At 17 years old, Taylor Swift released her first studio album, self-titled of course, and it was a huge success (obviously). Taylor Swift was the longest-charting album of the 2000s on the Billboard 200. The whole 2000s. It’s no wonder she’s as big of an artist as she is today. But, it’s time to go back to our roots. Here is the definitive ranking of Taylor Swift’s debut album:
14. A Perfectly Good Heart One of Swift’s first break up songs, it’s catchy and has one verse. It’s ranked low for a reason.
13. Stay Beautiful This track is cute and kitschy with a distinctively country sound and backing vocals, but not much of anything else.
12. Tied Together With A Smile About Swift discovering her friend suffers from an eating disorder, this provides a good example of Swift’s already great songwriting and is just a good country ballad.
11. Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) Inspired by the relationship between Swift’s elderly neighbors, this song takes the listener through childhood to old age. This style of storytelling is a common theme on the rest of Swift’s albums.
10. Invisible A song about a boy she never even dated (I think we can all relate, Taylor), “Invisible” has a great chorus and a decent bridge. It’s simply a good listen.
9. The Outside One of the first songs Swift ever wrote at 12 years old, “The Outside” is a straight bop. It’s upbeat and displays Swift’s intrinsic songwriting talent. The song isn’t as complex as the other ones on any album by any means, but even at 12 years old, Swift is a better songwriter than some adults.
8. A Place In This World Written at 13 years old, “A Place In This World” can resonate with any misunderstood teenager, adult, or whoever! I mainly love this song for the music. It starts rather simple with just a guitar, but builds up into so much more.
7. Cold As You This song is one of my favorite songwriting moments on the album. Teenage Swift went through a break-up and came out with this especially lyrically impressive song. I definitely think this is an underrated track on the album.
6. I’m Only Me When I’m With You This song is an absolute banger. It’s dance-y and features a killer violin solo. This ranks high for me because it’s simply just so much fun, and I appreciate the song’s upbeat vibe.
5. Should’ve Said No About a cheating ex, this song is packed with emotion. It’s angry, passionate, and fiery. It delivers a great chorus and is backed up by intense orchestrations. It’s classic on the album.
4. Picture To Burn Angsty and angry, “Picture To Burn” is a great slice of country, both in the music and lyrics (“I hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive / You’re a redneck heartbreak who’s really bad at lying”). Swift’s country accent is a little heavy on this track especially, but it’s mostly endearing rather than annoying.
3. Tim McGraw Written in her freshman math class, “Tim McGraw” was her debut single and first ever published song, and for good reason. The song is a great opener to the album. It introduces the listener to Swift perfectly: clever lyrics, a country-pop sound, and emotional intensity. This song really sets the tone for the rest of her career.
2. Our Song We all know I love a banjo moment and combined with Swift’s bouncing, bubbly vocals, “Our Song” shows Swift’s early songwriting and musical capabilities. Writer and performed for her high school talent show, I can only imagine what the other students were thinking. I wonder if they knew she would become the star she is today.
1. Teardrops On My Guitar This track is Swift’s breakthrough single, and it’s no surprise as to why. It’s soft, lovely, and understated yet passionate. It displays superb songwriting on Swift’s part, tapping into her storytelling abilities. Also, we all know I love a good ballad. Swift’s ballads are next level, and this one is no different. She does such a great job connecting to the listeners through her lyrics and music. Her talent is incomparable.
And, we have finally reached the end, I’ve officially ranked every song on every Taylor Swift album. While Taylor Swift is not my favorite album, it definitely is underappreciated. Without the debut album, we wouldn’t have any of the other seven studio albums. I think we owe the debut album a big thank you. Listen to Swift’s debut album ranked in this order here.