There are few things known to inspire more terror in an aspiring music journalist's heart than writing about Taylor Swift. Even for someone with as small of an audience as myself, the voracity of Taylor's fanbase is a well-documented wasp's nest that is best left untouched. This fanatacism has often been spun to represent (quite misogynistically) the idiocy and delusion of Swifties, but this is far from the most important takeaway. The truth of the matter is that the reason Taylor's fans are so devoutly attached to her music is because of her indomitable power to reach them. In recent years, the generation that grew up on her music has finally come together to champion her as one of the greatest musical voices in history, a trend that has led to endless bemoaning from self-proclaimed musical curators and haters alike. Personally, the extent of my Taylor Swift knowledge comes from what would play on the radio of my mom's car radio on the way home from school, so this list seems like the perfect place to finally give Taylor Swift's discography my undivided attention. Spoiler alert: it's good. While a couple weeks of listening will never be able to amount to the years of time most fans have spent with her music, I can confidently say that not only do I finally understand the hype around Taylor; I firmly intend to perpetuate it into the future.
Before we get started, let's address the prehistorically-sized elephant in the room: this list will only include the original versions of Taylor's discography. This means no deluxe versions, no remixes, and yes, no Taylor's Versions. My reasoning for this is twofold: 1) As someone who's never listened to the vast majority of Taylor's music, I think being able to hear her maturation as an artist is incredibly valuable to any sort of ranking, and the Taylor's Versions (TVs) simply don't allow for that kind of chronological understanding. 2) Every single one of the TVs that are currently available practically double their original runtimes, and if I'm going to try and approach these albums with as positive of an outlook as possible, sitting down for 2+ hours of Red is simply not the way to do it. Obviously, though, stream Taylor's Version! I have nothing but respect for Taylor and her uncompromising commitment to her art, I just don't think the TVs have much use in a ranking that's meant to serve as a diary of my Swiftie-conversion. Finally, with all that out of the way... let's dive right in.
10. Reputation (2017)
When I started this ranking, I was really hoping that I would have some sort of contrarian epiphany in regards to Taylor's most critically panned and universally disregarded album. I genuinely love infamous single "Look What You Made Me Do," so I was rooting for Reputation to be a surprise gem that I could appreciate the beauty within... but no such luck. Disregarding the music itself, the entire rhetoric behind the album is off-putting and tacky, casting Taylor as a "villain" who's finally fighting back against the haters and demonizers. Everytime she indulges in this character (aside from "Look What You Made Me Do," fight me) I find it to be completely forced and utterly lacking in grace. In terms of actual production, Reputation already sounds incredibly out-dated, emphasizing the pseduo-epic dance trends of the late 2010's. This album seems to think it's being incredibly cinematic, with Imagine Dragons-style stadium beats and overproduced bass drops on nearly every chorus, but the result is actually just shockingly cheap. With all that being said, Reputation is far from devoid of quality. Fan favorites "Delicate" and "Dress" are heartfelt highlights that showcase the best Taylor's pen has to offer, and the gentle closer "New Year's Day" is absolutely gorgeous. I'm obviously a huge fan of "Look What You Made Me Do," but I truly don't know if my passion is genuine or merely the result of years of irony. I'm more than willing to admit that it's probably one of the worst singles she's ever made, but that acknowledgement will do literally nothing to change how much I love listening to it. Altogether: I have nothing but respect for the fans who consider this to be Taylor's best album, but it is quite unfortunate how that they're just simply wrong.
Favorite Track: Look What You Made Me Do
9. Lover (2019)
Following the fairly unanimous backlash of Reputation, Taylor decided to swing the stylistic pendulum to the complete opposite side of her public persona. If the pillowy colors of the cover weren't already evidence enough, Lover is a much more aesthetically positive album than the record that preceded it, inspired the outpouring of love Taylor felt during her hugely successful Reputation Tour. It's certainly an improvement on the tacky "villain era" rhetoric of Reputation, but Lover might just be the most mixed bag of a record on this entire list. In one breadth, singles like "Cruel Summer" and "Lover" are some of the strongest entries in Taylor's entire canon and showcase a mastery of pop music that few names can compete with. On the other, this album also contains uninspired anthems like "The Man" and "ME!" which both mark two of my least favorite Taylor hits ever. In general, Lover lacks the sense of cohesion Taylor usually provides with her projects, and while the collage of disparate styles and genres is quite interesting on paper, the execution is a bit of a mess. The tonal whiplash of "The Archer" and "I Forgot You Existed" being on the same album makes this a difficult project to listen to in full, especially considering the hefty runtime. I found it quite difficult to finish listening to this album, and it truly felt like Taylor's attempt at a Drake-style "playlist" intended to compile a collection of singles with little concept or cohesion.
