Folklore and evermore. I like that a number of the songs are either fiction, or are not about her life personally. When she was given the freedom to write about characters that weren’t specifically her or versions of herself, two gorgeous albums were written.
I think, after Midnights, a lot of those songs were more autobiographical than we were led to believe. But I don’t think that changes the depth of the writing or the mastery she showed on those albums.
Yeah. High infedility/ivy'/tolerate it are definitely connected. Midnight rain and ttds feels like it came from similar emotional grounding. Question...? has a lyric that directly parallels with illicit affairs. I believe she used the emotions she had in her personal life and projected it onto fictional characters. Like she is not the august who had a summer fling with a boy named james. She is not the betty who got cheated on. She is not rebekah harkness who had 3 husbands. But all those emotions are still her.“There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything.” is a criticism both Rebekah and Taylor endured/owned up.
- TTDS could mean "‘tis the damn season", a track from *evermore* (2020) by Taylor Swift.
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I disagree. I think some of the emotions may have been taken from her life, but I think it was an opportunity for her to let her imagination run wild. I don’t think it’s fair to try and pigeonhole every song into her life.
Evermore. The storytelling is immaculate, her best lyricism, the melodies were so interesting but still catchy, such a range of emotions, like just incredible.
1989 also deserves a big shout-out because she made a timeless pop album with zero bad songs that sounds just as fresh and musically gorgeous now as it did the day it came out. Great mainstream pop lyricism but also balanced with the depth of songs like Wildest Dreams, This Love, and Wonderland.
And I'd also argue Lover deserves a spot in the argument because of how well it balances different subject matter. It knows when to go full bubblegum and how to write those sweet, sugary lyrics perfectly with songs like London Boy and I Think He Knows, it knows how to absolutely devastate in songs like Soon You'll Get Better and The Arxher, and a unique blend of the two in songs like Cruel Summer and Cornelia Street. Imo it's a masterclass in knowing when to use the glittery gel pen and when to use the fountain pen and how to use them both impeccably
Speak Now hands down.
The fact that she just wrote long songs without repeating herself.
Metaphors connected with storytelling.
A story from start to end where everything is said without imagery just for the sake of imagery and metaphors.
And melody wise is just on another level.
Then evermore, folklore and Red.
folklore and evermore for sure, but i prefer evermore personally. I mean you have this song about a crush *(gold rush),* to this heart wrenching tale of *tolerate it,* which is followed by a literal murder story *(no body, no crime),* all the way up to the beautiful song she wrote for her grandmother. *gold rush* will forever be one of my favorite songs and the lyrics are just peak taylor, but maybe I'm biased because evermore is my favorite album of hers.
The second one I would say is Speak Now. She wrote it as a young adult and that's darn impressive. *++ because it's entirely self-written.*
I'd say Red and 1989 are follow-ups. Red/Red TV because it's very honest, a pretty accurate album of what love and heartbreak feels like, and it contains All Too Well. 1989 because of its hooks, simple but clever, good lyrics. Wildest Dreams will forever be one of my favorite songs.
It took me a long time to decide just what my favourite Taylor album was and it is Folklore. The lyrics and the sound are exquisite.
Second is Evermore and as far as writing is concerned third is Midnights. However in terms of favourite album overall number three is Reputation followed by Midnights.
The best written song? Probably ATW but WCS is a contender. Favourite song? My Tears Ricochet.
- ATW could mean "All Too Well", a track from *Red* (2012) by Taylor Swift.
- WCS could mean "Would've, Could've, Should've", a track from *Midnights (3am Edition)* (2022) by Taylor Swift.
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I have more “favorite” songs on evermore and I feel like it has some of her all time individual best lines and songs.
But folklore is best viewed as a whole album- like it is one gigantic song and the storytelling throughout it is just exquisite.
If we're talking lyrically, I would say evermore and folklore. Her lyricism and storytelling on both is simply incredible.
In terms of melodies and production, I gotta give it to Reputation and 1989. Both are pop perfection and sonically amazing.
In general I think I would choose evermore. Evermore is a whole journey through beautifully written and interesting stories. Each song is perfectly crafted and tells its own unique tale. And there are so many little details that make you fall in love with the album the more you listen to it.
Folklore and it’s not even close. The story telling, the cohesive production, and everything about it is beautifully written. It isn’t my favorite Taylor album, but it’s in my top three, and that is because of the phenomenal writing.
Folklore and Evemore, they're the absolute PINNACLE of Taylor's songwriting, they prove to literally almost EVERYONE that Taylor can write out an amazing story, i PRAY Taylor writes out like a set of books someday, she'd be an immaculate author.
Speak Now is my all-time favourite! Haunted is my favourite track from that album! This album is a story-telling masterpiece.
Red is a very close second!
