With the release of “Lover,” her seventh studio album, on the horizon, Taylor Swift has had quite a career since her debut at the age of 16.
Multiple Grammy wins, millions upon millions of album sales, and a bevy of singles and deep cuts that have stolen the hearts of her many fans.
So, with all of that in mind, it felt like a good time to bring in some of those fans to help me make a list of her top 10 songs thus far. The scoring for this list goes as follows:
- Each ranking on someone list is the score the song gets for that person (best song: 1 point, 2nd best: 2 points, etc.), with a song not making the list getting a baseline 15 points.
- The 10 songs with the lowest total score after combining all 10 lists made the Top 10.
- Higher position in an individual list is the tiebreaker.
Also, I want to shout out Summer Cartwright and Madi Task for helping me write the descriptions. Every person’s individual list of songs can be seen below the combine list.
Another note, Taylor Swift has so many songs, and has changed her sound a lot, which has made this panel have a wide, wide variety of selections. 48, to be exact. Not even Kanye West’s discography gave us this many songs, so expect the scores to be quite high.
So now, here we go, the Top 10 Taylor Swift songs, as voted on by 10 of her fans.
10.) Wildest Dreams
Album: “1989”
Score: 117 | Average Ranking: 11.7
Number of Lists: 3 | Highest Position: 1
Only appearing on three lists, but making it into the top spot of one, my list, Wildest Dreams sees Taylor fully expanding her pop sound and making something wholly unique to her discography. “1989” is her leap into full-pop music, but for me, it is this track, with its stunning synths and production, Taylor’s gorgeous vocals on the chorus, her smart lyrics and the incredible build toward the final moments that makes this a highlight track not only on this album, but over her entire career. -WC
9.) Red
Album: “Red”
Score: 116 | Average Ranking: 11.6
Number of Lists: 3 | Highest Position: 3
Hey there, me again, having the highest ranking for a song on the bottom of this list. Red, the title track for Taylor’s fourth album, is an absolute bop, no doubt about it in my mind. The lyrics, though they are a bit childish, are perfect in execution with the meaning and title, and the country guitars go well with Taylor’s vocals. Again, I love the build this song brings within the chorus by the end, and this track, in Taylor’s waning moments as a country artist, is a fantastic blend of both her worlds. -WC
8.) Out of the Woods
Album: “1989”
Score: 114 | Average Ranking: 11.4
Number of Lists: 4 | Highest Position: 2
While this might be controversial for Swifties, Out of the Woods is one of my favorites because Swift’s voice has such a strength throughout. It’s not like she’s hitting crazy high or low notes, but she is bringing out a passion that’s not often heard in her upbeat songs. Plus, this is the first Jack Antinoff-produced track released into the world. A true blessing. This is one of her strongest songs live and you can tell she enjoys belting it just as much as the crowd (check the Grammy opening she did for proof). -SC
7.) You Belong With Me
Album: “Fearless”
Score: 111 | Average Ranking: 11.1
Number of Lists: 4 | Highest Position: 3 (twice)
This was my favorite song for what feels like years until “Speak Now” came out. When people who grew up with her think of Taylor Swift, it’s this song that comes to mind. It’s the whole “I’m-not-like-other-girls” mentality that dominated the 00’s and everyone’s adolescence. The sense of longing you feel for friend-zoned Taylor in this song is something all of us have felt before, and the music video features Lucas Till from the freaking Hannah Montana movie. You cannot make women under the age or 16 swoon over a song more. No one else can capture that feeling of absolute obsession and longing that you feel when you’re too young to have the confidence to approach someone or ask them out, and she elaborates on it beautifully for three minutes and 51 seconds. -MT
6.) Forever & Always
Album: “Fearless”
Score: 111 | Average Ranking: 11.1
Number of Lists: 4 | Highest Position: 2
Tied with “You Belong With Me,” but getting the edge with a No. 2 ranking, “Forever & Always” is a major fave for “Fearless” fanatics everywhere, and was the closest we got to Taylor hooking up a mic and a guitar and shouting “f*** you” into the microphone. The beat of the verses is just so fresh and bouncy it makes you feel as cool singing it as you do singing Fergie’s “Fergalicious” rap. This song is so unapologetically Taylor; every man she dated she was never sorry about what they did to lose her. Also that final, growling “And it RAINS when you’re GONE” was the coolest we’ve heard Taylor’s angry, passionate singing voice, which every teenage dreamer needs in order to find their personal scream. -MT
5.) Delicate
Album: “reputation”
Score: 110 | Average Ranking: 11.0
Number of Lists: 3 | Highest Position: 1
If you like Delicate, you LOVE Delicate, with the three placements on rankings being No. 2, No. 2, No. 1. -WC
Infatuation happens everyday, but “Delicate” takes you to that first step after. The phase is filled with wonder and worry, so is the song. The lyrics are simple, but the production of “Delicate” makes this song a standout. From the computerized voice at the beginning to the percussion that sounds like a nervous heartbeat, it captures the internal feeling that comes with the beginning of a relationship. -SC
