taylor swift is arguably the greatest singer of her generation. The pop superstar is as prolific a songwriter as she is a recording artist, and her work has spanned genres from country to dance-pop to heartland rock and even a bit of ’80s punk. Her latest album, Reputation, continues her long streak of success with a series of songs that are as catchy and compelling as they are unapologetic in their bluntness. As the record enters its second week at number one on the Billboard 200, we take a look back at some of our favorite taylor swift songs that have made her such a force to be reckoned with.
From the beginning, Taylor’s lyrics have been as intimate as her music. Her early, youthful love songs on 2010’s Speak Now sounded like a teenager swooning over her first crush. But that was no accident. Any 14-year-old with the ambition to persuade her parents to move her from suburban Pennsylvania to Nashville for a shot at fame could have only meant serious business.
After a few years of singing and acting lessons in New York City, Swift returned to her roots and found herself drawn to country music, inspired by the likes of Shania Twain and Faith Hill. She made her debut at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe in 2005, where she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Big Machine Records executive who soon signed her.
In the decade that followed, Swift became one of the biggest names in country music and launched a global career. Her albums shifted from traditional country to modern pop, and she began to collaborate with producers like Max Martin and Shellback, who would become some of her most frequent collaborators in the future.
Throughout her career, Taylor has been one of the most transparent artists about her personal experiences. She’s been willing to share the small details of her life, like eye color, necklace shapes, astrological signs, street names for clothes and even the number of stitches from a fight with a boy, allowing fans to do their best guesswork (either educated or fanciful) about what the bigger picture is.
On this song from her 2020 album, Folklore, we find Swift telling her lover that his charms are so powerful that he can take up all the oxygen in the room, leaving everyone else in awe. It’s a deeply sexy track that’s fun to sing along with, but it’s also a reminder that when you’re this famous, there’s no such thing as being an innocent. Whether for satire or not, there’s always a little bit of bad girl in Taylor Swift. And that’s not a bad thing.
