All of Taylor Swift’s Albums Ranked

All+of+Taylor+Swift%E2%80%99s+Albums+Ranked

Joie Warnke, Reporter

From releasing her debut album in 2006, to stadium tours across various continents, Taylor Swift is undeniably one of the greatest artists and songwriters of the current generation. Some might even go as far to say that she is the music industry. She has been an idol for so many individuals through her music and activism, more specifically how she draws attention to social issues and uses her platform for the greater good. Throughout her career, she has created a total of nine albums, all of which have been incredibly successful and loved by fans across the globe. In this article, I will be sharing with you how I rank her outstanding albums, with number nine being my least favorite and number one being my absolute favorite. 

 

 #9: Taylor Swift (Debut)

To many Taylor fans, this one might be a given. Released October 24, 2006, this was Swift’s first album. At just the age of seventeen, she wrote fifteen different songs for this record: an outstanding achievement for any teenager. With hits such as “Tim McGraw”, “Our Song”, and “Teardrops on My Guitar”, Swift easily makes her debut as a country artist right off the bat. There is a sense of nostalgia associated with this album for me as well. I remember listening to it on my iPod over and over. While I do appreciate some of these songs, they would not be in my current playlist, and thus I would not choose to listen to this album over her other music. When in need of a good throwback to the 2000’s, Swift’s debut album could be your go-to.

#8: Lover

I want to begin by saying that I absolutely loved Taylor Swift in the Lover album era. I loved the clothes, the color scheme, and most importantly, how happy and full of passion she was. However, most of the music featured on the album was not my favorite. Released on August 23, 2019, this was Swift’s last album before the pandemic struck. Some of the hits on the record include “The Man”, “Cruel Summer”, and “You Need to Calm Down”. These upbeat, powerful, and lust-filled songs make for the perfect pop album. However, the style and elements in the songwriting and composing are what makes Lover so low on this list. I personally do not like listening to all the synth-type beats along with the fact that most of the lyrics just do not appeal to me. I cannot deny, the album does have some catchy tracks, but overall I think it deserves to remain at the number eight spot. 

#7: Fearless

Swift’s second studio album is Fearless: yet another country album released by the young artist. Even though this album was released on November 11, 2008, some of the tunes are still popular today.  Many can attest to the love for the popular hits such as “You Belong With Me”, “Love Story”, and “The Way I Loved You”. I love listening to these songs on repeat, but the rest of the album is not my favorite. While I am not against the entire country music genre, I would not seek it out. The other tracks give off extreme country vibes, with some violin and banjo riffs included. Truthfully, it just is not my style. Fearless also became one of the re-recorded albums by Swift, dubbed “Taylor’s Version”, in which she sounds more mature, but the country aspect still lingers. I would love for my mind to be changed by someone who can point out why I should listen to this album more, but for now it remains at this spot in the ranking. 

#6: Folklore

Folklore was an album that Taylor Swift fans did not expect. With the release on July 24, 2020, all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift surprised us all with a very different album. There was almost no promotion for this album unlike her previous releases.  That is part of the reason it resides in the number seven spot for me. Some popular tracks from the record include “cardigan”, “august” and “betty”. Folklore is such an artistic album, and most definitely different from her pop albums in years past. The lyrics are very meaningful and the melodies are very beautiful, however, to me I feel like they are very mellow and sad songs. I am here for the upbeat and uplifting Swift songs, and I usually only visit Folklore when I am in an unhappy mood. It deserves to be listened to by all fans, but I will be keeping my favorite tracks from the album in my “Sad Songs” playlist. 

#5: Evermore

Another surprise album for Taylor Swift fans, Evermore was released on December 11, 2020. This was Swift’s second album that was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, and similarly to Folklore, was not promoted or talked about previously by her. This record includes songs such as “willow”, “champagne problems”, and “gold rush”. I have mixed feelings about this album, thus why it’s in the middle of this ranking. Like Folklore, it has somewhat of a somber feel to it, but I still love to listen to the tracks at any point in time. I don’t feel like I have to be in a specific mood, solely because of how well Swift composed them. I only wish there were a few more upbeat songs on this album, however I understand that it would not fit the overall theme. 

#4: Red 

Taylor Swift officially makes her way into the pop genre with her album Red, released on October 22, 2012. A popular album for Swift, Red includes tunes like “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “All Too Well”, and “We Are Never Getting Back Together”. The theme of red for this album is what really stands out to me. She incorporates and mentions colors throughout the tracks on the album and gives them important symbolism. The songs themselves are just masterpieces. However, some become overplayed after a while. With overplayed songs, it just causes me to skip them when they come on, which is really the only reason Red holds the number four spot. 

#3: 1989

With 1989, Swift makes the picture perfect pop album for her fans. She released this album on October 27, 2014, and it quickly became one of her most popular records. Some of the well known songs include “Blank Space”, “Wildest Dreams”, and “Shake it Off”. Most of Swift’s most played songs of her entire career come from this album. Even those who are not dedicated fans could sing along to at least one song of the record. There are some tracks that I will skip on occasion, mainly just because of how overplayed they have become. I guess that is what happens to an extremely successful album. However, the songs have such intricate and catchy melodies that I adore. They will never fail to go out of “Style” for me, that’s for sure. 

#2: Speak Now

I know what I said about Taylor Swift’s country albums, but trust me, this one is different. Released on October 25, 2010, Speak Now is all about lust and teenage angst, and I am completely here for it. In this era, Swift is starting to have more experience in the music industry and slowly starting to veer towards the pop side. Popular hits include “Enchanted”, “Better Than Revenge”, and “Dear John”. Her lyrics are relatable to fans, never mind the fact that they are so well written and composed. It’s so easy to be caught with all of the melodies stuck in your head, only causing you to listen to them more and more.;at least that is the case with me. Regardless of how old this album is, I still think it rightfully deserves this number two spot.

#1: Reputation

The ultimate comeback album, Reputation takes the number one spot on this list. Released on November 10, 2017, Taylor Swift comes back to the spotlight after being MIA with no album for three years. She wrote most of these songs in response to mass amounts of hate and criticism she was receiving from people and other celebrities. Personally, that is what makes this album her best for me. The message behind them is so powerful, and the way she is able to communicate them through lyrics is just fascinating and unreal to me. With popular tracks like “Getaway Car”, “Look What You Made Me Do”, and “Don’t Blame Me”, Taylor Swift gives us a no skip album. Every song is one that you could put on full blast in your car with the windows down. To me, that is what makes a great song, and therefore a great album. Reputation did not fail to deliver popular rebel anthems and smash hits that are still popular today.