Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or in a grave with 2014 Met Gala Taylor #rip), you’ve nonetheless seen, heard, and talked about Taylor Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do”. For those of us who need to keep with the times better, Swift, after months and moons of hibernation, has come back with a vengeance for revenge: in the song’s lyrics, she hints at her feuds with the Wests, the Kardashian Wests, and, of course, Katy Perry.
In the music video, she also touches on her Spotify boycott, her whirlwind romance with Tom Hiddleston, the 2016 Grammy argument, and the infamous $1 compensation from her recent court case. Needless to say, the new Taylor is unafraid of saying the things Taylor has been holding in for years now. Moreover, the drop of LWYMMD seems to have brought on the dawn of an unprecedented new era for Swift. But changes of pace are nothing new for her, as she herself says in the new single, “Honey, I rose up from the dead. I do it all the time.”
In honor of the new Taylor (because the old Taylor has been pronounced dead), it’s time we look at all the versions of herself that are gone, but evidently never forgotten.6. Taylor Swift
Is it unfair to put her strictly country album down at the bottom because I hate country music with the fire and flames of all seven rings of hell? Maybe. But riddle me this: has Taylor Swift ever been strictly country? Songs like “The Outside” and “Invisible” are twangy, sure, but do hint at something more catchy hiding just beneath the acoustic fiddle twiddly dee country tinge.
Regardless, Taylor Swift Taylor was someone who we had heard about once or twice. We really liked “Teardrops on My Guitar”, but that was really it. This Taylor had no impact on our lives (especially if you’re vehemently against country music in any capacity) because we just didn’t know her.
5. Speak Now
As much as we all jammed out to, cried over, and generally loved Speak Now (I mean who amongst us was immune to the dream of running away with a hot groom after saving him from a tragic marriage to a horrid high school mean girl? Just me? Cool.), the Taylor of this era really didn’t give us anything. There was no meaningful messages, no interviews that convinced us we were her friend; there wasn’t even a Squad at this point! What I’m getting at here is that Speak Now Taylor was a great lyricist, fantastic performer (as I saw the Speak Now tour and was blown away), but not ever really there.
4. Red
Red might be Taylor’s most notable album as it was the one that fully cemented her shift from country to pop, and launched her fully into mainstream pop culture. Whereas before, Taylor had been someone we talked about, the Red era helped make her someone to talk about; think of it as her transition from idol to icon. Moreover, as explained in a recent NPR article, it was the perfect coming-of-age novel.
However, as much as I listen to Red and cherish it dearly, this era of Taylor kinda pissed us off. It was the Taylor that made us choose between her or One Direction; it was the Taylor that bought a Hyannis mansion pretty much just because she was dating one Kennedy and befriending another; it was the Taylor that made a Squad and forgot to invite us over for baking dates! Red Taylor made us feel the wall between fan and celebrity that she almost consciously neglected during the Fearless era.
Which leads us to...
3. Fearless
2. 1989
I’m not sure how she planned (or if she even could have), but every fan I have spoken to has said that 1989 was released at just the right time in their lives for it to make an impact. Whether it was transitioning from high school to college, college to the real world, the real world to true adulthood (as Taylor herself did), 1989 showed Taylor’s fan base that none of us were alone in how we were feeling- except, you know, knowing what it was like to date Harry Styles. Unfortunately for us, Taylor, you’re alone in that.
My point is: we all know where we were in our lives when Taylor released 1989 because we know what the album represents to each of us. She cut her hair, moved to New York City, and talked about life instead of just crying over boys on the phone. 1989 put Taylor back in everyone’s good graces because it reminded listeners that at the end of it all, she’s a human with emotions like the rest of us.
1. Reputation
This is the Taylor we all should aspire to be. After years of being scrutinized and shat on (even by yours truly during the brief months of Haylor), this Taylor is not backing down. Sure, you can say the new song is petty, but then you can’t say constantly glorifying her quips with the Wests and Katy Perry on Snapchat stories and in gossip magazines isn’t.
This Taylor isn’t taking shit because she doesn’t need to. For that dose of empowerment, and because she very ceremoniously killed off the other Taylors on this list, the new Taylor takes the crown.
