The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emmanuel chapter.
Taylor Swift’s music holds a special place in many people’s hearts for helping them through good and bad times. This is my personal final ranking before her new album release of The Tortured Poet Department. This will probably change a million times but it was fun to take a look at all of her albums and compile my list of favorite albums and specific songs.
- folklore: folklore has been my favorite album since the summer of 2023. I went on a vacation to California and for some reason folklore was on repeat for the entire week. It is so emotionally driven and real. One of my favorite qualities of Taylor Swift’s music is her unique ability to create a picture that any fan can envision in their own life while also being intricate and specific in her lyrics. My favorite songs are “this is me trying”, “august”, and “last great american dynasty” (as a Rhode Islander).
- Speak Now: Speak Now is very nostalgic for me, it was my favorite album all through my highschool experience. I have many memories with friends awaiting the release of Speak Now (Taylors Version). This album is so vividly about the emotions of growing up and moving on which felt like the soundtrack to my senior year. Also not to mention this album has the best vault tracks, “Timeless” is one of my favorite taylor songs of all time. My favorites from the album include “Long Live”, “Last Kiss”, “Enchanted” and “Better than Revenge” (the og version).
- Red: Red is in my opinion one of her best albums lyrically, it is the start of her pop era and leaving country behind. This album just has a warmth to it that is indescribable. The autumn theme of the “All Too Well” solidifies this feeling. Her ability to relate so closely to the masses is unlike any other artists. My favorite songs include the “Lucky One”, “Begin Again”, and “Everything has Changed”.
- Lover: Lover is unlike any of Taylor’s other albums because it is happier and lighter. Not to be mistaken this album is still filled with substance about hardship, heart break and true love. This is her first album after the sale of the rest of her discography to Scooter Braun, which makes me sad because we will not get any vault tracks. It was nice to see her have a happy era, and be in love. My top songs include “Cornelia Street”, “Cruel Summer”, and “Paper Rings”.
- 1989:1989 rounds out my top 5 for my personal ranking because I think it was really different for Taylor for the time, emerging from country music. This album seems like Taylor is having fun and taking life less seriously opposed to the extreme highs and lows of her fourth studio album Red. 1989 is fun and the recent re-release reminded me of that. 1989 is perfect for being young and living in a city, just like us. My favorite tracks include “How you Get the Girl”, “This Love”, and “Clean”.
- Fearless: Fearless is the epitome of high school nostalgia. It is relatable, heartbreaking, naive, and heartfelt. Her ability to articulate her emotions in such a beautiful manner at such a young age is extremely impressive. Some of the songs literally feel like a movie because of how specific the imagery can become. This album also made her the youngest person to win album of the year at the grammys. This is not very far up my list because I think that her songwriting has improved with time. My top three favorite tracks include “Fifteen”, “The Best Day” and “The Way I Loved You”.
- Reputation: I feel as though this is the most controversial take of all. Most people I know have Reputation ranked higher than I do but that is not the case for me. I have been a Taylor Swift fan my entire life, but for some reason I have never delved very deep into this album. I have listened to all of the songs but never become particularly attached. I do want to give it another chance though because it has been a while. My top three are “Delicate”, “New Years Day”, and “Getaway Car”.
- Midnights:Midnights was heavily awaited for me but for some reason it is not one of my favorites. The convention for this album wasn’t there as much for me as it is on other albums. But I did find it interesting as the first album since her breakup with long time boyfriend Joe Alwyn, even if it was released before it spoke on the subject. My top 3 is “Midnight Rain”, “You’re On Your Own, Kid”, and “Mastermind”.
- Debut: I love debut because I love country music. It is so vulnerable and symbolic of what it feels like to be 15. It is emotional, angry, expressive, innocent, and honest. This was her first album and set the tone of her music which has stayed consistent throughout her career. Her level of storytelling is unmatched. She details what it is like being a girl growing up so beautifully even at such a young age. My top three are “Place in this World”, “Mary’s Song” and “Teardrops on my Guitar”.
Evermore: Lastly we have evermore. I think it is quite ironic that folklore and evermore are sister albums, while one is at the top of my list and the other is at the bottom. I love the style of the album but I connected to folklore much more than I did to evermore. I also like the features on the album. My top 3 include “right where you left me”, “marjorie” and “champagne problems”.