It wasn’t until last year that I realized I was truly sleeping on Taylor Swift’s music. Spending a few weeks with her discography showed me that while her music spans many genres, it really just means there’s something for everyone. She has a song for every kind of relationship you could ever be in, and don’t get me started on her talent for narrative songwriting. This list is one that’s changed multiple times–one that’s changing even as I’m writing this. But as of right now, here are my top five favorite Taylor Swift songs.
- “IVy”
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Favorite Lyric: “My house of stone, your ivy grows/And now I’m covered”
This song is about a relationship that appears built on a stable foundation, like a stone house, but is secretly in danger of being taken over by ivy, or the appearance of a new love. Swift describes how quickly the ivy spreads and covers the house, likening the sensation of falling in love to a weed infestation.
- “forever & always”
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Favorite Lyric: “It rains when you’re here, and it rains when you’re gone/’Cause I was there when you said forever and always”
While her partner claimed it would last forever and always, the relationship in this song just wasn’t destined for a happy-ever-after. Swift describes how she can feel the person next to her slowly fading away, and how everything seems like she’s just delaying the inevitable. “Forever and Always” is the eleventh track on Fearless, and is confirmed to be inspired by Swift’s breakup with Joe Jonas.
- “CRUEL SUMMER”
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Favorite Lyric: “And I screamed for whatever it’s worth/’I love you,’ ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”
This song is about a summer fling that’s begun to feel like something more, and the fear that comes with that kind of attachment. Many fans have speculated “Cruel Summer” is about the start of Swift’s relationship with current-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, which is noted to have started in the warmer months. Overall, the summer of 2016 was a very eventful time for Swift, as it was also the season where she broke up with DJ Calvin Harris, briefly dated Tom Hiddleston, and publicly feuded with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over the lyrics to his song “Famous.”
- “Call it what you want”
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Favorite Lyric: “My baby’s fit like a daydream/Walking with his head down/I’m the one he’s walking to”
This is another song referencing English actor Joe Alwyn, hinted at by the use of the word fit–a British slang term meaning attractive. After the events of summer 2016, Swift chose to spend much of the next year away from the public eye. From the dreamy quality of these lyrics, you can tell Alwyn was a great support to Swift during this unconventional period of her life.
- “my tears ricochet”
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Favorite Lyric: “And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?/Cursing my name, wishing I stayed/Look at how my tears ricochet”
This was the first song Taylor wrote for folklore. It’s definitely one of her sadder songs, and no wonder, as it plays heavily on themes of death and mourning throughout. It’s about the ghost who catches a glimpse of the man who killed her at her funeral, and the betrayal she feels seeing him there.