Taylor Swift is one of the most recognizable names in the music industry today, and is easily one of the most influential performers of the century so far. She is known for creating albums with different mindsets, leading fans to call them her “eras.” Swift has released over one hundred songs on her various albums, and her song or album releases have only grown more anticipated. She is a fabulous performer with incredible stage presence, and her songs only emphasize her amazing talent. Although she has so many great songs, there are some that stand out from the rest. These ten songs are arguably her best songs of all time.

1. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version] 

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version]: This song incited a global hatred for Jake Gyllenhaal, specifically with the release of the music video starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink. The original version of this song is catchy and fun to sing along to, but the rerecording is an exposé of Gyllenhaal and how he supposedly treated Swift during their relationship. The lyrics tell the story of how Swift’s relationship with Gyllenhaal began to unravel, and eventually led to their breaking up. The song revealed things such as how Gyllenhaal didn’t show up to Swift’s 21st birthday party, kept a scarf of hers from the beginning of their relationship, and told her that if they “had been closer in age,” then their relationship might have worked out. Although the song is lengthy and there are a lot of verses, they easily flow together and the melody makes it a fun song to listen to. With its witty lyrics that jab at Gyllenhaal, this song is the pinnacle of angry breakup songs, and since Swift is known for writing songs about her ex-boyfriends, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) [Taylor’s Version]” is obviously her best song of all time.

One of the most loved songs from Swift’s “reputation” era, “Getaway Car” compares a doomed relationship to a heartracing ride away from the cops. As the characters in the song are juxtaposed to the famous criminal couple of the 30’s, Bonnie and Clyde, their love story is one to behold. The lyrics begin with Swift’s character describing she wants to escape her relationship, yet she is not sure how to. As the song progresses, the relationship becomes a hardship as it appears to imitate a circus. The chase rolls on, sirens wail, hearts race, and the truth emerges. With poetically brilliant verses and a captivating chorus, “Getaway Car” is a masterpiece to behold. Swift eventually betrays her partner, stealing the loot and his heart along the way. The chaos lulls, and as she drives off in her getaway car from her relationship, she finally feels free.

3. Haunted 

One of Swift’s songs that takes on a more moody and dark tone, “Haunted” is one of the most powerful tracks off the “Speak Now” album. Although it follows the end of a breakup like “Clean,” this song is for when the wounds are still fresh, when you’re at the anger and denial stages of grief rather than acceptance. Through Swift’s vivid descriptions, she places the listener in the speaker’s perspective, representing her anguish through the chorus, “Can’t breathe whenever you’re gone/Can’t turn back now, I’m haunted.” She depicts the speaker’s ex as a ghost, the memory of them looming over her as she attempts to understand the end of their relationship. These suffocating lines combined with the plea of “Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this” form a powerful chorus perfect for screaming in the car after any breakup or whenever you need to release emotions. Swift also creates a journey throughout the song, beginning with the sad expression, “You and I walk a fragile line/I have known it all this time/But I never thought I’d live to see it break,” augmenting the theme of the song into anger as it approaches the chorus, and then returning to the sadness with a line that parallels the hook. As one of Swift’s most forceful songs, “Haunted” has become a fan favorite and is sure to be screamed if she performs it on the Eras tour.

4. cardigan 

Swift’s second song on her “folklore” album titled “cardigan” is full of brilliant lyrics and has a captivating, bittersweet tone. The “folklore” and “evermore” albums are believed to be the jumbled chapters of the story of a love triangle between Augustine, James, and Betty. The story goes that while dating Betty in high school, James cheated on her over the summer with Augustine. When they go back to school, however, James reconciles with Betty, and leaves Augustine despite the fact that she is still in love with him, even after they become adults. Swift’s fandom believes Betty to be the narrator of “cardigan,” given that the song is about haunting someone’s memory, and Betty haunts James during his affair with Augustine. The song’s agonizing yet tender lyrics tug at your heartstrings, and they describe a sense of longing that listeners can relate to. Even though it’s one of Swift’s more somber songs, its rich lyrics full of metaphors and similes make it a truly great song. 

5. Clean 

A fan favorite from “1989,” Taylor Swift’s song “Clean” provides a unique perspective to the process of healing after a breakup. Swift claims that you have to lose your mind and feel all of your emotions before you can move on, claiming “when I was drowning, that’s when I was finally clean.” As in many of her songs, she includes imagery and metaphors of nature to relate to her listeners the powerful emotions that come at the end of a relationship, singing “When the butterflies turned to/dust that covered my whole room/so I punched a hole in the roof/let the flood carry away all my pictures of you.” She uses butterflies to represent the happiness of her past relationship and how her memories weigh on her after the relationship ends, leading to her desire to cleanse herself, welcoming a powerful flood to rain down on her despite the dangerous connotations. Once she reaches the bridge of the song, she adds another meaning to the word “clean,” applying it to an addiction as well as physical purification, claiming “Ten months sober, I must admit/just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it,” expressing the sentimental feeling that comes aftersaying goodbye to someone. To be honest, if this list was “Top Ten Songs to Listen to After a Break Up” I would put “Clean” at the top (I know, blasphemous when we have “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”). While “Clean” allows you to express all of the pain from a break up, it also heals you in the process, demonstrating Taylor Swift’s mastery at work. 

