Ranking: Every Taylor Swift Album (From Least Favorite To Most Favorite)
Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour are headed to Chicago this weekend, and I still shake my head in disbelief when I realize that I’ll be in attendance on Sunday. She has been one of two “white whales” on my concert bucket list for some time now (along with Frank Ocean), and I have zero doubt that the spectacle I’m set to witness will be nothing short of a religious experience. I’ve been deeply reviewing the thirty-three year-old singer’s discography for months in preparation of the big day, so in honor of Taylor’s return to The Windy City, I’ve decided to share my ranking of her ten studio albums from my least to most favorite (because none are bad). My opinions below are no more right or wrong than yours are and I hope my list inspires you, fan or not, to think of your own. Are you ready for it?
Here’s a hot take to kick off the list! Before some of you come at my throat, please hear me out. I, of course, enjoy reputation, and in fact, my thoughts on it have only improved as time has passed (because I considered it a major dud when it was released). But to this day, I still believe Taylor played it too safe with her unguarded takes on the perils of fame, roller-coaster romances, and relationship downfalls. A number of songs are layered with lyrics that bark but don’t bite, and combined with an exploration into a darker, new sound, the experimentation limits her trademark intimacy. However, I find reputation extremely listenable and some tracks on it (“Look What You Made Me Do”, “Getaway Car”, “New Year’s Day”) are major highlights. Seeking pop vengeance after the breezy 1989 was a wise next step, but it just wasn’t as raw and stinging as it could have been. I still like it and it lands just a hair under the next record on the list.
Not even seventeen years old when released, and with most of the songs written between the ages of twelve and sixteen, this album is a remarkable achievement for Taylor, let alone any artist at this age. Like most of her fans, the big hits from this self-titled debut introduced me to the brand new singer-songwriter, and those tracks (“Tim McGraw”, “Picture To Burn”, “Our Song”, etc.) remain staples not just in her discography but on country radio to this day. While it’s admittedly my least-listened to project of hers, the charms of Taylor Swift are nothing to underestimate. If I had to knock the debut for anything major, it’s only because of some moments of cliché songwriting on a few tracks that are quickly forgotten thanks to the beauty of the deep cuts. Otherwise, Taylor’s self-titled is a wistful, cool, and accurate discussion of love, longing, and life in general for a teenage girl in the mid-2000’s. Its honesty immediately captured the souls of millions of listeners almost seventeen fast years ago, and instantly garnered the Nashville transplant an army of lifelong fans.
Midnights and its many deluxe versions, bonus tracks, and remixes are still digesting in my ears as I write. Currently, I can say this: while I consider her newest studio album to be her least groundbreaking pop offering to date, the writing shines, and that’s not just due to the complexity of the vernacular she wields to tell her moonlit tales. While her lyrics are consistently poetic, my biggest issues with this LP are noticeable but not unforgiveable. The mishandling of a brilliant feature (“Snow On The Beach”), a gritty song that is structurally unsound (“Vigilante Shit”), and a beautiful closing track that ends too soon (“Mastermind”) are all bumps in the restless road. Throughout, Jack Antonoff’s production has moments where it could be brighter, bolder, or less brash. But even with these missteps, some songs on here are perfect pop (“Anti-Hero”, “Karma”) or excellent emotionally (“You’re On Your Own, Kid”, “Sweet Nothing”). I’m not sure where Midnights will fall into place once the dust settles, but one thing is for sure: Taylor’s lyrics are as advanced as ever here.
If I could guess the Taylor Swift album I’ve heard the most over the past year, my pick would be Lover. A far more authentic portrait of herself than reputation portrayed, the 2019 release is cheerful, reflective, and the most sophisticated Taylor has sounded to date. A trio of my all-time favorite songs shine on this record (“Cruel Summer”, “Lover”, “Death By A Thousand Cuts”) that is a track or two too long but nevertheless intoxicating from end-to-end. Lover is what a liberated woman and singer sounds like. Even though it lands at seventh on my list, this project is grossly underrated both in terms of artistic merit and unrecognized era potential (largely thanks to the pandemic and her two 2020 surprise releases). I’m pleased she is leading off her current sets with a healthy offering of the album’s songs — they deserve their flowers. The scrapped “Lover Fest” tour likely would have been the first time I got to see Taylor Swift live, but the world had other plans. What could have been…
Fearless is so similar to Taylor Swift that you could call it a sister album. On both records, Taylor’s songwriting has those awkward novice instances, a handful of hits remain career-definers, and the childlike sense of wonder is inescapable. Why Fearless stands above Taylor Swift is simple: because the aforementioned traits hit harder and miss less. If her freshman offering made headlines, then her sophomore release is a full front page breaking news story. I couldn’t imagine a junior high dance without hearing “Love Story” or “You Belong With Me” almost fifteen years ago. Other majestic classics like “Fearless” or “Fifteen” still stand tall as some of the best songs she’s ever written. The grand slam cuts on the 2008 album keep the rest of the LP buoyant. Although the back half of the original release and the plethora of TV tracks still pale in comparison to the practically pristine front half, Fearless is essential as Taylor’s cementing work to the general public. After this, there was no going back for the eighteen year-old.
As Taylor’s first record to completely shake off the country dust, 1989 is and plausibly always will be her defining pop album. The 2014 body of anthems struts forward as a document of excess, reinvention, and best of all, fun. A decade-defining offering of pop magic, it made her more popular than ever imaginable and debatably the biggest artist in the world. Almost half of the release saw major airtime (five Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles) and it sold the second most copies of any 2010’s release (only behind Adele’s 21 in 2011). Apart from its massive commercial success, 1989 stands the test of time thanks to its quality from start to finish. Across its deluxe version, I only find a couple of songs to be less than great (sorry to “I Wish You Would” and “I Know Places”) and even then, they rock. 1989 definitively shed any lingering wisps of girlhood as Taylor transitioned into self-aware adult pop with a bang. Many fans consider this to be their favorite of hers — for good reason.
