A (Decidedly Undefinitive) Ranking Of My Favorite Taylor Swift Albums

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since we’ve had a new Diary of a Small-Town Girl post, but I’m back and excited to get back to blogging. It’s been a busy few months, but I’ve got a lot coming up that I can’t wait to share with y’all! As you might be able to tell by the title, we’re having a Swiftie party today! This past Friday, I got to go to see the Eras Tour in Minneapolis at US Bank Stadium, and I’m not joking when I say this concert was one of the best times I’ve ever had. I’ll share more about my experience at the concert down below, but let’s get into: A (decidedly undefinitive) ranking of my favorite Taylor Swift Albums!

Here’s me before the concert! I was dressed as the reputation era (hint hint for the ranking).

A (Decidedly Undefinitive) Ranking of My Favorite Taylor Swift Albums

Before we get into it, I first have to say that I love each and every single one of Taylor’s albums. This ranking will probably change tomorrow in fact, as my tastes and vibes are always changing. (My number one spot will probably never change though!) And because I know everyone has different preferences when it comes to the eras, let me know down below in the comments what your favorite albums (or songs!) are!

We’ll start counting down from the bottom, and I’ll share a little bit about my reasoning for each album as we go! Also, all of the rankings are of the Taylor’s Versions (that are currently out) of the album, obviously.

10. Red

Interestingly, the album that first introduced me to Taylor is definitely my least favorite. While there are some incredible songs on it, like State of Grace, Begin Again, and All Too Well (10 minute version), but it just isn’t my favorite style. However, the music videos from this era are elite. I remember being about 8 years old and watching the Everything Has Changed music video with Ed Sheeran, and it’s a memory I look back on fondly as a now-full-fledged Swiftie.

9. Fearless

Keeping it going with some of the older albums, Fearless also just isn’t really my vibe. While I absolutely love the songs, and again, the music videos are iconic, it’s just not super memorable for me. It also came out when I was only 4 years old, so I wasn’t really old enough to be introduced to it. Overall, it’s just not my favorite, but it’s definitely a good one.

8. Debut

I didn’t realize this until the day of the concert, but Taylor’s debut album came out when I was literally 2 years old! I feel like I didn’t really appreciate how long she’s been in the industry until learning this, but it’s so shocking. This album is also the last one that I listened to all the way through, as I haven’t been a big country fan in the past. After listening to it though, there are so many songs that I love on this album. It feels so nostalgic and really fits how I’ve been feeling the past couple years with graduating high school and going to college. My favorite song is definitely A Place in This World, but I also love Our Song (I remember listening to it with my friends growing up and it feels like a core childhood song to me).

7. folklore

Some might be surprised to find this so low on my list, especially given that there are so many songs I love on this album (the 1, tlgad, august!?), but for me, it just doesn’t quite compare to evermore. This was the second Taylor Swift album that I listened to in full, and it definitely got me through the pandemic. While I love this album, I just have so many more favorites from later albums that it had to fall towards the middle of the pack.

6. Lover

Lover is the album that made me a Swiftie. This is the first album that I remember being released and listening to a ton of the songs on the album. While this album definitely used to be higher in my ranking, it’s fallen a bit over the years. However, Paper Rings is still very near the top of my list for all-time favorite songs (which is why it was SO EXCITING that it was the SURPRISE SONG at my concert!!!). Overall, this album holds so many happy memories, but is outshined by some of the ones higher on the list.

My friends Sophia and Zoe with their friendship bracelets and Eras nails before the concert!

5. 1989

This ranking might surprise some people, and honestly, it sometimes surprises me still! 1989 was definitely at the bottom of my list as recently as a year ago. It’s an album that has absolutely grown on me, particularly recently. I don’t actually remember much from this era, other than the hate that followed it (and led to Reputation), but the songs are so much fun, especially the ones that aren’t as popular. There are so many songs I love, like How You Get the Girl, Clean, You Are In Love, Wonderland, I could go on and on. And that’s how 1989 ended up as number 5 on the list!

