As a relatively new, but no less passionate, Swiftie, The Life of a Showgirl will be only my second new (not a rerecord) album since I entered the Swifterhood. Before The Tortured Poets Department released last year, I did my “definitive” ranking of her first ten albums. I thought it would be fun to do the same for TS1–11 before we welcome TS12 this coming weekend. (I think I can officially call this a tradition now, no?)
My rankings and favorites are based solely on vibes and what’s speaking to me the most right now. I’m not getting into whether or not an album is “sonically” good. There are plenty of people far more knowledgeable about music who can break that down better than I ever could.
My album rankings are totally scientific, however. I use a super fancy spreadsheet someone (I have no idea who at this point) shared online about three albums ago that literally calculates a score for each album based on your rankings for each song. I’m not going to share my scores, but my final ranking reflects them.
Are you ready for it? Let’s rank some albums.
#11 – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
I know this might be controversial, but something has to land at the bottom. I love the songwriting on Speak Now, especially considering how young she was at the time. As a full album though, it just doesn’t call to me as much as the others. There’s no denying it gave us some true classics. This rerecord also gave me one of my favorite vault tracks ever, Electric Touch featuring Fall Out Boy. It’s also the album that convinced me to buy a vinyl player and start building my collection, so it’ll always be special in that way.
Top three (in no particular order): Haunted, Long Live, Electric Touch
Least favorite: When Emma Falls in Love
#10 – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
One of the best country-pop crossover albums ever, even if it’s not high on my ranking. I love the sparkly-dress-and-cowboy-boots vibe, but there are a few songs that drag this album down for me. I’ll never not smile when I hear Fearless, Love Story and You Belong with Me, though. Even though I wasn’t a Swiftie when the original version or Taylor’s Version released, I have fond memories of hearing those songs on the radio.
Top three (in no particular order): You Belong With Me, Fearless, The Other Side of the Door
Least favorite: Bye Bye Baby
#9 – Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
Red (Taylor’s Version) was my gateway album into the Swifterhood. I still remember many days and nights sitting on my balcony after it released, listening to All Too Well (10 Minute Version) on repeat and feeling absolutely wrecked in the best way. The album is full of nostalgic radio hits that I will always adore, but there are plenty of others that just do not land as high for me these days. Her version of Better Man is one of my all-time favorite songs in any genre by any artist. It took my breath away the first time I heard it. Red (Taylor’s Version) will always be close to my heart, no matter where it lands in my rankings.
Top three (in no particular order): Better Man, Holy Ground, All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
Least favorite: Girl at Home
#8 – Taylor Swift (Debut) (2006)
The album that started it all! Well, not for me personally, but generally speaking. This is probably the album I struggle with the most at times. I love the songwriting and there is something charming about her baby voice, but the songs do not speak to me the same way a lot of her newer releases do. I think that makes perfect sense since I am nearly thirty years older than she was when she released it. The Eras Tour surprise songs gave me a whole new appreciation for many of these tracks, which is why it moved up in my rankings. My new appreciation for songs like Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) and Should’ve Said No, combined with nostalgic radio favorites like Tim McGraw and Our Song, makes it a solid album even if it is not my favorite.
Top three (in no particular order): Mary’s Song (Oh My My My), Tim McGraw, Should’ve Said No
Least favorite: A Perfectly Good Heart
#7 – Lover (2019)
Lover is pastel-colored joy with a sprinkle of heartbreak and a pinch of anxiety, and I love it for that mix. It is warm and romantic, then suddenly swings in to punch you right in the feelings. I do not always listen straight through, but the tracks I reach for are some of my most-played favorites.
Top three (in no particular order): Death by a Thousand Cuts, I Think He Knows, Cruel Summer
Least favorite: It’s Nice to Have a Friend
#6 – 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
The pop music bible! The sparkling pop era evoked by 1989 (Taylor’s Version) never fails to put me in a good mood. I adore the freedom and brightness of these songs, and the vault tracks were a treat. This album feels like driving with the windows down in the middle of summer. I will never forget the night she announced this album during the Eras Tour. I knew I couldn’t stay up until three in the morning to watch the whole show, so I went to bed at my normal time and set an alarm for around one. When I woke up and opened TikTok, I saw the blue folklore dress and knew it was happening. There was no way I could go back to sleep after that. Watching her emerge from the stage in a sparkly blue costume for the 1989 set and feeling the collective joy of the roughly 120k people in that live stream (not to mention the elated screams of those in attendance) was a top-tier Eras Tour memory, even if it happened through a screen.
