The most emotional and personal songs on each Taylor Swift album are purposefully put in the track five slot. It has come to represent her most raw feelings from the era she wrote it in. When talking about her track five decision making process in folklore: the long pond session, she said “…picking a track five is a pressurized decision” because her fans know the meaning behind that particular track slot.
Since there is such significance behind each of these songs, I wanted to gather them all together and rank them. This is based on my opinion and solely my opinion. If you disagree with me, that’s great. We all have different experiences with Taylor’s music, that’s one of the reasons it is so impactful.
So without further ado, here is my opinion on each of her track fives:
- All Too Well
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I think we all saw this coming. “All Too Well” is widely regarded as Taylor Swift’s best song ever. This five-minute ballad tells the story of a relationship from start to finish, talking about both the good and the bad. The lyrics blow me away every single time I listen to it. I cannot tell you how many times I have cried to this song. Taylor often refers to this era as one of the worst times of her life, and “All Too Well” was written in that mindset. On her Reputation Stadium Tour, she gave the song a new life and she talked about how the fans changed the meaning of the song for her. The connection between this song and her fans gives “All Too Well” a more positive meaning for both Swift and fans. If we get a ten-minute version of this song in the re-recordings, I am going to scream. I cannot believe that a human person managed to convey so much love, pain, and heartbreak in one five-minute song. Taylor Swift is the best songwriter of her generation and “All Too Well” showcases all of the reasons why.
Best Lyrics: “Maybe we got lost in translation/Maybe I asked for too much/But maybe this thing was a masterpiece/’Til you tore it all up/Running scared, I was there, I remember it all too well/
And you call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest/I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here/’Cause I remember it all, all, all/Too well”
- my tears ricochet
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I don’t think any Taylor Swift fan was expecting folklore. We all thought that she was still planning something for Lover, like releasing “Cruel Summer” as a single, or something else along those lines. So when it was announced less than twenty-four hours in advance that Ms. Taylor Alison Swift was releasing an album written and recorded in quarantine, the whole world freaked out. One of the most anticipated tracks was “my tears ricochet” because it was in the track five slot and the title breaks your heart before the song starts. It was not at all what I was expecting when I first listened to it, but after a while, it became one of my favorite songs not only on the album but in her overall discography. Somehow, Taylor Swift made a song about her losing the legal rights to her music relatable to a wide audience. The hindsight perspective of the song adds to the haunting effect. It makes me angry and somber at the same time. I believe this is one of the best songs Taylor has ever written. Her vulnerability and palpable anger created a masterpiece about betrayal of the worst kind.
Best Lyric: “And you can aim for my heart, go for blood/But you would still miss me in your bones/And I still talk to you (When I’m screaming at the sky)/And when you can’t sleep at night (You hear my stolen lullabies)”
- Delicate
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When this song first came out, I was not in love with it. In general, I wasn’t in love with Taylor Swift, somehow, I was stupid enough to miss one of her best eras. I listened to this song last August again and it was like hearing it for the first time. It was right after having a conversation with my current boyfriend about whether or not we wanted to start dating. On the way back to my house, I heard it, and I realized it was the exact conversation that we had just had. That song now represents one of the happiest times of my life for me. The relatability of going into a new relationship propels this song into the track five spot. It’s vulnerable and excited and personal all at once which is not common amongst the other songs on this list. This is a fantastic love song that showcases the early stages of a relationship better than most other songs could.
Best Lyric: “Is it cool that I said all that?/Is it too soon to do this yet?/’Cause I know that it’s delicate”
- The Archer
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I love the album Lover more than most people do. For some reason, these eighteen songs about real, mature love really hit home for me when it came out. When “The Archer” first came out, it was hit with a lot of criticism from both critics and fans. At first, it definitely was not my favorite off an album filled with bops like “I Think He Knows” and “Cruel Summer”, but after listening to it further, it has joined the ranks of one of my top songs. The anxious thoughts build up throughout the song, climaxing at the bridge in a way that makes you relate to all the self-conscious thoughts she is feeling. We all feel that we aren’t good enough at some point, and this song does a perfect job of highlighting the anxiety Taylor feels about her life and career.
Best Lyric: “I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost/The room is on fire, invisible smoke”
- tolerate it
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This is probably the least personal track five that she ever wrote because it does not relate to problems that she dealt with herself. I think that’s the only reason I rank it below the others. “tolerate it” is a story about two made up people in an unhappy relationship. Her storytelling ability really shines through in this song. It’s heartbreaking and the story touches me emotionally in a way that only Taylor can accomplish, but since it’s not personal, I cannot rank it higher than any of these next songs.
Best Lyric: “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky/Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life”
- All You Had to Do Was Stay
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For full disclosure, this song is only this high because 1989 was the first Taylor album that I fully listened to. This was the first track five that I experienced and it was one of my favorite songs of hers for a long time. Even though the backing to this track is a lot more upbeat than any other track five, it does not take away from the emotionality of it. The way she screams “All you had to do was stay” only adds to the desperate and anxious feeling that was prevalent throughout the song and even on other tracks from 1989, like “Out of the Woods.” It may sound upbeat, but Taylor definitely put her heart out on her sleeve for this one.
- Dear John
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This might be a controversial one. For some reason, I just do not vibe with “Dear John.” I know it’s an iconic part of the Taylor Swift discography and I love Speak Now, but this song does not hit me where it hurts like other songs on this list. Maybe it’s because it drags on with its slow guitar. Maybe it’s because I have no nostalgia connecting me to this song. I’m not 100% sure, but I’m going to rank it seventh because the next six astound me like all track fives should.
Best Lyric: “And I lived in your chess game/But you changed the rules everyday”
- Cold As You
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The first track five. She was only 16 when this song was released and honestly, it doesn’t show when comparing it to other artists. However, when we are talking about the genius that is Taylor Swift, it does show, especially when comparing it to the others on this list. I still love listening to this song, but I don’t connect with it the same way because I did not listen to her first albums until recently.
Best Lyric: “And I know you wouldn’t have told nobody if I died, died for you”
- White Horse
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Yes, within the week that Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was announced I had the audacity to rank “White Horse” last. It definitely has a less mature theme, which makes sense because it was only her second album. For me, there is nothing about this song that makes me feel the ways the others do. I don’t hate the song, it’s just not on par with other track fives.
Best Lyric: “Now it’s too late for you and your white horse/To catch me now”