Anyone who knows me knows that I am a diehard Taylor Swift fan. I will defend her to my last dying breath. I have been a Swiftie since her You Belong with Me days, so I have been there for all the ups and downs. Since her newest album released about a month ago, I have decided to listen to every one of her albums again (I promise you I listened to every album over again; it literally took me so much time) to rank them all.
7. Reputation (2017)
We all knew this was coming. Though this album does give us some good songs like “Delicate,” “Dancing With Our Hands Tied,” and “Getaway Car,” it really was a hit and miss. It seemed like Taylor was trying to be rebellious and emo. Luckily for us, it really was just a phase.
6. 1989 (2014)
This was Swift’s first-ever all-pop album. Though it received a lot of backlash, I actually really enjoy it. It has a good balance of breakup songs and dance songs. This album gives us “Clean“ and “Wildest Dreams,” which are some of my favorite songs. I know I am ambitious putting this album lower than Lover, but just wait. I have my reasons.
5. Lover (2019)
At number five, we have the newest addition to Taylor’s collection. This album has come out during a large change in my life, which is why I think it has more emotional value to me than other people. When the singles first released (“Me!“ and “You Need to Calm Down“), I feel like we were all nervous for the rest of the album. However, the rest of the songs on the album I truly love. We have an amazing mix of sweet love songs (“Lover“ and “Paper Rings“), sassy Taylor (“I Forgot That You Existed“ and “The Man“), and breakup songs (“Death by a Thousand Cuts“ and “Afterglow“). Lover is a good redemption album that shows us that the real Taylor is still really in there.
4. Red (2012)
Initially, I did not like this album at all. I cannot recall the reasons now, but I remember listening to the album with my sister for the first time and being so confused and disappointed. After a few years though, I have grown to love the subtle lessons and stories that Red provides us. In this album, we get songs that have true meaning and stories in them (“The Lucky One,” “Starlight,” and “Begin Again“), which I think is a really unique feature of Taylor and this album. This album also gave us the heartwrenching “All Too Well,” which honestly makes me tear up every time I hear it.
3. Taylor Swift (2006)
Here, we have the first album Taylor released. This is a full country album. I am not usually a big fan of country, but for Taylor, I make an exception. There are so many well-known songs of hers on this record (“Our Song,” “Teardrops on my Guitar,” and “Picture to Burn“). This album is also sentimental because it is where it all started. “The Outside“ and “Stay Beautiful“ are also on this debut, which are also two of my favorite Taylor Swift songs overall, which puts this album closer to number one on my list.
2. Fearless (2008)
Swift’s second record might arguably her most famous one. Her singles of this album (“Love Story“ and “You Belong With Me“) are her best selling singles of all time (the former being number one and the latter being in the top 10). This album also follows the story of Taylor and Joe Jonas, one of my favorites of her boyfriends. This album also includes “Fifteen“ and “Forever and Always Piano Addition,” which are two of Taylor’s most heartbreaking pieces as well.
Honorable Mention: Hannah Montana: The Movie Soundtrack (2009)
Okay, so, this might be a weird one to add, but “Crazier“ is such a good song! It is such a sweet love song. Also, the movie scene is super cute, with Miley and Travis dancing and Billy Ray with that random woman. “Crazier“ walked so Lover (the single) could run.
1. Speak Now (2010)
Speak Now is peak Taylor Swift, and no one will ever be able to change my mind. This album gives us songs on both sides of the spectrum: unbelievable love songs (“Sparks Fly,” “Mine,” “Enchanted”), tragic breakup songs (“Last Kiss,” “Dear John,” “Haunted”), and everything between (“Mean,” “Never Grow Up,” “Speak Now”). The lyrics in all these songs inspire every emotion a human could possibly feel. “Haunted” and “Dear John” are literally my first and second favorite Taylor songs ever. This era of Taylor is also so iconic, with her dresses and big hair and famous tour. I truly believe that this album embodies who Taylor truly is and makes us feel literally every emotion, which I think is absolutely powerful.