On December 11, 2020, Taylor Swift decided once again that she was going to rock the world with a surprise album. Not only was it a surprise, but it was a sister album to July’s wildly successful folklore. With such a strong record to follow, evermore was under a lot of pressure. Luckily for the fans, Taylor Swift once again delivered in big ways.
The night before my economics final, I stayed up until 1 a.m. so that I could watch the “willow” music video when it dropped at midnight and listen to the album once on my own before I came across any reviews or rankings. I immediately had my favorites, but now that it’s been a few weeks since the premiere, I finally feel ready for a definitive ranking (at least until I can hear the bonus tracks).
15. “happiness”
This is one of two occasional skips I have on this album. I am aware that this is an unpopular opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s strong lyrically and I can see why people like it. However, it feels somewhat dry compared to some of the other songs on this album. Maybe it’s too sad for me to handle.
Favorite lyric: “Honey when I’m above the trees, I see it for what it is.”
14. “evermore (ft. Bon Iver)”
This song is my other skip. It’s not bad, I just like the others more. Bon Iver and Taylor both do a great job on this track, but it’s stylistically similar to several songs on folklore and didn’t really stick out on the re-listen.
Favorite lyric: “And I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter.”
13. “closure”
I actually like this song a lot. I think the discordant rhythm with the piano helps to convey the narrator’s complicated relationship with the person she’s describing in this song. I’ve seen people say that it feels out-of-place on this album, but I would disagree. I actually think this could have been a really strong way to end the album, if it weren’t for “evermore.”
Favorite lyric: “Don’t treat me like some situation that needs to be handled.”
12. “tolerate it”
This is a good song, and an obvious choice for track five (although I think “champagne problems” could have easily taken up that mantle). However, it falls behind some of the stronger songs on this album. I like how this song speaks to overextension of oneself in the pursuit of validation, especially where art is concerned.
Favorite lyric: “What would you do if I break free and leave us in ruins?”
11. “long story short”
I hate ranking it so low, but I have a lot of favorites on this album. I love the lyrics in this song. Her imagery and metaphors bring this journey to life for the listener, and the beat just makes you want to get up and dance. This is a great track.
Favorite lyric: “And my waves meet your shore, ever and evermore.”
10. “coney island (ft. The Nationals)”
This song actually grew on me as I listened to it more. It reminds me of how friends drift apart due to changes in circumstance, and how it’s difficult for us to trace all of the lives that have touched our own. It’s sad in the way that a good memory from a long time ago is sad. It’s asking for forgiveness when you aren’t sure where it went wrong.
Favorite lyric: “But when I walked up to the podium, I think that I forgot to say your name.”
9. “cowboy like me”
This is the most slept-on song on this album and I can’t for the life of me understand why. If I were rating on lyrics alone, this song would be in the top three. In terms of straight-up poetry this is one of the best songs on the album. Some people consider it a companion to Reputation’s “Getaway Car,” but I think that it is more than strong enough to stand on its own. I like how it starts in the middle, I like how the relationship between the characters builds and drifts and comes together in the end, and I like how it feels like we’re getting snapshots of this love story as it unfolds. This is a great song and I’m going to need to see more respect for it moving forward.
Favorite lyric: “Forever is the sweetest con.”
8. “willow”
This was a great song to start the album on. The music video was nothing short of enchanting, and I loved that it was played as a companion to one of my favorite songs from folklore, “cardigan.” I actually liked all of the remixes of this song that came out after the initial album drop. The lyrics are great, but what sold this song for me was the flow and rhythm of the accompaniment. I would love to dance in the woods to this song.
Favorite lyric: “Wait for the signal and I’ll meet you after dark.”
7. “champagne problems”
A spiritual successor to “All Too Well,” perhaps? This song is another addition to Taylor’s “full volume while having a mental breakdown in a car during a rainstorm” collection. I have already listened to this song too many times, but I still love it. While it is first and foremost a breakup song, it is also about failing to find yourself in someone else. 10/10 would cry in my car to this.
Favorite lyric: “‘This dorm was once a madhouse,’ I made a joke ‘well it’s made for me.’”
6. “‘tis the damn season”
A major theme of this album tends to be looking at where you’ve come from and understanding how different experiences, both positive and negative, have allowed you to grow into the person you are today. This song looks at the first love specifically as a source of growth and heartbreak, and the desire to return to something simple and honest even when it may no longer be circumstantially possible. I like that this is supposed to be a companion to “dorothea.” Where “dorothea” is about the good memories, this song really brings home the pain of having to let go of something even as you try to pretend that it isn’t over yet.
Favorite lyric: “And the heart I know I’m breaking is my own as I leave the warmest bed I’ve ever known.”
5. “marjorie”
Also slept-on. Remember what I said about how “coney island” and “’tis the damn season” have a lot to do with how it’s hard to measure the impact that other people have on who we are? Well, “marjorie” takes this to the next level. This song is about Taylor Swift’s grandmother, and the lyrics read so much like advice that might have been passed down through the generations of her family. I am close with my family and this past holiday season I’ve been more acutely aware of how my relationships with other women in my family, like my grandmothers and my mom, have made me who I am today. I’ve been mostly joking about crying over this album so far, but this song got me. It’s easily one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs of all time.
Favorite Lyric: “I should have asked you questions, I should have asked you how to be.”
4. “dorothea”
This song feels a lot like coming home. Like Dorothea, I left my small town to go to school in a big city, but it always feels special to come back to my roots in the country. It speaks to the love that you always have for your hometown, even if you know that your dreams are going to take you away.
Favorite lyric: “The stars in your eyes shine brighter in Tupelo.”
3. “no body no crime (ft. HAIM)”
We finally got a classic country revenge song out of Taylor and it was amazing. The lyrics, the drama. Everything about this song makes it an iconic addition to the album. The bridge is so subtle in its storytelling but still so vivid. Middle school me in the peak of my country phase would have loved this song.
Favorite lyric: “Good thing Este’s sister’s gonna swear she was with me.”
2. “ivy”
Cheating in real life? Bad, uncool, you shouldn’t do it. However, this song does slap. While “illicit affairs” on folklore covered a similar topic, “ivy” is able to make what the listener knows is wrong feel innocent, even justified, because of the lack of control the narrator seems to have about her feelings for the person she is falling for. Some people have a theory that this song is really about a woman finding love again after the death of her husband, and I like that theory a lot because it allows for the sweetness of this relationship to come through without the anger that was conveyed in “illicit affairs.” It also explains the guilt of the narrator without the song being about cheating and why there’s so much graveyard imagery in this song.
Favorite lyric: “I’d live and die for moments that we stole on begged and borrowed time.”
1. “gold rush”
This song sweeps you up, steals you away, and then brings you back down. It’s like a dream, and the transitions are swift and strong enough to give the listener whiplash (in a good way). I love how it moves from the quiet introduction to the steady beat of the verses to the swirling melody of the chorus. I love the subtle change in the lyrics from the first half to the second as the narrator realizes that the object of her affections is unattainable and that all she can do is dream. It’s a song about yearning, what’s not to love?
Favorite lyric: “I don’t like slow motion, double vision in a rose blush.”
All in all, this is one of my favorite Taylor Swift albums. I love the story that the tracklist tells, and the overall mood of letting go but remembering your roots that is at the heart of this album. I can’t wait to see what Miss Swift comes up with next.