There are many different opinions when it comes to the music of Taylor Swift and with her new album, she continues to define her sound. After listening to the new album several times through and adding it to my playlists, I now feel that I have a bulletproof ranking of every song off it. So here is this writer’s take on the album Lover, which I do happen to be in love with.
18. Cruel Summer: For me, this song’s chorus is gorgeous, but I find myself less in love with the verses and the synthesized music behind it. I still listen to this song frequently, but it is the one I reach for this least of this album.
17. Daylight: This song was a jolt for me when I did my first listen through of this album because it sounded so different from all the others. I love the meaning behind this song and the visualization in my mind, but I prefer the upbeat, fast-paced pop of some of the other songs on this album.
16. Cornelia Street: Yet another cute song off the album but this song simply didn’t stand out to me. Taylor Swift is a great story teller and while I loved the plot of this song, the music didn’t really grab ahold of me until the chorus.
15. The Archer: The slow feel of this song didn’t necessarily appeal to me as I really loved the upbeat pop vibe that this album was giving me overall. I found myself occasionally skipping this song in favor of others that appear on this list later.
14. ME!: As a Panic at the Disco fan, this was a dream collaboration for me. I loved this song when I first came out and I still love it on this album, but I find that some of the other songs attract me more, perhaps because ME! has been overplayed.
13. London Boy: This is a cute song that makes me smile every time I listen to it. I love that she included a little audio clip to start it and I enjoyed the music the song was set to. At this point in the list it truly does come down to personal taste, and these songs are all very close to each other when it comes to my favorites and go-to songs.
12. Lover: This is definitely a controversial opinion, but I have placed the title song towards the middle of the list for a reason. While I think this song is very sweet and has amazing lyrics, I simply didn’t feel it was one of the very best songs on the album. Some of these songs had such unique feels and lyrics to them that this felt more like classic Taylor Swift. In short, I love classic Taylor, but I find myself leaning into her new style more than her old stuff.
11. The Man: This was a surprise favorite of mine. Listening to the lyrics closely made me love this song even more then the beat behind it as any college girl has probably wondered this at some point in her life.
10. Afterglow: As a percussionist/drummer I was a sucker for the drum beat behind this song. I love that this song was somewhat more stripped down to be just the lyrics and a few instruments to back her up. The chorus comes in super impactful and I absolutely adore the lyrics in this song.
9. It’s Nice to Have a Friend: This song stood out to me as one of the most unique sounds on the album. Using a school choir and string plucking was a more stripped version of some of the fuller songs on the album. Again, I find myself in love with the story she weaves throughout the song with beautiful imagery that I automatically find myself relating too.
8. False God: Much like It’s Nice to Have a Friend this song stood out to me because of its unique sound. With the saxophone and the simple drum beat being some of the only instruments on the track, I found myself grooving to this detour from the pop vibes. A softer song that shows Taylor can do soft songs that don’t have to be innocent and sweet.
7. I Forgot That You Existed: The first song on the album, I loved this one because it let me know exactly what Taylor’s vibe for this album was. The upbeat piano and her voice show the carefree and happiness she is feeling in this song. Her ability to make her songs relatable really shows in this song as I find myself singing along in the car all the time.
6. I Think He Knows: I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. The underlying bass rhythm with the drums kicking in at the chorus make me feel like I am walking in step with the song. The way she delivers the lyrics through the song feel natural and the predictability of where the song is going is a satisfying experience as the song takes you on a journey.
5. Paper Rings: Perhaps my favorite love song on the album. I didn’t immediately fall in love with this song but I appreciated the nod to old school music. The pre-chorus and chorus were what got me hooked. The upbeat and sweet nature of the lyrics made sure that the listener couldn’t mistake the puppy dog love of the song. A fun song to dance around in your room too and perhaps the best example of a song about a crush on the album.
4. Death By a Thousand Cuts: This one hit me the first time I heard the album. I immediately gravitated to this song because of the story she was telling. Some of her metaphors I totally resonate with and this is one of them. Anyone who has ever gone through a break up can relate to this process of letting someone go and I adore this explanation of that journey.
3. You Need to Calm Down: My favorite single off the album, I immediately fell in love with this song. The groove behind her lyrics and the message she is conveying meld into a perfect song that can be relatable to anyone. This is the perfect song to get your butt out of bed on a Monday morning with its upbeat and encouraging nature.
2. Soon You’ll Get Better: I will be honest, I almost never listen to this song. When I first heard this song, I did two things: I broke down into tears, and I called my mom. My mom is my rock and someone I can’t imagine my life without, so I related to this song more than I could have ever imagined. The fragile and almost country like nature of the song remind the listener that Taylor Swift is letting us in on a very vulnerable part of her life.
1. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince: I don’t know why this is my favorite, but whenever I pull up this album, I found myself grabbing for this song every time. Perhaps because I went through high school and relate, maybe it’s because of the instrumentation behind the song, but whatever it is you will find me listening to this song more than any other on the album.
Obviously, everyone who listens to this album will have different opinions about the best and worst songs but my personal belief is that this might be the best album she has ever put out and I wish there was even more.