Every Taylor Swift Song, Ranked

No artist has so soundtracked my journey from adolescence to early adulthood like Taylor Swift. I wouldn’t go so far as to consider her my favorite musical artist (I’m certainly not a raving Swiftie). Honestly, I don’t even believe in “favorite artists” as a concept. There have been many—Switchfoot, Kendrick Lamar, Brandi Carlile, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—who have profoundly informed my life thus far. But Taylor’s music just keeps marking my life—like the bold, vertical ticks of a timeline—dividing eras, helping make sense of the world in unsuspecting ways, and offering a marvelous time of it.

As I ponder why Swift’s music has resonated within me so, all the critiques of her career come to mind. Surely there are more adventurous musicians, more substantive lyricists, less flashy entertainers. Indeed, Swift has adhered to formulas, simple arrangements, and well-worn ideas throughout her career. But despite any truth in these critiques, I can’t shake her music off. And it’s occurred to me that the reason why is this: the most important ingredient to Swift’s career—the glue that binds her trajectory from country small-town pop to synthy big-city pop to indie-inspired folklore—is love.

Yes, love. Yes, it’s cheesy. Get over it. Let me talk about love (and a little theology) before getting to the ranking (which is really why you’re here, right?).

An idea that has stuck with me over the last year is something my friend Dr. Steve Guthrie encourages: living out of a hermeneutic of love in our lives. In other words, love should be the lens through which we are meant to see the world. It’s an idea that brings to mind St. Augustine as he talks about interpreting the Scriptures in his work On Christian Doctrine: “Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought.” Love—in interpreting the Bible, music, or the everyday experiences of our lives—might just be all we need, as the Beatles suggest. Perhaps it’s the whole point. 

“I wanna be defined by the things that I love. Not the things I hate. Not the things that I'm afraid of,” Swift tells us at the end of “Daylight,” the closing song on her album Lover. Years earlier, on 1989 bonus track “You Are In Love,” she paints a scene of someone finding love for the first time: “And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars / And why I've spent my whole life tryin' to put it into words.” Here, Swift pulls back the curtain and reveals the modus operandi of her entire career: putting words to a world where love is the purpose. 

Across her 15 year career, Swift has explored every corner of what it means to be human and to embrace, desire, and even despise love. In her early albums, she writes at length about fairytale love, the stuff of daydreams and Disney films. But Swift never blindly embraces the fantasy world. For every “Love Story” with its tragedy-turned-happy-ending, there’s a heartbreak where it’s too late for her Hollywood prince on his white horse to come around. In Swiftian folklore, there are sure to be enchanted evenings, but there are also slammin’ screen doors, pictures to burn, and teardrops on guitars. 

This broken world never promises a happy ever after, and Swift leans into the pain of that reality often. She understands that grief is necessarily linked to love. It’s love that informs the deep mourning for a lost child on “Ronan,” or the desperate hope of “Soon You’ll Get Better.” It’s love too that fuels Swift’s anthemic (though sometimes heavy-handed or misguided) resistance to social pressures and inequalities on “You Need To Calm Down” or “Shake It Off.” And it’s love that, ultimately, causes sparks to fly and light up the darkest night. When it seems the pain will last forevermore, it’s love that comes “alive, back from the dead.” 

As I think of how Taylor Swift’s career has soundtracked my journey, I’m thankful for the way she mines the depths of love imperfectly. She “gets it wrong” perhaps just as much as she “gets it right.” But who of us could say any differently? Love is messy. I know all too well that I get it wrong on a daily basis. I too have lots of regrets, but at least I’m trying. At least there is something to reach for, to hold on to when the sun goes down. Because no matter how many times I get it wrong, I know that love will get the final word.

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So to celebrate the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), I’m taking a look back at Taylor's 179 songs to date* and ranking them as best as I can. What I love about lists like this is that everyone’s lists look so different. Much of that is linked not just with our ideas of what “good” or “bad” music is, but what this music has meant to our own experiences of life, love, and grief. Everyone’s journey is different. And so my list here is humbly submitted. Don’t at me if your favorite song is 104th on my list. Or do…I like to fight about stupid things. Alright, without further ado…are you ready for it?

*Further ado: though some lists like Rolling Stone's include them, I did not rank cover songs. Also, this list will be updated with the new Red (Taylor’s Version) songs soon, and I’ll write blurbs for every song on this list!

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179. Bad Blood - 1989
178. Beautiful Ghosts - Cats: Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack
177. I'd Lie - Unreleased Single
176. Christmas Must Be Something More - The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
175. no body, no crime (feat. HAIM) - evermore
174. London Boy - Lover
173. That’s When (feat. Keith Urban) - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
172. Christmases When You Were Mine - The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
171. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever - Fifty Shades Darker (Soundtrack)

170. Birch (feat. Taylor Swift) - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (Big Red Machine song)
169. ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco) - Lover
168. I Heart? - Beautiful Eyes
167. Superstar - Fearless: Platinum Edition
166. Mary's Song (Oh My My My) - Taylor Swift
165. Invisible - Taylor Swift (Bonus Track Version)
164. Beautiful Eyes - Beautiful Eyes
163. Both of Us (feat. Taylor Swift) - Strange Clouds (B.O.B. song)
162. So It Goes... - reputation
161. A Perfectly Good Heart - Taylor Swift (Bonus Track Version)

160. End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran & Future) - reputation
159. We Were Happy - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
158. The Outside - Taylor Swift
157. Babe (feat. Taylor Swift) - Bigger (Sugarland song)
156. Two Is Better Than One (feat. Taylor Swift) - Love Drunk (Boys Like Girls song)
155. Tied Together With a Smile - Taylor Swift
154. Innocent - Speak Now
153. Sad Beautiful Tragic - Red
152. I Did Something Bad - reputation
151. Girl At Home - Red (Deluxe Edition)

