From country darling to pop icon, Taylor Swift’s career has been remarkable. Emerging as a teenage songwriter with hits like “Tim McGraw” and “Love Story,” her early albums like “Fearless” cemented her status as a country music superstar. But Swift’s ambition knew no genre boundaries. She experimented with pop sounds on “Red” and “1989,” solidifying her crossover appeal and racking up accolades like Album of the Year for both. Her artistic evolution continued with the critically acclaimed “Folklore” and its sister album “Evermore,” which earned her a historic third Album of the Year win and established her songwriting prowess. This year, she made history again, becoming the first artist to win the coveted award four times with her latest release, “Midnights.” She also announced her upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department” while accepting her award. With her ever-evolving sound, passionate lyrics, and dedication to her craft, Taylor Swift has cemented her place as one of the most influential artists of our generation, constantly redefining what it means to be a pop star. That’s why we have created this list of the best Taylor Swift songs of all time.
Swifties listen to Taylor Swift’s lyrics and feel seen as her music connects to experiences they have also been through or are going through. A recent study finds that a favorite song can impact how a person acts in their relationships. “Researchers report that individual attachment styles often correspond with the lyrics of one’s favorite songs. In simpler terms, people tend to turn to music that describes how they’re feeling about their relationships – for better or worse.” Knowing that music and lyrics have the power to positively impact others lives, Taylor Swift continues to release music and share her personal stories to connect with her fans.
But what makes Taylor Swift stay at the top of charts with continuous streams? No matter the task a person is doing they tend to listen to music. A recent study found that music can trigger the reward center of the brain. “Scientists explain that pleasant tunes trigger an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens — the reward center. Using scans, scientists discovered firing up the neurons increased a listener’s enjoyment.” No matter the task you are trying to complete, there is a Taylor Swift song to help you “Shake It Off” or to find “Peace”.
Taylor Swift is currently performing on a much larger stage than when she was 11 years old. In honor and celebration of all the amazing albums she has released, Taylor Swift began her Eras Tour in March 2023 throughout the United States. Through the concert she takes her fans on a journey through each of her eras performing 44 songs. That may be an overwhelming amount to some, so StudyFinds set out to compile a list of the top five best Taylor Swift songs of all time based on recommendations from 10 experts. If you have your own suggestions, please leave them in the comments below!
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The List: Best Taylor Swift Songs, According to Fans
1. “All Too Well” 10 Minute Version (2021)
Taylor Swift poetically sings of heartbreak in “All Too Well”. When the original song was released in 2012, all Swifties knew they needed more. Nine years later came Taylors Version – 10 minutes of gut-wrenching melodies and a short film to match. “This expansion of the song she originally recorded in 2012 debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Swift’s eighth chart-topper and the longest number-one song in Billboard history,” says Gold Derby.
“Wind in my hair, I was there, I remember it all too well” fans of Taylor Swift are likely to have memorized this 10 minute song that takes you through all of the ups and downs of a relationship. “A firm fan-favorite and the song from Red that Taylor has always described as being the hardest to write, this heart-wrenching break-up ballad finally came to her after a six-month writing block that followed a particularly painful ending to a relationship. Then when Taylor remade Red (Taylor’s Version) she treated us all to a 10 minute version with lots of juicy new lyrics about lame key rings and awful dinner parties as well as an accompanying film starring Sadie Sink,” states Holler.
Grab some tissues and get ready to listen to this 10 minute masterpiece that will transport you to an upstate escape. “In the shortened version, Swift pulled away the specifics of her doomed relationship to make a song of heartbreak and pain that felt universally relatable. In the 10-minute version (which she wrote first, though we had to wait years to hear it), she puts those specifics back in, reveals more about herself, and turns the song into undoubtedly her greatest masterpiece,” explains Popsugar.
Taylor Swift is vulnerable as she reveals more of herself and experiences through her song writing. “She paints a picture of domestic upstate bliss devastated by a breakup. The nearly six-minute track peaks halfway through, when Swift unravels and drops the line: ‘You call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest.’ It’s dramatic, hyper-specific, and gut-wrenching: Taylor at her finest,” adds Elle.
2. “Love Story” (2008)
“Love Story” was featured on Taylor Swift’s second album: “Fearless” that was released in 2008 and re-recorded and released as Taylor’s version in 2021. “Love Story” is a classic upbeat Taylor Swift song that will get anyone singing along. “‘Love Story‘ took Best Music Video at the CMT Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards,” says Gold Derby. “Love Story” is likely to gain even more popularity as it will be re-released July 2023 within the highly anticipated “Speak Now Taylors Version Album”.
“Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.” Taylor Swift uses a popular forbidden love story of Romeo and Juliet to help paint the picture of “Love Story”. “‘Love Story‘ is Taylor’s rendition of the classic story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet,” adds Country Living. “Reimagining a classic love story to have a happy ending is exactly what she should do. ‘It’s a love story,’ she sings in every chorus, and if her discography had a headline, that would be it,” says Popsugar.
“Baby, just say yes…” to singing along to one of the most recognizable songs by Taylor Swift. “Love Story” continues to be a song that is heard in karaoke bars, weddings, and TikTok. “‘Love Story‘ is the song that turned Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter, into Taylor Swift, pop star. It’s the Swift song it seems like everyone knows,” says Popsugar.
“‘Love Story’ has sold over six million copies in the U.S. and 18 million copies worldwide. It also won Video of the Year at both the Country Music Association Awards and CMT Music Awards in 2009,” explains Xxtrawave.
3. “Anti-Hero” (2022)
“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me,” Taylor Swift claims in her lead single off of “Midnights”. “The lead single from her 10th studio album was released the same day as the album,” says Gold Derby. As a lead single, “Anti-Hero” also became Taylor Swift’s biggest single so far!
It is hard to imagine Taylor Swift feeling like a failure, but she once again shows that she is a lot like the rest of us. “Anti-Hero” proves that her music is no failure! “The song shows a darker self-perception from Swift than usual, and goes into detail about what she feels are her personal failures. ‘Anti-Hero’ broke the global and US records for the biggest opening-day streams for a song in Spotify history. In the U.S., it marked Swift’s ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the only soloist ever to debut ten songs atop the chart,” adds Xxtrawave.
Taylor Swift has proven time and time again that the lyrics to her songs give fans a glimpse into her mind and experiences. “The lead single off Midnights proved she hadn’t lost any of her knack for writing out-and-out pop bangers after the downbeat indietronica of Folkore and Evermore. It’s a darkly comic late night confessional which Taylor has described as one of her favorite songs she’s ever written. ‘This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things that I tend to hate about myself,’ she said of the song. ‘We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to be this person. So, yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest,'” says Holler.
4. “Blank Space” (2014)
In 2014, Taylor Swift released the song “Blank Space” from her album “1989”. “Right after “Shake It Off,” Swift earned another no. 1 here, becoming the first woman in history to succeed herself at the top of the charts, and scored Grammy bids for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for the song,” mentions Gold Derby.
Not only did Blank Space receive recognition with Grammy nominations, “The song spent seven weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),” adds Xxtrawave.
“And I know you heard about me. So hey, let’s be friends” Taylor Swift and her dating history were quite the headlines in 2014. “Blank Space, the self-aware second single from her 1989 album, saw Taylor claim control of her perceived public persona. Co-written with Max Martin and Shellback,” states India Times.
As seen on the Eras Tour, “Blank Space” excites an audience with the theatrics and drama of the lyrics. “‘Blank Space’ is when Swift strikes back — not at any one person, but at everyone. Everyone who joked she’d dated too many people and everyone who said she was obsessed with getting her heart broken so she could write more songs are in her line of fire. In ‘Blank Space,’ she owns the label that’s been thrust upon her and takes it to its absurd, over-the-top ending,” explains Popsugar.
Understanding the meaning behind a song is another way to deeper understand the artist, Taylor Swift lets fans into parts of her life and feelings through her song writing. “Throughout the song, Swift carefully brings this character to life through juxtaposition that showcases her raging passion. She also included the noise of a pen clicking towards the end of the chorus, suggesting that the character is writing her new lover’s name in her ”blank space,'” shares Xxtrawave.
5. “Lover” (2019)
At the end of Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” era, a renewed era soared in 2019 that was light, airy and in love. “‘Lover’ was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys in 2020, so it’s obviously perfection,” claims Country Living.
“Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever?” “‘Lover‘ is possibly one of the most popular first dance songs used at weddings. ‘We wanted to make music that could’ve been played on a wedding reception stage in 1970,’ Swift said of the title track to her 2019 album. It was produced entirely at New York City‘s Electric Lady Studios with only Taylor and sound engineer Laura Sisk in the room when she recorded it,” explains Holler.
You can feel how in love Taylor Swift is when you listen to the song “Lover”. “This cheeky little waltz is another soul baring confessional from Taylor but this time it’s the super cute tiny everyday details of being comfortable in a relationship that she focuses on. Leaving the Christmas lights up until January, saving each other a seat and just occupying the same little space on Earth every day with someone you love,” adds Holler.
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I vote for Our Song.