Ranking Taylor Swift's Opening Tracks

Intro:

As Swifty trash, I spend a frightening amount of time ranking a lot of Taylor’s songs in my brain. So I figured, I might as well get paid for this internal chaos, and today we shall begin that journey by ranking the opening tracks for each of her albums, from Debut all the way to Midnights.

Of course, I must preface this video with the fact these are all my 100% correct opinions… Okay, enough being a jackass. This list is my own perception as of writing this script, and that’s definitely subject to change. If you disagree… okay. You’re kinda supposed to have your own idea of which songs hit you more. And admittedly, I do have biases for certain albums over others - specifically… I’m still not very big on Debut, and I’m also not all that in love with Fearless and 1989. But Red? Folklore and Evermore? REPUTATION? They own my entire soul.

This ranking will be focused not only on how I feel about each song, but also how well I feel they work at introducing you to the story, themes, and aesthetics of each album. Now without further ado, let the ranking begin.

Number 10, “Tim McGraw” (Debut):

Yeah, remember 10 seconds ago when I said I wasn’t a big fan of Debut? Didn’t take very long for that to become clear, did it? Now to be fair, I actually do like this song. It’s one of the few songs on Debut I find myself going back to occasionally, and whose melody can easily get stuck in my head.

It’s aggressively country with a cute twang, which I actually kinda enjoy. And I definitely respect Taylor for coming up with such clear, empathetic imagery at such a young age. Truly, her songwriting has always been unmatched. It’s a pretty relatable vibe of things we associate with past relationships, and wishing that means someone you were once with will think of you from time to time.

Also, damn, that whole trope of repeating lyrics, except they mean something entirely different the second time? It started here. “He said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia starts to shame that night. I said, ‘That’s a lie.’” First time, it’s super cute. Second time, I’m ready to die.

Overall, a really good song that’s reminding me to give Debut another chance one of these days, and makes me wonder if it’ll finally hook me when it gets rerecorded. But still, I must be honest and say it doesn’t hit me the way all the other openers do. So to the bottom of the list you go, “Tim McGraw.” Honestly… I just don’t really think about you that much.

Number 9, “I Forgot That You Existed” (Lover):

Lover as an album deserves her flowers. She never really got her time in the spotlight, and overall, tends to be overlooked and underappreciated. And maybe I’m not helping that by putting its opening track at the second-to-last spot. But you know what? Some artists’ bar is so high, that even their weakest songs are everybody else’s best.

Coming off of Reputation, Taylor’s darkest album yet, it was incredibly important for Lover to immediately set itself apart as a more lighthearted jaunt into the daylight of purple-pink skies. And given Reputation was very focused on revenge, it makes sense that Lover’s opening track is about dismissing those who’ve hurt you in order to fully enjoy your life.

Sonically, this song isn’t my favorite. The beat is catchy, and the production does its job, but I’m not in love with the sound. The poppy vibes of Lover shine a lot more in other songs like “Cruel Summer” or “Paper Rings.” That’s my main issue with the song, cuz everything else? I’m in love with.

I’m absolutely here for this carefree vibe, floating above all the venom and vitriol while you enjoy all the great things life has to offer. You recognize that that someone has hurt you, but you also realize that by feeding further into the problem by engaging, you’re just adding fuel to the fire. So instead, you disengage. You only give your energy to the things which serve you.

Personally, that’s a perfect way to cut off Reputation’s story to begin the Lover era, and also to allow for full exploration of domestic cuteness and authentic, messy love.

Number 8, “Mine” (Speak Now):

This might get me killed. Okay, look, Speak Now has really grown on me. I wasn’t really feeling it on my first listen, but the more I sat with it, the more I came to appreciate how much Taylor had honed her storytelling - which means she did her job, since that was the whole point of this one being self-written. That being said… most of the tracks I love are in the back half of the album, “Back to December” and “Dear John” notwithstanding.