2020 was already Taylor’s year before this early surprise Christmas present landed in our ears. A true sister album to folklore (released less than five months before), evermore might be her most underrated document yet (even more than Lover). Everything about it at face value suggests it to be a hand-me-down, a collection of leftovers, or a product of boredom, but just one listen leaves no question as to why Taylor’s ninth record belongs in the upper echelon of her body of work. The fairy tale flow, imaginative songwriting, and handwoven atmosphere of evermore seamlessly extend from the roots that folklore planted. While I pondered earlier that Taylor Swift and Fearless (TV) could be fraternal twins, folklore and evermore are spitting images of each other. Quiet classics like “champagne problems”, “ivy”, and “marjorie” thread the project together so effectively that even my least favorite track on it, “closure”, is irreplaceable. The sole reason why this album isn’t tied with her sister is because the sparkle and shock just aren’t quite as grand — and that’s no fault of its own. evermore received a fraction of the fanfare that her predecessor did, but it stands its ground and then some. What a lovely second pandemic gift this turned out to be — and still is.
In retrospect, all the signs were there for Speak Now to flourish as much as it has. For starters, Taylor’s songwriting had only been getting better and better. Combined with an extremely normal young adult social life turned unfairly scandalous by tabloid media, most other singers, let alone celebrities, would crack under the ridiculous pressure. If there is ever an album that defines Taylor Swift as an artist, it’s this one. The standard version features fourteen songs solely written by the Pennsylvania native and boy, are they all knockouts. With no time restrictions in sight, a pack of Grammys under her arms, and a whole lot to say, Speak Now is an enchanting hour-plus of country pop. It’s the first time any hint that her country cloak could disappear soon, it’s incredibly grounded and mature for a twenty year-old, and peppered with long epics like “Dear John”, “Enchanted”, and “Last Kiss”, it’s plenty of proof that Taylor’s sights soared far beyond radio airplay. Every song on this third record is carefully crafted with tenderness and fierceness. I wish Taylor had another thirty minutes in her marathon concert set to squeeze in more cuts from this lovely project. Fun fact: Sophie Allison of Soccer Mommy claims Speak Now to be her favorite album of Taylor’s. I can’t wait to hear the Taylor’s Version of it!
For the longest time, Red was the pinnacle, and on some days, I still convince myself that it is. At the beginning of the decade, Taylor Swift just couldn’t miss — it was reminiscent of Drake from 2008–2016. Every release was a hit, every move she made was documented one way or another, and the swell of superstardom had long been lingering at her front door. Some critics dismissed Red upon arrival for being unfocused sonically or too long. Others ate the obvious Joni Mitchell homage up and proclaimed Taylor Swift to be her modern day successor. For me, this fourth album is a classic because of how transparent and ambitious it is. Genre-wise, it’s a direct step forward in her pop metamorphosis, a last gasp of her country upbringing, and it’s even infused with rock and dubstep elements. What some may call a mishmash is a can’t-miss showcase of the skills she has honed since the beginning of her singing journey. Even though I still can’t give “Stay Stay Stay” a mulligan, the other fifteen songs (thirty total on TV) are fascinating and fresh to this day. Classics galore, and featuring what is likely her greatest song (we all know what it is), Red rules as a career-defining feat for the twenty-two (!) year-old mastermind.
Music is wonderful in the way it effortlessly transports you back to a certain time, place, and state of mind. I remember July 23rd, 2020 like it was yesterday. It was supposed to be another normal Thursday in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when, without a hint of warning, Taylor proclaimed a shocker of an announcement: a brand new record was dropping that night. The tweet stunned me, the album cover instantly had me interested, and once I saw the now famous Bon Iver feature, my tail was wagging. I had zero idea what kind of project was awaiting me — none of us did — but as soon as I heard the first piano key sing in “the 1”, everything changed. I think I always secretly wanted an album like folklore. I craved the folk sound that my favorite artists defined themselves by. I desired the mostly fantastical stories and the escape from reality that true classic projects stand upon. I never thought I’d get something of this level from Taylor Swift. A skilled matriarch of reinvention, folklore became timeless in the blink of an eye. Sure, the surprise factor helped, but this makeover couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Stuck in the throes of lockdown and born from imagination, folklore is the Taylor Swift album. Every single song became a classic from the first time it played, and every single melody, lyric, and note from an instrument tattooed my head like scripture. Each year since about 2010, at least one album was released per year that completely changed my life. folklore was 2020’s. The sessions were of course so fruitful that her sister album, evermore, arrived just months later. True artists thrive in the unexpected and make it their own. Taylor’s eighth record plants her stake as the voice of a generation, of a time, and of a career. I even have the cardigan…
Sunday is going to be a legendary day and night. I don’t remember a tour in recent memory getting more publicity or receiving more hype than this one has, and I feel a little sorry for anyone else on the road right now. It’s not a contest, but you can’t help but feel like Taylor Swift has won the year of live music. Even after all of the videos I’ve watched, the times I’ve viewed the setlist, or the scouring of potential surprise songs, seeing her in concert has the potential to be the most magical live music performance I’ve ever witnessed. I can’t wait to see it, think about it, write about it, and share my thoughts with everyone. How did I do on the rankings? Where did I mess up? I hope you run through all ten albums and make your own list to compare. Until next time, keep enjoying a special person in music. Peace!
