Taylor Swift is one of the most talented songwriters the world has ever seen. With 10 Grammys to her name, as well as being one of only six artists to ever win two Grammys for Album of the Year, Swift is one of the most highly celebrated artists of our time. Throughout her career, Swift has released nine studio albums, starting with her self-titled debut album in 2006, and spanning to her latest albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore” in 2020, to round out one of the most complete discographies in all of music. 

Without further ado, here’s are Swift’s best 30 songs: 

1. “All Too Well”

This song is a masterpiece. For five minutes and 27 seconds, Swift takes listeners on a roller coaster ride, slowly telling a story of heartache from a relationship that failed. With lyrics containing small, super intimate details from Swift’s relationship with actor Jake Gylenhaal, one can feel like they witnessed this whole relationship unfold right before their very eyes. As Swift is the queen of heartbreak songs, it would only be fitting that she write the greatest love song the music industry has ever seen. The only bad thing about this song is that the original recording was supposed to be over 12 minutes long, but before the release of the album “Red,” five verses were removed.

Best Line: “You call me up again, just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel, in the name of being honest”

2. “New Romantics”

Taylor, why was this song not included on the standard edition of “1989”? It’s weird, because it just so happens to be the best song on the album by far. This song doesn’t get the love it deserves, solely due to the fact that it’s on Swift’s most popular album to date (five of her top 10 most popular songs are on this album, according to Billboard). A landmark song in Swift’s jump from country to pop music, “New Romantics” has a chorus so catchy and euphoric, it literally feels addicting. 

Best Line: “And every day is like a battle / But every night with us is like a dream / Baby, we’re the new romantics”

3. “New Year’s Day”

Although somewhat out of place on Swift’s “Reputation” album, “New Year’s Day” shows that even when experimenting with new genres, Swift is still one of the best songwriters in all of music. The closing track of her 2017 album, “New Year’s Day” uses a New Year’s party as a metaphor for holding onto memories and people. When the parties in her life are over and the new year begins, memories of the good times are all she will have left. Swift relates a lasting love to someone who shares a kiss with you on New Year’s Eve but is still with you in the morning to begin the New Year. Swift is speaking to her lover in the chorus when she says “I want your midnights, but I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day.” She wants the magic of a kiss at midnight but also the rough times that may follow.

Best line: “I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home.”

4. “Dear John”

Few songs can invoke such strong emotions like “Dear John,” Swift’s longest song to date, clocking in at just under seven minutes! One of her most iconic songs to date, Swift rips apart singer John Mayer, with whom she had an emotionally manipulative, short-lived relationship. During the chorus, Swift talks about the 12-year age gap between the two, singing “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young to be played by your dark, twisted games?” Swift goes on to call out Mayer’s toxic behaviors, and if it weren’t for “All Too Well,” this would be Swift’s most emotion-driven song. 

Best line: “The girl in the dress wrote you a song / You shoulda known”

5. “Cruel Summer”

“Cruel Summer” is so pop-oriented that it feels like it would’ve perfectly fit on “1989,” not “Lover.” While “Lover” was shaky at times, “Cruel Summer” is the exact opposite. With one of Swift’s best hooks and choruses to date, the second track off her 2019 album is one with a deeply rooted history, dating back to Swift’s 2016 feud with Kanye West. Swift went through a very dark period around this time but also met her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Thus, the song switches back and forth between the good and bad times of this specific summer, hence the name “Cruel Summer.”

Best line: “And I screamed for whatever it’s worth, ‘I love you,’ ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”

6. “The 1”

The leadoff song to Swift’s Grammy-nominated surprise album “Folklore,” “The 1” remincesces on a past relationship and how she wishes it would’ve lasted. With very minimal production and a slow-paced beat that is sure to land the song in a coffeehouse playlist, Swift kicks off her journey into folk music on a very good note. 

Best line: “And if my wishes came true / It would’ve been you”

7. “Long Live”

The closing song to Swift’s 2010 country album “Speak Now” sees Swift reflecting on the highs and lows of her career so far. The song was written for Swift’s fans, whom she dedicates her career to. On her website, Swift said that “This song for me is like looking at a photo album of all the award shows, and all the stadium shows, and all the hands in the air in the crowd.”

Best Line: “Long live all the mountains we moved / I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you”

8. “exile” (featuring bon iver)

A Taylor Swift song with another artist on it is a rare sight, so when the “folklore” tracklist was released and indie-band Bon Iver was spotted on track four, listeners knew they were going to be in for a ride. On “exile,” Swift and Bon Iver’s lead singer Justin Vernon sing about two ex-lovers seeing each other for the first time after a breakup. The final minute of the song sees Swift and Vernon singing together, with Swift’s high-pitched voice and Vernon’s rough, low voice beautifully contrasting each other as the piano fades out.

Best line: “Second, third, and hundredth chances / Balancin’ on breakin’ branches / Those eyes add insult to injury

9. “Champagne Problems”

The highlight of Swift’s latest album “evermore” sees Swift telling the story of a woman who turns down her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, shocking her would-be fiance and her loved ones. The woman in this story has a history of mental illness, which leads the town and her friends to gossip, claiming her mental illness was the reason for the failed proposal. “Champagne Problems” is arguably Swift’s deepest song to date, and the bridge sees Swift attack traditional gender roles in what is one of the best bridges in music history. 

“Your mom’s ring in your pocket / My picture in your wallet / Your heart was glass, I dropped it / Champagne problems”

10. “Back to December”

“Back to December” is “about somebody who was incredible to me, and I was really careless with him, so these are the words that I would say to him — that he deserves to hear,” Swift said in an interview with USA Today. Written about her former boyfriend Taylor Lautner, the third track off “Speak Now” has Swift reminiscing about a December night when Lautner “gave [her] roses, and [she] left them there to die,” Swift sings at the end of the first verse. For a song that was written on a napkin in an airplane bathroom, Swift did a very good job.

Best Line: “But if we loved again, I swear I’d love you right / I’d go back in time and change it, but I can’t”

11. “Holy Ground”

12. “Style”

13. “Delicate”

14. “State of Grace”

15. “Happiness”

16.  “Clean”

17. “Last Kiss”

18. “Love Story”

19. “Teardrops on my Guitar”

20. “Wildest Dreams”

21. “Ronan”

22. “Getaway Car”

23. “Invisible Strings”

24. “Lover” (Remix w/ Shawn Mendes)

25. “Illicit Affairs”

26. “Breathe”

27. “If This Was a Movie”

28. “White Horse”

29. “My Tears Ricochet”

30. “The Way I Loved You”