Swifties are a pretty savvy bunch, deciphering clues and Easter eggs that Taylor Swift drops like breadcrumbs across her social media profiles and public appearances. Even so, fans — who were convinced that the next re-recorded release following this year’s No. 1 album Fearless (Taylor’s Version) would be a reworked 1989 — were thrown off on Friday (June 18) with the announcement that the next re-recorded album in Swift’s catalog would be her fourth, Red (Taylor’s Version).
When it originally dropped in 2012, Red became her third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, moving 1.21 million copies in its first week. When the year wrapped, Red was the second best-selling LP of 2012 with 3.11 million, following Adele’s 21. Red also boasts her first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”; four top 20 hits (“Begin Again,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22” and “Red”) would follow.