Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re officially shook by Taylor Swift’s new hit single Look What You Made Me Do. Although we will always have a soft spot for her You Belong with Me days, we are definitely a fan of this new, dark Taylor that lurks in graveyards and sits on thrones sipping tea served by snakes.
Even though the new single makes it crystal clear that the “old Taylor” is “dead,” her old music certainly isn’t. The real question is, how does her new lead single from “Reputation” measure up to her other albums’ lead singles?
6. Shake It Off
This fun, catchy tune was Taylor’s more optimistic way of clapping back at her haters, and owning her own style. While the motive behind its creation is great, the song itself lacks the depth her other singles have, and after “Look What You Made Me Do…” it feels somewhat weak and childish. It’s fun to dance to, and the melody gets glued to your head for hours on end…but it’s not Taylor’s best. #hatersgonnahate
5. Mine
The first single off her “Speak Now” album was a beautiful story about a girl who didn’t believe in love, but found someone who made her change her mind, and got married and had beautiful babies (aka all of our goals.) The song oozes with the optimism and hope we all need for finding love in the 21st century. It’s fantastic, however, it also tends to blend into the background when compared with her other smash hits.
4. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
This song, allegedly written for Jake Gyllenhal, was the perfect way to ring in her new transition from Country to Pop. We can still blast it on replay, and it never gets old. It definitely stands out from her other ones that preach about finding your long lost love. Taylor gets real and says that relationships lose their fire and you get to a point where you just want out. So relatable. But it still only makes it to fourth place because, in her own words, “this is just exhausting, you know?” The endless chanting of “We are never, ever, ever, ever…” can get a little old.
3. Look What You Made Me Do
This song is incredible, and we’re all still SO obsessed. Taylor has no shame in calling out all her haters and exes, and she pushes her limits in ways she’s never done before. Lyrics like, “you asked me for a place to sleep…locked me out, and threw a feast” are brilliant, and killing off her other personas? Dead. The song is beautifully crafted, dark, and edgy; yet, it’s repetitiveness in the chorus and bridge only lands it the number three spot.
2. Tim McGraw
There’s something about the old, country Taylor that will always be so perfect and beautiful. “Tim McGraw” has a sweet, melancholic, nostalgia that tears at your heart and leaves you reminiscing about your first love. Even if you’re not a country fan, this song inevitably makes you think about the person who, although they may not be a part of your life anymore, will always have a piece of your heart.
1. Love Story
Love Story is iconic. The lyrics, the melody, the music video where Taylor sports the gorgeous, flowing white gown while waiting for Romeo…everything is absolute perfection. Taylor captures the “forbidden romance” aspect of Romeo and Juliet in her lyrics, but reshapes it for a modern audience. This song made us believe in love, and daydream about finding that fairytale romance. And even though it’s 2017…we all still rock out to it every now and then.
Bottom line: Taylor Swift’s music is everything, and November 10th can’t come soon enough.