122–100 99–75 74–50 49–25 24–1
49. “The Last Time”
This duet with left-field collaborator and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody works surprisingly well. Bonus points for letting the featured artist start the song.
48. “Teardrops on My Guitar”
One of the biggest songs from her debut album feels like a warmup for “All Too Well.”
47. “Picture to Burn”
Her first screw-you song is also one of her best. The delivery of “redneck heartbreak” resembles the chorus of “Style.”
46. “I Did Something Bad”
An improvement of the Disney villain aesthetic established in “Look What You Made Me Do.” The dubstep influence here is a little iffy, but this song is one of Reputation’s core theses.
45. “Afterglow”
Taylor apologizes! She expresses an unprecedented amount of regret, and takes the blame for all this relationship’s faults. It’s a sharp contrast to “Don’t Blame Me” on the previous album.
44. “Last Kiss”
Tons of Swift’s music revolves around break-ups, but while other tracks depict anger and regret, this song focuses on sadness and loss. It’s one of her most heartbreaking ballads.
43. “The Way I Loved You”
It’s like a country-Britpop tribute to Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated.”
42. “False God”
Here, she draws sensual connections between love and faith, with a killer saxophone riff filling in the negative space.
41. “White Horse”
On one of the strongest tracks from the country era, Swift single-handedly deconstructs the fairy-tale romanticism that defined her first album by replacing it with skeptical realism.
40. “You Are in Love”
A richly-textured nighttime romance. Whoever chose to leave 1989’s bonus tracks off of the regular album is an idiot.
39. “Dress”
The synth tones and breathy falsetto here evoke LANY.
38. “Wildest Dreams”
Taylor’s spin on a breathy Lana Del Rey romance. One of 1989’s more minimalist entries, with only an electronic heartbeat as percussion.
37. Daylight
A perfect conclusion to Lover –– it’s honest, nervous, dreamy, and hopelessly romantic.
36. “Forever & Always”
The rockier spiritual sequel to “Love Story” is a worthy follow-up to one of Swift’s best pop hits.
35. “Delicate”
The emotional core of Reputation’s first half. Max Martin’s understated electronic production perfectly suits the melody and lyrics.
34. “Safe & Sound”
Taylor turns to straight-up folk –– and gets help from the Civil Wars –– for the Hunger Games soundtrack.
33. “Death by a Thousand Cuts”
This is essentially a dreamy take on mid-2000s singer-songwriters like Natasha Bedingfield and Kate Nash.
32. “Cornelia Street”
This is not the best Lover song, but it’s the most Lover song on the album, if that makes sense.
31. “Paper Rings”
A natural evolution of “Stay Stay Stay” that sounds like Weezer’s classic summer camp anthem (“If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To.”
30. “Ronan”
Based on the account of a grieving mother, this vividly detailed tragedy may be Swift’s best writing from another person’s perspective. Her storytelling ability isn’t constrained to her own experiences.
29. “Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)”
A beautiful tale of a lifelong romance, this is probably her other best song from someone else’s perspective.
28. “You Belong With Me”
This is the song that put Taylor Swift on the map for most of the world, and it’s a great introduction to her style and strengths –– there’s catchy pop hooks, lush country textures, a confident underdog spirit, and, most importantly, a clear, personal narrative.
27. “Red”
Red’s title track epitomizes the album as a whole –– it effectively uses country elements like banjos and narrative songwriting in service of Taylor’s transition to full-fledged pop.
26. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
The extensive use of a drum machine on Red’s lead single marked a major departure from Swift’s country roots, and were a sign of great things to come on later albums.
25. “Mine”
You can tell it’s a new album because Taylor’s go-to middle-of-the-night time is now 2:30 instead of Fearless’ 2 a.m. Easily one of the best hooks of the country era.
