Every Taylor Swift album, ranked from worst to best

10. "Popularity"

Closing grade: 8.3/10

Any Swiftie will let you know that "Popularity" was made to be performed dwell.

Certainly, I problem anybody to watch the Popularity Stadium Tour's live performance movie on Netflix and never come away with intensified respect for bangers like "…Prepared For It?" and "Don't Blame Me."

Even "Dancing With Our Palms Tied," one in all my least favourite tracks by way of manufacturing, shines in live performance with Swift's acoustic rendition. 

However the actuality is that exterior of these clips, "Popularity" exists as an album, not a dwell present. And regardless of glimmers of genius, the "Popularity" tracklist comprises a few of Swift's worst choices to date.

Her moments of sincerity, and even honest badassery ("If a person talks shit then I owe him nothing"), are meager in contrast to spoonfuls of aggressive pop posturing. Swift's ever-sharp lyricism is simply too typically overshadowed by the manufacturing, which tries to sound daring and maximalist however comes throughout as an alternative as impersonal and heavy-handed. You could argue this impact is deliberate — camp, maybe — however intentionality doesn't equal absolution.

After all, all of Swift's albums have their comparative lows, however right here we discover the dregs — and the album's highs simply aren't constant sufficient to salvage the rating.

My last grade* for "Popularity" is definitely fairly beneficiant contemplating  "This Is Why We Can't Have Good Issues" would fall lifeless final on my all-time rating of Swift's songs, far beneath "Bad Blood" and each single one in all her Christmas covers. Remembering that it was the tour's setlist nearer sends a chilly shiver down my backbone.

God-tier songs: "Delicate," "Getaway Automobile"

Price listening to: "…Prepared For It?," "Finish Recreation (feat. Future and Ed Sheeran)," "I Did One thing Dangerous," "Don't Blame Me," "Dancing With Our Palms Tied," "Costume," "Name It What You Need," "New 12 months's Day"

Background music: "So It Goes…"

Skip: "Look What You Made Me Do," "Attractive," "King of My Coronary heart," "This Is Why We Can't Have Good Issues"

9. "Taylor Swift"

Closing grade: 8.9/10

"Taylor Swift" is broadly considered Swift's worst album, however that's solely as a result of all her albums are good. One thing has to be the "worst" — that's how rankings work — and "Taylor Swift" is commonly neglected, being the singer's first and most rudimentary work.

Launched the identical yr Carrie Underwood was topping nation charts with "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Earlier than He Cheats," Swift's self-titled debut is archetypal banjo-pop with a girlish twang. It did its job properly, placing her on the map in Nashville and past, however the album wasn't designed to push any boundaries or set any developments.

That being stated, "Taylor Swift" has extra timeless tunes than you might understand. Led by the memorable torch tune "Tim McGraw" — cleverly named after an already-popular musician, lengthy earlier than others would use this strategy to game streaming numbers — the 14-track album additionally consists of hits like "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Ought to've Mentioned No," which stay staples in Swift's discography.

And that's not to point out "Chilly As You," the heart-wrenching ballad that set the bar for Swift's track-five tradition. ("You come away with a fantastic little story / Of a large number of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you." That one nonetheless stings.)

When "Taylor Swift (Taylor's Model)" is finally unveiled, I received't be shocked if the album climbs a ton of rankings, each in and out of doors of Swift's present fandom.

God-tier songs: "Image to Burn," "Our Tune"

Price listening to: "Tim McGraw," "Teardrops On My Guitar," "Chilly As You," "The Exterior," "Ought to've Mentioned No," "Mary's Tune (Oh My My My)," "I'm Solely Me After I'm With You," "A Completely Good Coronary heart"

Background music: "Keep Lovely"

Skip: "A Place in This World," "Tied Collectively With a Smile," "Invisible"

8. "Midnights (3am Version)"

Closing grade: 9.3/10

Thank goodness for the 3am tracks. The "Midnights" rating was rescued by the eight additional songs that Swift tacked onto the unique 13-track album.

With a little bit of modifying — swap "Bejeweled" for "Glitch" and "Midnight Rain" for "The Nice Warfare," put "Would've May've Ought to've" at observe 5 the place it belongs, give "Hits Completely different" the one remedy it deserves — "Midnights" may've been a flexible and well-paced pop album. Because it stands, it's a sprawling journey filled with detours and flat landscapes.