I’ve definitely come to enjoy “Mine,” but I’m still not in love with it. The imagery has a cinematic, almost fairy tale vibe about it that definitely tracks through the rest of the album, and I really enjoy the production and melody. But I don’t feel any deep love of the song the way I do the later tracks. Usually an opener is supposed to stick with you. You remember the first track on an album you love, and… that’s not really how I am with Speak Now.

That said, this might change when Taylor’s Version comes out, oh my God, I’m so excited for the re-recorded versions of “The Story of Us” and “Long Live.” We’ll see I guess, but I gotta say… this ain’t the best thing that’s ever been mine… is it even mine? Eh, you get what I mean.

Number 7, “Fearless” (Fearless):

Fearless as an album didn’t really win me over until Taylor’s Version came out. Again, Taylor’s imagery hits real well, describing both the fear and courage within a wholesome young love - a concept incredibly foreign to a gay like me, but ya know what? I enjoy me some fiction.

“Fearless” sets the tone, the vibe, and the genre the moment it starts playing, and wastes no time setting the scene. The music swells with the emotions on display, as she’s in a storm in her best dress, then slows in the bridge as she gets to the first kiss. It’s using the music to help convey the story, something Taylor has always excelled in.

After releasing Debut, Taylor took what she learned from her first album in order to refine and perfect her second, which probably added to it being her commercial breakthrough. The album is impressively cohesive, signaled by its catchy, emotional opener, something which it shares with Taylor’s other biggest albums like 1989 and Midnights.

I’m not even that big a fan of Fearless as an album, but the songs I love from it, I adore, and this is absolutely one of them. Truly, I just don’t know how it gets better than this… I mean, actually, I do, but I’m trying to make this joke work, okay?

Number 6, “…Ready For It?” (Reputation):

Alright. Now we’re getting into the REALLY good shit. I am a Reputation stan. Real quick, I’ll throw up a ranking of my favorite albums from Taylor on the screen - Reputation usually hangs out in the top 3, and at one point even held second place before Red eviscerated my spirit. But when you talk about setting the tone, you simply must discuss “… Ready For It?”

Not only is the title perfection, creating intrigue and anticipation, but this track also immediately differentiates Reputation from all five of Taylor’s previous albums. It’s much darker, embracing EDM, and Taylor gets to show off her wordplay in the verses. Admittedly, the wordplay isn’t my cup of tea, but it takes a lot of skill to get your prose to flow that well sonically while also cutting to the bone.

I especially love how the choruses feel much lighter and more dreamlike than the rest of the song, hinting at the true core of the album: the love story that saved Taylor from the chaos of the world around her. And really? That’s who the song is directed at. It may sound dark, but the message is quite hopeful and exciting - a deception that a lot of more casual listeners never really seemed to pick up on when they dismiss Reputation as edgy and vapid.

Number 5, “Lavender Haze” (Midnights):

Out of all the opening tracks, this is the one that had the easiest time taking over my brain. After the more lowkey, indie folk vibes of Folklore and Evermore, Taylor returns to pop once again to prove that she is the Pop Queen. The fact she starts on “Meet me at midnight” to tie into the buildup towards this album and tie into the title? She is a mastermind and no one should stop her.

But the story at the core of this song actually works quite well in the rest of the album’s reflective, somber energy. Once again, we explore how fame and celebrity fucking suck, and make everything so much harder than it needs to be - especially if you’re a woman. This love that Taylor found in Reputation is still her escape as the world continues to scrutinize her, especially as they expect her - like all women - to shut up, get married, settle down, and have kids.

Instead, she wants to remain in the lavender haze. She wants to keep the fun, passionate energy of her romance without being tied down to 1950s housewife bullshit. I also appreciate how once we get to the bridge, there’s so much more anger in how over everything Taylor becomes that bleeds into the final chorus.

Also, again as a gay, I must appreciate the use of lavender here. Sidenote: I’m not taking any music videos into account for this list, but… can we talk about the “Lavender Haze” music video? The purple pool? The retro ‘70s decor and fashion? THE KOI FISH? I’m here for all of this weird shit.