150. Superman - Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)
149. Crazier - Hannah Montana: The Movie (Soundtrack)
148. Cold As You - Taylor Swift
147. Christmas Tree Farm - Single
146. Sweeter Than Fiction - One Chance (Soundtrack)
145. I'm Only Me When I'm With You - Taylor Swift (Bonus Track Version)
144. The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody) - Red
143. Only The Young - Miss Americana (Soundtrack)
142. Tell Me Why - Fearless
141. Come Back...Be Here - Red (Deluxe Edition)

140. If This Was a Movie - Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)
139. Don’t Blame Me - reputation
138. Bye Bye Baby - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
137. The Moment I Knew - Red (Deluxe Edition)
136. A Place In This World - Taylor Swift
135. Half of My Heart (feat. Taylor Swift) - Battle Studies (John Mayer song)
134. hoax - folklore
133. Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran) - Red
132. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things - reputation
131. Stay Stay Stay - Red

130. Come In With The Rain - Fearless: Platinum Edition
129. Starlight - Red
128. Look What You Made Me Do - reputation
127. Highway Don't Care (feat. Taylor Swift & Keith Urban) - Two Lanes of Freedom (Tim McGraw song)
126. You Need To Calm Down - Lover
125. closure - evermore
124. The Way I Loved You - Fearless
123. right where you left me - evermore (deluxe version)
122. It's Nice To Have A Friend - Lover
121. Wildest Dreams - 1989

120. the lakes (bonus track) - folklore (deluxe version)
119. Speak Now - Speak Now
118. Untouchable - Fearless: Platinum Edition
117. dorothea - evermore
116. Paper Rings - Lover
115. ...Ready For It? - reputation
114. The Other Side Of The Door - Fearless: Platinum Edition
113. Change - Fearless
112. it's time to go - evermore (deluxe version)
111. Should've Said No - Taylor Swift

110. coney island (feat. The National) - evermore
109. Mr. Perfectly Fine - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
108. happiness - evermore
107. Last Kiss - Speak Now
106. Gorgeous - reputation
105. Eyes Open - The Hunger Games (Soundtrack)
104. Better Than Revenge - Speak Now
103. Cornelia Street - Lover
102. You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris) - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
101. How You Get the Girl - 1989

100. You’re Not Sorry - Fearless
99. I Forgot That You Existed - Lover
98. Stay Beautiful - Taylor Swift
97. Dancing With Our Hands Tied - reputation
96. Hey Stephen - Fearless
95. Wonderland - 1989 (Deluxe Edition)
94. Dress - reputation
93. Mean - Speak Now
92. Shake It Off - 1989
91. Afterglow - Lover

90. Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat) - Fearless
89. Dear John - Speak Now
88. The Best Day - Fearless
87. the 1 - folklore
86. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince - Lover
85. champagne problems - evermore
84. False God - Lover
83. All You Had To Do Was Stay - 1989
82. cowboy like me - evermore
81. Jump Then Fall - Fearless: Platinum Edition

80. Don’t You - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
79. seven - folklore
78. Welcome To New York - 1989
77. Today Was A Fairytale - Valentine's Day (Soundtrack)
76. mad woman - folklore
75. willow - evermore
74. Lover - Lover
73. Delicate - reputation
72. ivy - evermore
71. cardigan - folklore

70. betty - folklore
69. The Archer - Lover
68. gold rush - evermore
67. I Wish You Would - 1989
66. The Lucky One - Red
65. 22 - Red
64. New Romantics - 1989 (Deluxe Edition)
63. Never Grow Up - Speak Now
62. Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift
61. Call It What You Want - reputation

60. Death By A Thousand Cuts - Lover
59. You Are In Love - 1989 (Deluxe Edition)
58. Haunted - Speak Now
57. illicit affairs - folklore
56. King of My Heart - reputation
55. Soon You'll Get Better (feat. The Chicks) - Lover
54. tis the damn season - evermore
53. I Think He Knows - Lover
52. The Story of Us - Speak Now
51. long story short - evermore

50. I Knew You Were Trouble - Red
49. The Man - Lover
48. exile (feat. Bon Iver) - folklore
47. Teardrops On My Guitar - Taylor Swift
46. Forever & Always - Fearless
45. Back to December - Speak Now
44. Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift) - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (Big Red Machine Song)
43. I Almost Do - Red
42. Style - 1989
41. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Red

40. Safe & Sound (feat. The Civil Wars) - The Hunger Games (Soundtrack)
39. Ronan - Single
38. Picture to Burn - Taylor Swift
37. Begin Again - Red
36. mirrorball - folklore
35. Holy Ground - Red
34. tolerate it - evermore
33. Love Story - Fearless
32. Daylight - Lover
31. Mine - Speak Now

30. my tears ricochet - folklore
29. Long Live - Speak Now
28. New Year’s Day - reputation
27. august - folklore
26. Treacherous - Red
25. White Horse - Fearless
24. I Know Places - 1989
23. peace - folklore
22. Red - Red
21. this is me trying - folklore

20. Clean - 1989
19. epiphany - folklore
18. This Love - 1989
17. Ours - Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)
16. Fearless - Fearless
15. Getaway Car - reputation
14. the last great american dynasty - folklore
13. Our Song - Taylor Swift
12. Cruel Summer - Lover
11. marjorie - evermore

10. State of Grace - Red
9. Blank Space - 1989
8. Sparks Fly - Speak Now
7. invisible string - folklore
6. Fifteen - Fearless
5. Enchanted - Speak Now
4. Out of the Woods - 1989
3. evermore (feat. Bon Iver) - evermore
2. You Belong With Me - Fearless
1. All Too Well - Red