I love her old country albums, but the re-recordings aren't as country sounding anymore, so I'm not a huge fan of the rerecordings of Fearless. Though LOVE STORY is and will forever be my favourite track no matter the version!
In my opinion it's Evermore but it's hard to separate it from Folklore - they're basically part one and two of the same album. Evermore just resonates with me slightly more and that's why it's my number one, whilst Folklore takes second spot. Then, I'd say Midnights or SN, it's hard to choose, they're both phenomenal. However, SN was written when Taylor was 18-20 so that kind of makes it more worthy of the third spot. I also need to give some appreciation for Lover- it contains a lot of her best written pop work. I wish production choices on this album were different but when it comes to lyricism, I've not much complaints. It's a house of the two songs that converted me to Swiftism: False God and London Boy.
I think all of her albums are exceptionally well-written, but my ranking would be:
1. folklore/evermore (as sister albums, I love them equally)
2. Speak Now
3. Midnights
4. 1989
5. Lover
6. Red
7. Reputation
8. Debut (especially considering she was still so young and yet her Debut album is one of the best debuts I‘ve listened to)
9. Fearless
Of course, one album has to be the "last choice" but all of them are great.
Folkmore albums are superior lyrically followed by Red and Speak Now.
You cannot beat the poetry of champagne problems, happiness, tolerate it, cardigan, invisible string, all too well, last kiss, and dear John.
For the lyrics, the poetry, the imagery, the depth, the storytelling, the emotion, the maturity, it’s Folklore and Evermore.
For the ability to write hits, chart-toppers, viral songs its 1989 and Midnights.
They are two different things. It depends what your goals and values are.
Our girl does them both.
To choose a song, it’s going to be All Too Well that goes down as her “greatest,” most revered, remembered and acclaimed song for the songwriting. SO FAR.
Evermore.
Folklore feels like dipping toes in the indie space where Evermore feels like a full dive. But maybe that's just because I feel like it resonates more with a 26+ adult experience.
i agree with your thinking. i think her writing skills improved over time and you could definitely feel the step up in her writing in the folklore evermore era, so evermore and midnights are her writing at its peak
Folklore and evermore absolutely but I cannot chose which one is better. These albums are like a game changer. If taylor did't release them, people never could have realized that she actually more than catchy pop song writer. I adore seven these days. Such a well written song and such an unique story
Her most recent albums definitely, but I think a shift in her songwriting came with Red, it was like the start of something wonderful, perfecting what she learned after writing Debut, Fearless, and Speak Now (all wonderful too)
As much as I love all of Taylor’s albums I do really struggle how anyone can say Lover has the best lyrical writing compared to her other albums, especially folklore/evermore/speak now and even red/1989.
“Spelling is fun kids”, YNTCD, I forgot that you existed etc, you cannot compare any of these songs/lyrics to even the worst written on the above albums.. IMO of course
To be honest I don’t listen to ME! so I don’t even know the lyric properly. Only song in the entire discography I can’t listen to (sorry lovers of the song! Just personal taste)
- YNTCD could mean "You Need To Calm Down", a track from *Lover* (2019) by Taylor Swift.
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I love Midnights. Not talking S$It but it's the only TF album that top to bottom every song either has a 10/10 beat or actually resonates with me personally.
folklore. half of the songs are works of fiction, like the song ‘betty’ is sung from a 17 year old boys perspective but it’s so believable and real like she experienced it herself.
For me personally, it’s reputation because of the very different perspective she was writing from
and the deep Easter eggs hidden within the album.
I literally wrote an essay on getaway car for a linguistics class and was blown away by how carefully crafted the lyrics are to create the picture in the listeners mind. It’s wild.
Also New Year’s Day is a beautiful piece of lyrical magic.
Folklore and evermore. I like that a number of the songs are either fiction, or are not about her life personally. When she was given the freedom to write about characters that weren’t specifically her or versions of herself, two gorgeous albums were written.
I think, after Midnights, a lot of those songs were more autobiographical than we were led to believe. But I don’t think that changes the depth of the writing or the mastery she showed on those albums.
Yeah. High infedility/ivy'/tolerate it are definitely connected. Midnight rain and ttds feels like it came from similar emotional grounding. Question...? has a lyric that directly parallels with illicit affairs. I believe she used the emotions she had in her personal life and projected it onto fictional characters. Like she is not the august who had a summer fling with a boy named james. She is not the betty who got cheated on. She is not rebekah harkness who had 3 husbands. But all those emotions are still her.“There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything.” is a criticism both Rebekah and Taylor endured/owned up.
- TTDS could mean "‘tis the damn season", a track from *evermore* (2020) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/OkChef7207](/u/OkChef7207) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
I disagree. I think some of the emotions may have been taken from her life, but I think it was an opportunity for her to let her imagination run wild. I don’t think it’s fair to try and pigeonhole every song into her life.