Top three (in no particular order): Clean, Blank Space, Style
Least favorite: Welcome to New York
#5 – Midnights (2022)
Midnights feels like staying up way too late overthinking life but also dancing in your bedroom at the same time. It’s glittery, confessional, and a little dreamy — basically a night owl’s soundtrack. Midnights was the first new album Taylor released after I had entered the Swifterhood, but I wasn’t quite at the level of fan I am now and I didn’t understand the release hype. I didn’t preorder anything, I didn’t get wrapped up in Midnights Mayhem with Me, and I didn’t stay up late to listen at midnight. In my defense, I had just discovered a new artist I loved and she had nine other albums that were keeping me busy. All that said, I listened on release day during normal waking hours and I was totally enamored from the very first notes of Lavender Haze.
Top three (in no particular order): Maroon, Dear Reader, You’re On Your Own, Kid
Least favorite: Paris
#4 – The Tortured Poets Department/The Anthology (2024)
The Tortured Poets Department is what I consider my first true new Taylor Swift release. I was watching the Grammys when she announced it. I preordered every vinyl variant. I soaked up every piece of content I could find about the release. I stayed up and started listening at midnight. I saw the two a.m. drop for The Anthology but had to tap out and sleep for a couple of hours. Ever since that morning, TTPD has been my ultimate crash-out album. If you see me scream-singing in the car, chances are it’s a song from TTPD. Most likely culprits are “The Black Dog” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
Top three (in no particular order): The Black Dog, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, Guilty As Sin?
Least favorite: I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
#3 – reputation (2017)
Fun fact: the first Taylor Swift songs I ever purchased from iTunes were from reputation, all the way back in 2017. ESPN was using snippets from … Ready for It? and Look What You Made Me Do in college football promotions that year and I just couldn’t help myself. Even back then reputation spoke to my very much non-Swiftie soul. Both of those songs were on heavy rotation in my gym playlist. Since then, my love for the album has grown exponentially. Those two songs will always be favorites, but I’ve also come to enjoy the softer and more romantic side of reputation, especially tracks like Delicate and Call It What You Want.
Top three (in no particular order): Getaway Car, … Ready for It?, Look What You Made Me Do
Least favorite: Dancing with Our Hands Tied
#2 – evermore (2020)
It’s hard for me to explain just how much I love evermore (and folklore) without going on and on forever. Both of these sister albums have such a special place in my heart. They’re the ones that made me accept my fate as a Swiftie for real. They spoke to me in ways her other music didn’t always. I wish I’d listened to them back in 2020 when they first came out because I think they would have changed me then. I mean, they did change me a couple of years later when I finally gave them a chance. evermore is the perfect late-fall and winter album, which means it’ll be on heavy rotation in the coming months.
Top three (in no particular order): cowboy like me, champagne problems, tis the damn season
Least favorite: closure
#1 – folklore (2020)
folklore! My ride-or-die number one from nearly the first time I heard it. The cozy cardigan vibes, the cottage-in-the-woods storytelling, and the perfect mix of wistful and magical completely own my heart. This is the album I reach for when I want to feel wrapped in a blanket of words. It feels impossible to put into words everything this album means to me, and even if I could, I probably wouldn’t because it feels too personal. folklore is one of the few albums I regularly listen to from start to finish with absolutely no skips. I don’t even dislike hoax that much, but something had to be labeled my least favorite. It’s the perfect album, and it’s in heavy rotation on both my Spotify and my vinyl player.
Top three (in no particular order): this is me trying, exile (feat. Bon Iver), my tears ricochet
Least favorite: hoax
Whew, that was a long one. Thankfully my handy-dandy spreadsheet made ranking the albums themselves a lot easier, but picking my favorite and least-favorite songs for each one was another story at times. There are just so many feelings wrapped up in all of these albums that it’s hard to narrow them down. Still, it was so much fun to revisit each era and remember what they mean to me. Now I can go back to counting down the days until The Life of a Showgirl drops so I can dive in, see how it speaks to me, and figure out where it lands in my next round of totally scientific rankings.
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