I am going through Taylor Swift’s albums in preparation for her Eras Tour. A select few have asked my rankings and thoughts on songs/I love lists, so I decided to rank the songs on the albums as I go through.

Fearless is a great album. I was surprised to realize I still knew all the words to the songs off this one still. I was instructed that “everybody knows you should do rankings like countdowns.” So I have changed my ways.

These rankings are as of today. I feel this list is pretty settled, even with the newer vault songs, since most of the songs are fairly old and have weathered a lot of listens. Considering this came out when I was almost 16.

26. Bye Bye Baby. It’s not that this song is bad. I just don’t think it’s overly memorable lyrically or musically. Not my favorite of hers by a long shot. It’s a song that I wouldn’t turn off, but it’s not a song that I would actively seek to listen to either. I can see why this was a vault song.

25. The Other Side of the Door. Much like the one above, it’s not that I don’t like this one. I just find it average lyrically and musically. Likewise, I can see why this was a bonus song.

24. Superstar. Much like the ones above, this one is perfectly average both lyrically and musically. It makes sense why this one was a bonus song to me.

23. We Were Happy. Musically average. Lyrically better than average. This is the first one so far where something begins to stand out for me. There are lyrics here I begin to remember and enjoy. I think I feel that the note progression is just too flat and similar. I can also see why this was a vault song.

22. Jump Then Fall. Similarly to 22, lyrically, this one is good. However, musically, it doesn’t jive for me. It’s not bad, just not great. Still a fairly average song.

21. Today Was a Fairytale. Prime Taylor Swift with her love of all things fairytale. Lyrically this one is much better in my book than the five that preceded this one. Musically, I think it could have been slightly better and more varied. But this one is good.

20. You All Over Me. I love Maren Morris, and I forget she’s even singing in this one. I love Taylor, but as many have written, analyzing how women show up in her songs is always interesting. I think this one is better than several of the bonus songs that came out. It is close, though, so I can see why they may have selected other ones instead. Lyrically and musically average. But I enjoy it. There are some great lines here. It just doesn’t come all the way together for me.

19. If This Was A Movie. Surprise! This is now apparently a “Fearless” era song instead of a “Speak Now” one. I originally wrote this one has a very sad vibe. Lyrically, I think this song is great. The storytelling in this one is great. It’s not my favorite, but it’s solid. I ranked it 19 on this album, 14 on Speak Now (pre-vault/re-records.)

18. That’s When. This is when I see a leap in the field from the songs that came before. In my opinion, this is much better than almost all of the bonus material that came out. We don’t know if Keith Urban would have agreed to sing it at the time, but assuming he would have, it makes it even more mind-boggling that this got cut. Either way, still surprising. I think this one is lyrically and musically solid. I would have liked this back then. However, maybe they thought it sounded too different and so didn’t fit the album? Back then, album cohesion meant a lot more than it does now. However, it if it was a bonus song, that wouldn’t have mattered as much. So still mystifying.

17. Hey Stephen. Quintessentially, young Taylor. Musically this one is just a fun song. Younger me loved to belt and dance around to this one. Younger me would have ranked this one higher. Lyrically and musically, it’s a fun one! Not as good as some others on this album, but very solid.

16. The Way I Loved You. Also, quintessentially, young Taylor. And oh! the ideas we have about love when we’re young. I’ll take the guy she’s saying she doesn’t want, haha! There were moments when this was at the top of my list. It’s lyrically and musically a fun song.

15. Come In With the Rain. I didn’t have the bonus cd growing up, so I didn’t hear this one as often. That likely affects the rankings some. Lyrically, I really like this one. Musically, it’s good, just not as solid as some others. But this is a good enjoyable sad song. Also, quintessentially, young Taylor. And the second-best bonus song.

14. Change. I view this as another tier again. This was a hard one for me to rank because I really enjoy this one. I moved this song around a ton. I’m convinced this is probably the best spot for it, but I’m also shocked to see it so low. Because it’s a really good song. This was one of my favorites for a time growing up too.

13. Tell Me Why. Also, quintessentially young Taylor. The drama queen teenage version of me loved this one. It’s catchy and memorable. You could argue whether this should be 14, but I’ll stick with 13 because it’s so belty.

12. Don’t You. This is another one I moved around a ton. I relate to this song. When it came out, I just went YES!!! Where was this song?!? I was so mad they didn’t release this. I still am not convinced it shouldn’t be higher. It’s one of my favorites from this era despite this lower ranking. I think it got cut because they thought it was too similar to Forever & Always, White Horse, and You’re Not Sorry, but we got robbed. I love this song! Teenage me would have too.

11. White Horse. Younger me would revolt against this low of a ranking, but older me likes some others better. but this song is very well done. This song being so low reflects (in my opinion) why this was the album of the year. It’s got depth! This song is great. Sad dramatic me would also blast this one.

10. You’re Not Sorry. Younger me would also revolt against giving this song such a low ranking. Lyrically, it’s very similar to White Horse, but I think musically, it’s better, which is why it gets the higher ranking. I also think it’s lyrically better. This was also one of my favorites growing up.

9. Mr. Perfectly Fine. Surprisingly, I was more upset we didn’t get “Don’t You” when these vault songs came out. However, I’ve come around. Who on earth decided to cut this? This would have done so well on this album. It’s catchy. Lyrically, it’s not her most advanced, but it’s a bop. It’s an earworm. I’m still not decided if this or You’re Not Sorry should be ranked higher. But I went with this one higher because I think it’s slightly got the edge.

8. Untouchable. Yes, I ranked this bonus song very high! It’s similar in vibe/tone to “Invisible”, which I also really liked from her debut. I think this one is lyrically quite good. I blasted this one as well.

7. Fifteen. And we are in what I consider to be the top tier now. I discovered how much I loved this one when I was in my freshmen year of college (shocking, I know!). This song about gaining perspective resonated with me once I gained some. It’s just musically and (more importantly) lyrically so solid! So many lines on this one really resonated with me.

6. Breathe. This one surprised me with how high I ranked it. It was one I didn’t appreciate growing up! I didn’t dislike it, but it was never one of my favorites. It’s calming and relaxing, which is probably why. But this one, lyrically and musically is really quite good.

5. Forever & Always. Of the “Joe” songs, I think this one is the best. I think it is the catchiest, has the best lyrics, and is musically the most solid. Another one of my younger favorites, and one I still think holds up extremely well.

4. The Best Day. Younger me missed out on the treasure that was this song. Older me can’t listen to it without crying. No joke! I’m not a crier, but this song gets me every time. I want to know if any women who has/had a good relationship with her mom can listen to it without crying. What a tribute!

3. Fearless. Younger me liked this one but didn’t appreciate this one enough. Catchy? Check! Musicality? Check! Lyrically? Check! Story-telling? Check! Imagery? Check! This one is also quintessentially younger Taylor Swift at her finest.

1b. You Belong With Me. I think this one is technically better than what I’m listing as 1a., but I can’t bring myself to do it. You’ll see why when I get to number one. Okay, if you were to ask me to play two songs to demonstrate what younger Taylor Swift was, it would be this and Love Story. This song has it all. Everything. Younger me and older me both agree this is Taylor Swift at her best. Just an incredible song.

1a. Love Story. This should surprise absolutely nobody. Hopeless romantic, English literature, drama loving, forbidden love, love-conquers-all loving me ate this song up. It was so overplayed that I couldn’t listen to it for a loooong time, but now that time has passed, I can fully appreciate again how incredible this song is. This one has everything like I said. It’s still one of her best.

What about you?