When you hear someone say “Taylor Swift” you may think of her fashion, her famous friends or those outrageous conspiracy theories.
But what truly makes Swift exceptional is her music. She is the first artist to have a billion dollar-grossing tour. The first person to win the album of the year Grammy four times. She owns Billboard Hot 100 records for the female artist with the most-charted songs (231), most Top 40 songs (137), most Top-10 songs (49) and second-most No. 1 debuts (six). And those are just a sampling of Swift’s record-breaking success in recent years
In anticipation of Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” arriving April 19 and poised to break more musical records, we’ve ranked her 11 No. 1 hits (and yes, she probably would appreciate the numerical symmetry to her new album).
The wispy ballad from “Evermore” dances prettily with its spine of acoustic guitar and a lilting chorus. But, like many of the songs on Swift’s second foray into folk-leaning pop, it’s airy to the point of fluttering into the ether.
As the fourth single from Swift’s “1989” album, there was hardly anything to prove following No. 1 hits in “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” and a Top 10 entry with the gliding “Style.” But the song, while gently biting in its contention of good times gone sour, is remembered less for its repetitive chorus and more for setting the foundation for the snarling “Look What You Made Me Do” on her next album.
“Folklore,” the album that birthed Swift’s sixth No. 1 hit, arrived as a welcome surprise a few months into the pandemic’s lonely lockdowns. The exchange of glistening synths from her previous release, “Lover,” to the soft piano and hazy production from Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff on this lead single from “Folklore” surprised fans. But they quickly embraced the new vibe as she retreated to a world of enchanted forests and moss-covered pianos.
Follow along: The song resides on 2019’s “Lover.” The COVID-19 pandemic nixed plans to release it as a single in 2020. The melodic synth-pop ditty – always a fan favorite, and apparently one of Swift’s as well – resurfaced during her Eras Tour when it debuted in March 2023 and became a viral hit, returning to the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2023. The swirly, girly pop anthem crept to No. 1 to mark her 10th chart-topper.
The much-publicized, admirably savvy decision by Swift to rerecord her albums so she would own her masters allowed her to release the full 10-minute presentation (aka “Taylor’s Version”) of the winding breakup ballad initially released on her 2012 “Red” album. It’s one of her most verbose, but with its vivid storytelling about making sense of wounding memories, the time flies.
Fans think the venom-spiked lyrics target former boyfriend Harry Styles. Whoever she’s singing about, Swift’s most recent No. 1 that was delivered as a bonus track on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is a winsome marriage of layered background vocals and stinging words. “If she has blue eyes, I will surmise that you’ll probably date her,” Swift delivers with sarcastic precision. That the vitriol is softened by a plush melody hardly diminishes the verbal blows.
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Swift ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with this stomper, her inaugural slide from full country heroine to pop starlet. As she smacks back a paramour who tries to return to her good graces, Swift conserves her brawniest words for a spoken-word bridge that highlights her relatability: “Ugh, so he calls me up and he’s like, ‘I still love you’ and I’m like, I just, I mean, this is just exhausting, you know?”
A perky pop bauble that sounds slight, but is undoubtedly irresistible. Swift is so musically canny that she fuses ‘80s-era synths with a ‘60s-era girl group sheen and makes it sound unique. The song is not only an undeniable concert highlight, but its straightforward directive in the chorus still serves as a useful reminder on tough days.
Her confidence as a songwriter clearly boosted from her poetic musings on “Folklore” and “Evermore,” Swift returned in 2022 with “Midnights” and its lead single showcased internal screw-ups and apologies with unflinching honesty. Shades of Kate Bush are insinuated in the dark melody, but the real hero is the ready-made T-shirt slogan, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.”
Swift has never dodged a fight, and she made clear on this searing slice of electropop that if you want to come for the queen, you best be ready. In a way, the song signaled a rebirth for Swift, who proved – as if she needed to – that the cute girl in the tennis sneakers was equally as capable as donning a snake-inspired cat suit and extending her claws.
Swift’s lyrical mastery presents itself in nearly every song she’s ever penned – even a seemingly simplistic chorus in “Welcome To New York” is laced with knowing nods – but this “1989” standout best exposes her genius. The clip-clop beat, the staccato delivery, the seesawing between flirty (“I can make the bad guys good for a weekend”) and daring (“I’ve got a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your name”) are all wicked delights. But the song also contains perhaps the best line she’s ever written: “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.” Swiftian perfection.
