In my opinion, Taylor Swift is the greatest singer and music performer of all time. Well, excluding The Beatles. But still, Taylor Swift was a part of my childhood and still is a part of my girlhood, especially in college and my young adult life. To clear things up though, she does NOT only write about love songs but also life lessons, her experiences, friendships, and even fame. She is much more than the exes she’s had or silly little love songs as you may perceive her. Taylor Swift is the epitome of a lyrical genius, an advocate for women’s empowerment, and an amazingly multi-talented woman all in one. I mean have you ever seen a woman sing for three and a half hours straight? While maneuvering from stage to stage, performing choreography, acknowledging her fans, and keeping up with her ever-changing eras throughout the concert? I don’t think so…
But though I completely said that Taylor doesn’t JUST write about love songs we’re going to analyze her top ten love songs of all time. These will be according to how I would rank each of her love songs and we aren’t going off of which ones are the most “timeless” but more so what their lyrics hold. Also, Taylor’s Versions and Vault songs will be included. So let’s see which can be “the 1”…
#1 Lover
Though Lover the album wasn’t my favorite album of all time by Taylor, she does dish out some of the sweetest most heartfelt lyrics about a relationship that you could ever say. The lyrics in Lover allow me to imagine a future where I can take a “magnetic force of a man to be my lover”. Taylor reminds us that with her “Lover” she can never get tired of him and after all this time, it’s like she’s known for a split life at first sight yet 20 long and unforgettable years. Lover gives us what a “lover” should be like and how that relationship should feel once you’ve finally got it. I can totally (and will) see myself dancing to this song at my first dance with my husband when we get married.
#2 You Are In Love
This song honestly pulls on my heartstrings so much and I think is one of her very best love songs. You are in love and scream how important it is for your significant other to be your best friend. When listening to this song, I always think about the time when I found out I was in love and what that meant to me. Sure enough, the lyrics described every feeling and every similar instance I’ve ever had with my boyfriend who is also my number one best friend. You Are In Love reminds you of the magical, special, and memorable moments that occur when you do fall in love. This song always reminds me of the days when I first found out my boyfriend was the one for me when he truly became my best friend.
#3 Cowboy Like Me
This is such an intricately coded love song that appears a little odd at first. From the service, one wouldn’t think they could be a love song but I think Cowboy Like Me is a very beautifully written and well-thought-out song. The song can have so many different meanings and interpretations depending on how you look at it. But, two con artists fall in love with each other as the song progresses one of them ends up falling for the other. The song opens up with “And the tennis court was covered up with some tent-like thing” meaning that there can only be one loser, but the narrator is not ready to play or in fact, lose. It then goes on to say “You asked me to dance but I said dancing is a dangerous thing” denying that they don’t want to be a part of this relationship at all. From the very beginning of the novel, the narrator reveals that they will be the ones losing. But, the lyric “Now you hang from my lips like the gardens of Babylon ” emphasizes that there was never any proof that these two were in a relationship together because the gardens of Babylon were always RUMORED and WONDERED to have existed. The memory hangs from both of their lips meaning that there is nothing to show for their grand, beautiful, and wonderful relationship. That concludes that there is no tangible proof that they were ever in a relationship to begin. Crazy lyrics, am I right?
#4 Love Story
Come on, this is one of the greatest love songs of all time! A romantic, sweet song of forbidden love is always a staple in anyone’s playlist. In the end, they disregard the disapproval and fulfill the desire to run away together. But, it’s never confirmed if they do not because it is written from a hopeful, yearning, and desirable perspective. A love song that will go down in the Hall of Fame for sure.
#5 Call It What You Want
I’d say this is the most beautiful song off of Reputation, and if you know me I am a Reputation girl till I die. This song is about Taylor being comfortable and at home in her own world with her lover. However, she constantly receives negative or judgemental comments yet she is completely happy and satisfied with who she is with and where she is at in her relationship. In the lyrics, “Not because he owns me, but ’cause he really knows me” she shares with us that he sees and loves her for who she really is and not what people think of her to be. Putting her trust and unrequited love in him is the “one thing” that she knows she did right.