Favorite Track: Lover
8. 1989 (2015)
In my limited research leading up to this ranking, I came to the grim realization that 1989 is one of the most beloved Taylor albums in her discography. The word “grim” is used here because while I certainly don’t have any desire to offend Swifties in any capacity… I simply don’t see the hype behind this album at all. Considered Taylor’s first true departure from her country roots, 1989 was a massive success whose singles were so inescapable that even a non-Swiftie such as myself would still consider “Shake It Off” the unofficial soundtrack of 2014. Without a doubt, Taylor’s forays into pop music sound infinitely more confident than her hit singles on Red, but they're so glossy it's almost off-putting. Inspired by the music of the decade for which it is named, 1989 definitely has its moments of greatness. “Blank Space” is an iconic satire of the misogynistic image the media had forced upon Taylor, and “Style” is basically a picture perfect pop hit. The album definitely gets points for its concise runtime, but aside from a few album cuts like closer “Clean,” the majority of this album turned me off with fairly tacky production and lackluster lyricism. I still hate “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” —and not just because of their overexposure — and I found opener “Welcome to New York” far too saccharine for me to enjoy. All in all, 1989 is far from a terrible record, but Taylor’s switch to a 2010s pop palette makes the commercial and uninspired corners of her music far too apparent. Luckily, this was not the last time she would tangle with pop music, and I’m definitely in the vast minority when it comes to my mostly negative feelings on the project.
Favorite Song: Clean
7. Taylor Swift (2006)
Upon the release of her debut studio album, teenage sensation Taylor Swift was categorized by most critics as a promising but mostly uninteresting entry into the country-pop canon of the time. What they failed to understand, however, was to whom this album was actually speaking. From the first few chords of “Tim McGraw,” an entire generation of fans heard something in Taylor’s music that captured every iota of their daydreams and mundane experiences alike, and it was the start of a spark that would make Taylor synonymous with the cherished teenage experiences of millions of people around the world. Recorded when she was barely fifteen, Taylor’s self-titled may be starry-eyed and naïve, but it’s also incredibly well-written, composed, and performed. Even with her astonishing young age, the standout feature of Taylor Swift isn’t the gimmick of the artist being a teenage country sensation; it’s her straightforward lyricism and unabashed relatability. Inspired by the likes of Shania Twain and Faith Hill, Swift’s songwriting on this album was a breath of fresh air to many country fans since it traded in the overdone tropes of the genre for specific instances of Taylor’s experiences as a young girl. The album is certainly a product of 2000’s bubblegum country pop, but it’s worth noting just how distinct Taylor’s pen already sounded at the very start of her journey. Classic hits like “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song” are all certifiable must-haves for any Swiftie’s playlists and singalongs, but the rest of the album unfortunately suffers from a significabt lack of memorability. Overall, Taylor Swift is a fairly cookie-cutter album that’s most notable for being the start of such an illustrious career; but as a first-time listener of the project, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t thoroughly losing myself in the record’s unabashed poppiness and nostalgia.
