Taylor Swift, T-Swift, Tay-Swizzle. We all know her and her catchy tunes: from "Our Song" to "Fearless" to "Story of Us" to "22" to "Blank Space." Swift is like a chameleon; she is constantly changing her image, and in my opinion she does it flawlessly. However, it is clear that some of her eras are better than others. After talking to several fans of Swift, I have put together a final ranking of the Eras of Taylor Swift.
1. Speak Now
This was Swift's 3rd album, but it is 1st in our hearts. Swift was just starting to define herself during this period of time. She had drifted from her country roots, but kept those emotionally charged lyrics that her fans have always loved. This is also the most overtly personal album that she has had thus far. Many of her songs in this album include the name of the subject (think: "Dear John") which proved that she was not about to shy away from her ways of calling out cheaters, liars, and players.
This album is dramatic, as per usual, keeping with the country theme of story telling within a song. "Story of Us" is told like a book with lyrics such as "next chapter" and "the end" which keeps the listener enticed from the very beginning, to the very end. This album's theme is drama, drama, drama. This was enhanced during the "Speak Now" tour when Swift performed almost as an actress rather than a singer. She commits to the character she is playing in each song, and she does so beautifully.
2. 1989
This album is monumental for Tay-Tay. Her style reached new heights after fully committing to a pop sound. Swift sounds strong, confident, and badass. Her sound is not hesitant as she has fully committed to a single sound. Her album is cohesive; each song sounds like it should lead from the previous one. In her typical fashion, Swift is not afraid to call people out in her song "Style" which, shockingly, is rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend Harry Styles.
Instead of focusing all her songs on one subject, though, her songs are about a variety of things in this album. "Blank Space" is a satirical, hilarious, and clever jab at the people who deemed her to be a serial dater. She pokes fun at her image, as well as at the media who enhanced this image. This album is full of dance-party songs, love songs, and songs that make you long for love.
3. Fearless
You can never go wrong with "Fearless" Taylor. This album is set right in the middle of this list because this is the best version of country Taylor, who is not as great as pop Taylor, but still wonderful in other ways. This album gave us "Love Story" and "White Horse" which many of us had our first slow dances to in middle school. What a gift. While this album has the same cohesive feeling that "1989" has, it lacks the variety of subjects that make "Speak Now" and "1989" so satisfying. Most of the songs on this album are about her relationships, which are great, but this led to Swift's serial dater image that she has tried to shake in recent years.
4. Red
Ahhh... Swift's first half-hearted attempt at pop music. This album sits lower on the list because while it gave us anthems like "22" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" it does not sound like Taylor gave much thought to the sound she wanted for her album as a whole. There is a fine line between having all the songs sound the same, and having them all have a similar vibe. However, I want to give major props to Taylor for having the courage to step away from her comfort zone in country music and expand her horizons.
So many artists never challenge themselves by delving into different genres. Swift has always refused to stay static. Her sound is always changing. Without this bridge connecting her country music to her future in pop music, she never would have made 1989 and what a mistake that would have been.
5. Taylor Swift
Let's make it perfectly clear that just because her self-named album is at the bottom of the list, that does not mean it is bad. In fact, all artists should strive for this to be the case. How depressing it would be if their first album were their peak! Taylor Swift has grown so much since putting out this first album, and that certainly is saying something considering this album had so many catchy and clever tunes. This album tackles many different subjects such as confidence, loneliness, cheaters, and love, of course.
What makes this album so unique is that Swift focused on so many subjects that related to her life so well, at the time. This album set the stage for her witty lyrics, beautiful guitar skills, and her ability to express her emotions in a way that makes her relatable.
