Many of us know the name Taylor Swift. She is a global pop icon with hundreds of songs and many hit tracks. Many of us are familiar with her most popular songs, including “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Love Story,” and many more. As much as I love those songs, there are so many other songs that I feel don’t get as much attention as they deserve. Taylor has released twelve studio albums, and from each one, I will select a lesser-known, or “underground” track to curate a playlist designed for those looking to explore her music on a deeper, more nuanced level.
To start from her debut album, I chose the song “I’m Only Me When I’m With You.” This song is the twelfth track on her self-titled album, and I think it encapsulates young high school love perfectly. The closeness she feels to her small-town boy is what many of us have felt when we have a crush for the first time. I love listening to this song when I want to remember my fun, carefree high school days. The second song on my playlist is “Jump Then Fall” from her second studio album, Fearless. I have always loved this song. It is so upbeat and fun, and my boyfriend and I love listening to it together. The deeper meaning of this song emphasizes the importance of trust and vulnerability, and it encourages partners to rely on each other fully, unafraid to take leaps together and fall into each other’s support. Taylor Swift has always been so creative when she writes more emotional, sad songs. Her lyricism is so deep and beautiful, and we can see her doing this as she is getting older and writing more songs. The third track I chose is “If This Was A Movie” from Speak Now. This song I have cried to many times. When you break up with someone, whether it is a friendship or a relationship, there are times when you miss the person so much that you just wish they could come back to you. The bridge of this song is the best part of the song. She wishes her person would come running back to her, and she would take them back if they just said sorry, but then she closes the song with “thought you’d be here by now,” making her realize her person is not coming back to her.
Red is my all-time favorite Taylor Swift album. It is hard for me to focus on just one song that is lesser known because they are all so well written. “The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody),” has had a lot of hate from what I have seen, and I never understood why. The harmonies, the lyrics, the instruments, and the duet all come together magnificently to form a song that captures the raw tension and emotional finality of a relationship on the verge of collapse, delivering a hauntingly beautiful listening experience. Singing this song while you are in a toxic relationship and you are ready to get out of it is so healing, and it allows you to finally let go of the person and find yourself. Taylor and Gary portray what it feels like to finally let go, and you can almost feel the tension and relief through the way they sing, and that is why this song is amazing and does not deserve the hate that it has received in the past.
Taylor’s fifth album marked a significant shift from country to pop. 1989 was a huge risk for Taylor because of the genre switch, but fortunately, many people, including myself, love this album. The song I chose to be added to my playlist is “How You Get The Girl.” This is a song all men should listen to if they are trying to get a girl. Taylor gives you instructions on what to do exactly so you can get the person you want. This song is so fun, upbeat, and always brings a smile to my face, and that is why I want it as the fifth track on my playlist. Right after 1989 comes Reputation. I always listen to this record when I want to feel like a bad b*tch, but also when I am in love. “End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran and Future),” is the perfect song that mixes a bit of swagger and a bit of sweetness. The lyrics make me feel powerful, desired, and a little bit untouchable. This song belongs on my playlist because it captures a specific duality that is rare in her music. She includes R&B, pop, and hip-hop elements that make the song romantically charged but also unapologetically confident, which everyone should feel when listening to this song.
Feeling in love can feel like your morning cup of coffee; it can be still, warming, awakening, and comforting. On the other hand, love can sting, make us hurt, and cause us to lose ourselves. The album Lover captures all of this. From love to loss and a little bit of loneliness in between. “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” is a very soft, quiet, poetic song that feels like a sigh of relief after a long day. I added this song to my playlist because it is a sweet lullaby that isn’t begging for attention, but it lingers. It reminds me of a friend comforting me by just being present with me, and simply being with me and staying. In this song, it reminds me that love doesn’t always have to be pink or red, but love can simply be a whisper.
Similarly to the poetic feel of “It’s Nice To Have A Friend,” Taylor’s next two albums, folklore and evermore show that folky poetic side. “the lakes (folklore)” and “happiness (evermore)” are both beautifully written songs that flow similarly to poetry. “the lakes” has always been a song that took me a while to understand, but once I learned it and listened to it many times, I fell in love with this song. This song shows us that, though we have so much drama and chaos in our world, we can go to the lakes to escape, just like the poets did. I hold this song close to my heart because I have a deep appreciation for poetry and find peace and comfort in it, just like Taylor and other poets do. The song “happiness” is a song that got me through a messy breakup. Even though Taylor Swift has some pretty amazing breakup anthems, this is not that song. “happiness” reflects. It is raw, mature, and painfully honest. This song doesn’t sugarcoat the pain but instead sits in all the complexity of all the grief, rage, regret, gratitude, and slow healing. While I was being overwhelmed with all my emotions, “happiness” allowed me to feel everything without rushing to move on.
As we come to Taylor’s last three albums, Midnights, The Tortured Poets Department, and The Life Of A Showgirl, we see Taylor going through the grief of a breakup, but then healing and finally feeling loved and valued again. The last three songs I chose for my playlist are “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve (Midnights),” “Cassandra (TTPD),” and “Eldest Daughter (TLOAS).” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is my favorite track from Midnights, but it was also a hard listen at times because Taylor looks back in her life and regrets that she didn’t know better when it came to giving herself to a person, and I could relate that to my life. I’m sure many people can as well. This track is for the wounds that never fully healed because they were never given a chance. Taylor’s vocals are urgent, almost desperate, not just for the person, but for the closure that never came. Moving on to “Cassandra,” which is a mysterious mystic song that isn’t just telling a story, but almost warning us, and that is why I love this song. It is a haunting anthem for anyone who has ever spoken the truth or been ignored. Drawing from a Greek myth, we can feel the pain of being disabled and punished for knowing too much too soon. The song is sharp, eerie, and quietly furious, which adds a different vibe to the playlist. Finally, the last track is from her newest album TLOAS. “Eldest Daughter” is the fifth track from the album, and Taylor’s fifth tracks are known to be deep and painful. From some reviews I saw, people do not think this song is worthy of the fifth track. I disagree with those people because this song is tender, heavy, and captures what it is like to be a quiet burden of being the strong one, the fixer, and the emotional anchor. This song is for the girls who grew up too fast because they took on the role of keeping everyone emotionally together while yourself is falling apart. Taylor wrote this song for us not to dramatize but to tell us she understands us. I chose this song because it is the perfect ending song to remind us we are resilient and strong.
Taylor’s music has always been a huge part of my life, from her first album to her last. I have listened to every song over and over again. Her music has always felt like a home for me. Safe, comforting, and full of love. Her music allowed me to be unapologetically myself, and I love sharing her music with others. All of her songs are amazing, a nd I highly recommend giving them a listen, but the 12 songs I have talked about through this paper are some of my favorites, and I hope all of you enjoy the music I chose.
Link to the playlist!!