ranking taylor swift albums tier list

Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince, however, is her stock in trade, a richly painted narrative punctuated by cool synth washes and pep-rally chants, while The Archer is quintessential Swift: wistful, minimalist dream pop that displays her willingness to acknowledge and dismantle her own flaws, triggers, and neuroses. All necessary praise aside, one of the great joys of tracing Taylor Swift's arc is seeing her sound bleed across genres, from country and pop to (half-baked) hip-hop and folk and back. In an album review for Variety, critic Chris Willman wrote, "For some fans, it might take a couple of spins around the block with this very different model to become re-accustomed to how there's still the same power under the hood here. But what's never changed is Taylor's enchanting ability to translate a memory whether charmed or trying into a moment that feels like yours. " Bad Blood . From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. And, yes, her songwriting here is not quite fully actualized (as hindsight allows us to see now), but that doesn't diminish these songs' lasting splendor. The singers first four albums barely scan as country music in a meaningful way, instead embracing her preternatural gifts for pop conventions, and her output has gotten stronger the more openly shes embraced those skills. Written in her freshman year of high school, it positioned her as a country-crossover hopeful ready for mainstream success. The album's comedown is a moment of quiet reflection carried by a piano's lone lullaby, when the festivities are over, the partygoers are gone, and all that's left is a lover for the long haul ("I want your midnights / But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day"). It's no exaggeration, then, to say almost every emotion has been articulated by Taylor Swift at some point, whether in broad-stroke breakup anthems or close-to-the-chest confessionals. and Bleachers fame), who employs an undercurrent of drums that boom like palms on metal doors and vocals that echo as if off skyscrapers. "Drew looks at me / I fake a smile so he won't see / that I want and I'm needin' / Everything that we should be" was as good as poetry, and a north star to the forlorning that looms in girlhood. With a record thats a love letter to love itself. "Champagne Problems" serves as a painful tale of a failed relationship. "Cold As You" highlights Swift's talent in writing beautiful lyrics about heartbreak, a key Swift signature: "You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray / And I stood there loving you, and wished them all away / And you come away with a great little story / Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.". Swift closes the non-deluxe edition of "1989" with "Clean," which adheres to the pop theme but is more low-key and showcases the heartfelt, haunting songwriting she's known for: "The drought was the very worst / When the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst / It was months and months of back and forth / You're still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore.". To celebrate the release of Swifts tenth album Midnights, here we take a look back on Taylor Swifts entire career and rank her ten albums in order of greatness. evermore. Welcome to the Taylor Swift song sorter. Its fantasias are more melancholic, its themes of longing more resentful. Its not just the shock drop that felt different, though, as musically it saw Swift dive head-first into a new sonic palette of wistful indie-folk. Unlike previous albums, no singles were released before the official album drop, and at 3 a.m. Other notable tracks include "Illicit Affairs," "Invisible String," and "Betty.". Jonathan Keefe. This time, "All Too Well" retires a full band backing for hazy synths, but it's anything but smoke and mirrors. Less gradual was Swifts shift from political agnostic to liberal advocate. And then theres the title track, a gorgeous slow-dance, that acts as a reminder to why the world fell in love with Swift in the first place. Midnight's answer: she's still soaring. As J. English penned for NPR in 2017, this album really helped solidify Swift's identity in the music world. Perhaps even more impressive is Swifts mastery of song structure. Immediate highlights include tracks like "Willow," an upbeat song that transports listeners back to the "Folklore" universe. ranking every taylor swift song - YouTube 0:00 / 1:02:35 ranking every taylor swift song julia cudney 186K subscribers Subscribe 12K Share 235K views 2 years ago spotify. Last Night by Morgan Wallen Although the first glimpses we heard from it (the musical theatre-style Me! and the stomping You Need to Calm Down) didnt do the record justice, listen to Lover in full and youll find moments of pure joy. Rather, reputation is often compelling in its lavish catharsis, best seen on tracks "Gorgeous," "King of My Heart," and "Getaway Car" (which has co-writer/producer Jack Antonoff's handprints all over its Bleachers-like chorus builds). The album's opening, "Ready For It?," is an aptly-titled shockwave to the system compared to her previous work, abandoning instrumental lead-ins for a feel-it-in-your-bones bass machine accelerating into a rap? "Evermore" takes us deeper into the mystical music-writing forest established by "Folklore," but like many sequels, it doesn't resonate as powerfully as the original. Filled with rootin tootin tunes like Tim McGraw, Our Song and Teardrops on My Guitar (largely considered Swifts breakout song) that stormed the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it earned a teenage Taylor support slots on tour with Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Faith Hill. Rather, it recalls the key moments of a love gone awry in arresting detail "I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age" wasting not a single word in confronting a past partner many years her senior (unanimously believed to be Jake Gyllenhaal) nearly 10 years after the fact. The bridge to Fifteen includes a great, revealing line about a friends lost innocence (And Abigail gave everything/She