My (Maybe Not-So) Controversial Taylor Swift Album Ranking

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10. Taylor Swift (2006)

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Taylor's self-titled debut album featured some of her most country-driven music in her career. She was still only a teenager when she worked on it, so it's not surprising that there's quite a bit of naivety and wistfulness when listening to it. Coupled with the faux Southern twang, it doesn't strike many as her best work. Most of the time, debut albums are far from the albums that are yet to come and signify a promise that can only be fulfilled by future projects.

Fav tracks: "Should've Said No", "A Place In This World", "Our Song"

Least fav tracks: "Invisible", "Teardrops On My Guitar"

9. Red (2012) (Taylor's Version, 2021)

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Alright, hear me out. Yes, objectively, "Red" is a good album, but it was made to catapult Taylor into the mainstream pop scene, so the intimate and meaningful moments, to me, are overshadowed by overly-catchy cookie-cutter pop tunes that little kids can never seem to stop singing. That doesn't mean, though, that there isn't a fair share of incredible songs on here. "All Too Well" and the follow-up "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) prove to be some of her best songwriting to date. "State Of Grace" as an opening track will always slap, and "The Last Time" featuring Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol will go down in history as one of the most underappreciated and underrated Taylor Swift songs. "Stay Stay Stay" will remain, in my opinion, her worst she's ever done (even worse than "ME!").

Fav tracks: "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)", "State Of Grace", "Starlight", "The Last Time", "Nothing New"

Least fav tracks: "Stay Stay Stay", "Everything Has Changed", "Sad Beautiful Tragic"

8. Fearless (2008) (Taylor's Version, 2021)

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This was one of the first albums that made me a Swiftie. It came out right around the time I was 9 or 10 years old, so it hit me in that very formative time where I could listen to music and understand what the lyrics were trying to say. There's still a high-school mentality going on, but it's a bit more mellow and mature than its predecessor. However, there aren't many tracks that I find myself going back and listening to or wanting to take the time to listen to, namely "Hey Stephen" and "Tell Me Why". I do find myself bopping along to "The Way I Loved You" and classics like "Fearless", "Love Story", and "You Belong With Me". The vault tracks, personally, are not particularly ones I would write home about, with the exception of "Bye Bye Baby".

Fav tracks: "The Way I Loved You", "Forever & Always", "Bye Bye Baby", "Fearless", "Love Story", "You Belong With Me"

Least fav tracks: "Hey Stephen", "Fifteen", "Don't You", "Tell Me Why"

7. 1989 (2014) (Taylor's Version, 2023)

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1989 is what ultimately put Taylor on the map as a global pop star, as she shed the skin of her country roots and changed her image and sound entirely. It was a welcome novelty, as 2014 was not the best in music with the same two Iggy Azaelea and Ariana Grande songs playing on constant repeat. While 1989 is a strong album, it definitely was a first for Taylor in this scene, so while it showcases some of her strongest points, it also displays her weaknesses. "Shake It Off" was catchy for 2 days and then started becoming annoying and the hive-mind chime of everyone singing about Starbucks lovers during "Blank Space" was ear-ringing. Not to mention how boring and simple the lyrics in "Bad Blood" were, only made a fraction of a bit better when she added Kendrick into the mix. I expected the vault tracks on 2023's Taylor's Version to be a lot stronger than they were, and "Slut!" was a particular disappointment. Although "Is It Over Now?" has shot itself to my top 3 among my favorite 1989 tracks.

Fav tracks: "Is It Over Now?", "Out Of The Woods", "Wonderland", "Style", "This Love", "Clean", "Wildest Dreams", "Now That We Don't Talk"

Least fav tracks: "Welcome To New York", "Shake It Off", "Bad Blood", "You Are In Love"

6. Midnights (2022)

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The OG Midnights was mainly a concept album but concept albums are supposed to be cohesive and make somewhat sense, to tell a story, but I feel like Midnights was more of an anthology. "Lavender Haze" is a killer opener and is a great doorway into the rest of the dream-pop runescape that is the rest of the album. Midnights would have been lower on my ranking if it weren't for the release of additional tracks for the 3am Version and the 'Til Dawn Edition. The majority of these tracks are incredible, especially "Would've, Could've, Should've" and "The Great War". Why she would add IceSpice into an already amazing solo song like "Karma" will always baffle me and I will always think it is her worst collab, it's so unlistenable. I can say, for a fact, that if it weren't for "You're Losing Me" being a vault track on this album, it would definitely be 1 or 2 spots lower.

Fav tracks: "You're Losing Me", "Lavender Haze", "Would've, Could've, Should've", "The Great War", "You're On Your Own, Kid", "Karma"

Least fav tracks: "Snow On The Beach", "Paris", "Karma (feat. IceSpice)"

5. Lover (2019)

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While Lover isn't her strongest album lyrically or instrumentally, it does give us an era of Taylor we had never seen before, and that makes me really dig it. Up until she released this album, her previous work had mainly featured songs about break-ups, revenge, and trying her best to find love among the aforementioned issues. But, with Lover, she took a break from the sass and resentment and wrote a "love letter to love itself". Many of the songs on this album also represent a time when Taylor was truly introspective in her songwriting and displayed vulnerability. The title track encompasses exactly what it feels like to be in a loving, secure relationship and really embracing the little things with your partner. "The Archer" perfectly represents someone with an anxious mind worrying about those around her leaving, deciding to put on her armour and getting "ready for combat". My 2 favorite tracks on the album definitely go to "Daylight" and "False God" as they both have such unique instrumentals and sounds that I don't know if we'll ever get from Taylor again. And, as annoying and divisive as "ME!" and "You Need To Calm Down" are, you can't help but tap your feet sometimes.