Swift not often explores the album's themes in depth, preferring as an alternative to gesture broadly at attention-grabbing concepts. I'm not an "Anti-Hero" hater, however you're telling me the best songwriter of her era couldn't provide you with a greater method to critique the infantilization and sexualization of ladies in Hollywood than "Generally I really feel like all people is a horny child?" Please.

However when Swift does take her time on this album to seize a flashlight and a compass — inspecting emotions of loss, regret, devotion, forgiveness, and madness with out concern — the outcomes converse for themselves.

God-tier songs: "Would've May've Ought to've," "Hits Completely different"

Price listening to: "Lavender Haze," "Maroon," "Anti-Hero," "You're On Your Personal Child," "Query…?," "Karma," "Candy Nothing," "The Nice Warfare," "Larger Than the Complete Sky," "Paris," "Excessive Infidelity," "Glitch," "Expensive Reader"

Background music: "Snow On the Seaside (feat. Lana Del Rey)," "Labyrinth," "Mastermind"

Skip: "Midnight Rain," "Vigilante Shit," "Bejeweled"

7. "Fearless (Taylor's Model)"

Closing grade: 9.4/10

"Fearless" claims a legendary area in Swift's profession. It earned Swift's first Grammy Award for album of the yr when she was simply 20 years outdated and it's nonetheless often known as the most-awarded country album of all time.

It's additionally her solely true no-skips expertise, a real marvel of cohesion and consistency.

That being stated, cohesion generally is a double-edged sword — particularly after the discharge of "Fearless (Taylor's Model)," which turned the album right into a 26-track affair, clocking in at a whopping one hour and 46 minutes. It's not Swift's longest album, nevertheless it certain feels prefer it.

Save for the 2 licensed classics that everybody and their mom may sing alongside to ( those), the nice songs on "Fearless" are all equally nice. The less-great songs are all equally good. No observe is so unhealthy that it stands out, however nonetheless, some stuff ought to've been lower.

Do you see the dilemma? This may be a career-topping triumph for every other artist, however Swift was simply getting began. She stored getting higher and higher, crafting so many moments of shock and awe and simple musical genius for different albums, they make the climaxes on "Fearless" really feel like prologues.

God-tier songs: "Love Story," "You Belong With Me"

Price listening to: "Fearless," "Fifteen," "Hey Stephen," "White Horse," "Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat)," "Inform Me Why," "You're Not Sorry," "The Approach I Cherished You," "The Best Day," "Change," "Bounce Then Fall," "Endlessly and All the time," "The Different Aspect of the Door," "You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris)," "Mr. Completely Effective," "Don't You," "Bye Bye Child"

Background music: "Untouchable," "Endlessly and All the time (Piano Model)," "Come In With the Rain," "Celebrity," "Right now Was a Fairytale," "We Have been Comfortable," "That's When (feat. Keith City)"

Skip: N/A

6. "Lover"

Closing grade: 9.7/10

Sonically, "Lover" is just a little far and wide, however thematically, it's coherent and compelling. Swift described the album as "a love letter to love itself — all of the charming, spellbinding, maddening, devastating, purple, blue, grey, golden features of it (that's why there are such a lot of songs)."

Extra songs often imply there are extra duds, and that's actually the case right here. (Sure, "Me!" is camp and spelling is enjoyable. It's nonetheless a skip.)

However "Lover" additionally has extra God-tier songs than practically every other album in Swift's oeuvre, save for "Pink" and "Folklore." The peaks on this album are dizzying: "Merciless Summer season" is goes-hard-in-the-car perfection; "Lover" will likely be a marriage staple till the tip of time; "The Archer" comprises a few of Swift's most insightful lyricism to date; "Cornelia Avenue" is so vivid that it performs like an Oscar-winning brief movie; "Demise by a Thousand Cuts" boasts a knockout bridge that hits each time prefer it's the primary time.