#6 All Too Well (including All Too Well 10-minute version)
I hope you have this song memorized in the back of your hand, especially the 10-minute version. I had to have a close call between Dear John and All Too Well but settled on the infamous Red anthem. All Too Well shows what it is like to have a relationship end and how hard it is to move on after your heart gets broken. This said relationship was rumored to be about Taylor’s relationship at the time with the actor Jake Gyllenhall who was older by nine years. Together, the descriptive lyrics of wide-eyed, young, and innocent portray how she felt safe in the relationship because Jake in a way looked after her. He always had a “sweet” manner when it came to loving her and she fondly remembers the past and presents bittersweet memories “all too well”. The scarf mentioned in the song is the most important detail in the lyrics questioning Jake’s treatment of the scarf and their newly ended relationship. The scarf symbolized Taylor’s innocence that Jake might have been too attached to and still remembers “all too well”. But, what happened? Bad communication, weird age gap? We may never know the exact details but it is very hard to “shake off” the raw and emotional meaning of these lyrics.
#7 Exile
I’m going to go with my boyfriend’s little sister on this one and say that this song is very meaningful and stunningly written. If you keep up with the “lore” of Folklore, you’ll know that almost all of these songs include the James, Betty, and Augustine love triangle. These were characters that Taylor made up instead of recounting past love experiences. Folklore dives deep down into the relationship between James and Betty, which later includes Augustine for a brief song. Exile can be heavily interpreted as both different points of view from Betty and James moving on from and reminiscing about their relationship that has ended. They are then tasked with seeing their old lover with a new person which is emphasized through Bon Iver’s and Taylor Swift’s incredibly haunting but memorable vocals. Bon Iver provides a rougher vocal while Taylor Swift provides a smoother voice contrasting their views of the relationship and perhaps why it never worked out between them. Exile is a true song to cry or scream in the car too.
#8 Sweet Nothing
If you’ve never experienced sweet nothings whispered into your ear by your significant other, then I think you should listen to this song. The lyrics in this song embody what sweet nothings are about and what they feel like. This is a soft, melodic song that describes the sweet words or “nothings” two lovers exchange with one another. This song is so softly sounding that I often listen to it before I go to bed so it puts me into a dreamlike state where I recall all of the sweet nothings that I have heard my boyfriend say to me. This song assures me that even in busy times or not as much constant communication sweet nothings do shape your relationship and deepen your love for one another.
#9 Our Song
Another one of my favorites, was when young Taylor Swift and her current boyfriend at the time didn’t have a song. I mean shouldn’t every couple have a song? Isn’t every couple perfect? No. But can we live in the moment and love in the moment without pressure to succumb to society’s norms of relationships? Yes, we can. Love is picture-perfect in the movies. It takes a lot more than just a song to define it. But once you and your partner have found your song, your vibe, and your communication you’ve made your relationship others seek after.
#10 Mine
I picked this over a lot of other songs on Speak Now just because this is a cute and innocently sweet song one could sing when they finally got the person they’ve been waiting for. Looking into the lyrics further, it portrays a girl who had issues with her parents’ failed marriage and is scared to repeat the same mistakes. In time, the guy she meets shows her how to fall in love all over again, trust in the process, the idea of communication, and believe in love again. She still shows a very lingering fear of it working out, but many can relate in the sense that we are only human but having a lover to help us get through trying times makes it all the more sweeter.
And those are (in my opinion) Taylor Swift’s top ten love songs. Please know that Taylor is more than just the exes she’s had and more than the love or breakup songs she’s sung. She is a very talented young woman who is a groundbreaking artist with a very unique and ever-changing style. From country, to pop, to even folk, Taylor has done it all and still has a lot more to do. She has come a long way with her music and more specifically re-recording her old albums so she would finally own them once and for all. This woman has taught me to be “Fearless” and not be afraid to “Speak Now”. She has taught her fans that love can be burning “Red” but eventually golden. Taylor takes pride in herself and understands what it’s like to maintain a “Reputation” and have it be broken. She encourages everyone to feel “Bejeweled” and has taught her fans that love is always about having a “Lover”. Taylor took us through “Folklore” and taught us that it can’t be forever and always “Evermore”. She has shared her “Midngihts” through a lifetime and taught us how to be “Gorgeous” and to “Stay Beautiful”. She’s even shown us that we can be “The Man” too. Through Taylor and her music, you can feel more than just a “Cardigan”, get through “Champagne Problems”, and know that “Karma” is real. She’s a gift to all the wonderful people out in the world and someone who will never be forgotten. And when I have children someday, I’ll tell them her name. If you have a problem with Taylor Swift I could honestly care less, but at least see the real woman she is and has always been. Not who the media has portrayed. If you value other artists above her, be my guest. But just know that I have grown up with her and was given an example of who a true woman can be. We need more women like her in this world. You could be one of them too, and Taylor knows that you can too.