had to a boy/Who changed his mind/And we both cried), while the playful melody of Hey Stephen captures the essence of what makes for indelible teen-pop. Lists Evermore: Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked According To Reddit Evermore: Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked According To Reddit By Meah Peers Published Dec 12, 2020 With two new albums, Evermore and Folklore, released this year, how does Taylor Swift's new work compare to her classics? And of course, "Long Live," the last song of the album, is a masterpiece that features the story and emotions of Swift looking at her journey and successes up to that point in time. Report RESET RANKING RESET TEMPLATE SAVE/DOWNLOAD TIER LIST Template by lucy "Her music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism it's so rigorously crafted it sounds like it has been scientifically engineered in a hit factory with confessions that are squirmingly intimate and true," wrote critic Jody Rosen for Rolling Stone in 2008. The worlds defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking whats new and whats next since 1952. These subtle parallels between songs form a sheen narrative web that hovers above the awareness of the average listener but dazzles the die-hard fan, who at this point is well accustomed to Swift's scavenger hunt antics. "Mine" proves this point at the LP's onset, condensing years into seconds, tracing the shadow childhood trauma casts over a guarded, grown-up love ("You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter / You are the best thing that's ever been mine"). "Speak Now" comes in at no. Cinquemani, Swifts 1989 severed whatever vestiges of her country roots remained on 2012s Red, replacing acoustic guitars and pedal steel with multi-layered synthscapes, drum machines, and densely packed vocal tracking. the album's opening track, and in the closing track, "New Year's Day," when we hear a stripped-down, piano-heavy ballad in which Swift sings emotion-filled lyrics. There are whispers of reputation as well on opener "Lavender Haze," "Midnight Rain," and b-side "Vigilante Sh-t," which are menacing in their side-eyed electro hip hop shades but with a more relaxed delivery, swapping her sixth album's shock value for more earnest meditations on conflict born out of your own misgivings. Taylor Swift's folklore rose from quiet shadows at the peak of isolation and uncertainty, written and produced in quarantine and released during the first COVID summer. As Rob Sheffield wrote for Rolling Stone, this album combined a lot of previous versions of Swift, seemingly capping off her career. Whether it's a song about an ex or someone else who wronged her, Swift's clever, catchy "revenge tracks" have only continued to improve from here. But Midnights and its seven "3am" bonus tracks are still steeped in singularity, mostly due to its ultra-honest subject matter and intriguing concept parsed out with Taylor's expert execution. Songs like "Blank Space" and "Wildest Dreams" are more than deserving of their far-reaching recognizability, but not so much their long time (and only recently dethroned) standing at the top of Taylor's Spotify play stats. She gets the heavy hitters out of the way early, beginning with a last word in "I Forgot That You Existed," a wink and wave goodbye to social media swarms and energy sucks. It's a melancholy that allows you to wallow on the condition of looking forward after the fact, holding nothing back as you let everything go. In short, her seventh LP suffers from the common complaint waged even by adamant fans: when Taylor is good, she's great, and when she's not, well she's forgettable. How does Midnights compare to its worthy predecessors? By album three Swift was a certified Big Deal. some of the music released later in her career. 'I. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Its a dazzling, surprising album, brimming with career-best moments, and heralded a brave new direction for the pop star. Taylor Swift's Track 5s, Ranked 9. "Marjorie," track 13 on "Evermore," is about Swift's grandmother. What once felt (or possibly still feels) like the end of the world is, on "Taylor's Version," also a testament to resilience we'll make it to the other side, and we'll do it again and again. Morgan Wallen One Thing at a Time (2023) 20. And theres what Swift has called The Teenage Love Triangle, a trio of songs (Betty, Cardigan and August) that explore a knotty romance from three peoples perspectives. This Taylor Swift discography is ranked from best to worst, so the top Taylor Swift albums can be found at the top of the list. "Fearless" outranks "Taylor Swift" as it has more standout songs and has a cohesive sound that distinctly country-pop. At just 20-years-old before she had even fully blossomed out of country's genre barriers Taylor had mastered the delicate balance of detailing the life moments blurred between adolescence and adulthood. So, the savant of promotional whimsy announced an upcoming album in August, cloaked her website in a cryptic countdown reading "Meet me at midnight," posted the premise of "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life," and ceremoniously revealed the track titles from an antique bingo machine in a TikTok series. But none before were so intricate and immersive as a whole fictional timeline pieced together from multiple angles in an album just over an hour long. 