God-tier songs: "Merciless Summer season," "Lover," "The Archer," "Cornelia Avenue," "Demise by a Thousand Cuts"

Price listening to: "The Man," "I Suppose He Is aware of," "Quickly You'll Get Higher," "False God," "Afterglow," "It's Good to Have a Pal," "Daylight"

Background music: "I Forgot That You Existed"

Skip: "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince," "Paper Rings," "London Boy," "You Want to Calm Down," "Me!"

5. "1989"

Closing grade: 10/10

"1989" edges out "Lover" as Swift's best pop album by sheer pressure of concision. The usual tracklist is simply 13 songs, permitting for a cleaner listening expertise general (pun supposed).

Even making an allowance for the three deluxe songs (one unhealthy, one good, one God-tier), the album nonetheless clocks in two tracks shorter than "Lover," boosting the ultimate grade.

"1989" is a meteor strike: conceptually and sonically targeted, creating a definite and profound crater that was excellent for Swift's dangerous pivot to pop music. All of us bear in mind the shift in ambiance when "1989" dropped; to put it in Twitter-stan jargon, all people moved.

The phrase "iconic" is thrown round quite a bit today, however "1989" really deserves it.

God-tier songs: "Clean House," "Model," "Clear," "New Romantics"

Price listening to: "Out of the Woods," "All You Had to Do Was Keep," "I Want You Would," "Wildest Desires," "This Love," "I Know Locations," "Wonderland"

Background music: "Welcome to New York," "You Are In Love"

Skip: "Shake It Off," "Dangerous Blood," "How You Get the Woman"

4. "Evermore"

Closing grade: 10.6/10

That is the place we cross into stratospheric territory.

As a result of my grading system offers an additional level to the very best songs in Swift's catalog, the highest 4 albums have all scored above a ten as a result of their gems outweigh their duds. (You probably have an issue with this technique, you'll be completely happy to know that it's made up and only for enjoyable! Take it up together with your therapist.)

As Insider's music crew correctly famous in our evaluate, "Evermore" isn't pretty much as good as "Folklore," nevertheless it's nonetheless higher than what all people else was doing in 2020. The sister albums had been launched simply 5 months aside as a result of, as Swift put it, "we simply couldn't cease writing songs."

She reunited with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff to create one other assortment of whimsical, intricate songs that often double as tales and generally as diary entries. This assortment is extra assorted and fewer dependable than its predecessor; Swift tends to lose focus within the latter half of the tracklist.

However nonetheless, "Evermore" is actually not poor in empathy or ingenuity, bearing a few of the most visceral turns of phrase to ever spring from Swift's mind: "Your Midas contact on the Chevy door / November flush and your flannel treatment;" "I don't like sluggish movement, double imaginative and prescient in rose blush / I don't like that falling looks like flying 'til the bone crush;" your entire bridge of "Marjorie;" the whole lot of "Ivy."

God-tier songs: "Champagne Issues," "Tolerate It," "Ivy," "Proper The place You Left Me"

Price listening to: "Willow," "Gold Rush," "'Tis the Rattling Season," "No Physique No Crime (feat. Haim)," "Dorothea," "Coney Island (feat. The Nationwide)," "Marjorie," "Evermore (feat. Bon Iver)," "It's Time to Go"

Background music: "Happiness," "Cowboy Like Me"

Skip: "Lengthy Story Brief," "Closure"

3. "Converse Now"

Closing grade: 10.9/10

"Converse Now" is definitely Swift's most underrated album. Sandwiched between the business juggernaut "Fearless" and the fan-favorite "Pink," it appeared to fly below the radar for a lot of of her informal listeners.

For the uninitiated, it's vital to observe that "Converse Now" has an attention-grabbing and spectacular lore. Swift is the one songwriter credited on the 14-track album. (The deluxe version consists of three additional songs, two written solely by Swift and one cowritten by Martin Johnson, all superfluous.)

"After I was 18, they had been like, 'She doesn't actually write these songs,'" Swift later explained to Rolling Stone. "So my third album I wrote on my own as a response to that."

Certainly, "Converse Now" is a portrait of a precocious younger girl, hungry to show herself. Nevertheless it's additionally a curious paradox; for somebody so preoccupied with being perceived as a "good girl," her solely self-written album is surprisingly fierce, strong-willed, and gutsy.

