As we all know, Taylor has released 7 studio albums, but what about all the songs that she hasn’t officially released? No, we are not talking songs that she did for movies or remixes, we are talking actual “new” (since some of them are from really early in her career) songs. To date, there are a variety of songs that Taylor has performed that she has never officially released on any of her albums. While the audio on some of the linked videos is distorted (since again, these are unreleased and were likely recorded on cell phones or from performances prior to her debut album), I’ve done the deep YouTube dig for these songs so you don’t have to (Note: some of the linked videos are covers of the songs, since I wasn’t able to find the original versions after hours of searching). Here are some of my favorites that I think are worth the listen:
- “I’d Lie”
-
Probably one of my favorite unreleased songs of Taylor, and I think that many other Swifties can agree. It would have been perfect for her debut album, and it also perfectly encompases the feeling of having a crush on someone. This song is adorable, yet meaningful at the same time, so I recommend giving it a listen when you have the chance* (*read: right now).
Favorite Line: “He tells me about his nights // And I count the colors in his eyes // He’ll never fall in love he swears // As he runs his fingers through his hair // I’m laughing ’cause I hope he’s wrong”
- “Brought Up That Way”
-
I find that a lot of the songs that are unreleased are much sadder than the ones that have made it onto the albums, and this one is no exception. Whenever I listen to this song, I want to cry, but I think that it is always worth the listen since it really is a great song.
Favorite Line: “”I didn’t bring her up // So they could cut her down. // I didn’t bring her here // So they could shut her out. // I live my whole damn life // To see that little girl’s smile.”
- “By The Way”
-
This song is a lot like some of the ones that actually appear on the albums that we know and love, but something about it makes this one really special. It might be the fact that it isn’t actually on an album, but I really think that this song is great to listen to, especially if you love songs like “You Belong With Me” and “Wildest Dreams.”
Favorite Line: “Still believing there might come a day // We’ll pick up where we left off // And by the way // Your eyes are dancing // I’d say the chances of that are getting slim”
- “Didn’t They”
-
This song is one that Swift wrote after 9/11, and while we all know that Taylor pours her emotions into every song she writes, this song is packed with those emotions. After such a sad occasion, it makes sense that Taylor’s reaction was to write a song about it.
Favorite Line: “And didn’t they call you? // Didn’t they need you bad enough? // Was there some reason I’m not aware of?”
- “I Heart ?”
-
I love this song so much, and I actually forgot that this wasn’t a released song since I listened to it so much. This song would have fit perfectly on Taylor’s debut album, and I’m still salty that it wasn’t there.
Favorite Line: “Wake up and smell the breakup // Fix my heart, put on my make-up // Another mess I didn’t plan // And I’ll bet you thought you beat me // Wish you could only see // I got an I heart question mark // Written on the back of my hand”
- “Your Anything”
-
Another song that would have been perfect for her debut album, I love this song because it really captures the innocence of having a crush (like many of Taylor’s songs songs from this time period and on debut)
Favorite Line: “I’ll be your angel giving up her wings // If that’s what you need // I’d give everything to be your anything”
- “Baby Don’t You Break My Heart Slow”
-
This song reminds me of another one of the songs that actually made it onto an album: “The Moment I Knew.” I know, probably not the song you expected, but hear me out. This song is about how Taylor doesn’t want to get her heart broken slowly, she would rather just know, and in “The Moment I Knew,” she is talking about an experience where the person she loves is continually disappointing her and not being particularly honest—or in other words, he is breaking her heart slowly.
Favorite Line: “Well, I’d rather you be mean // Than love and lie // I’d rather hear the truth // Than have to say goodbye // I’d rather take a blow // At least then I would know // But baby don’t you break my heart slow”
- “Your Face”
-
This song, for me, reminds me of a really early version of “Gorgeous,” and if you listen to the lyrics you’ll understand why. I think this song is really cute despite the mildly awkward line “I don’t want to lose your face,” but if we are being honest, Taylor has always been proud of her awkwardness, so this song shouldn’t be any different.
Favorite Line: “And I don’t wanna wake up one day // And not remember what time erased // And I don’t wanna turn around // ‘Cause I’m not scared // Of what love gave me and took away”
- “You All Over Me”
-
This song is really reminiscent of some of Taylor’s earlier songs (Think “Tim McGraw”). I also really like this song because it has a wonderful parallel to a song Taylor released on 1989, “Clean,” which shows the growth between her songwriting at the beginning of her career to her 5th studio album.
Favorite Line: “No amount of freedom, gets you clean // I still got you all over me”
- “Lucky You”
-
This song is so cute, and reminds me a lot of “Starlight” (probably just because it says “starlight night”) but the energy of this song is really similar (but for her debut). This song is really fun and will make you smile.
Favorite Line: “Her mama named her Lucky on a starlit night. // A rabbit foot in her pocket. She dances in spite // Of the fact that she’s different, // And yet she’s the same.”
Praying that one day Taylor will release an album (or a series of albums?) with all of her unreleased content so that we can all enjoy it without having to dig through YouTube to find it.