Editor’s note: This article is as of 9/13/2019
(Fitting that this is posting on the 13th…but, I swear, that was fully unintentional)
As promised in my last Taylor article, I’m ranking all 7 of Taylor’s albums in celebration of Lover’s release and giving you my reasoning for all of my ranks. Please don’t at me, I know they’re controversial, you don’t need to tell me repeatedly.
1. AND OTHER 1. Speak Now and reputation
These two are together because realistically they are tied and I can’t choose. I LOVE both of them. Speak Now will always hold a very special place in my heart, especially knowing that Taylor wrote the whole album by herself at a younger age than I am now. Additionally, songs like “Long Live,” “Ours,” and “Enchanted” are so underrated. Y’all…THESE ARE GOOD SONGS.
With reputation, I LOVE the edgy, hardcore nature of it. It has such a different sound and is filled with raw emotions and unapologetic feelings, which I think is really great. I just really vibe with most of the songs on here more so than other albums, namely “Delicate,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “King of My Heart.” There isn’t a song on this album that I really strongly dislike, or even mildly dislike. While “End Game” and “…So It Goes” are not my favorite songs, I will still scream the lyrics at the top of my lungs and that’s the tea. This album has no TRUE skips, only sometimes skips when the song’s mood doesn’t fit mine.
3. RED
I feel like any RED stan is not a 1989 stan, and yeah, it’s true, obviously I love RED so much. It also has “All Too Well.” Would I still love RED if “All Too Well” wasn’t there? Yes. I would. Y’all have no taste if you’re telling me that “Starlight,” “Holy Ground,” “State of Grace,” and “The Lucky One” aren’t some of the best songs Taylor has ever written. I fully stand by RED being her second best album (or third best depending on how you want to count my love for Speak Now and reputation).
4. Lover
Lover’s rank is fully dependent on the fact that the song “Lover” rivals “All Too Well” as the best song Taylor has ever written. I also really love a lot of songs on this album the more I listen to it, namely “The Man,” “I Forgot That You Existed,” and “Paper Rings.” On the other side, I’m sorry, nothing has changed, “False God” is still a major skip every time for me, but not enough for me to put this album any lower on the list.
5. Fearless
With Fearless, it is truly wonderful, but looking at it as a whole, the songs on the aforementioned albums are, overall, higher on my love list. I don’t hate this album in the least, and you will still catch me dancing in a storm in my best dress, fearless. Not only that, but “White Horse,” is honestly and truly one of Taylor’s best songs, in my opinion, so it deserves its own special note here. Also, I’m partial to “Change” because it was my surprise song on the rep tour, and singing hallelujah with Taylor was probably one of the best experiences of my life. So yeah, we don’t hate Fearless––she’s our go-to comfort album through and through.
6. Debut
This is the album where it all began, but just like with Fearless, the songs are not as high on my love list as Taylor’s later work. She really came into her identity as a singer and songwriter later in the game, and while these songs feel like home, they are not as advanced as those on her later albums. Special notes here: “Tim McGraw,” the very first song of Taylor’s I heard, and when I became a fan, followed by “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song.” Let’s not forget “Cold as You” and the song that I hold near and dear to my heart more so than most others, “Tied Together With a Smile.” I love the songs on this album, and I always will, but the production of these songs versus later albums is just not as great, and we all have to accept that this is the case.
7. 1989
I know, controversial as heck. I’m sorry, but that’s the tea. As a RED stan, I don’t believe that this comes as a shock to most of you, but 1989 just can’t compare to the other albums. Yes, I do LOVE “Clean,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Out of the Woods,” but aside from these songs, the rest are all, on average, lower on my love list. Also, as an added note, I really didn’t like the fact that 1989 tour had a different guest star every night…maybe that is just a me thing, but I went to tour to see Taylor, not someone I have never heard of, so it drastically took away from the overall concert for me. I WILL SAY, HOWEVER, Taylor’s performance of OOTW in this show was FANTASTIC, and I am still in love with it to this day, along with the “Wildest Dreams/Enchanted” mashup (if you know how to hook me up with a copy of this performance, please let me know) and her performance of “I Knew You Were Trouble” (pre-rep rep vibes amirite????).