Favorite Track: Our Song
6. Midnights (2022)
As one of the only Taylor albums I'd listened to prior to making this list, I was pretty assured as to how Midnights was going to rank. At the time of its release, I shared a similar sentiment to how the majority of listeners seemed to feel: underwhelmed, but altogether un-offended. However, upon returning to the project for this article and hearing it within the context of her entire discography, I've come to arguably my most controversial take yet: this is the best pop album Taylor's made so far. I think this is in large part due to nothing more than my personal taste, as well as an overall lack of nostalgia. In terms of the music I usually tend to enjoy, the spacey and electronic soundscape of Midnights is far more in line with what I like to listen to, and I find Taylor's pen to be consistently solid for the majority of the tracks here. Make no mistake: Midnights is far from perfect. "Vigilante Shit" is so ill-conceived that it can't even land the gag of it being a Reputation-throwback, and I've always found the chorus on "Karma" to be some of my least favorite lyricism in any song ever made. The rest of the record, however, really does it for me, and I consistently found myself in the mood to return to tracks like "Maroon," "Snow on the Beach," and "Mastermind." I think there's a solid argument to be made for "Sweet Nothing" as one of the best songs Taylor has ever written, and is probably tied with "Love Story" for my favorite song in her catalog. I'm sure this entry is going to be nothing short of blasphemous to any Swiftie worth their weight in guitar-teardrops; but as a wide-eyed newbie whose opinion really doesn't matter? I think Midnights is a hell of a lot of fun.
Favorite Track: Sweet Nothing
5. Speak Now (2010)
In the years leading up to her third studio album, country star Taylor Swift suddenly found herself at the forefront of pop culture and tabloid exposure. On the positive side, her music was more successful than ever, but the sad truth was that she had become a household name for most Americans due to her highly publicized dating life and an infamous VMA encounter with one Kanye West. Speak Now captures Taylor embracing and reclaiming her public persona, and serves as the final chapter in her trilogy of early country releases. Just like Fearless before it, Speak Now is a masterful take on the country pop of the time, and while certain elements of the record definitely don't sound quite fresh in 2023, these pitfalls are easily forgiven in favor of the album's spunk and spirit. "Sparks Fly" and "Speak Now" are stellar entries into Taylor's list of cathartic bops, and "Dear John" is an exceptional slow-burn that still holds the title of being Taylor's longest song ever made (if we're only counting original track-lists). "Mean" and "Better Than Revenge" are tongue-in-cheek middle fingers delivered with a school-picture-day smile, and the entire record captures a composed and confident young woman handling the world's spotlight with seemingly incredible ease. Personally, while there's nothing I inherently dislike about this album, I find it simply less interesting than the other entries further up on this list. At times, Speak Now is a definite improvement on Fearless' sound, but I feel as if this record lacks a lot of the carefree charm that the latter embodies. There's no denying that Speak Now is still one of Taylor's most beloved releases, and I completely understand the millions of fans who hold the album and its unforgettable tour near and dear to their hearts.
Favorite Track: Dear John
4. Fearless (2008)
My first real “a-ha moment" with Taylor’s music came from re-listening to “Love Story” in preparation for this list. I’d obviously heard the song before, but I’d always dismissed it as an empty — albeit catchy — piece of late-aughts nostalgia. Oh, how wrong I was. “Love Story” might just be the best song Taylor’s ever recorded, and it’s also indicative of how her second studio album, Fearless, improves on every single aspect of her debut. Taylor Swift hadn’t been a particularly big seller, but Fearless boasted multiple number one singles and viral music videos for songs like “You Belong With Me” that finally thrust Taylor into the spotlight. She sounds infinitely more comfortable on this record, shaking off every bit of her teenage fallibility with the poise of an already accomplished artist. Just listen to “Fifteen;" a song that perfects the high school anthems of her debut by providing a mature and relatable survival guide to the trials of adolescence. On top of that, the entire album features significantly stronger production and Taylor continually sounds far more at home amidst the much tighter instrumentation. Unfortunately, Fearless is definitely limited by being a product of its time, because no matter how well it might master the country sound of the 2000s… it’s still a country album from the 2000s. There’s no denying its impact, however, and the sheer approachability and pop dominance of Taylor’s sophomore effort makes it easily the record I’ve returned to the most while writing this list (OK, I’ll admit that it might just be “Love Story,” but the point still stands! Great album).
