While I’ve always been a fan of Taylor Swift, I’ve definitely reached a die-hard status in the past few years. This marks the third time that she’s been my top artist of the year, and my most-played playlist is just a combination of her entire discography. Each of her albums—and their respective eras—are amazing, so ranking them proved a lot harder than I thought.
Note: I’ll be using Taylor’s Version when possible, as opposed to the original albums.
Before you come for me, please keep in mind that this list is extremely subjective and is based on my personal opinions (and also tends to change every couple of months).
10. Taylor swift
Swift’s first album ranking the lowest is probably not surprising. I’m not a fan of country, and I didn’t listen to this album as a kid, so there’s no nostalgia factor to add to this album’s appeal for me. Given how far Swift has come in terms of vocals, songwriting, and production, listening to her debut album now makes it seem a lot weaker by comparison. That said, my opinion is likely to change when Taylor’s Version comes out.
9. Evermore
Let’s get this straight: evermore is not a bad album. In fact, I think it’s one of her best, lyrically. It’s just that when compared to its sister record, folklore, evermore is less cohesive, and honestly just… a bit boring. I absolutely love certain tracks like “champagne problems” and “’tis the damn season,” but the rest fell somewhat flat for me.
8. speak now
This ranking may be controversial, but to be honest, I haven’t listened to Speak Now enough to truly enjoy it. I’m not saying this album is bad in any way whatsoever—it’s a great album, and the fact that Swift wrote it entirely herself is an impressive feat. But aside from certain songs like “The Story of Us” and “Enchanted,” I don’t find myself playing it that often. Again, when Taylor’s Version comes out, I expect this to rise in my ranking quite a bit.
7. fearless (taylor’s version)
I had never listened to the full Fearless album until Taylor’s Version came out. Given that it had more of a country sound (which is one of my least favourite genres), I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. Aside from the obviously great songs like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me,” tracks like “Forever & Always” and “Hey Stephen” became my personal favourites. The album is nostalgic, youthful, and fun, but I will admit the songs from the vault are not as memorable as they are on Red (Taylor’s Version).
6. lover
In my opinion, Lover is a vastly underrated and over-hated album. Even within the Taylor Swift fandom, the album is divisive in terms of reception, since it holds some of the best and worst songs in her entire discography. There’s the pop-ballad “Cruel Summer” and the devastatingly sad “Soon You’ll Get Better,” but then “ME!” is… also there. Once you get over the weaker tracks, Lover is extremely enjoyable—it’s evident that Swift was happily in love, and this was also the first time she fully owned one of her albums. If you ignored this one because of the lead singles, I’d definitely recommend giving it another listen.
5. red (Taylor’s version)
Red is one of her more widely-loved albums, and for good reason. When it was first released, Red showcased that Swift had extreme range as an artist and was capable of making both catchy pop singles and beautifully written, emotional songs. With the release of Taylor’s Version, the album went from great to amazing—I fully believe that the ten-minute version of “All Too Well” is one of, if not the best song she’s ever made. A few songs suffered from extreme overplaying on the radio, but I feel like enough time has passed that they’re enjoyable again.
4. midnights
This may be shockingly high for some, and while recency bias may be at work here, I really enjoyed this album. While I still liked Swift’s venture into the softer, indie genre, I think pop is where she really shines. I will admit that the tracks on the 3 a.m. edition definitely make the album stronger—if they didn’t exist, I probably would have ranked this lower. Some of my favourite songs are “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” “Midnight Rain,” and of course, the viral TikTok song “Karma.” I feel like the Midnights era hasn’t been truly defined yet, so I’m excited to see what its aesthetic becomes.
3. reputation
When this first came out I was not a fan. The electronic style was hard for me to get into at first, but over time, Reputation has become one of my favourite albums of Swift’s. The aesthetic during this era was iconic—with the snake imagery and all-black outfits—and served as the perfect comeback from the Kim Kardashian and Kanye drama. Reputation is extremely moody and dramatic, but once you listen to the album, you discover that it’s also quite vulnerable. It’s not just about Swift’s reputation, but also about the love she managed to find in her relationship with Joe Alwyn.
2. 1989
This is arguably Taylor Swift’s most popular album. I don’t think you could go anywhere in 2014 without “Shake it Off” or “Blank Space” playing on the radio. I’m a pop music girlie to my core, and I almost love this album as much as my #1 ranking. However, many of its tracks got overplayed to the point that I can now only listen to this album sparingly. That being said, 1989 is still a masterclass in pop music, and the bridge in “Out of the Woods” remains one of her best ever.
1. folklore
folklore is widely recognized—both inside and outside of the Swiftie community—as one of her best albums. With a softer, more indie sound, and songs based on entirely fictionalized characters, it’s the perfect showcase of Swift’s talents in songwriting and storytelling. folklore also came out in the summer, so every listen makes me nostalgic for warm weather and days free from school assignments. In my opinion, the album has no skips—songs like “august” are perfect for screaming in your car, while others like “my tears ricochet” are emotional, lyrical masterpieces.
If you agree or disagree with this list—or just want to talk about Taylor Swift—please reach out and let me know! If you somehow haven’t listened to her yet, her discography is massive, so you’re bound to find something you like.