As many of you know, Taylor Swift’s 6th studio album Reputation dropped this week. In response, I went to my favorite Target (shout out to Northfield Target!) and bought her newest album. And what has blown my mind is that it’s been a little more than 10 years since the day I first discovered her music video for “You Belong with Me.”
Looking back, I can’t remember if it was the lyrics, the music videos, or the beats that made me start to crave Taylor Swift’s music. But when I got Fearless for my 11th birthday, I was hooked. Honestly, I never really realized how much her music has influenced me until recently. Despite all the changes since my middle school years, Taylor’s music has stayed relevant in my life. I’ve been a fan for 10 years, that’s more than half my life!
So, in honor of this 10ish year anniversary of having Taylor Swift’s music in my life (boy do I feel old!), here are my 10 favorite songs from her over the years, my favorite lyrics, and what they have meant to me.
10.) “Blank Space”
Musings: From her 2014 album 1989, this song was one of the first pop songs Taylor released. While I can’t really personally relate to this song, the beat is just too catchy to not love it.
Favorite lyrics: “Rose gardens filled with thorns/Keep you second guessing like/“Oh my god, who is she?”/I get drunk on jealously/But you’ll come back each time you leave/‘Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
9.) “This Love”
Musings: Another song off 1989, “This Love” is about a relationship in which, despite its stormy patches, still survives. The song, at least to me, says that if you let go of the other person, they will come back to you. I love this song because of its mellow tune. Also, I’m a big believer in the idea that the right love will always find a way back to you.
Favorite lyrics: “This love left a permanent mark/This love is glowing in the dark/These hands had to let it go free/And this love came back to me.”
8.) “Style”
Musings: This song definitely throws me back to my sophomore year of high school. I remember really liking this boy in one of my classes. Despite really liking him, in the back of my mind, I always knew that he was kinda a douche. For me, “Style” represented what our relationship would’ve been like.
Favorite lyrics: “So it goes, he can’t keep his wild eyes on the road/…/I say “I’ve heard that you’ve been out and about with some other girl”/He says “What you’ve heard is true but I can’t stop thinking about you and I”/I said “I’ve been there too a few times.”
7.) “Enchanted”
Musings: This song is from her 2010 album Speak Now. In my opinion, this song is the most underrated Taylor Swift song ever. “Enchanted” is about an almost-relationship. It is about when you meet someone you have chemistry with and can see yourself with. But, at the end of the day, those sparks never become anything more.
Favorite lyrics: “Please don’t be in love with someone else/Please don’t have somebody waiting on you/…/I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew/I was enchanted to meet you”
6.) “Stay Stay Stay”
Musings: “Stay Stay Stay” is from Red. This is one of Taylor’s more happy and upbeat tracks. “Stay Stay Stay” is about a relationship in which you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with the person you’re dating. Let’s just say, this is the kind of relationship we all want to be in.
Favorite Lyrics: “You took the time to memorize me/My fears, my hopes, and dreams/I just like hangin’ out with you all the time/All those times that you didn’t leave/It’s been occurring to me I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life”
5.) “All Too Well”
Musings: “All Too Well” reminds me of this drive I took with my family through lower New York state. I remember staring out the car window while listening to this song on my iPod shuffle. Again, this is another one of Taylor’s songs that I can’t really personally relate to. But the story of the song is that she is reflecting on one of her old relationships from the time it started to the time it ended. For me, the best part is the bridge.
Favorite lyrics: “Well, 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.”
4.) “Treacherous”
Musings: Another song from Red, “Treacherous” is about pursuing love regardless of the risk of getting hurt or that the person is “dangerous.” Looking back, I believe this song perfectly encapsulates how I felt earlier this year. Despite really connecting with him, there was always this nagging fear that pursuing him would ultimately leave me hurt. Yet, in the end, I decided the benefits were worth the risks and went for it.
Favorite Lyrics: “And I just think you should think you know/That nothing safe is worth the drive/…/This hope is treacherous/This daydream is dangerous”
3.) “State of Grace”
Musings: To be honest, I can’t really relate to this song other than its namesake. I enjoy the upbeat, faster tempo of the song. Whenever I listen to “State of Grace,” it makes me think of that amazing feeling of being in love.
Favorite Lyrics: “This is a state of grace/This is a worthwhile fight/…/You’re my Achilles heel/This is the golden age of something good and right and real/And I never saw you coming/And I’ll never be the same”
2.) “Love Story”
Musings: An oldie, but goodie, “Love Story” is a twist on Romeo and Juliet. Yet, in Taylor’s version, the two ultimately end up together. I ranked this song as #2 because it is such a classic Taylor Swift song. It represents what we all want in our love lives, to live “happily ever after.”
Favorite Lyrics: “Romeo save me I’ve been feeling so alone/I keep waiting for you but you never come/…/He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring/And said: Marry me Juliet/You’ll never have to be alone/I love you and that’s all I really know”
1.) “You Belong with Me”
Musings: “You Belong with Me” is pretty much the story of my life. In November many years ago, this guy I used to have the biggest crush on, his friends, and his mom (I know right, like how awkward is that) were all in the car together when this song started to play on the radio. Despite us all singing the song together, I remember my crush pretty much singing it not only with me, but to me. While we never ended up being more than friends, I remember feeling so happy to get some sort of affirmation that the feelings were mutual.
Favorite Lyrics: “Oh, I remember you driving to my house/In the middle of the night/I’m the one who makes you laugh/When you know you’re ‘bout to cry/And I know your favorite songs/And you fell me ‘bout your dreams/Think I know where you belong/Think I know it’s with me.”
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Well, now I feel like a complete and total hopeless romantic. You may be thinking to yourself that Taylor Swift’s lyrics can get pretty sappy. Believe me, I completely agree with you on a few of them. However, you can’t deny that Taylor Swift has had a large influence on pop culture and the entertainment industry for 10 years now. Despite her many phases and style changes, her music has managed to stay popular and relevant to many listeners. Because, let’s be honest, her music “never goes out of style.”
Image Source: Thumbnail photograph taken by Jana Beamer, Image taken by GabboT, all lyrics from https://www.azlyrics.com/t/taylorswift.html