Taylor Swift: you know her name, you know her songs and you probably have a strong opinion one way or another about her. It’s become a trend in recent years to dislike Taylor. I believe that much of the hate directed toward Taylor is a reflection of ingrained societal misogyny, but that’s a subject for another article. Regardless of everyone’s differing thoughts on Taylor, we all know that she has several albums (with several bangers… but here I go again swerving into the subjective). As difficult as it is, I decided to rank Taylor’s albums. Here we go, along with each album’s best five songs (the top five songs ranked in no particular order):
- Speak Now (Deluxe Version)
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Top 5: “Dear John” || “The Story Of Us” || “Enchanted” || “Innocent” || “Long Live”
Speak Now (Deluxe) tops my list because it’s the album that contains the highest number of songs that I love. It’s a 20-song album with virtually no skips and it always sparks such fond memories of childhood and jamming to Taylor on my iPod Nano. Taylor’s musical arrangement skills and poignant lyrics are at their peak of genius on this album.
- Red
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Top 5: “State of Grace” || “Red” || “All Too Well” || “The Last Time” || “Holy Ground” || “Everything Has Changed”
Red comes as a very close second to Speak Now, so close that it’s almost tied for first. Red has several of my favorite Taylor songs to date. Once again, Taylor’s music and lyrics are incredible on this album and pull you into the lens of her personal memories almost as if listeners ourselves experienced the same visuals, relationships and personal growth.
- Fearless
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Top 5: “Fearless” || “Fifteen” || “Hey Stephen” || “Forever & Always” || “Change”
Taylor’s second album also has so many classics that trigger pleasant nostalgia. Fearless was the album that proved Taylor was a force to be reckoned with and that although she was just getting started, she had a lot to offer. Fearless embodies the highs and lows of teenage love.
- Lover
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Top 5: “The Man” || “Death By A Thousand Cuts” || “Cornelia Street” || “Soon You’ll Get Better” || “Daylight”
After backlash for albums like 1989 and Reputation, Taylor’s most recent album reaffirmed her musical and songwriting abilities. Though not one of my favorites, Lover has several great songs. I also appreciate Taylor’s decision to push forward into using her voice for political and social statements rooted in personal experience in songs like “The Man.”
- Taylor Swift
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Top 5: “Picture to Burn” || “Stay Beautiful” || “Should’ve Said No” || “Our Song” || “I’m Only Me When I’m With You”
Taylor’s first album has so many classics that served as soundtracks to childhood sleepovers, car rides and emotional experiences. Taylor Swift differs sharply from most of her other albums in its distinct country-pop sound. It put her on the map of music. Without it, who knows if she would be the industry giant she is now.
- Reputation
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Top 5: “End Game” || “Getaway Car” || “King Of My Heart” || “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” || “Call It What You Want”
Reputation represents the peak of Taylor’s frustration with media portrayals of her and the negative public discourse around her. Though it clocks in near the bottom of my list, I do respect her skill for channeling her anger into more art. That being said, I don’t believe it meets the same musical standards and high bar she set with her earlier music.
- 1989
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Top 5: “Blank Space” || “Style” || “Bad Blood” || “Wildest Dreams” || “New Romantics”
1989 didn’t do it for me. It’s far and away my least favorite Taylor album. I understand and respect that this album represented a sort of transitional phase, but I find the production quality and lyrics juvenile and saccharine in comparison to earlier albums of higher maturity levels like Speak Now and Red.
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