These rankings are as of today. They could change, especially once we have the new re-recording. While the debut is the one I’m most excited about the re-recording, this one may be the one I’m most excited to see vault songs for. A few other albums are contenders, but I think this one would be fascinating. She wrote all of these by herself to prove a point, and the storytelling in this album is great!

I love that Taylor Swift wanted to silence haters by writing every song on this album by herself. I hate that critics and random people’s takes affected her so much, as we see in the film Miss Americana. But I love that this album is all Taylor.

I will come back and modify this list when we have vault songs. I don’t think re-recordings will affect my rankings on this one much because I think her singing on this album is already quite good and much more mature than her earlier ones. I will also update the links then.

I think this is one of Taylor’s most underappreciated albums. That may be because it contains one of my favorite songs in her entire discography. But I also think it’s underrated because it came between “Fearless” and “Red.” “Fearless” was her true breakout album, and “Red” is her cult-favorite album. I think “Speak Now” gets lost because it doesn’t seem to have the same nostalgia factor for people. “Fearless” is better than “Speak Now,” but I think “Speak Now” has a deeper bench. There are songs I don’t really like from the “Fearless” era; I like every single one from “Speak Now.” I also think without “Speak Now,” we wouldn’t have got “Red.”

18. Never Grow Up. I think lyrically and musically, she has better songs on this album. But the storytelling here is very well done. I also know how much this song resonates with so many parents.

17. Ours. The storytelling in this one isn’t as solid as some of the others on the album. But it’s an enjoyable song. I like it well enough. I think the melody line and singing on this one aren’t my favorite of the album, but I still really enjoy it. But there are some really great lines on this one.

16. Better Than Revenge. This song is one of the most controversial ones in her entire library. It’s also one she seems to regret. As she said, “I was 18 when I wrote that. That’s the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realize no one can take someone from you if they don’t want to leave.” This song is pretty rude and awful when you remember a real person is behind it. It’s harsh. It’s also a bop, but it’s harsh. For that, I have to rate it low here. I think many of us have felt like this before, but that doesn’t mean those feelings are great. I’ll be interested to see what happens to it. But it’s not my favorite of hers.

15. Superman. This is a fun one. It’s repetitive, but it’s just a song you can turn around and feel happy listening to. It’s got a fun romantic vibe. Lyrically, it’s not her most advanced, but it’s one I can’t help but like. It’s just fun.

Numbers 14-11 are very close in rankings for me.

14. Removed “If this Was a Movie” as it’s now on Fearless.

13. Sparks Fly. This is another fun one of hers. “Drop everything now,” in particular, is a part of this song I love.

12. Mean. I actually listen to this one more than I do some that I rated higher, but I think this is the right place for this one, and that rating this as #12 shows the depth of this album. It’s a great song and one I really like.

11. Dear John. It shocks me that I don’t rate this one higher. I’ve been in this relationship. I’ve been in this work relationship. The lyrics here cut like a knife. “And I lived in your chess game / But you changed the rules everyday / Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone tonight.” And “Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with? / The girl in the dress cried the whole way home / I should’ve known.” And “Well, maybe it’s me / And my blind optimism to blame [..] And you’ll add my name to your long list of traitors / Who don’t understand / and I look back in regret how I ignored when they said ‘Run as fast as you can.’” And “You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry.”

This song is a lyrical masterpiece. It’s also heartbreaking, which is why I’m so surprised I don’t rate this higher. It’s brilliant. Lyrically, it’s her best on the album, I think. But not my favorite.

10. The Story of Us. I love writing and books. That may be the simplest explanation for why I love this one. More great story-telling here. I also enjoy the music and lyrics to this one. It’s just very memorable. A lot of the lines from this song are some of my all favorite lyrics of hers. It’s just great.

9. The Last Kiss. I love this song musically. The lyrics are good as well. Like a lot of this album, the storytelling here is great. It captures a moment I also think a lot of us have experienced. This one and #10 are very close in rankings. I love both of these songs.

8. Innocent. Musically and lyrically, this one is great. I first really discovered this song after I felt like I’d made some big mistakes, and this song deeply resonated with me. Almost every line spoke straight to my heart. It’s such a good song in every way.

7. Long Live. I love this one musically and lyrically. She painted this moment and the scenes perfectly. It feels like the images in the song are flickering through your mind. I also love the sound of this one. This one and #8 are very different but are also very close in rankings. I think this is a fan favorite for a reason.

Numbers 6-4 are also extremely close. These could flip on any given day.

6. Speak Now. I love everything about this one. It’s one of my favorite ones to sing. The storytelling in this one is just PHENOMENAL! I can picture this scene so clearly because she describes it so well. I love the details she infuses this song with. How this didn’t get a music video, I do not know!

5. Haunted (normal version). And here I go breaking with tradition. Until now, the version of the song has been immaterial, meaning that regardless of the version, I would rank it the same. This is different. I’ll talk more about this one when I get to the acoustic version, but the background music distracts too much from the song for me to rank it higher when compared to the acoustic version. More on that below. But because of the lyrics (even though I don’t love this version), I still give it four. Jon did like the music on this one but agrees it doesn’t match the song.

4. Enchanted. The song and lyrics capture this feeling so perfectly. It’s a fun, whimsical, magical song. It perfectly captures these emotions.

3. Back to December. This was the real breakout and standout song from this album for a reason. It’s really well done. The imagery, the emotions, the sentiments, and the lyrics. It’s just very well done. It was also so overplayed for a while, that it took me a while to appreciate it enough again.

2. Mine. I think I am a major outlier here. I rate this one so highly because I love the storytelling here, the imagery, and there are some incredible lines in this one. The entire chorus but especially “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” And “You learn my secrets and you figure out why I’m guarded/ You say we’ll never make my parents’ mistakes.” And: “Braced myself for the goodbye,/ ‘Cause that’s all I’ve ever known.” But really this whole song is great. This one and #2 are also toss-ups depending on the day.

1. Haunted (Acoustic Version). The acoustic one of this one is lightyears better than the normal version. The acoustic is one of my favorite songs in her entire discography because of the lyrics. I think the acoustic, unlike the normal version, shines a spotlight on the power of the lyrics and the haunting quality of this song. The lyrics and music shine when it is stripped down like this. I like this song because it’s haunting. I’m not even trying to be punny. That’s what the song feels like to me. You get the sense that there are still ghosts keeping her from moving on.

This song is one that came into my life and expressed what I was feeling at that moment perfectly when it randomly came on. Ever since, it’s been one of my favorite songs of hers. It is another moment where she perfectly captured my feelings in a moment and wrote them down. Such a masterfully well-done song.