The Best Taylor Swift Songs Ranked
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With hundreds of songwriting credits to her name, 12 Grammys, sold-out stadiums, and ofc, impeccable style — there's no question whether or not Taylor Swift has reached icon status. What is up for debate amongst Swifties is what the best Taylor Swift songs are ranked.
Now that Taylor has embarked on her Eras Stadium Tour, she's been singing all our favorites live. Swifties have been 👏 showing up 👏 in the most intricate Eras 'fits inspired by Taylor's wardrobe. The tour is projected to make Tay $620 million and a billionaire. Oh, and the shows could also make the US economy over $5 billion. You read that right. Billion. With a B.
Taylor has also released bonus 'From the Vault' tracks with each re-recorded version of her first six studio albums. There's no shortage of songs in Swift's discography for her to perform live. An Eras Stadium Tour concert clocks in at over three hours. (Btw, that's like playing "All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)" 18 times.) Even Taylor lowkey has been having trouble choosing which fan favorites to play each night. And of course, we know that as her devoted fan, you have your own top tracks you're hoping to hear live. Below we've done our best to compile the best Taylor Swift songs ranked.
Honorable Mentions
Because of course, we had to. 😊
"State of Grace"
"The Lakes"
"The Great War"
"Forever and Always"
"Gold Rush"
"Champagne Problems"
"New Romantics"
10. You're on Your Own kid
Track #5 on each of Taylor's albums is known to be emotional. "You're on Your Own Kid" is no exception. The seemingly autobiographical song gives a heartbreaking insight into Taylor's insecurities. We've broken down the lyrics of Track Five tearjerker here.
Best line: "From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes/I called a taxi to take me there/I search the party of better bodies/Just to learn that my dreams aren't rare."
9. Fearless (Taylor's Version)
The titular track off Taylor's second studio album remains just as catchy as was when it first came out. (We're still screaming it at the top of our lungs whenever it comes on in the car.) "Fearless," captures the feeling of falling head over heels in love for the very first time. Fearless (Taylor's Version) also marked the first of Swift's rerecorded albums where she proved she could seamlessly revisit her old tracks. Because what can't she do?
Best line: "And I don't know how it gets better than this/You take my hand and drag me head first/Fearless/And I don't know why/But with you I'd dance in a storm/In my best dress/Fearless."
8. Wildest Dreams
Sweet and full of electric pop synths,"Wildest Dreams"was a stand-out track on Swift's 1989 album. The track paved the way for Swift's now signature breathy style featured in songs like Midnight's "Snow on the Beach ft. Lana Del Ray."
"Wildest Dreams" is about a relationship doomed to fail, as Swift hopes her lover will remember her even after they have gone their separate ways.
The song also went on to inspire a viral TikTok trend that Taylor herself took part in.
Best lines: "Say you'll remember me/Standing in a nice dress/Staring at the sunset, babe/Red lips and rosy cheeks/Say you'll see me again/Even if it's just in your wildest dreams."
7. Last Kiss
Taylor wrote every song on the album Speak Now entirely by herself. Coming in at over six minutes, "Last Kiss" is the perfect example of why we're obsessed with Swift's songwriting prowess. With startlingly relatable details, Swift reminisces over a past relationship. It's just one of those songs you can't get through without shedding a tear.
"Last Kiss" will be part of the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) rerecordings.
Best Lines: "So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep/And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe."
6. Cornelia Street
Cornelia Street refers to the West Village carriage house located on the street of the same name, where Taylor lived in 2016. The song is viewed as a love ballad for her then boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who Swift went on to date for six years.
Btw, for a cool $17.9 million, 23 Cornelia Street could belong to you. 😉
Best line: "Years ago, we were just inside/Barefoot in the kitchen/Sacred new beginnings/That became my religion, listen/I hope I never lose you/I'd never walk Cornelia Street again."
5. Would've Could've Should've
Widely recognized as a follow-up to Speak Now's "Dear John," this Midnights track is speculated to be about Taylor Swift's relationship with John Mayer who is 13 years her senior. "Would've, Could've Should've" has a darker sound than "Dear John" and sees Swift reclaiming her voice. When Taylor dated John she was only 19 years old. Now, she's taking her power back and we are here for it. In this autobiographical song, Swift sings about how this past relationship haunts her and comments on how the media cycle treats young women versus their male partners.
Best line:"Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts/Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first."
4. Champagne Problems
In this track, Swift leans heavily on her storytelling skills. The song is actually really sad. It's about a failed proposal and the regret that both lovers feel. Swift often uses literary or old-fashioned phrases from the past in her song lyrics, having paid homage to writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Wordsworth in previous songs. "Champagne Problems"is full of them. The song references Greek mythology, Elvis lyrics, and heiress Rebekah Harkness' favorite champagne.
Of the song, Swift says it's "the one where longtime college sweethearts had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring."
Best line: "Your Midas touch on the Chevy door/November flush and your flannel cure/ 'This dorm was once a madhouse'/I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me."
3. August
"August" is the eighth track from Swift's surprise pandemic album, Folklore. The track explores a summer love affair that ends in heartbreak. The wistful lyrics underscored by gentle vocals have us constantly hitting replay. A version of the song is featured in the Season 2 trailer of Amazon Prime's The Summer I Turned Pretty, and honestly, we think it gives the perfect beachy Summer vibes.
"August" follows a young girl who Swift revealed was named Augustine in the Disney+ Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. (Btw, it was in The Long Pond Studio Sessions that we learned that Swift's then boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, was actually the songwriter William Bowery credited with several Folklore tracks.) Augustine is "the other woman" in the Betty/James/August love triangle that Swift explores in the respective tracks"Cardigan", "Betty," and "August."
Of the track, Swift says, "She [Augustine] was trying to seem cool and seem like she didn’t care because that’s what girls have to do, but she really did, and she thought they had something very real… And then he [James] goes back to Betty.”
We're so glad Taylor made a song about how hard it is when the person you love doesn't treat you with the respect you deserve because honestly it sucks. You (and Augustine) deserve someone who makes you feel safe, happy, and completely loved.
Best line: "But do you remember?/Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car"/And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call?/Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all, for the hope of it all."
2. Cruel Summer
It seemed that this track from Swift's Lover album would never get its moment to shine. However, Taylor recently announced she would be making"Cruel Summer" a single (yay!) after fans' increased streams of the song made its popularity impossible to ignore. Swifties are such a force to be reckoned with, tbh.
And it's true. "Cruel Summer" is a certified bop. Swift sings about a whirlwind Summer romance with a lover who is handsome, charming, and fun, but might not stick around come Autumn. They meet up by garden gates, play it cool with each other next to vending machines, and drive around in their cars screaming at the top of their lungs. It's all incredibly fun to listen to.
Best line: "I 'm drunk in the back of the car/And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (oh)/Said, "I 'm fine," but it wasn't true/I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you."
1. All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)
It's a long title, but it's an even longer song. We're not complaining, though! "All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) is Swift's magnum opus. Originally released on Red, Taylor released the ten-minute version, much to fans' delight, on her rerecorded Red (Taylor's Version) album in 2022. The song won her a Grammy and inspired the short film starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O 'Brien. Taylor now owns the season Autumn and all red scarves. 🧣
Best line: “Maybe we got lost in translation/Maybe I asked for too much/Maybe this thing was a masterpiece till you tore it all up/Running scared, I was there, I remember it all too well.”
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