Taylor Swift Ranked

Taylor Swift
Photo: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

A Non-Swiftie’s Journey
Through Taylor’s 12 Eras

So as a non-superfan straight man I was faced with the prospect of reviewing Taylor Swift’s latest money making monster of a record “The Life of a Showgirl”. Now as much as I wanted to simply review this as a single piece of music with comparisons to her previous singles, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t understand the industry monster [master?] that is the tale of Taylor. So therefore I set about breaking down the entire Swift discography and seeing where this new record fits in.

24 hours of Taylor Swift later (and a completely broken spotify algorithm) (RIP my 2025 Spotify Wrapped) I sit with a completely depressed mental state and the constant urge to google Taylor’s dating history.

The Rules:

• Only original releases (no Taylor’s Versions, deluxe or anthology editions).

• Listened to (many for the very first time) in random order (to avoid giving undue credit to specific eras, or unfairly punishing the ones played last).

• Then listened to again in chronological order (after being told by a Swiftie that my initial approach was blasphemous).

So, let’s dive into each record. Please forgive me if your favourite doesn’t match mine, perhaps it’s a matter of taste, or perhaps I’ve simply hit Taylor fatigue.

1. The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

Completely unintentionally, my top three seem to represent the best of each of Taylor’s eras. The Tortured Poets Department is my favourite from what I call her “Moody Poet” phase. From the outset, “Fortnight” is a slow-burning banger featuring a surprisingly subtle and effective use of Post Malone. The title track boasts one of her best outro lines – “You left your typewriter at my apartment / straight from the Tortured Poets Department” – which works far more effectively than it should. Then there’s the sad party anthem “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, a brilliant juxtaposition of despondent lyrics and upbeat sound, which has stuck around in my head since release.

The combination of consistent theme, some of her sharpest writing, and top-notch Jack Antonoff production makes this, in my opinion, her finest record.

2. Red (2012)

Red is the quintessential album marking Taylor’s shift from country roots into full-blown pop star territory. It landed right in my formative years, so perhaps there’s some bias, but nostalgia aside, it’s full of great songs. From the anthemic opener “State of Grace” to the closing tracks “Everything Has Changed”, “Starlight”, and “Begin Again”, it’s packed with memorable writing.

Even as a non-fan, I knew every word of the final song – a testament to its reach. My only real complaint is that I’m completely done with “22”, and I can never quite unhear the goat scream remix of “I Knew You Were Trouble”, no matter how hard I try.

3. Fearless (2008)

When it comes to Taylor’s early country(ish) era, nothing represents it better than Fearless. It contains two of her biggest hits – “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” – both with music videos seared permanently into collective memory.

While the lyrics can feel corny and teenage in tone, they come across as so genuine and naïve that even as an adult listener, you believe every word.

4. Folklore (2020)

Released the same year as Evermore and featuring indie darling Bon Iver, Folklore feels like part one of a two-part story. Trading southern country and glossy pop for midwestern indie, Swift finds a sound that suits her storytelling and spoken-word tendencies.

Even without obvious radio singles, it’s full of highlights – “this is me trying” and “cardigan” among them. It feels like a collection where quality is guaranteed and is one of her only records where I could put it on and trust I’ll like every song.

5. Evermore (2020)

Essentially Folklore: Part Two, Evermore continues that indie atmosphere but with a slightly more whimsical, genuinely folk-inspired tone. It’s a touch looser and warmer than its predecessor – less surprising, perhaps, but more comfortable in its skin.

Tracks like “champagne problems” and “gold rush” show a writer deeply in command of mood, even if the emotional peaks are softer this time around.

6. Speak Now (2010)

Speak Now has plenty of memorable singles and a certain theatrical energy – it’s Taylor’s first major attempt to break out of the country teen mould. There’s a youthful confidence to “Enchanted” and “Back to December”, though the album can feel unbalanced at times.

It's the moment Swift became a true songwriter rather than just a pop-country act, even if some of the teenage melodrama lingers.