Fav tracks: "Daylight", "The Archer", "Lover", "False God", "Death By A Thousand Cuts"

Least fav tracks: "ME!", "I Forgot That You Existed", "London Boy", "It's Nice To Have A Friend"

4. evermore (2020)

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As a follow-up to the already successful and lyrically-genius folklore, evermore is a unique and melodic sophomore addition to her newfound folk/indie sound. With collaborations like The National's Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, it's hard not to make two equally strong folk albums from an artist who was never known to dabble in that genre. "champagne problems" remains some of her best lyrical work to date, telling the story of college sweethearts on the verge of an engagement before it breaks off; it's haunting, tear-jerking, and real. "tolerate it" brings a new sense of vulnerability as she explains how difficult it is to be the significantly younger partner in a relationship and one party just putting up with her instead of loving her how she is meant to be loved. Even weaker tracks like "closure" and "it's time to go" have a relevance to the overarching atmosphere of the album.

Fav tracks: "champagne problems", "tolerate it", "right where you left me", "willow", "cowboy like me", "coney island", "evermore", "no body, no crime"

Least fav tracks: "closure", "it's time to go", "tis the damn season", "dorothea"

3. Speak Now (2010) (Taylor's Version, 2023)

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Speak Now is the quintessential album for being in your 20's and you're still trying to figure out how to be an adult and navigating life itself. It shaped a lot of my tween and teen years as I was going through break-ups, falling for crushes, and growing up. It's an album about trials and tribulations and finding your place in the world. Taylor also accomplished a huge feat with Speak Now, which is that it was the first album of her's that was completely self-written; and it was done extraordinarily well at that. Some of her most personal writing happens here, where we see her apologize for a break-up ("Back To December") rather than be resentful for it. In "Innocent", we witness her trying to put herself in Kanye's shoes and try to understand his motives for interrupting her at the VMAs. This album definitely was not as big as it should have been, especially as a follow-up to the widely successful Fearless. But, I think that's what makes it so special; it's kind of a hidden gem among Taylor's discography that only dedicated listeners seem to truly appreciate.

Fav tracks: "Sparks Fly", "Haunted", "Enchanted", "Dear John", "I Can See You", "Long Live", "Ours"

Least fav tracks: "Foolish One", "Superman", "When Emma Falls In Love"

2. folklore (2020)

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Imagine walking through the woods in a flowing dress, equipped with a quill, ink, and parchment on your way to the river to write a song. That's the kind of vibes folklore gives and it certainly does not disappoint. This was Taylor's first step away from autobiographical songwriting where she takes a deep dive into fictional works during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time when art was very sparse, and folklore came at exactly the right time; when all of our imaginations were being interrupted by a global catastrophe during quarantine. We got to let Taylor take us into a world of her own and listen to stories unfold to beautiful melodies and instrumentals. It remains, objectively, her best project and it only makes second on this list because there are still a couple skips for me. Other than that, though, it's an album that whisks you away on an adventure of love, heartbreak, fantasy, and wonder.

Fav tracks: "this is me trying", "illicit affairs", "my tears ricochet", "cardigan", "exile", "hoax"

Least fav tracks: "epiphany", "peace"

1. reputation (2017)

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Many may not think reputation deserves a top spot in Taylor's discography, but can you really name a more gripping comeback to the music scene after scrutiny and slander? I remember listening to this album when it originally came out in 2017 and thinking, this isn't the Taylor I know. But, in a way, that's what makes it so unique and intriguing. After a few years, I came back to it and found a new appreciation for it. Maybe a bit of that newfound interest came on after watching the Reputation Stadium Tour, but after listening to the songs, it sheds its revenge-driven skin (almost like a snake, iykyk) and shows a more introspective and vulnerable interior. The first bit of the album gives sassy and biting tone, with hip-hop beats and direct lyrics. Dig into more of it, though, and you find her starting to understand where she's at in terms of life and relationships, especially in "Delicate" where she sings about someone needing to love her despite the media and what's being said about her. As the album's layers start to peel away more and more, we reach a climax of her brushing off those who slandered her name and having an almost "fuck it" mentality where she basically says she doesn't care what people think anymore. Afterward, we go to a beautiful conclusion where she's just enjoying her life more and learning to appreciate herself and her relationships more. reputation earns the top spot not just because it's the definition of a no-skip album, but because it tells a pretty cohesive story about how Taylor took back her name during her year of silence from the public eye.

Fav tracks: "Call It What You Want", "I Did Something Bad", "Dancing With Our Hands Tied", "New Year's Day", "Delicate", "Getaway Car"

Least fav tracks: none