As a long-time swiftie, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pick my favorite album of all time, so I decided to narrow it down to my top 5. I have been listening to her music ever since she started making music in 2006! While I may not remember exactly when I heard her music for the first time, my mom played her music throughout pretty much my ENTIRE childhood. Ranging from her classic country music to her newer folk-pop music, there are lots of different song choices for many different genres! While these are solely opinion-based, I think each of her albums has great attributes and that her songwriting style as a whole is absolutely breathtaking!
- The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (2024)
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Although this is her newest album, there are several reasons that this is at the top of my list rather than one of her older albums. First of all, this version of The Tortured Poets Department has 31 songs, which makes it her largest album (barely beating Red [Taylor’s Version], which has 30 songs). She also released the album in the midst of the Eras Tour while performing for days on end for multiple hours at a time, which is just absolutely insane! The amount of time and effort that went into this album while performing every other album she has ever created is something lots of other artists have started to aspire to. My personal favorite aspect of this album is the number of references to other figures in pop culture that she has been referred to in the past (the song “Clara Bow” as well as a reference to Stevie Nicks). Regarding songs from this album, my favorite one at the moment is “Fresh Out the Slammer,” the acoustic version from the CD version!
Amelia Kramer / Her Campus - Folklore (2020)
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This album was very close to coming in first place instead of the tortured poets department, solely because of how often I listen to this album as a whole. Between the months of August and November, this album literally becomes my entire personality. There is such a variety of melancholic songs as well as joyful ones which I really enjoy. While this album is sister-albums with her other album, “Evermore,” I never got as into that album as much as I have Folklore. Growing up and being in high school during COVID-19, I was able to resonate with this album quite a bit. She wrote pretty much the entire album during quarantine, which showed through in certain songs more than others. The song “Mad Woman” really stuck out to me from this album in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and how stir-crazy I became constantly being stuck inside of my house for months at a time. My favorite song from this album at the moment is either “invisible string” or “the last great american dynasty.”
- reputation (2017)
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Growing up as a major Swiftie, this album had a huge impact on me when it was released. When this album came out, I was in the midst of the chaos of middle school and dealing with bullies and mean girls on a daily basis. This album helped me to stand up to them and feel much more empowered. This was the only concert I ever got to see her perform at, and it was absolutely incredible. Reputation will always have a soft spot in my heart (currently praying for Reputation [Taylor’s Version] to get released—*fingers crossed*). Anytime I need some empowerment to stand up to anyone or to gain back some self-respect, this is my go-to album. My favorite song from this album at the moment has to be “Look What You Made Me Do.”
- midnights (2022)
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This album was one that I originally was not sure how I would feel about, but then I ended up loving it. I listened to it when it came out back in 2022 but did not have a great appreciation for it until early 2024 when I listened to the “Late Night Edition” for the first time and decided to give the album as a whole another shot. I was iffy about this album at first just because of how overplayed certain songs from this album were (like “Bejeweled” and “Anti-Hero”), but as I continued listening to the rest of the songs, I developed such a great love for this album. Although the vibe of this album gives off happy, bright, and confident, if you listen closely to even some of the happier songs, there is a melancholic undertone to just about every song on this album. I love how she makes songs that are not necessarily positive sound positive to give it a realistic and relatable feeling for the listeners. My favorite song from this album at the moment is either “You’re on Your Own Kid” or “You’re Losing Me (From the Vault).”
- 1989 (2014)
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This album (especially lately) has been so nostalgic for me. I was only 9 years old when this album came out, and I distinctly remember several times when me, my mom, and my sister would dance around our whole house while listening to “Shake it Off” and “Welcome to New York.” I also have lots of memories of my mom playing this album on every car ride when the album came out. I definitely do not listen to it as much as I used to, but this album will always have a place in my heart. I love “Taylor’s Version” of this album, but the original will always hold a special place in my heart, even though she technically does not own the rights to this version of the album anymore. My favorite song from this album at the moment has to be either “Bad Blood” or “Clean.”
