Begin Again

"Begin Again" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fourth studio album, Red (2012) as its closing track. It was released as the second single from Red on October 1, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Produced by Swift, Dann Huff, and Nathan Chapman, "Begin Again" is a gentle country and soft rock ballad with acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and percussion. Its lyrics are about falling in love again after a failed, toxic previous relationship. Music critics praised the gentle production, the narrative songwriting, and welcomed Swift's mature perspective on love. "Begin Again" was nominated for Best Country Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. In the United States, the single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified gold by Music Canada (MC). The song's accompanying music video was directed by Philip Andelman. Shot in Paris, the video depicts Swift strolling around the city with a male love interest. Swift performed "Begin Again" live at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and included the song on the set list of the Red Tour (2013–2014). She released a re-recorded version of the song, titled "Begin Again (Taylor's Version)", as part of her 2021 re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version). Background and production In October 2010, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her third studio album Speak Now, which she wrote entirely by herself. She co-produced it with Nathan Chapman, who had produced both of her previous albums. Speak Now continued the country pop sound of Swift's previous records, with a radio-friendly pop crossover production and elements from various rock subgenres of the 1970s and 1980s decades. On Speak Now follow-up Red, Swift wanted to experiment beyond country pop and worked with different producers. Chapman remained a key collaborator on Red—he and Swift produced eight tracks, including "Begin Again". It was solely written by Swift, who had also written eight other songs for the album single-handedly. Audio engineer Steve Marcantonio recorded the song, while Justin Niebank with assistance from Drew Bollman mixed it, at Blackbird Studios, Nashville. Hank Williams mastered the track at Nashville's MasterMix studio.