"Begin Again" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fourth studio album, Red (2012).

Music critics praised the gentle production and the narrative songwriting, with some welcoming Swift's mature perspective on love.

"Begin Again" was recorded by Steve Marcantonio and mixed by Justin Niebank, with assistance from Drew Bollman, at Blackbird Studio, Nashville.

[3] Swift previewed "Begin Again" on Good Morning America on September 24, 2012, and Big Machine Records released it for download onto iTunes the next day.

"[14] For the music critic Annie Zaleski, "Begin Again" is stylistically reminiscent of the songs by James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson, whom Swift cited as her influences.

[15] The musicologist James E. Perone believed the song's production confirms the significance of Swift's country roots on the genre-spanning, pop-oriented Red.

"[14][16] Billy Dukes from Taste of Country remarked that the narrator of "Begin Again" is willing to reveal her vulnerability to the new lover, which makes the song touching.

[10] Writing for Taste of Country, Billy Dukes gave the song a four star rating out of five, describing it as "a cleansing breath that hopefully foreshadows the true tone of her album".

[17] Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly wrote the song is "a well-crafted love story" and noted Swift's talent "at taking a single moment in time and letting it unfold like a pop-up storybook.

[26][27] On the Hot Country Songs chart dated October 13, 2012, "Begin Again" opened at number 37 with three million airplay impressions.

[34] Elsewhere, the song debuted on the charts in several territories, peaking within the top 40 of New Zealand (11),[35] Australia (20),[36] Ireland (25),[37] Scotland (27),[38] the United Kingdom (30),[39] and Spain (35),[40] and Italy (72).

[43] Directed by Philip Andelman and produced by Arthur Cantin,[44] the story in the video deviates from the song's lyrical narrative in several respects.

While the lyrics recount the narrator's (Swift) trepidation of a first date after a bad breakup, the video instead relates a chance meeting in a cafe in Paris.

Missing from the video are the Swift's initial moments in the cafe, where her date has arrived early to wait for her, greets her, then helps her into her chair, displaying kindness and respect that was apparently absent from her former relationship.

Entertainment Weekly thought the video was "another classic bittersweet Swift joint," writing: "Though her boyfriend doesn't laugh at her jokes and bores her with stories about his family's Christmas movie-watching traditions, she finds the ultimate salve: Wandering through the streets of Paris, chuckling with handsome dudes in a café (and probably snacking on snails or something).

[68] "Begin Again (Taylor's Version)" was produced by Swift and Christopher Rowe, and it was recorded by David Payne at Blackbird Studios, Nashville.

[69] Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe complimented the re-recorded track for showcasing a stronger country production and an improved in Swift's musical instincts, "heightening its plainspoken candor and hopefulness".