The title observe casts Swift as a insurgent with a trigger, itching to interrupt her soulmate's wedding ceremony, whereas "Expensive John" is an unforgettable takedown of a person who ought to've identified higher.

She confronts her critics on "Imply" ("All you’re is imply, and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life") and scathes a classic dress-wearing saboteur in "Higher Than Revenge" ("You might need him, however I all the time get the final phrase").

Different highlights like "Enchanted," "Haunted," and "Lengthy Stay" additional reveal the album's punk-rock roots, indebted to influences like Paramore and Dashboard Confessional. "Converse Now"-era Swift has one foot in a fairytale and one foot pressed firmly on my neck.

God-tier songs: "Sparks Fly," "Expensive John," "Enchanted," "Lengthy Stay"

Price listening to: "Mine," "Again to December," "Converse Now," "Imply," "The Story of Us," "By no means Develop Up," "Higher Than Revenge," "Haunted," "Final Kiss"

Background music: "Ours," "If This Was a Film," "Superman"

Skip: "Harmless"

2. "Pink (Taylor's Model)"

Closing grade: 11/10

For a few years, it was exhausting to think about a time when "Pink" can be dethroned as Swift's best album.

Now, even realizing that Swift's creativity and ambition seemingly know no bounds, it's nonetheless exhausting to think about a day when it received't at the very least land within the prime three. It has all the time held a particular place within the hearts of Swifties, and the exhilarating launch of "Pink (Taylor's Model)" cemented that legacy.

The album is supplied with a not-so-secret weapon: "All Too Nicely," the one best tune Swift has ever launched.

Hell, it's so good that each variations — the unique in addition to its long-awaited prolonged counterpart — are scored as God-tier on this rating, incomes an additional level apiece. "All Too Nicely" is a triumph of brevity, a burst of longing that also manages to inform an entire story, whereas "All Too Nicely (10 Minute Model)" is an excellent unspooling that reveals further scenes of harm and betrayal.

However after all, the facility of "Pink" isn't drawn solely from one supply. Actually, it's a testomony to the album's holistic brilliance that even "All Too Nicely" can't eclipse its fellow tracks. The overwhelming majority maintain their very own; solely a handful fail to fulfill Swift's promise of "depressing and magical."

And in contrast to "Fearless (Taylor's Model)," each single vault observe is a novel and worthy addition, including a brand new layer to the story of Swift's early-20s spiral.

God-tier songs: "State of Grace," "Treacherous," "All Too Nicely," "We Are By no means Ever Getting Again Collectively," "Holy Floor," "All Too Nicely (10 Minute Model)"

Price listening to: "Pink," "I Knew You Have been Bother," "22," "I Virtually Do," "Keep Keep Keep," "The Final Time (feat. Gary Lightbody)," "All the things Has Modified (feat. Ed Sheeran)," "Start Once more," "The Second I Knew, Come Again… Be Right here," "State of Grace (Acoustic)," "Ronan," "Higher Man," "Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)," "Babe," "Message In a Bottle," "I Guess You Suppose About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton)," "Endlessly Winter," "Run (feat. Ed Sheeran)," "The Very First Evening"

Background music: "The Fortunate One," "Starlight"

Skip: "Unhappy Lovely Tragic," "Woman at Residence"

1. "Folklore"

Closing grade: 12.1/10

What can I say about "Folklore" that hasn't already been stated? It's a folk-pop monument, a feast of narrative twists and poetic winks. Even the worst tune on the album is a masterclass in musical storytelling.

It was the best album of 2020 and reigns because the best album of Swift's total profession up to now — the best mix of artistry, listenability, vital acclaim, and cultural influence.

God-tier songs: "The 1," "Mirrorball," "August," "This Is Me Making an attempt," "Peace"

Price listening to: "Cardigan," "Exile (feat. Bon Iver)," "My Tears Ricochet," "Seven," "Illicit Affairs," "Invisible String," "Mad Girl," "Betty," "Hoax," "The Lakes"

Background music: "Epiphany"

Skip: "The Final Nice American Dynasty"

*Closing album rating primarily based on songs per class (2 factors for "God-tier tune," 1 level for "Price listening to," .5 for "Background music," 0 for "Press skip").