Singer recorded track at Long Pond Studios with Aaron Dessner of the National and Jonathan Low

Taylor Swift is adeptly ushering in Sad Girl Autumn with a new version of “All Too Well.” She recorded the rendition with her “besties” Aaron Dessner of the National and Jonathan Low.

“One of the saddest songs I’ve ever written just got sadder,” Swift posted on Twitter, and it isn’t hyperbole. She said she drove to Long Pond Studios in upstate New York to track the song with Dessner and Low. Her 2020 Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions documentary was also set at the isolated studio in the woods.

 

Like the track that appears on Red (Taylor’s Version), the song is an extended 10-minute poignant reflection on a heart-wrenching breakup. The shorter original track appeared on 2012’s Red. The new take earns its Sad Girl stripes with its soft piano beginnings buoying her hushed opening vocal, which receives touches of lush layering accentuating the emotional lyrics as the song progresses.

The latest version of the track follows the release of the epic Swift-directed All Too Well short film starring Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.

Earlier in the week, Swift dropped the video for “I Bet You Think About Me,” which was directed by Blake Lively.

VIBE celebrates '106' with a countdown of the videos retired from The Countdown.

106 & Park was a cultural moment celebrating the best, brightest stars of Hip-Hop and R&B.

Kicking things off in 2000, the show was hosted by personalities A.J. Calloway and Marie “Free” Wright, with the intent to recognize the most popular music and music videos at the time. And while the show added bits like Wild Out Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Freestyle Fridays, the true star of the show was the countdown, where fans enjoyed the art of the music video, all curated by them. Fans would vote for the chance to include their favorite artist’s latest releases on the coveted Top 10 Countdown.

Some videos were so beloved, that they wound up having to be placed on the 106 & Park Video Hall of Fame, where the music video would be “retired” after appearing on the countdown list 65 times—a true testament to the power of fandom and the impact that some of these visuals had on the culture. As BET issues yet another tease of a potential 106 & Park reboot for its 25th Anniversary, VIBE thought it would be great to walk you through the music videos that had the honor of being retired and placed into the show’s Hall of Fame. Watch the videos below.

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