With the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), I thought it only fitting to throw a listening party for the re-recorded album on the day of its release. In this post, I’m going to tell you how I prepared for the party, and all the Red themed treats I had up my sleeves for my friends, from invitations to dinner.
When is Red (Taylor’s Version) Being Released?
Taylor’s version of her iconic Red album was set to be released on the 19th of November 2021. However, Miss Swift rescheduled the release date to 1 week earlier so as not to clash with the release of Adele’s new album. Red (Taylor’s Version) is currently set to come out on the 12th of November 2021. The release of the original Red album was on the 22nd of October 2021.
Why is Taylor Swift Rerecording Red?
Taylor Swift announced that she would be rerecording her first 5 albums after the originals were sold to Scooter Braun, without Swift being given the chance to purchase the rights herself. Instead of a money-making exercise, Swift is rerecording these albums to raise awareness for future artists to be careful about the contracts they are signing. And so she can own all of her own songs. Taylor is no stranger to standing up for the rights of artists, famously not allowing her music on streaming platforms until artists were paid properly for their songs being streamed.
What Songs Are on Red (Taylor’s Version)?
In addition to the original tracklist, Red (Taylor’s Version) contains 10 extra songs that weren’t on the original listing. These include sentimental Ronan, which Taylor wrote for a little boy who sadly passed away from cancer, as new collaborations with Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers. These additional songs were all written during the original Red era but were not on the original album. Fans are particularly excited for the new 10-minute version of the beloved classic All Too Well.
My Red (Taylor’s Version) Listening Party
When Taylor announced the date for the re-release of Red, I knew I wanted to host a listening party for my friends. I thought it would be a brilliant opportunity to get creative with my hosting skills and so I got to work!
The Invitations
The first thing I created for my Red (Taylor’s Version) party was the invites. I was browsing Pinterest for some ideas and was inspired by cinema tickets – and so I got sketching in Procreate. I came up with these Red themed tickets to send to my friends.
Alongside the cinema tickets, I also got to work writing an invitation that included every song from the album somewhere in it! This took me an evening to do but I was very happy with how it worked out!
The Food
The most important part of any gathering, whatever you’re celebrating, is the food, and it’s no exception with a Red (Taylor’s Version) party. My inspiration for the menu was very literal, with all the food needing to be red in colour. I wanted to keep it relatively simple – as I’m really not used to cooking for more than two people. For starters, a simple bruschetta fitted the bill. Whilst for mains, I stuck with the Italian theme and opted to make a penne arrabiata. I thought the spice of the arrabbiata would make the pasta dish a touch more interesting than just a simple tomato sauce! The real star of the show, however, was dessert. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a pudding girl – I could quite happily live off sugar for the rest of my life so I wanted to create something really delicious for this course! This is why I chose to make a strawberry tart! Here’s how it turned out!
On the table we also had a snack plate that had Taylor Swift inspired biscuits – red lips and red stars (one of the tracks is called Starlight after all) – strawberries, red meringues, and some red sweets too.
The Drinks
It wouldn’t be a complete dinner party without drinks and for this part of the evening, I had two red inspired options. For those drinking alcohol I made a fruit sangria, perfect with its deep red shade made from the wine. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic drink, I managed to find a blood orange soda in my local Sainsburys which was a reddish-orange colour.
Red (Taylor’s Version) Listening Activities
To add an extra element of fun to the night everyone was given a red envelope with a piece of paper. On the paper they had to write their guess, before listening to the album, of which their favourite was going to be from the original tracklist and from the new vault songs. After listening we then compared whether our guesses were right!
The Goodie Bags
Let’s just say I got overly into planning this listening party and created a set of stickers, bookmarks, and a postcard for each of my friends to take home with them after the party is over. Each element is inspired by the songs on the album and memorabilia from the original Red era.
What It’s Like Throwing a Red (Taylor’s Version) Party
Planning and organising this Red (Taylor’s Version) listening party was so much fun, and my friends and I really enjoyed the evening! If you also had a listening party to celebrate the re-release of Red, I’d love to hear in the comments the things you did to commemorate the occasion!
About Katie May
I am a digital marketer, who graduated from Cardiff University in 2020 with a degree in English and Philosophy. I love writing about everything from travel to my university experience. Whether you’re looking for tips on how to read more, the differences between UK and US universities, or just the best things to do in Cardiff, I have the posts for you!
Pin It For Later
