Taylor Swift’s meteoric rise from the Bluebird Cafe and Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records to commanding stadiums full of adoring fans on international tours is one of the most impressive pop music comeback stories ever. But what’s even more remarkable is the range of genres she’s mastered, from country to pop to acoustic ballads and more. It’s this ability to move seamlessly between different types of music that has given Taylor a lasting legacy, and made her one of the most popular artists of her generation.
Here, we take a look at some of the most memorable Taylor Swift songs in a variety of styles to show you how the Grammy Award-winning artist can take any song and make it her own.
1. Back to December
Swift’s debut single takes a delicate, first-person approach to high school romance, sounding like a gently eulogized memoir. The song’s simplicity is its strength, and the way she encapsulates her feelings of insecurity and awkwardness gives it an achingly relatable quality. It also shows that, even at this early stage, she had a gift for capturing emotions in the most elegant way possible.
2. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
In 2012, Swift became the youngest female soloist to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with this pop anthem, and it cemented her status as one of the most recognizable voices in contemporary pop. Its soaring harmonies and sweeping production are instantly recognizable, and its catchy hook makes it one of the most memorable singles of all time. In addition to her successful music career, Swift has become a prominent philanthropist, donating millions of dollars and books to schools and children’s literacy initiatives across the U.S.
3. We Aren’t in Love Anymore
The final track on her second album, Red, is a dramatic breakup anthem that takes the kind of operatic grandeur that characterizes much of the music on the record. Swift’s lyrical reiterations of the word “love” are as potent and poetic as ever, and the orchestral climax with its martial drumbeat is a perfect encapsulation of her conflicting emotions.
4. Reputation
In 2023, Swift returned with a re-recording of her sixth studio album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and set a new record for the longest-lasting No. 1 on the Billboard charts, with an album that debuted at #1 and stayed there for six weeks. The re-release marked her shift to independent label Republic Records, which allowed her to retain ownership of the master recordings on her albums and singles.
5. All Too Well
Swift is a master of making grief feel accessible, and this acoustic ballad about a friend who died young is no exception. The intimate mix of piano and quiet strings, combined with the narrator’s uttering of the line “I’m so sorry I can’t be there for you” makes it one of the most moving and poignant tracks on the album. In addition to donating to schools and children’s literacy initiatives, she has also supported the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Recording Preservation Foundation.
