Taylor Swift gave the audience everything they wanted with the full 10-minute version of a heartfelt All Too Well on Saturday Night Live.
The long version of the song was released Friday as the final track on Red (Taylor’s Version), a rerecording of her 2012 album that’s part of her ongoing effort to reclaim ownership of her back catalogue.
All Too Well is considered by many to be her best work.
Taylor, all in black, sang on a carpet of golden leaves in front of footage from All Too Well: The Short Film, featuring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, which she wrote and directed.
Sink plays a young Taylor and Dylan plays her ex-lover, almost certainly Jake Gyllenhaal, during the pair’s rumoured visit to his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s, house.
The lyrics are complex, heartfelt and searingly angry and painful. “I’m in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind,” sang Taylor.
Snow fell on her shoulders at the close of the song, mirroring the image in the film.
Colin Jost later opened Weekend Update quipping: “Well, guys, I think the lesson we all learned this week is never break up with Taylor Swift. Or she will sing about you for 10 minutes on national television.”
Earlier in the show, Taylor made a fun cameo in a music video sketch featuring Pete Davidson and three new SNL writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins. and Martin Herlihy. Much to their dismay, Pete turned it into a song about Three Sad Virgins.
Taylor turned up to sing with Pete: “They’re three sad virgins. And they’re gonna die alone.”
It was Taylor’s fifth appearance on SNL. The first one was in 2009.
Check out All Too Well in the video up top, and Three Sad Virgins below...