Number 4, “the 1” (folklore):

Yep. It’s time to whore myself out for Folklore and Evermore. For this one, I’ve talked in depth about Folklore as an album, including opening track “the 1,” so I’m gonna link it down below if you wanna hear me scream about it for far too fucking long. But I’ll summarize: “the 1” does a great job setting the tone for this album as something totally different from anything Taylor’s done before, and also establishes the speculative storytelling this album is renowned for.

It’s very chill and simple, focused on a love that could’ve been great had the circumstances allowed it to flourish. Alas, it’s gone, and all you can do is look back and imagine a different road you and this other person could’ve gone down. You could tie it to one of Taylor’s past relationships, but it’s more focused on a presumably fictional story that anyone can relate to.

It’s deeply emotional and personal, yet also mature in the acceptance of reality. The narrator isn’t angry about the fact this relationship didn’t work out, and even wishes their former lover well, recognizing that their life went on in a different direction as well. And for these reasons, I am a “the 1” stan, fight me.

Number 3, “willow” (evermore):

When it comes to talking about albums, I tend to group Folklore and Evermore together. Generally, I prefer Folklore overall, but I also adore Evermore’s storytelling as the other side of the coin. Folklore is more somber and grounded, whereas Evermore further embraces the fictional angle of this era, and is far more whimsical and experimental, in its lyrics, theming, and production. You can’t have one without the other.

But oh my God, “willow” does such a perfect job of introducing you into Evermore’s mystical world, and honestly, I’d argue does it better than “the 1.” These witchy strings are absolutely hypnotic, perfectly capturing this image of the narrator creating this idealized lover who effortlessly slipped into her life and stole her heart.

The imagery of cutting through rough waters, and of course the metaphor of life as a willow bending to her lover’s wind, perfectly capture the experiences Taylor wants to portray. Clearly, “willow” has successfully placed me under its spell, and y’all need to give Evermore her damn flowers.

Number 2, “State of Grace” (Red):

Shocker - I’m a Red stan. This album is perfect in its messiness and incohesiveness. It’s an album about the full spectrum of emotion, and the unrelenting turmoil of a red love. “State of Grace” looks at that full story from above, looking back on everything with the wisdom of having emerged from the trainwreck intact, scarred, and far stronger.

Sonically, Red was Taylor’s first step into pop, and as such is a weird mix of country and pop, and the closest she ever got to rock proper. “State of Grace” has a familiar-enough production to the first three albums not to be completely alien to existing Swifties, but is different enough in how sweeping the atmosphere is to intrigue you in what’s to come. The moment you hear this, you know you’re about to get something much deeper than what the first three albums had to offer.

Truly, no one saw “State of Grace,” or Red, coming, and no one was ever the same.

Number 1, “Welcome to New York” (1989):

I know I said that I wasn’t a big fan of 1989, so this is probably surprising to most of y’all. But I must admit… this opener does the best job at setting up the album to follow. As Taylor’s first true, full-throttle pop album, “Welcome to New York” focuses on immediately letting you know what you’re in store for. More synthy, poppy vibes that immediately create the image of a bustling metropolis that Taylor is taking by storm.

It works on several levels: not only for Taylor actually moving to New York City itself, but also for her popstar advent. “Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before.” And moving on from Red, there’s this feeling of moving onto bigger and better things. Putting your broken heart in a drawer so you’re free to reinvent yourself (Potentially in a gay way, who knows?). She’s still acknowledging her roots, but is also unapologetic in this evolution of herself, her brand, and her sound.

And just in general, as a New Yorker… this is our anthem. Granted, I don’t live in the city, and if you insinuate that New York as a state is just the city and nothing else, I will cut you, but I still consider this to be our state anthem.

Conclusion & Outro:

Taylor knows her shit. Her storytelling skills always manage to shine through her songwriting, and she knows how to set the scene and get you hooked on the story of each album.

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I’m the Unicorn of War… and I will die a Folklore stan, goodbye.