Stereogum's Chart-History Column Reaches Taylor Swift's 10-Minute 'All Too Well'

Stereogum's long-running column The Number Ones, which reviews every Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper in chronological order, has reached Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault]." The track, from the November 12, 2021 rerecorded album Red (Taylor's Version), runs 10 minutes and 13 seconds, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and remains the longest song ever to top that chart.

What the column does

The Number Ones is Stereogum's ongoing project covering Hot 100 No. 1 singles in the order they hit the top spot, with each entry running long on a song's backstory, production and chart performance before closing with a critic's score. The column has now worked its way up to late 2021, which is how it arrived at this track.

Where the 10-minute version came from

The original "All Too Well" appeared on Swift's 2012 album Red and was not released as a single at the time. Swift has said in interviews that the song's early demo ran considerably longer than the released cut; the full-length version later surfaced as a "From The Vault" track alongside Red (Taylor's Version).

Red (Taylor's Version) was one installment in Swift's rerecording project, launched amid her dispute over ownership of her original master recordings. The album contains 30 tracks, including several previously unreleased vault songs. The 10-minute "All Too Well" surpassed Don McLean's "American Pie" to become the longest No. 1 in Hot 100 history.

Alongside the song, Swift released All Too Well: The Short Film, which she wrote and directed, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, pairing the lyrics with a narrative film. The short has since been reused repeatedly in her concerts and video releases.

What's not covered here

The source article does not report Stereogum's actual score or verdict for the song, nor a publication date for the column entry itself.