She had me at the opening lyric.
"Look, if you had one shot," Taylor Swift declared, strumming her acoustic guitar, "or one opportunity."
Kicking off a country music showcase with an Eminem hip-hop classic, "Lose Yourself," takes a lot of courage and confidence even for a veteran. Swift, then 16, did this before her debut album was released. At the time, the single "Tim McGraw" was the only thing the crowd at K102's Class of 2006 showcase at the Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota, knew about Swift. She seized her first opportunity to impress in the Twin Cities.
Since then, we've heard 10 Swift studio albums as well as two "Taylor's versions" reimagining those records. She's become an unstoppable cultural supernova, selling out stadiums, grabbing three prestigious album of the year Grammys and garnering the attention of Congress and President Joe Biden about rewriting ticketing laws.
With the ongoing Eras Tour providing an album-by-album survey of Swift's career, we rank her records (original versions), worst to best.
10. "Reputation" (2017). We get it: She's angry — at ex-boyfriends, record executives and haters of all kinds. We get upset with the production by Max Martin and others, heavy on trap trappings, edgy electronica and even hip-hop touches that made Taylor seem like a follower rather than a leader. These songs sound so much better in concert, however.
9. "Taylor Swift" (2006). Her debut rides a roller coaster of teen emotions, peaking on the remarkably well crafted "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Picture to Burn" and the sticky-sweet, sing-songy "Our Song." The sound is twang-lite, her voice girlish and thin. Can't wait to hear "Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)" because these songs deserve better.
8. "Midnights" (2022). It's late-night synthpop with a tad lighter touch and shades of Lana Del Rey's nocturnal haze. This is slow-burn, introspective stuff that spreads "Lavender Haze" and "Karma," with the quintessentially Swiftian notion that "karma is a cat." At 44 minutes, "Midnights" is Swift's shortest album and arguably longtime producer Jack Antonoff's least compelling effort.
7. "Speak Now" (2010). For the first and only time, Taylor writes an entire album without collaborators. In songs that seem overtly personal for the first time, she speaks up about ex-boyfriends, an ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend and Kanye West, her famous awards show interrupter/antagonist, without, of course, naming names. With alluring hooks and engrossing stories, this solo creation is a testament to her formidableness at the youthful age of 20.
6. "Evermore" (2020). This comes off as a younger sister to "Folklore," which arrived five months earlier, one who is a bit more of a free spirit but still sad, reeling from a broken engagement, a dalliance while married and other affairs of the heart. Curiously, these are the stories of other people, not Taylor. Ultimately, "Evermore" feels more like an essential sequel than a collection of leftovers or B-sides.
5. "Fearless" (2008). This is a big step up from Swift's eponymous debut, establishing that she writes songs about being a teenager more convincingly than any other teen (or older songwriting pro, for that matter). "Fifteen" and "Hey Stephen" are perfect high school pop. Wait, she would have been in high school when she made this album. Awesome!
4. "Lover" (2019). The glitter and pastel palette of the cover seem appropriate for her happiest album, which some perceive as a course correction after the precedingly dark and revenge-filled "Reputation." For the first time, Swift injects social commentary into her music, namely on "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" and "You Need to Calm Down," and delivers arguably her best love song yet, with the title cut. With 18 songs, "Lover" is overlong yet underappreciated.
3. "Folklore" (2020). Taylor goes indie, stripped down and chillwave with the crucial help of producer/songwriter Aaron Dessner of the National. The songwriting is vivid and versatile, with a focus on the lyrics bathed in Dessner's gauzy impressionistic soundscapes. It's a whole new voice and side of Taylor. Fearless, as usual, and quite brilliant.
2. "1989" (2014). Forget those country roots. Swift went all in on this sparkling electro-pop blockbuster. Yes, there are songs about Harry Styles, another unnamed ex and hit bop after irresistible hit bop with "Shake It Off," "Bad Blood," "Out of the Woods" and "Blank Space." "1989" is the album — the second of Taylor's three to capture the Grammy for album of the year ("Fearless" and "Folklore" were the others) — that deservedly crowned her as the latest pop queen.
1. "Red" (2012). At 22, she not only joyfully surges into adulthood but boldly segues from country-pop to various styles of mostly twang-free pop, with synths, drum machines and a denser sound. And she does it with characteristic aplomb. She rocks with "Holy Ground," gets us dancing with "Starlight," makes us sing along with the self-deprecating "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and gets confessional on "I Knew You Were Trouble" and the seething "All Too Well" (which only gets better in the classic 10-minute incarnation on 2021's "Red (Taylor's Version)."