7. Lover (2019)

Lover is a pastel-coloured antidote to the darkness of Reputation, and while it drifts between brilliance and filler, it does have moments of undeniable charm. The title track and “The Archer” show glimpses of emotional maturity amid the glitter, hinting at a more grounded songwriter beneath the confetti.

That said, the album’s length and over-sweet pop production splits my opinion. I half see it as her most sincere record, half as her most self-indulgent.

8. Taylor Swift (2006)

Her debut is as earnest as it gets. Taylor Swift is filled with teenage longing, small-town storytelling, and banjos – a time capsule of her beginnings. “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Tim McGraw” remain strong debut singles that showcased her knack for hooks.

It’s rough around the edges, but the lack of polish gives it character; and the commitment to country music themes does make it stand out amongst the rest of her catalogue.

9. 1989 (2014)

1989 was the era-defining pop album that made her a global megastar. Tracks like “Style”, “Out of the Woods”, and “Blank Space” captured Taylor at her most confident and controlled.

On the other hand, its glossy production sometimes veers into overproduced and derivative territory. While 1989 isn’t a bad album by any means, it’s the last album on this list I'd be inclined to revisit, not because I dislike it, but simply because her other records resonate with me more.

10. The Life of a Showgirl (2025)

Speaking of derivative… On first listen, Showgirl seemed middle-of-the-pack, but on repeat plays, it began to feel hollow. More than any other record, it sounds as if Swift is cherry-picking the best of her pop contemporaries and rebranding it as her own – but in a painfully obvious way. Swift is supposed to be The Pop Superstar and in my opinion that means pushing the genre forward rather than repackaging existing hits.

The best examples of this are, ironically, the songs I enjoy most. ‘Actually Romantic’ thrashes with gritty guitar-and-drum energy and raw vocal interplay, but it’s hard to ignore how much it echoes Olivia Rodrigo’s sound. Likewise, ‘Wood’ is playful, sultry, and unapologetically horny, yet it feels straight out of Sabrina Carpenter’s universe.

There are also moments I really don’t enjoy, usually when Taylor tries to return to her roots. The line “Got me dreaming ’bout a driveway with a basketball hoop” on “Wi$h Li$t” makes me cringe so hard I momentarily forget how terrible that song title is.

It’s also telling that most discussion around the album centres on sales figures and lyrical gossip rather than musical quality — hardly the mark of a great record. As entertaining as it is to debate Kelce’s penis size or whether “Actually Romantic” is about Charli XCX, I’d much rather be talking about how Taylor is revolutionising pop, not recycling it.

11. Midnights (2022)

This is the album that gave us ‘Anti-Hero’ – and honestly, that alone is hard to forgive. The chorus line, “I’m the problem, it’s me. At tea time, everybody agrees,” might be the most gratingly annoying lyric I’ve ever had to sit through on repeat. Beyond that, Midnights feels trapped between the poetic ambition of Folklore and the sleek pop of 1989, without committing to either.

As I write this, I realise Taylor excels at many things: singalong storytelling, moody poetry, and irresistibly catchy pop. What loses me is when she tries to do all three at once and ends up doing none of them particularly well.

12. Reputation (2017)

Why does so much of this album sound like a bad Lorde imitation? They might’ve been friends, but four years after Pure Heroine, Taylor hasn’t improved on that formula, just layered Jack Antonoff’s beats under her usual vocals.

This also marks the peak (or trough) of her spoken-word singing, with “Look What You Made Me Do” now sitting firmly among my least favourite songs of all time. The spoken sections simply don’t work; the lyrics are cheesy, but delivered with such self-seriousness that it’s almost hard to listen to.

As you can probably tell, this album isn’t for me.

After diving headfirst into Taylor Swift’s vast musical universe – and still emerging slightly bewildered by the lore – I’ve gained a real respect for the craft, precision, and sheer stamina behind every record. That said, maybe it was the weather, but after listening to her non-stop I ended up feeling strangely gloomy and depressed – or maybe I just like Matty Healy a lot less now. What’s clear is that Taylor shines brightest when she leans into a focused theme and her natural strengths, but things start to falter when ambition overtakes cohesion.

So, Swifties, go easy on me – I swear I did my homework.