top of page

Top ten Taylor Swift songs


Art by Dawn Malliagh

Everyone knows who Taylor Swift is. Maybe you’ve heard of her, possibly listened to a few of her songs, or maybe you’re a die-hard Swiftie. Whatever level of obsessed you may be, you’ll agree that it is almost impossible to name her best songs, because she does everything - pop, country, chill, and so much more. But after months of consideration, different opinions, and listening to Taylor for days on repeat, I came up with the following list of her top ten songs - five to sing in the shower and five to relax from a long day to.

In order to accurately rank the songs, I used a rubric to judge them on: lyrics, catchiness, replay-ability, and an overall rating. The scores were averaged, and the following list was compiled.

TOP FIVE UPBEAT SONGS

#1: “Mastermind”

Lyrics: 10

Catchiness: 10

Replay-ability: 10

Overall: 10

Final Score: 10/10


A few months ago, in the fall semester of 2022, I was going to publish this article with a completely different song in first place. Then, Taylor released her album Midnights. I decided to postpone the publication of this article because of all the amazing songs on said album. And, even though there were so many good pieces that I wanted to add to this list, “Mastermind” was the first that came to mind. Swift has always had a pop influence in her music, but this song was kind of the first to have a slight auto-tune vibe, and even though that kind of sound doesn’t really feel authentic on most songs, Taylor really pulls it off in “Mastermind”.


#2: “Don’t Blame Me”

Lyrics: 10

Catchiness: 10

Replay-ability: 9

Overall: 8

Final Score: 9.25/10


I honestly can’t say much about this song other than you need to listen to it right now. When the album that this piece is in, Reputation, was released, nobody expected this kind of sound from Taylor. Before this, Swift had maintained a country and almost innocent vibe. But after this album came out, Taylor changed completely. Now, her look was dark; dark lipstick, weird & creepy motifs, black clothes- what can only be described as Jenna Ortega in Wednesday if she was an international pop star.


However, she still hadn’t changed too much - she was still writing love songs like “Don’t Blame Me”, which tell the story of someone falling so deeply in love that it’s compared to a drug addiction. Taylor is basically saying that we can’t blame her for what she does under the spell of this love; and I am completely here for it. Amazing lyrics, a catchy melody, and just overall new sound makes “Don’t Blame Me” a song I will continue to listen to for a long time.


#3: “Speak Now”

Lyrics: 9

Catchiness: 10

Replay-ability: 8

Overall: 9

Final Score: 9/10


Even though this song isn’t on the top charts or anything like that, it really deserves to be. An amazing story is told of a girl who breaks up her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, believing that he’s “marrying the wrong girl”. The music is amazing, the story is captivating, and the only thing I could say is wrong with this is that more people aren’t in love with it. After discovering this piece a few months ago, I am so surprised that it isn’t top of all the charts. You might not be a Swiftie right now, but you will be when you listen to “Speak Now”.


#4: “Vigilante Sh*t”

Lyrics: 10

Catchiness: 9.5

Replay-ability: 5

Overall: 7

Final Score: 7.9/10


There are honestly no words to describe how good this song is. We’ve seen so many different Taylors: country, goth, a little bit sad, and so many more. However, this is arguably the best one. Swift is finally taking her life back from who everyone thinks she is and who they want her to be, and she is being her own person. She’s taking revenge on everyone who has wronged her, and she is doing it in the best way possible - amazing music.


#5: “Long Live”

Lyrics: 9

Catchiness: 10

Replay Ability: 10

Overall: 8.5

Final Score: 9.8/10