Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ Was the Only Triple Platinum Album of 2012
Taylor Swift was the only musician in any genre to earn a Triple Platinum certification in 2012, surpassing the massive milestone with her current studio album, 'Red.'
The honor is quite impressive considering the album's street date was in the last quarter of the year. 'Red' -- which feature's Swift's current No. 1 pop track, 'I Knew You Were Trouble' -- was released on Oct. 22 and shattered virtually every record imaginable. The album scanned a staggering 1.2 million copies in its first week of sales and has since sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone.
'Red' also earned Swift the distinction of being the only female in SoundScan history to sell more than a million copies in a 7-day period with two consecutive studio albums.
"I think for me, this album is so interesting because it’s difficult to pick a song that’s closest to me. Every one of these songs is a snapshot of a very different time in my life, you know?" Swift told Taste of Country last fall. "You go track-by-track, and this one’s about extreme sadness, and this one’s about extreme frustration, and this one’s about hope! [laughs] And this one’s about, you know, seeing someone and falling in love for the first time."
The accomplished songwriter penned every track included in any edition of the album, sharing writing credits with an array of top songwriters in the country and pop realms. "Lyrically, it would probably be the song ‘State of Grace,’ because it has a line in the song that says, ‘Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right," Swift says of the most meaningful lyric including on the album.
She adds, "And that sets the tone for the entire rest of the record — that one lyric."
Swift will continue to promote the red-hot release throughout 2013. The 'Begin Again' singer will embark on her Red Tour in March, with 58 shows booked in 45 cities. Swift has enlisted British rocker Ed Sheeran as opening entertainment for the highly-anticipated string of dates, with country's Florida Georgia Line, Brett Eldredge and more along for (some of) the ride.