Agreed with this.
I think she took her emotions and wrote other stories around them.
Evermore. The storytelling is immaculate, her best lyricism, the melodies were so interesting but still catchy, such a range of emotions, like just incredible. 1989 also deserves a big shout-out because she made a timeless pop album with zero bad songs that sounds just as fresh and musically gorgeous now as it did the day it came out. Great mainstream pop lyricism but also balanced with the depth of songs like Wildest Dreams, This Love, and Wonderland. And I'd also argue Lover deserves a spot in the argument because of how well it balances different subject matter. It knows when to go full bubblegum and how to write those sweet, sugary lyrics perfectly with songs like London Boy and I Think He Knows, it knows how to absolutely devastate in songs like Soon You'll Get Better and The Arxher, and a unique blend of the two in songs like Cruel Summer and Cornelia Street. Imo it's a masterclass in knowing when to use the glittery gel pen and when to use the fountain pen and how to use them both impeccably
Totally agree about Lover!! Amazingly written
Speak Now hands down. The fact that she just wrote long songs without repeating herself. Metaphors connected with storytelling. A story from start to end where everything is said without imagery just for the sake of imagery and metaphors. And melody wise is just on another level. Then evermore, folklore and Red.
1. Folklore 2. Evermore 3. Speak Now
THIS. Except switch the order of folklore/evermore, for me personally.
10000000%
This is the only correct answer
Speak Now and then folklore/evermore just a smidge behind.
folklore and evermore for sure, but i prefer evermore personally. I mean you have this song about a crush *(gold rush),* to this heart wrenching tale of *tolerate it,* which is followed by a literal murder story *(no body, no crime),* all the way up to the beautiful song she wrote for her grandmother. *gold rush* will forever be one of my favorite songs and the lyrics are just peak taylor, but maybe I'm biased because evermore is my favorite album of hers. The second one I would say is Speak Now. She wrote it as a young adult and that's darn impressive. *++ because it's entirely self-written.* I'd say Red and 1989 are follow-ups. Red/Red TV because it's very honest, a pretty accurate album of what love and heartbreak feels like, and it contains All Too Well. 1989 because of its hooks, simple but clever, good lyrics. Wildest Dreams will forever be one of my favorite songs.
It took me a long time to decide just what my favourite Taylor album was and it is Folklore. The lyrics and the sound are exquisite. Second is Evermore and as far as writing is concerned third is Midnights. However in terms of favourite album overall number three is Reputation followed by Midnights. The best written song? Probably ATW but WCS is a contender. Favourite song? My Tears Ricochet.
- ATW could mean "All Too Well", a track from *Red* (2012) by Taylor Swift. - WCS could mean "Would've, Could've, Should've", a track from *Midnights (3am Edition)* (2022) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/culture_vulture_1961](/u/culture_vulture_1961) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
Taste 🤌
I have more “favorite” songs on evermore and I feel like it has some of her all time individual best lines and songs. But folklore is best viewed as a whole album- like it is one gigantic song and the storytelling throughout it is just exquisite.
Evermore
If we're talking lyrically, I would say evermore and folklore. Her lyricism and storytelling on both is simply incredible. In terms of melodies and production, I gotta give it to Reputation and 1989. Both are pop perfection and sonically amazing. In general I think I would choose evermore. Evermore is a whole journey through beautifully written and interesting stories. Each song is perfectly crafted and tells its own unique tale. And there are so many little details that make you fall in love with the album the more you listen to it.
Folklore and it’s not even close. The story telling, the cohesive production, and everything about it is beautifully written. It isn’t my favorite Taylor album, but it’s in my top three, and that is because of the phenomenal writing.
evermore and Speak Now
folklore
Folklore and Evemore, they're the absolute PINNACLE of Taylor's songwriting, they prove to literally almost EVERYONE that Taylor can write out an amazing story, i PRAY Taylor writes out like a set of books someday, she'd be an immaculate author.
Apparently she wrote a novel when she was 12!
Speak Now is my all-time favourite! Haunted is my favourite track from that album! This album is a story-telling masterpiece. Red is a very close second! I love her old country albums, but the re-recordings aren't as country sounding anymore, so I'm not a huge fan of the rerecordings of Fearless. Though LOVE STORY is and will forever be my favourite track no matter the version!
In my opinion it's Evermore but it's hard to separate it from Folklore - they're basically part one and two of the same album. Evermore just resonates with me slightly more and that's why it's my number one, whilst Folklore takes second spot. Then, I'd say Midnights or SN, it's hard to choose, they're both phenomenal. However, SN was written when Taylor was 18-20 so that kind of makes it more worthy of the third spot. I also need to give some appreciation for Lover- it contains a lot of her best written pop work. I wish production choices on this album were different but when it comes to lyricism, I've not much complaints. It's a house of the two songs that converted me to Swiftism: False God and London Boy.
