
"All Too Well" has narrative lyrics about a failed romantic relationship. It uses expository details that recall the memories of a once-intimate romance and explore its painful aftermath. One such detail is a scarf that the narrator left at the house of her former lover's sister, which generated widespread interpretations and became a popular culture phenomenon. The 2012 version is a slow-burning power ballad combining styles of country, folk, and rock music. The "10 Minute Version", produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, has an atmospheric country influenced pop rock production.
"All Too Well" reached number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 59 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2012. The 2021 "Taylor's Version" peaked atop the Billboard Global 200 and became the longest song to top the US Billboard Hot 100; it reached number one on charts in several other countries. Swift performed the song at the 2014 Grammy Awards and included it in the set lists for two of her world tours: the Red Tour (2013–2014) and the Eras Tour (2023–2024). Music critics generally regard "All Too Well" as Swift's best song and praise its evocative and detail-heavy lyricism. Rolling Stone included it at number 69 in their 2021 revision of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Critics praised the "10 Minute Version" for providing a richer context with its additional verses; it received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. It was accompanied by a short film directed by Swift.
"All Too Well"
February–March 2011
October 22, 2012
Pain in the Art (Nashville)
5:29
- Taylor Swift
- Liz Rose
- Taylor Swift
- Nathan Chapman
2021 re-recordings[edit]
Background and release[edit]
After a public dispute over the ownership of Swift's back catalog under her previous label Big Machine, Swift began re-recording her entire back catalog in November 2020 to claim the rights to her master recordings. After her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor's Version)—the re-recording of her 2008 album—Swift followed with Red (Taylor's Version), the re-recording of her 2012 album.[50] Red (Taylor's Version), released on November 12, 2021, features two versions of "All Too Well": a re-recording of the official version subtitled "Taylor's Version", and the original 10-minute version subtitled "10 Minute Version (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)".[51][52]
Before "All Too Well" was cut down to a 10-minute version and then more to a final five minute and 28-second version, American songwriter Liz Rose, with whom Swift wrote the song, believed it was "probably a 20-minute song".[6] Swift had conceived the song in February 2011 while at a band rehearsal for the Speak Now World Tour.[3][53][54] In promoting the single's release, Swift appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 11, 2021, the day before the album's release. During the interview, while discussing where the origins of "All Too Well" came from, Swift recalled ad-libbing the song at a band rehearsal when she was 21, and at the end of the session, her mother approached the sound guy and collected a CD of the recorded session.[55]
"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" was made available to US hot adult contemporary on November 11, 2021, one day before the release of Red (Taylor's Version).[56] "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" was released as a digital promotional single on Swift's webstore on November 15, 2021, exclusively to U.S. customers.[57] The live acoustic version from the All Too Well: The Short Film premiere performance was released to the iTunes Store and her website for digital download the same day.[58] The acoustic "Sad Girl Autumn" version, recorded at Aaron Dessner's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley, was released on November 17.[59] In June 2022, a new version titled "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)" was released for digital download and streaming that is 11 minutes and 26 seconds long with different instrumentals and outro.[60] The 10-minute version of the song was included on the set list for the Eras Tour (2023–2024).[61]