With nine original studio albums, over 200 songs, documentaries on several streaming platforms and dozens of sold-out stadium tours, Taylor Swift is one of the hottest artists at the moment.
Celebrated for her captivating songwriting and extensive discography, Swift has a song for pretty much every mood you could possibly be in.
It may seem impossible, but I managed to choose my favourite song from each of her nine studio albums, including re-recordings.
Here’s the breakdown (this will probably change next month depending on how I feel):
Taylor Swift: “Our Song”
Starting off with her self-titled debut album, the track “Our Song” captures the essence of Swift’s country era. The song and album itself make me nostalgic, and it’s just a great depiction of what love is like at the age of 16.
Favourite lyric: “When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow / ‘Cause it’s late and your mama don’t know”
Fearless (Taylor’s Version): “The Way I Loved You”
“The Way I Loved You” is probably in my top favourite songs of all time. I loved it when I first heard it on Fearless, but hearing it re-recorded was even better with Swift’s matured vocals. “The Way I Loved You” is intense, and the bridge and build-up to the final chorus is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
Favourite lyric: “Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated / Got away by some mistake and now”
Speak Now: “Last Kiss”
The song “Last Kiss” is one of the most heartbreaking numbers on Swift’s third studio album. While track five, “Dear John,” is known to be one of Swift’s saddest songs, “Last Kiss” is my favourite right now. “Last Kiss” highlights the nostalgic and gloomy feelings that appear when looking back on a relationship after a breakup. The song is six minutes long, and the longer intro and outro make it so good.
Favourite lyric: “So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep / And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe / And I’ll keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are”
Red (Taylor’s Version): “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”
Red (Taylor’s Version) is the ultimate autumn girl album, and “All Too Well”— specifically the ten-minute version— stands out the most from all 30 tracks. I’ve been obsessed with “All Too Well” since its initial release in 2012, but hearing the extended version made the song even better. The added minutes truly flesh out the story, and being able to hear about this relationship from start to finish made me love it even more. The song recounts the highs and lows of a relationship as Swift remembers their first date, meeting his family, the major fights, as well as indicating that an age gap between the couple was one of the reasons it didn’t work out. It’s definitely a sad one (my favourite kind of music), but it captures the entire theme and feeling of Red perfectly.
Favourite lyric: “And there we are again when nobody had to know / You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath”
1989: “Clean”
With hits like “Blank Space” and “Style,” 1989 was everyone’s go-to pop album in 2014. However, the song “Clean” is one of my favourites because of its meaning and lyricism. Written by Swift and Imogen Heap, the song lyrics are heavy and talk about finally feeling “clean” after tough times. Swift said in an interview that the song is “about comparing getting over a relationship to sobriety; it has a lot of different references between addiction and moving on from a relationship.” It’s definitely sombre compared to the rest of the songs, but I find it to be the ideal way to close off the album.
Favourite lyric: “The drought was the very worst / When the flowers that we’d grown together died of thirst”
Reputation: “Getaway Car”
It was very hard for me to choose a favourite from this album, but I narrowed it down to “Getaway Car” (“Don’t Blame Me” would probably be next). “Getaway Car” is such a serotonin boost for me, and I love the storyline. The song tells the story of someone trying to escape a relationship that’s coming to its natural end, and a new possible love interest driving the “getaway car” to help Swift leave. The lyrics really help you visualize the story Swift is telling, and it is an international crime that there was never a music video for this masterpiece.
Favourite lyric: “I left you in the motel bar / Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys / That was the last time you ever saw me”
Lover: “Cruel Summer”
The song “Cruel Summer” should have been a single for Lover. The album in general has good vibes, but this song is always my go-to when I’m driving. It has such a catchy chorus and bridge that it’s basically impossible to get out of your head once you listen to it.
Favourite Lyric: “I’m drunk in the back of the car/ And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar”
Folklore: “Cardigan”
Choosing a song from Folklore was also extremely difficult because I genuinely love every song on that album. However, its only single “Cardigan” was my most played song in my Spotify Wrapped for 2020 and I still listen to it every day. I love this song because of its story, and the lyrics are incredible. “Cardigan” is the first of a trio of songs on the album, which tells a story about a teenage love triangle. While I’ve mentioned Swift’s genius storytelling multiple times, the trio starting with “Cardigan” is some of her best work.
Favourite lyric: “Tried to change the ending / Peter losing Wendy”
Evermore: “Tolerate It”
And lastly, from Evermore, the song “Tolerate It” has to be my favourite. The fifth track on the album is heartbreaking and talks about feeling unwanted in a relationship to the point where the other person seems to just “tolerate” you. Apart from the lyrics and Swift’s pretty vocals, I love this one because she was inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s novel, Rebecca. When I connect the song and book together, I think she did a great job highlighting how the novel’s protagonist felt. For that reason, this song had to make the list.
Favourite lyric: “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky / Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life”