Best of Taylor Swift songs: A rebuttal to Davey Dormont
By: PatsFan4Garrappollo
Taylor Swift has evolved greatly since she released her self-titled first album in 2006 (damn, ten years ago) so the best way to rank her songs is by category. All six readers of DTEB probably don’t care about my opinions, so I’ll keep my rationale for the rankings as short as possible.
Here are the categories:
Movie Song
Song Featuring Taylor
Empowering Song
“Edgy” Taylor
Country Taylor
Deep Tracks
Pre-Break Up
Post-Break Up
Mainstream Hits
Video
Miscellaneous
Best Song
Best song featured in a movie: Today Was a Fairytale
Gonna be honest, there aren’t too many songs to choose from in this category so this one basically wins by default. Also, the cover by YouTube Legend AHMIR is fire-flames hot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWolN7Ga8nY
Honorable Mention: Crazier
Best song featuring Taylor: Both of Us (B.o.B.)
Similar to the last category, there aren’t a ton of songs to choose from but this song is actually pretty solid so it gets the nod over a few other pretty good choices.
Honorable Mention: Highway Don’t Care (Tim McGraw)
Best Empowering Song: Long Live
Didn’t really know how to title this category but there are quite a few Swifty tracks about growing up and being strong. Long Live takes the cake here simply because of the line:
Singing long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
Taylor truly is a wordsmith.
Honorable Mention: Fearless
Best “Edgy” Song: 22
22 is probably the least edgy of all of the songs of the arbitrarily chosen nominees but it is definitely the best of the bunch. It could probably be considered for the Empowering Songs list but the idea of Taylor Swift going out and “falling in love with strangers” seems edgy enough for me.
Honorable Mention: Bad Blood
Best Country Taylor Song: Tim McGraw
This was maybe the closest race of all the awards, but the line “ he said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night I said ‘That’s a lie’” puts it over the top. Here’s to hoping Taylor releases another country album down the line at some point in her career….
Honorable Mention: tie – Teardrops on my Guitar/ Our Song
Best Deep Track: The Moment I Knew
Taylor often releases ~2-4 special edition tracks with each of her albums and, while it may not be the actual best song of the bunch, The Moment I Knew hits the hardest. It’s so dramatic that if you didn’t speak English you might think it’s about 100 babies getting cancer. Come Back.. Be Here is definitely a better song, but writing a whole track about someone missing your birthday party is so damn preposterous that you have to respect it.
Honorable Mention: Come Back.. Be Here
Best Pre-Break Up Song: Enchanted
IMO the most underrated Taylor song. A+ in every way.
Honorable Mention: Begin Again (extra points for a spicy video)
Best Post-Break Up Song: All Too Well
The list of songs to choose from in this category is by far the biggest, but this was also to me by far the easiest choice of any of the categories. Not popular in the mainstream, but any real diehard Taylor fan (unlike David P. Dormont) would agree this is without a doubt the best written song by Ms. Swift. So many great lines to choose from, but my personal favorite from the song is:
Hey, you call me up again just to break me like a promise.
So casually cruel in the name of being honest.
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
'Cause I remember it all, all, all… too well.
So casually cruel in the name of being honest.
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
'Cause I remember it all, all, all… too well.
Gut wrenching stuff, Taylor. A+++++++++++
Honorable Mention: Cold As You – I’m a sucker for the one-liners and “I’ve never been anywhere cold as you” might be Taylor Swift’s best.
Best Mainstream Hit: We Are Never Getting Back Together
I’m a bit of a Taylor Swift hipster, so I tend to not be as big of a fan as the mainstream singles. With that in mind I’m aware that this isn’t a popular choice among casual listeners (ie David P. Dormont), but for me it’s the catchiest one. Having seen Taylor live several times, I would argue this is her best live song. Also, you can’t undervalue the phone call part of the song. So sassy, so Taylor. Ughhhh so he called me up again and was like ‘I Still Love You.’
Best Music Video: Wildest Dreams
Taylor Swift’s videos are her biggest weakness in her career. Most of them are either too cheesy (ie Blank Space) or too abstract (ie Style), and I’m a fan of plot in music videos so this is why Wildest Dreams tops my list.
Honorable Mention: Our Song (fire emoji)
Honorable Mention pt 2: You Belong With Me – just because of Kanye
Best Miscellaneous Song: Ronan
I’d be remiss not to mention Ronan. If your eyes don’t get a little cloudy watching this video I’m 99% sure you don’t have a soul.
Honorable Mention: Bette Davis Eyes cover
Best Song (Top 5):
5. Begin Again
4. Style
3. Enchanted
2. Out of the Woods
1. All Too Well
Fight me.
P.S. GO PATS GO (After Brady and Bill step down. What this franchise really needs is a blank slate of sorts.)
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