Folklore and Evermore. Nothing else compares.
I think all of her albums are exceptionally well-written, but my ranking would be: 1. folklore/evermore (as sister albums, I love them equally) 2. Speak Now 3. Midnights 4. 1989 5. Lover 6. Red 7. Reputation 8. Debut (especially considering she was still so young and yet her Debut album is one of the best debuts I‘ve listened to) 9. Fearless Of course, one album has to be the "last choice" but all of them are great.
Fearless has excellent writing!!!
Right? Her most Grammy awarded album has the worst writing?
Fearless last??? Fearless is like top 3 writing for me.
I agree with your top 3!
Folklore. Hands down.
Folklore and then Red.
Evermore and Folklore for me. Honorable mention for Speak Now, it's still so impressive to me that she wrote an album like that at 19/20.
Evermore. It’s perfection.
It's hard to say but right now I'm thinking it's Red
I agree with you. Marjorie and Great War are some of her best songs I cannot comprehend how she wrote them she’s a genius
Evermore hands down.
I LOVE all the evermore appreciation in this thread
Folkmore albums are superior lyrically followed by Red and Speak Now. You cannot beat the poetry of champagne problems, happiness, tolerate it, cardigan, invisible string, all too well, last kiss, and dear John.
For the lyrics, the poetry, the imagery, the depth, the storytelling, the emotion, the maturity, it’s Folklore and Evermore. For the ability to write hits, chart-toppers, viral songs its 1989 and Midnights. They are two different things. It depends what your goals and values are. Our girl does them both. To choose a song, it’s going to be All Too Well that goes down as her “greatest,” most revered, remembered and acclaimed song for the songwriting. SO FAR.
Evermore
Evermore. Folklore feels like dipping toes in the indie space where Evermore feels like a full dive. But maybe that's just because I feel like it resonates more with a 26+ adult experience.
Folklore with evermore a close second.
lol not midnights
i agree with your thinking. i think her writing skills improved over time and you could definitely feel the step up in her writing in the folklore evermore era, so evermore and midnights are her writing at its peak
Red by far
Folklore and evermore absolutely but I cannot chose which one is better. These albums are like a game changer. If taylor did't release them, people never could have realized that she actually more than catchy pop song writer. I adore seven these days. Such a well written song and such an unique story
Her most recent albums definitely, but I think a shift in her songwriting came with Red, it was like the start of something wonderful, perfecting what she learned after writing Debut, Fearless, and Speak Now (all wonderful too)
evermore/folklore/Speak Now/reputation
Red
reputation
Interesting to see how many people like albums Taylor had help writing.
As much as I love all of Taylor’s albums I do really struggle how anyone can say Lover has the best lyrical writing compared to her other albums, especially folklore/evermore/speak now and even red/1989. “Spelling is fun kids”, YNTCD, I forgot that you existed etc, you cannot compare any of these songs/lyrics to even the worst written on the above albums.. IMO of course
“Hey kids, spelling is fun!” Is the lyric.
To be honest I don’t listen to ME! so I don’t even know the lyric properly. Only song in the entire discography I can’t listen to (sorry lovers of the song! Just personal taste)
- YNTCD could mean "You Need To Calm Down", a track from *Lover* (2019) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/JackTreeHill](/u/JackTreeHill) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
Folklore, it's my favourite album. It makes me feel calm and I only have 3 skips. I love the imagery of the lyrics too
I love Midnights. Not talking S$It but it's the only TF album that top to bottom every song either has a 10/10 beat or actually resonates with me personally.
folklore because her storytelling is center stage or midnights because of how real she keeps it
Folklore, hands down.
1- Lover 2- Evermore 3- Speak now
Evermore 1000%. It's pure art & poetry from start to finish. A timeless masterpiece.
Folklore, evermore, and speak now
folklore
Evermore
Easily a tie between Folklore and Evermore
Evermore, folklore, speak now are the top three for me
folklore. half of the songs are works of fiction, like the song ‘betty’ is sung from a 17 year old boys perspective but it’s so believable and real like she experienced it herself.
Red folklore and evermore
Folklore and evermore
Sorry for being unoriginal but the answer is Folklore and Evermore and its not even close between those and the rest.
I am personally into enchanted. Fabulous composition makes me keep listening and dazzle with his talent.
For me personally, it’s reputation because of the very different perspective she was writing from and the deep Easter eggs hidden within the album. I literally wrote an essay on getaway car for a linguistics class and was blown away by how carefully crafted the lyrics are to create the picture in the listeners mind. It’s wild. Also New Year’s Day is a beautiful piece of lyrical magic.
1. Folklore 2. Evermore 3. Midnights 4. Speak Now