4. Midnights

I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH! It truly has some of the greatest lyrics of all time, and I love that we’re still getting new music/editions of the album (You’re Losing Me makes me sob THE BRIDGE!?!) I remember waiting up until midnight to listen to the album all the way through, and the chills I had on Mastermind stay with me to this day. (SETLIST SPOILER: I had no idea she played Mastermind but it made my night!) The vibes of this album are just immaculate and ranking the songs on it is nearly impossible.

3. evermore

Honestly, evermore supremacy for me. This album feels like an older sister to folklore. It’s more grown up, and has so many incredibly songs. I actually remember being a bit underwhelmed when evermore first came out, but it’s totally grown on me and I find myself putting it on all the time now. I was gonna list some of my favorites on the album, then looked through the list and realized that I would just be listing every song on the album, which is pretty self-explanatory as to why it’s number 3 lol!

2. Speak Now

Every single thing about Speak Now truly blows my mind. Mostly that Taylor self-wrote the entire thing at age 18. Like what?? Anyways, the sounds on this album are so good, and it’s one that I come back to and throw on for every mood. I only recently listened to the album all the way through, and I can’t believe I didn’t earlier. I am beyond excited for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and the Vault tracks (When Emma Falls in Love anyone? lol). But in all seriousness, this album has it all and that’s why it’s number two for me.

1. reputation

And finally, reputation. I mean, what else could be number one? This album is EVERYTHING. From the music videos to the tour to the outfits to the lyrics to the vibes – everything is perfection. I distinctly remember the LWYMMD music video coming out and my jaw being on the floor throughout the entire thing. And in 5 years, nothing has changed except my jaw is on the floor for every song. This album has some of Taylor’s best songs on it and I truly could not put anything else in the number one spot. When she came out for the reputation part of the concert, I was literally jumping up and down I was so excited. This will Forever and Always be my favorite album, even if all of my other rankings change constantly. reputation supremacy for real.

The Eras Tour Concert

And finally, we get into the concert review: IT WAS AMAZING!! I truly had the best time ever. The 8 hours sitting in the queue for tickets was absolutely worth it. I had the opportunity to go with my mom, my sister, my aunt, and two of my close friends and it was the best group to go with. We had so much fun getting ready at the hotel together, hanging out, and watching the show. We kept joking that it was like a wedding because we’ve been coordinating since October, planning outfits for weeks, met up 6 hours before the concert to get ready, took a million photos, and just generally had an amazing experience.

TAYLOR SWIFT!!

The surprise songs for our night were Paper Rings and If This Was a Movie. I avoided as many spoilers as I could about the setlist, outfits, and even surprise songs. While I obviously knew a few things, overall it was an incredible surprise. Paper Rings being a surprise song made my life, as it’s my favorite track off of Lover and one of my favorite songs of all time. The theatrics, tech, and singing (of course) were all amazing. I’ve never seen a show like this before, and I think most other people haven’t either.

It was so much fun to see everyone’s outfits, trade bracelets, and get some merch (I got a tote bag and a water bottle, both of which I’ve already been using and loving). While I didn’t take many videos during the concert, it was truly so incredible and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity, and especially to go with the people I went with. All in all, I’d absolutely go again (I was half-looking at tickets for the Saturday night show all day lol) and whenever the next tour is, I will definitely be getting tickets (even if I have to sit in line for 8 hours again!).

Wrap Up

Thank you so much for reading all the way through my (decidedly undefinitive) ranking of my favorite Taylor Swift albums! Let me know in the comments what your favorite TS albums are. I love sharing in the excitement and joy that there is around this tour. Looking forward, I’m hoping to get back into posting regularly, so if you have any posts that you’d like me to make, let me know those too! Check out my Instagram for all the Eras tour photos, and to keep updated on the latest DSTG adventures!

As always, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

Check out all of the Diary of a Small-Town Girl posts here!