What a heartbreaking, heart-building song for Swifties everywhere. “My reputation’s never been worse so, he must like me for me.” She didn’t do any interviews, talk shows, anything during the Reputation era. Her line of reasoning was, “There will be no explanation, there will only be reputation” because of all the s*** she got from an age of mega cyber-bullying with big artists having loads of fans ready to swarm and attack anyone who does the smallest thing wrong online. This song captures the settled-in anxiety that she lives with because of her life finding love in the spotlight. -MT
4.) Enchanted
Album: “Speak Now”
Score: 100 | Average Ranking: 10.0
Number of Lists: 5 | Highest Position: 2
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this song was written about the guy from “Owl City” and he made his own version about crushing on her, too. Swift takes little blurbs of life that otherwise would be seen as an insignificant footnote and gives them the credit they deserve in “Enchanted.” It’s an ode to the people who impact us in a way that’s best kept brief. The second verse in particular is my favorite because you can hear the longing in her voice, as if she recorded this song the minute she met Owl City man. -SC
3.) Style
Album: “1989”
Score: 100 | Average Ranking: 10.0
Number of Lists: 4 | Highest Position: 1
“1989” was a feat for Taylor Swift in many ways as she successfully moved into strictly pop music, and “Style” is one of the songs that will continue to stand out from that album. There is such a fantastic feel and aesthetic to the track that makes it absolutely irresistible. Taylor brings crafty metaphors onto the chorus, and where she shines again is with the impressive conclusion to the track, bringing amazing vocals down the stretch. If you allow me to make one pun here, it is that this song will never go out of style in Taylor’s discography. -WC
2.) Blank Space
Album: “1989”
Score: 87 | Average Ranking: 8.7
Number of Lists: 6 | Highest Position: 1 (twice)
Listen. From a songwriter’s perspective, she doesn’t have a single song that is more genius than this one. This song concreted the fact that not only can she handle pop, she can twist it and mold it so that it works with her songwriters’ voice and still sounds completely original at the end of the day. Literally the entire “reputation” album is just an expansion of this song right here. When I hear the beginning of this song I lose it. What a bold move of her to not write about the truth of the world, but rather write an entire parody about exactly who everyone thinks she is. That’s an artist. From idea, to lyrics, to sound, to music video, to live performances, to growth as an artist: this is the best Taylor Swift song. – MT
If anybody has anything to say about Swift’s intelligence or songwriting capabilities or “likability,” I point them to this song. Do you really think somebody who took your opinions about her and turned them into a character that confused, frustrated and gained the admiration of the general public, cares? Find me one bar where, if the song’s playing past midnight, there isn’t a screaming section chanting “Boys only want love if it’s torture” knowing it’s not true, but loving every second of playing the conniving character who believes it to be. Also, this music video is f****ing unreal. -SC
1.) All Too Well
Album: “Red”
Score: 81 | Average Ranking: 8.1
Number of Lists: 6 | Highest Position: 1 (twice)
I don’t even want to talk about this one because it’s on everyone’s list of best Taylor Swift songs that does even a little bit of genuine research. She played it at the freaking Grammy’s just because her fans were like, “Dude you’re doing the world a huge disservice by not sharing this.” -MT
Don’t worry Madi, I’ll talk about it. Lyrically, All Too Well is easily one of Taylor’s best she has ever done, perfectly going through the feelings involved in a break up. The instrumental is powerful, and masterfully hits with her vocal highs as they come through. The “break me like a promise” line is consistently powerful, and the more Taylor picks up the passion, the stronger the song gets. There is so much to appreciate with what she brings to this song that it makes absolute sense why it would end up at the top of this list. -WC
Here is every other song that was selected by at least one member of the panel, ranked from 11th to 48th:
Fearless, Long Live, Lover, Love Story, Sparks Fly, State Of Grace, Clean, Holy Ground, Tim McGraw, Stay Beautiful, Dress, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Mine, The Last Time, Getaway Car, I Did Something Bad, Everything Has Changed, New Years Day, Hey Stephen, Begin Again, Ronan, Don’t Blame Me, I Wish You Would, Stay Stay Stay, Mean, You Are In Love, Last Kiss, Come Back…Be Here, New Romantics, I’m Only Me When I’m With You, Dear John, How You Get The Girl, You’re Not Sorry, The Story Of Us, The Archer, Never Grow Up, Picture To Burn, Our Song
Some fun facts:
- The Top 10 list by album goes like this:
- “1989” – 4
- “Red” – 2
- “Fearless” – 2
- “Speak Now” – 1
- “reputation” – 1
- “Taylor Swift” – 0
- “Lover” (only the singles) – 0
- Three of the 10 voters did not have their No. 1 song represented within the Top 10 (Fearless, Clean, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together).