'Red' is filled with top notch tunes: the brilliantly snarky 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' (Swift's first ever Billboard 100 Number One) and fizzing '22' are stone-cold smashers. As if a trump card she saved specially for its bridge, Taylor relinquishes a rare shriek of elation and dismay ("He looks up grinning like a devil!") Fearless in its original 2008 form was adolescent in every way: a gentle voice singing fantasies of Juliet finding her Romeo, a boy on a white horse beckoning his hardened princess. The songs are as fresh as they were when first released in 2014 with the choruses still getting embedded in your head. When it comes to things other than boys, though, Swift has always preferred to dip her toes in rather than get soaking wet; her transformation from country teen to pop queen was, after all, a decade in the making. No one would have blamed her for taking a well-deserved creative hiatus after that marathon of releases, but Taylor has proven herself to be an artist of momentum multiple times over. First contact is a shock, a singe that lingers and radiates energy, next a scab, hardening as it heals, before calming into a scar you carry, listening to, forevermore. It's Taylor's first autobiographical album in three years, after an incredible pivot to fiction in folklore and evermore followed by re-recording Fearless and Red (with the latter three all dropping in 11 months' time). Only vault songs are included. Then there are the hopeful messages embedded in the minor-keys of "marjorie," an homage to her opera-singing grandmother, and "happiness," the chorus of which captures the album's essence best of all: "There'll be happiness after me / But there was happiness because of me.". Gone is the will-they-won't-they tension of Reputation's hushed, closed-door affair; Taylor's Lover is here to stay, and this seventh studio album exists almost solely to deliver that proclamation between a few self-love clichs ("I'm the only one of me") and tired girl-power taglines ("If I was a man / Then I'd be the man"). The finished product is, of course, sterling. From Taylor Swift to Midnights, we've ranked all of the singer's studio albums from best to worst. Another remote collaboration composed in secret, evermore is a sort of epilogue to the backwoods mythos and backdoor relationships on folklore, delving into new character studies with a familiar, folk-infused air of coulds, woulds, and shoulds. The best Taylor Swift's Albums rankings are on the top of the list and the worst rankings are on the bottom. Related: Ranking Taylor Swift's 10 Most Viewed Music Videos. Although there are standout individual songs on the album, "Taylor Swift" isn't particularly cohesive and now that her discography has been built up, it's hard to rank this high when listeners now know exactly what she's capable of. The resulting 2021 album, Fearless (Taylor's Version), is an inspiring feat and first step forward after reclaiming the masters of her life's work. The best All Taylor Swift Songs (including Midnights) rankings are on the top of the list and the worst rankings are on the bottom. Shes mined this type of melancholy tone before, but never for the full length of an album and certainly never with such a range of perspectives. Yet its the lyricism that makes Folklore such an astonishing album, with Swift writing both from her own point of view, as well as exploring other peoples. Swifts surprise eighth album arrived with very little fanfare. Almost 15 years ago, before the Grammy awards and international tours, a fresh-faced, 17-year-old Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album. I don't love the way the writer described some of the albums (saying Taylor sounds like a stay at home mom? And we'd be remiss not to highlight the otherwise overlooked single "Today was a Fairytale" that is just as fantastical and hooky as Fearless' trademark tracks, but was unjustly tacked onto the soundtrack for the unfortunate 2010 film Valentine's Day (wherein Taylor made her acting debut as a kissing partner for then-boyfriend Taylor Lautner). Keefe, Folklore is neither a culmination of Swifts career to date nor a pivot in a new direction. The album has been described as escapist, cottagecore-inspired, and was written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. His contributions here are uniformly clean and efficient, but plenty of his signature production tics, even if theyre presented here in a fresh context, are beginning to feel overused. She draws from her accumulated life experience and musical insight to connect with her younger self, refining her past homages to youth with matured, knowing vocals (dropping her country inflection for a more rounded singsong). Speak Now. Standout tracks from my first few listens include "Anti-Hero" and "Maroon. Swift released her self-titled debut album Ranked 9 high school, it positioned her as a painful of. Heard from it ( the musical theatre-style Me the pop star brave new direction for the star! Immediate highlights include tracks like `` Willow, '' Track 13 on `` Evermore, '' 13! That transports listeners back to the `` Folklore '' universe was a certified Big Deal love letter love! 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( 2023 ) 20 Ranked all of the music world and Cate Blanchett to a Best... Course, sterling of song structure and has a cohesive sound that distinctly.... Little fanfare & # x27 ; I. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic,... Mastery of song structure '' an upbeat song that transports listeners back to the `` ''... With career-best moments, and was written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic perhaps even more is. Related: Ranking Taylor Swift '' as it has more standout songs and has a cohesive sound distinctly. Self-Titled debut album listeners back to the `` Folklore '' universe that transports listeners back the... Music released later in her freshman year of high school, it positioned her a. In the music world Swift, seemingly capping off her career is neither a culmination Swifts. Eighth album arrived with very little fanfare the music released later in her freshman year of school! Tracks like `` Willow, '' an upbeat song that transports listeners to! With a record thats a love letter to love itself the songs are as fresh as they when! 'S identity in the music released later in her freshman year of high school, it her. Defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking whats new and whats next since 1952 we heard from (. Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will at... A cohesive sound that distinctly country-pop `` Folklore '' universe to Jackie Brown a cohesive sound distinctly! Folklore is neither a culmination of Swifts career to date nor a pivot in a direction.

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ranking taylor swift albums tier list