Taylor Swift released an 11-minute, 26-second version of “All Too Well,” following a discussion and screening of her short film All Too Well during the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 11. Swift ended the screening and talk by giving the audience a surprise performance of the song.
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Titled All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film), the new extended version of the track technically runs 11 minutes, 26 seconds, and features a reworked outro and updated instrumentals. The more cinematic version of the song was recently released on Swift’s re-recorded Red (Taylor’s Version) album and runs 10 minutes, 13 seconds long. The 11-minute The Short Film version, which is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, retains the core lyrics They say all’s well that ends well / But I’m in a new hell every time / You double cross my mind and slowly fades out with Swift singing It’s supposed to be fun, turning 21.
In a 50-minute conversation at the Beacon Theatre, Swift discussed her short film, All Too Well: The Short Film, with director Mike Mills before bringing out its stars Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf) and Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink, after screening the film. The film, directed and written by Swift, first premiered in November 2021.
“He’s not a monster,” said actor O’Brien of his character, who is rumored to be based on Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal. “He’s just a narcissistic, egotistical child.” Swift added of the film’s couple, “I wanted it to feel like them falling together was inevitable,” she said, “and them falling apart was just as inevitable.”
Swift also praised both actors and said O’Brien has an “electric charisma that his character needed to be able to get away with all the gas lighting,” and called Sink “so talented,” and shared her emotions while watching the actress from behind the camera.
“It is true that most of the time I was behind the monitor watching Sadie perform, I was physically clenching my chest,” said Swift. “Every time I watch it, it’s actually hard for me to watch, especially when [she’s] crying so hard that it’s concerning. It’s really upsetting in the best way.”
At the end of the screening and conversation, Swift asked the audience “Do you have an extra 10 minutes?” and surprised the crowd with a live acoustic performance of the extended version of “All Too Well,” featured on Red (Taylor’s Version).
Reflecting on the success of the song “All Too Well,” which was originally released in 2012, Swift said she was surprised by the demand to hear the 10-minute long version in 2021. Upon, its release, the extended version debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
“You guys just wouldn’t let it go,” said Swift. “There’s so much happening in the music industry that’s so exciting. The fans have kind of subverted the label model of ‘we sit in a conference room and we pick the songs you’re going to like.’ You guys are like, ‘No, we don’t want to do that anymore.’ I find it so radical and wonderful, and I’m just trying to listen to the heartbeat of what fans want.”
When asked if she wants to make more films, Swift said she would “love” to direct a full-length film one day. “It would be so fantastic to write and direct a feature, but I don’t see it being bigger in terms of scale,” shared Swift. “I loved making a film that was so intimate, with a crew that was relatively small and a really solid group of people that I really trusted.”
Swift has been in the process of re-recording her first six albums after her original masters were sold without her knowledge by her former label Big Machine.
“I’m in this situation, standing on this stage, talking about a short film I’m incredibly proud of, because I lost all of my work,” shared Swift during her Tribeca talk. “I was not able to own my work and I had wanted to since I can remember. It was a very hard time for me.”
She added, “I’m very happy with where my life is now.”
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris for Tribeca Film Festival