- The average voter only had 4.3 of the Top 10 in their list
- Wyatt and Quinn had the most in their list with six songs
- Madi and Mallie had the least with three each
Here are all of the lists:
| Wyatt Crosher (@wcrosher) |
| Wildest Dreams |
| Style |
| Red |
| Ronan |
| Out of The Woods |
| All Too Well |
| You Belong With Me |
| Lover |
| The Story of Us |
| Getaway Car |
| Summer Cartwright (@sumsumc13) |
| Clean |
| Delicate |
| Blank Space |
| Love Story |
| Sparks Fly |
| Enchanted |
| Holy Ground |
| Lover |
| Out of the Woods |
| I Did Something Bad |
| Madi Task (@alwaysoff_TASK) |
| Blank Space |
| Delicate |
| All Too Well |
| Long Live |
| Dress |
| You Are In Love |
| State of Grace |
| Come Back…Be Here |
| Dear John |
| Mine |
| Sam Raudins (@sam_raudins) |
| All Too Well |
| Lover |
| Long Live |
| Enchanted |
| Blank Space |
| Wildest Dreams |
| Getaway Car |
| Love Story |
| The Archer |
| Never Grow Up |
| Madison Handley (@MadisonHandley) |
| Blank Space |
| Enchanted |
| Holy Ground |
| Forever & Always |
| All Too Well |
| Stay Beautiful |
| Style |
| Long Live |
| Clean |
| The Last Time |
| Mallie Egan |
| Delicate |
| Everything Has Changed |
| Tim McGraw |
| Don’t Blame Me |
| All Too Well |
| The Last Time |
| Enchanted |
| Fearless |
| You’re Not Sorry |
| Our Song |
| Grace Kueterman |
| Fearless |
| Forever & Always |
| Hey Stephen |
| Red |
| Stay Stay Stay |
| Enchanted |
| Last Kiss |
| Tim McGraw |
| Stay Beautiful |
| Blank Space |
| Quinn Wright (@_quinnlatifa) |
| All Too Well |
| Out of the Woods |
| New Years Day |
| Red |
| Style |
| Forever & Always |
| I Did Something Bad |
| You Belong With Me |
| How You Get The Girl |
| Picture To Burn |
| Tyler Burk |
| Style |
| Sparks Fly |
| You Belong With Me |
| Begin Again |
| Wildest Dreams |
| Mean |
| Love Story |
| New Romantics |
| Forever & Always |
| Dress |
| Colin Gay (@ColinGay17) |
| We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together |
| State of Grace |
| You Belong With Me |
| Fearless |
| I Wish You Would |
| Mine |
| Blank Space |
| Out of the Woods |
| I’m Only Me When I’m With You |
| Style |
I can completely agree with your top three, “All Too Well” is a masterpiece and “Blank Space’ along with “Style” are already timeless even though they’ve only been around five years. My own personal list would have included “Clean”, “Haunted” and “Sad Beautiful Tragic”.
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I was surprised Clean didn’t make it, that was one of the last cuts that I made on my personal list, and it was No. 1 on another list. Ended up being just short, though
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