Before I start my ranking of Taylor Swift’s seven albums, a few words on my methodology.
First, I listened to all seven albums in chronological order. Some I know quite well; others were relatively new to me. I then listened to them again, and eliminated the songs from each that I either dislike or don’t deem necessary. Luckily, I ended up with a different number of surviving songs from each album, giving me a nice ranked list.
The second Taylor Swift non-album track I’d like to highlight is ‘New Romantics,’ a bonus cut from 1989.
Like the rest of that album, ‘New Romantics’ eschews Swift’s country-pop sound for pure pop, embracing the 80s influence referenced in the album’s title.
I’m not sure why this song didn’t make the album’s final tracklist. It’s one of her very best efforts. I guess it’s smart to hold back some really good material in order to sell the deluxe edition.
My upcoming Taylor Swift album ranking is based on the original lineups of each record, not the bonus editions that tack on several songs.
Swift has released a couple of dozen non-album tracks over the course of her career. I listened to just about all of them and my overall consensus is that they were all smart exclusions. That’s usually the case, isn’t it?
I’ve had a complicated relationship with Taylor Swift over the past ten years. She is an extremely talented songwriter and performer who too often gives in to her worst tendencies. Something holds me back from embracing her completely.
This might seem like an odd comparison, but my reaction to Swift reminds me of my reaction to Quentin Tarantino. His movies are undeniably great, but he can’t help but slip in a few moments here and there that turn me off and keep me from buying in entirely.
On past lists like this, I’ve had single artists dominate with multiple appearances. I realize that can be a little boring for the reader, and it ends up pushing out acts deserving of a mention.
So this time around I am limiting myself to just one title per artist, though I will list other albums of theirs that might have otherwise made the cut.
Meet Me In Montauk 