6. ivy 

One of Swift’s most poetic songs, “ivy” tells the story of a married woman’s love drifting as she falls irrevocably in love with someone who is not her husband. Despite not being Swift’s most popular song, even among the album it belongs to, “evermore,” it is one of her best written songs and one of the strongest examples of Swift’s lyrical genius. Among many examples of powerful language related to nature, the central metaphor of the song involves the image of ivy creeping up the walls of a stone house, demonstrating how the woman’s forbidden lover seeps into the perfectly crafted, seemingly infallible image of her life with her husband. This tension spreads throughout the song, culminating in the line, “spring breaks loose, but so does fear,” illustrating the woman’s wonder and excitement over her new relationship along with her dread of being caught. This song has also resonated with many queer swifties given that some fans have imagined the woman’s lover as a woman, adding another layer to an already complex song. The narrator challenges her lover to “dare to sit and watch what we’ll become/And drink my husband’s wine,” a reference which has suggested a female subject given the feminine association of ‘wine’ and the direct contrast with the masculinity of ‘husband.’ Given the plethora of possible interpretations of the song, “ivy” is an experience everyone can relate to in some way.

7. Tim McGraw

 “Tim McGraw” is arguably one of the most iconic songs of all time. Not only is the lyricism quite notable, especially for a high schooler, but it was the breakout song of one of, if not the most influential artists of all time. Ironically, she had the idea of the song in math class her freshman year. Swift was dating a senior at the time, and she wrote this song knowing he was moving for college at the end of the year. On June 19, 2006, Swift released her breakthrough hit along with a music video that now has 49 million views. Her premiere video showcases a high school couple stargazing, driving down a dirt road, and running through a field of flowers. Sure, a little cliche, but the premise struck home with Swift’s younger demographic and rose to popularity quickly. Eventually, the track earned the certification of double platinum for surpassing two million units based on sales and streaming. With the tender lyrics and sweet music video, it’s no surprise “Tim McGraw ” was a massive success for the high school aged Swift.

8. You Belong With Me 

A classic “Fearless” song, “You Belong With Me” is the perfect teenage love song. The song portrays the classic “nerdy girl and popular guy” trope, and mixes in the mean-girl cheerleader girlfriend. The song’s catchy tune and fun lyrics you can scream at the top of your lungs make for a great song to play when you’re with your friends. Also, “You Belong With Me” is one of Swift’s most recognizable songs, and a staple in any “Taylor Swift Essentials” playlist. The music video is also a classic, depicting the cliché trope mentioned earlier. Although it’s cliché, you can’t not love it, with Swift playing two characters, the nerdy girl and the mean girl, and the exciting build up to the guy realizing that he actually does belong with the nerdy girl. The fun lyrics, catchy tune, and lovable story of “You Belong With Me” make it great to listen to on any occasion, and it will never go out of style.

9. Death By A Thousand Cuts 

One of the few heartbroken tracks on the otherwise love-filled album, “Lover”, “Death by a Thousand Cuts” portrays the melancholy that comes with love. This heart wrenching track tells the story of a devastated character, reminiscing over a relationship after a painful breakup. Swift peeks back into the nuances of a relationship that once was, with powerful verses and an agonizing chorus. Comparing the feeling of heartache to dying by a thousand cuts is arguably one of the most powerful metaphors Swift has ever produced, not to mention the lyrics overall that captivate the listener and enthrall the emphatic. Swift attempts to forget the breakup, by drinking, dressing to kill her time, and taking the long way home, but can’t escape the reality of her heartbreak. A must-have on a breakup playlist, Swift painfully realizes her longing for her relationship to come back just as it’s too late. As she sings to the traffic lights on her way home, the heartbroken suddenly feel heard.

10. The Great War

Another common metaphor carried throughout Swift’s discography is the description of love as war, and this comparison culminates in one of her newer songs, “The Great War,” a 3 A.M. track off of “Midnights” that has arisen as a fan favorite, despite being a bonus track. As the title suggests, the song is filled with references to World War I which represent a tumultuous time in the speaker’s relationship where she feels she has to fight against the forces of the world to stay with her partner. While she represents her partner as her enemy at first, singing “Tore your banners down, took the battle underground,” in the chorus she expresses that “My hand was the one you reached for/All throughout the Great War,” representing how even while fighting each other, their love transcends enemy lines. Another staple of Swift’s writing is her intertextual connections between other songs she has written, which she continues in “The Great War” when she sings, “Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I’d been betrayed,”referencing her passionate and joyful song “Lavender Haze,” breaking the facade of perfection in the relationship described in that song. Also, given that the concept of the name, “The Great War,” is that people believed there would be no other world war after it was fought, believing that the war would solve everything, the fact that Swift compares the relationship to this war rather than another historical battle represents her belief that this was the main fight of the speaker’s relationship, while also understanding that she may have to fight another war in the future.

When ranking the songs of an artist as prolific and talented as Taylor Swift, it is impossible to create a list everyone agrees on. While these were our favorites, any other Swiftie may have a completely different list, and to us, that is the beauty of Taylor Swift’s discography. There is a song for everyone, and a song for nearly every experience, which has catapulted her to the level of fame that she currently commands. To conclude, we have a few honorable mentions that we felt were worth highlighting.

Honorable Mentions: Cornelia Street, Our Song, right where you left me, Sparks Fly, I Bet You Think About Me, Don’t Blame Me