It was a rainy dreary Saturday yesterday, and I ended up listening to a lot of Taylor Swift songs. I was inspired to list my favorites, but she has SO many songs now, it gets difficult to even remember them all. I decided to go album by album and remember my favorites from each era.
It was fun going back and listening to some old favorites to see what songs I still love! Some are so nostalgic for me, and others weren't instant favorites, but grew on me over time. I'm listing only the songs that I think are 10/10, or the best on each album. Honorable mentions are close, maybe 9/10.
Taylor Swift- Debut
1. Our Song - The first song that made me fall in love with Taylor! I love the innocence and optimism of young love and making your own special moments your soundtrack.
2. Should've Said No - One of her first break-up songs. Catchy.
3. I'm Only Me When I'm With You - This could be about a romantic relationship, but it always makes me think of friendships - the people that you can be yourself around.
Honorable Mention: Tim McGraw - so bittersweet.
Fearless
1. Fearless - My favorite song from Fearless. I love the idea of love making you brave. I think this song gets overlooked because "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" were such big hits. Those two songs are hard to even rate because I got tired of them quickly with how much they were overplayed.
I do like Tell Me Why and The Way I Loved You, but feel like they sound similar to each other and also to "Forever and Always". Going back to the Fearless album, I don't like as many songs as I thought. She's just written so many better songs since then.
Fearless - Taylor's Version - Vault Tracks
1. Mr. Perfectly Fine - I was obsessed with this when she released it as a Vault track. It took me back to the early Taylor days.
Honorable Mention: You All Over Me - Love this one too.
Speak Now
1. Last Kiss - This is so beautifully tragic. She recalls all the last moments with someone, back before she knew they were the last. It's foreshadowing "All Too Well".
2. Superman - Love the line "I loved you from the very first day".
Honorable Mention: Long Live, Mine, Story of Us - it's funny because I loved Speak Now when it came out, but now the only song that's still a top song for me is Last Kiss.
Red
1. All Too Well - A masterpiece. From the "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place" to "you call me up again just to break me like a promise" to "time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it", the lyrics are top notch. Some of her best work.
2. State of Grace - This one wasn't one of my initial favorites, but it grew on me and now I love it. So many good lines like "I've loved in shades of wrong" and "mosaic broken hearts".
3. Come Back, Be Here - I was obsessed with this song and it was in my head throughout my first marathon, so it has a special place for me.
Honorable Mention: Everything Has Changed - love this song about the hopeful beginning stages of new love.
Red - Taylor's Version - Vault Tracks
1. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) - I thought the original couldn't be improved upon, but I was wrong. Lines like "you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath" just added more layers to this already incredible song.
2. Better Man - Love this one. It's about reflecting on the end of a relationship and wondering if it could've worked had a few things been different, but knowing there were good reasons it had to end.
Honorable Mention: Message in a Bottle, The Very First Night - good catchy fun
1989
1. I Know Places - One of my favorite Taylor Swift songs. I think this one is underrated only because there are so many bangers on 1989.
2. Blank Space - Iconic. Taylor's satirical take on how the media portrays her romantic relationships is genius. So many great lyrics, and the music video is incredible too.
3. All You Had To Do Was Stay - I was obsessed with this in the 1989 era, and although I don't love it as much as I once did, I still have to rank it as one of my faves.
4. Wildest Dreams - Love this one, it's kind of ethereal.
Honorable Mention: Style, New Romantics - there are too many good songs on 1989!
1989 - Taylor's Version - Vault Tracks
1. Suburban Legends - I don't know why I love this one so much, but I do.
2. Is It Over Now? - This one really embodies 1989, down to the bird sounds in the background.
Honorable Mention: Now That We Don't Talk - I really like all of the 1989 vault tracks!
Reputation
1. Getaway Car - This one's upbeat and fun, very catchy.
2. ...Ready For It? - One of her best track one songs, love the way she says I-I-I see...
3. King of My Heart - sweet song about the kind of love where someone appreciates you for you, not "fancy stuff".
Honorable Mention: Delicate, Don't Blame Me
Lover
1. Daylight - This is one of my all time favorites! Since it's the last track, it took me a little time to discover how much I love this song. Love the bridge.
2. Death By a Thousand Cuts - Such great analogies and I love the bridge!
3. Cruel Summer - Should have been a single when this album came out!
Honorable Mention: London Boy, Paper Rings - These songs get hated on, but I like them. These were some of my initial favorites until the others eclipsed them. They're such fun songs about being in love and enjoying simple things with your partner.
Folklore
1. Exile - Hauntingly beautiful. Her best duet, I would say.
2. The 1 - This song was so perfect for the Covid era - lines like, "It's another day waking up alone" hit so hard in 2020.
3. Cardigan - I think this song sets the tone for the entire Folklore album.
4. My Tears Ricochet - The title itself is perfect, a throwback to "Teardrops on My Guitar". It's about the pain of betrayal from someone you knew and trusted.
Evermore
1. Ivy - My favorite song on Evermore. I was a little crushed when I realized it likely referred to an affair. I love the line, "My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand".
Honorable Mention: Marjorie, Tolerate It (such a heartbreaking song), Evermore
Midnights
1. Hits Different - This bonus song is better than the rest of the album!
Honorable Mention: Karma, Midnight Rain, Maroon
Midnights - 3am
1. Would've, Could've, Should've - This is a Top 10 song for me! Why it only got added to the album later is a mystery, because it's better than every single song on the original track list.
2. You're Losing Me - Another masterpiece. This one is so tragic, because it's about how a relationship that's not working is slowly killing you, long before it's officially over.
Honorable Mention: High Infidelity, Bigger Than The Whole Sky
The Tortured Poets Department
1. So Long, London - This song goes along with "You're Losing Me". It's about trying to save a relationship that's slowly dying, and finally letting go. The bridge is gut wrenching!
2. Down Bad - This song grew on me. I love how she sings, "For a moment I knew cosmic love"
Honorable Mention: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
TTPD- The Anthology
1. The Prophecy - Another heart wrenching song. Taylor wonders when it's her turn to find a forever love and is begging to change her fate of doomed relationships.
2. So High School - This one's just catchy and fun.
Honorable Mention: The Bolter
The Life of a Showgirl
1. Elizabeth Taylor
2. The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor has a habit of trying to re-write tragic love stories. Here she imagines she's saved from a death of grief and heartbreak by finding new love just in time.
Honorable Mention: Ruin the Friendship
The Life of a Showgirl - The Encore
1. Babylon - So far my favorite of the Encore tracks. It's about learning to appreciate the moment you're in before it's gone.
Honorable Mention: Pink Clouding
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