Ranking every Taylor Swift album - Episode 25
As a Swiftie since middle school, my love for Taylor Swift spans over a decade.
Ranking her albums is no small feat because she’s consistently put out music and even uncovering songs from her past. I love Taylor for her storytelling, vulnerability, and ability to take on new sounds and themes with every release. That said, I decided to try my hand at ranking every album.
Create & consume
What Austen is creating this week: a reel recapping my experience attending a skincare masterclass with Sunday Riley
What Austen is consuming this week: a looot of election content. Get out there and vote this week!
In this episode:
Inspired by NYTimes Popcast, I’ve followed a slightly different method, considering every original studio album, as well as including bonus and surprise tracks. Here’s how I approached it:
My Methodology:
Listening marathon: I re-listened to every album in chronological order (almost a full-day activity!)
Scoring: Songs I loved got a point got a point, songs I skip got zero points, and songs I like but wouldn’t consider in my top ~20 songs overall got half a point.
Final ranking: Total points combined with an analysis of how many songs I typically skip on an album determined each album’s rank. Some albums dominated while others... well, I’ll explain below.
11th Place: Lover
With a few standout tracks like Cruel Summer, Miss Americana, and False God, Lover still comes in at the bottom of my list.
Taylor shines most when she’s defending herself, sharing her raw emotions, or telling a compelling story. Lover, in my opinion, falls short in those areas especially compared to her other albums.
10th Place: Taylor Swift
Taylor’s self-titled debut is pure nostalgia for me, and features many of the songs that first made me a fan. But when compared with her later works, it lacks depth.
Songs like Mary’s Song and Invisible are usually skips for me, though they explore themes like young love and fitting in that reappear in a more refined way with later her albums.
9th Place: Midnights
To me, Midnights is a no plot, just vibes album without a cohesive storyline. While tracks like Karma, YOYOK, and Maroon are strong, it lacks consistency and had the most skips of all of the albums I was tracking.
That said, it still delivers catchy beats and clever one liner lyrics.
8th Place: Fearless
Fearless was my first Taylor Swift concert, so it’s got a special place in my heart! Tracks like Fearless, Fifteen, and Love Story capture the era.
The vault tracks on the re-release didn’t add much for me, but this album will always hold memories of her beginning and represent a genre transition from country to pop.
7th Place: evermore
Released at the height of the pandemic, evermore felt like a companion piece to folklore, which I loved.
It has a more reflective, experimental feel that made it perfect for the end of 2020. The first four songs are absolute perfection! Due to the fact that this album is a sister album to folklore, in some ways it will always come in second to that.
6th Place: Red
Red captures an era of firsts and raw emotions for me since it came out during my freshman year of college.
All Too Well (both the original and the 10-minute version) is one of her best songs. I liked some vault tracks, however, a few tracks with collaborations felt a bit out of place compared to her usual work.
5th Place: TTPD
Surprise! I never expected TTPD to rank this high. While it’s long (and probably still too long) it captures the true chaos of Taylor’s emotions from 2022 and 2023 and feels like a rollercoaster of raw energy.
I especially enjoyed Down Bad, So Long London, and ICDIWABH in addition to some of the quieter songs from the Anthology.
4th Place: 1989
With its polished pop sound, 1989 represents a key moment in my life, as I had just moved to NYC and Taylor Swift’s career fully embracing pop as a genre.
Songs like Blank Space and Style are timeless, and the vault tracks were impressive, seamlessly fitting in with the original album. As her fifth album, it was clear Taylor had found her groove.
3rd Place: reputation
Living through the reputation era as a Swiftie was unforgettable, from the videos of snakes reappearing on her fully wiped Instagram to the intense energy and new sound.
This is a no-skip album for me (except for This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things lol), and it’s all about reclaiming her narrative. I can’t wait to hear this one re-recorded and uncover those vault tracks!
2nd Place: folklore
Released during the pandemic, folklore is one of Taylor’s most powerful albums for me. From its creative storytelling to melodies that pull at the heartstrings, it’s a quiet but impactful album that spoke volumes.
I think this represented a turning point for Taylor who was able to write an album unrelated to her life and still create a deeply personal connection with her fans and listeners.
1st Place: Speak Now
Taylor is at her best when she’s telling her own story, and Speak Now is full of personal reflections that make each song feel timeless. With its range of emotional highs and lows, and songs that still stick in my head years later, this album captures the magic of storytelling.
Plus, the vault tracks have only added to its charm. Fun fact: Timeless was even our wedding song!
Summary
I had so much fun re-visiting all of these albums and sharing my thoughts with you all. I can’t wait to hear what you think—do you agree with my rankings or do you have a different order?
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