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DISCOGRAPHY
Taylor Swift (2006) 4/10
Fearless (2008) 4.5/10
Speak Now (2010) 6/10 +
Red (2012) 5/10
1989 (2014) 5/10
Reputation (2017) 4.5/10
Lover (2019) 4.5/10
Folklore (2020) 5/10
Evermore (2020) 4/10
Midnights (2022) 4/10
Tortured Poets Department (2024) 4/10
Life of a Showgirl (2025) 3/10
If nothing else, the career of Taylor Swift has proven that it is indeed possible for an artist to be both overrated and over-hated. With heads away from preening fluff pieces about her as a "girlboss" or smear articles calling her a self-victimizing "fake" feminist, the occasional highlights in her career reveal a competent and even decent songwriter, although not a great one.
Her most popular singles, though overplayed, are often killer pop tunes nonetheless, and their distinctive phases of specialized genre aesthetics (contemporary country, dance-pop, indie folk, etc.) make a noteworthy catalog among other artists in the mainstream, especially since Swift is one of the few popstars at her level who writes her own songs with few co-writers or none. Her storytelling in songs like Back to December and the ten-minute version of All Too Well showcase her peak, but are few and far between loads of unmemorable chaff.
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania before her family moved to Nashville and signed with Sony/ATV Tree when she was only fourteen, fully intent on her becoming a famous singer/songwriter.
Her debut album Taylor Swift was recorded while she was just in her first year in high school. She would become the first solo female country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum debut album, which is impressive for her age, but it is still a pitiful exhibit of country-pop clichés.
Recorded two years later, Fearless offers at least two solid singles that would be validated by their explosion in the radio charts, Love Story and You Belong With Me. The rest is pretty much pap.
1989 would further stick her in the charts with Shake It Off, her catchiest hook, which would go on to overplay on stations throughout the country.
Documentary filmmaker Lana Wilson released Miss Americana in 2020, which would act as a biography of Swift's career as well as an exhibit of her growth as an independent voice, particularly effective in covering her going political in the Trump era. The pace of the film idles a bit with menial studio footage, but also shows adorable shots of her cats.
Redirecting her bright and peppy synth-pop for something closer to Billie Eilish and Lorde, Midnights would mark Swift's venture into alt-pop. Like clockwork, it would break records in sales and streaming, but would ultimately be as unfulfilling as the indie folk records, although the elegance of Maroon makes it a keeper.
Tortured Poets Department would continue the dreary alt-pop sound with even more sleepiness.
In contrast to the rest of her work written with her mother in mind, The Life of a Showgirl was basically Taylor's wedding present for her husband Travis Kelce. The record's vulgarity and sexuality seems to emulate Sabrina Carpenter, who is also featured on the album's last song.
While sonically up to standard for modern pop, the lyrics mainly just give second-hand embarrassment. Even the more decent songs like Fate of Ophelia would fail to stand out on any of her more respectable records.
TOP 10 SONGS
Back to December (2010)
All Too Well (10 min, 2021)
You Belong With Me (2008)
Love Story (2008)
Mean (2010)
Shake It Off (2014)
Never Grow Up (2010)
Sparks Fly (2010)
Enchanted (2010)
I Knew You Were Trouble (2012)
ROCKUMENTARIES
Lana Wilson: Miss Americana (2020) 5.5/10
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