Favorite Track: Love Story
3. Red (2012)
Before I began this ranking, I was aware that Red was one of the Taylor albums that fans worshipped as being among the upper echelon of her career. Now that I'm finally an expert in her discography, I can firmly say that Red is definitely the quintessential Taylor Swift album… but that doesn’t necessarily make it her best. There's certainly plenty to love here, and Taylor's songwriting had definitely matured into a country-tinged pop engine that seemingly couldn't help but churn out hits. The album embraces Taylor's newfound status as a pop culture mainstay and does everything it can to transform the perpetual girl-next-door into an icon. For the most part, this cinematic approach was successful, but this ambition is also Red's glaring Achilles Heel. To begin with, the album is just too damn long, and while the second half is a tour de force of home-run after home-run, the album's first act is fairly hit or miss. On one hand, there's triumphs like opener "State of Grace" and "Red," and on the other there's stinkers like "22" and "Stay Stay Stay" which have both aged like a carton of already-expired milk. I'd be remiss, of course, to not bring up the iconic "All Too Well," which is often cited as the peak of Taylor's songwriting career, and it definitely represents the best of what both Red and her music have to offer. Altogether, this album is a definite success that showcases the most substantial improvements to the Taylor-formula since Fearless. I'd absolutely consider it to be some of the best work she's ever put out, and while it may not have taken the top spot on this particular list, I can't think of a better record to represent what the definitive Taylor Swift album should sound like.
Favorite Track: State of Grace
2. Evermore (2020)
In July of 2020, smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, Folklore, to widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. Less than six months later, she surprised dropped a "sister album" that gave listeners even more of the previous album's stripped-back intimacy. Aside from the comparisons drawn by Taylor herself, Evermore very much feels like an echo of Folklore, which ironically embraces folk music even more overtly than its predecessor. Taylor's ninth album is quiet and meditative, once again feeling like a sonic representation of half-sketched diary entries. Considering that the record was produced almost entirely by The National's guitarist Aaron Dessner, it makes sense that the songs here favor sparse instrumentation and moody mixes, all of which wouldn't have sounded at all out of place on Sleep Well Beast (2017). "tolerate it" is a reserved exploration of a failing relationship told over gorgeous piano notes, and "marjorie" is a stunning ode to Taylor's maternal grandmother. "no body, no crime" is an especially notable change of pace, giving fans their first taste of a Swiftified murder ballad with all-out country guitar licks and some kickass background vocals from HAIM. In all truthfulness, during the weeks leading up to this ranking, my favorite Taylor album constantly oscillated between Folklore and Evermore. At this particular moment, I think that Evermore is slightly less varied than its counterpart, so I'm choosing to slot it with a hard fought second place spot. At the end of the day, though, you're well off choosing either of Taylor's 2020 releases to soundtrack the quiet moments of your chillier seasons and wilderness excursions.
Favorite Track: marjorie
1. Folklore (2020)
Since the very beginning, one of Taylor Swift's most defining characteristics has been her uncanny ability to connect with her listeners. Even as early as Taylor Swift, the aspiring songstress pulled ahead of the rest of her contemporaries by consistently baring her soul into catchy and uncompromising hits. Folklore embodies this same sort of energy, now told through a lens of maturity and self-assured artistry. Recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Folklore captures an intimate sense of introspection and isolation, wherein Taylor is completely unafraid to stand bare among scarce instrumentation and demo-ish mixes. The lyrics here are an exceptional blend of her usual charm as well as an adoption of semi-Americana and folksy aesthetics. "the last great american dynasty" and "mad woman" are idyllic examples of this, and cuts like "the 1" and "exile" are nothing short of perfection. Folklore is certainly aided by its supergroup of producers, which credits Jack Antonoff, Bon Iver, and Aaron Dessner with creating the record's homespun environment. Together, the trio continually provide Taylor with mininmalist playgrounds for her voice to explore, emphasizing acoustic guitar and piano for the vast majority of songs. The result is easily the most well-rounded and consistent album Taylor has ever released, and it's no exaggeration to call this record one of the most dynamic critical comebacks in pop music history. For years, Swifties had been fighting an uphill battle to defend their favorite artist from constant attacks on her artistic merit. With the release of Folklore, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who can still confidently claim that Taylor lacks any sort of talent at all. This album is handily her magnum opus, and I have no qualms whatsoever with ranking it at the tippy-top of my voyage through Taylor's music.
Favorite Track: exile (feat. Bon Iver)
コメント