I have a confession: I fell out of love with Taylor Swift for a while.
I know, I know, it seemed that when everyone in the world was starting to fall even more in love with her, the music she made and her life didn’t hit as hard as my early-twenties self. While I heard plenty about Taylor Swift, from her mega Eras Tour to her friendships with Blake Lively or her years-long one with Selena Gomez, I hadn’t properly listened to her music in a long time.
Then, of course, The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) began streaming on Disney+, and while I hadn’t gotten the chance to see it in theaters, I decided to check it out on my big TV at home and see what I had been missing.
Of course, there were plenty of songs I recognized, all from my earlier days of liking Taylor Swift, but when she got to many of her songs from Folklore, Evermore, and more, I didn’t know them that well. So after I watched the movie, I decided to listen to every Taylor Swift album again—and I’m surprised at which one has become my favorite — evermore. But before we get to how that came to be, let’s rewind a bit…
Initially, My Favorite Album/Era Of Hers Was 1989
I grew up as a pop girl. My father works in the wedding industry, and at every wedding he performs, pop is the leading music he plays. I grew up constantly listening to the latest pop music.
That usually meant that most Taylor Swift stuff—at least her earlier albums—wasn’t often played in my house. But you want to know what it was? 1989.
Her album, which really cemented her transition to pop, is one that I have distinct memories of and have always loved listening to. Whether blasting “Blank Space” in the car or dancing to “Shake It Off” at school dances, it was my Swift album of choice for a long time.
Red Was Always A Close Second, And Reputation Was In Third
While Red was more country than pop, that was undoubtedly my second favorite era of hers. I loved “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and I used to sing “All Too Well” at the top of my lungs for a very long time. I sang it even more than the 10-minute version (which is one of her best music videos), but that’s beside the point.
My third favorite era was Reputation. When it first came out, Swift got some backlash for suddenly switching up her vibe and releasing music like “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Ready For It,” but I was eating it up. I adored this new version of her, and I was looking forward to the potential of more albums like this.
But, ashamedly, I fell off a bit afterward and continued to do so until now.
Her Earlier Albums Were Fun To Me, But Not My Favorite Era
You’re probably wondering when I’m going to mention Fearless, Speak Now, or even the O.G. Swift album, Taylor Swift. That’s because I am not the biggest fan.
Again, I grew up with pop blasting in my household, so country was never really a thing. Swift’s earlier albums are certainly a lot more country than anything else.
While there were plenty of great songs from those albums that I did listen to, like “Love Story,” “Our Song,” “You Belong With Me,” and plenty more, they never hit quite as hard as some of her others, which is what leads me to this now.
I Had Never Listened To Evermore – And I Regret Not Doing So
Evermore came out in 2020, a few months after Folklore and a year after Lover. I had listened to Lover and liked the vibe it brought, but it wasn’t an album I replayed repeatedly.
Then, of course, 2020 happened.
Life was turned upside down for a while, and I was more preoccupied with trying to graduate and find a job for a long time. Listening to the new T-Swift albums was not my number one priority.
But I decided to listen to her new albums for a long time after watching The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version). I liked the vibes both gave during the concert, so I thought maybe I would like the albums.
And I genuinely mean this from the bottom of my heart – I wish I had listened to Evermore sooner.
In the next section, I’ll go into detail about what I feel regarding Folklore and Midnights, but this section is for Evermore. I had never felt so seen during an album, so heard. I started listening to it and was instantly transported to another part of the world.
The songs on Evermore are so expertly written that I was shocked at how great they were. I mean, obviously, Taylor Swift is a talented writer when it comes to her lyrics, but I don’t think I was quite expecting the amount of lyrical genius in some of her songs on this album.
There are plenty of songs I could point out, but the one I have to highlight is “Champagne Problems.” I saw the performance of it in the concert film, but listening to it is on another level; hearing about a woman saying no to a proposal because she doesn’t feel ready, she’s not emotionally there to take that next step – it hits so hard, especially as a mid-twenties adult.
Folklore And Midnights Are A Great Representation Of Taylor Now, But Evermore Has Become My Absolute Favorite
I’ll openly say I liked Folklore and Midnights in my rewatching. Both have very different vibes but are written lyrically well and have some great hits. I was still dancing like crazy listening to “Karma” two years after her album came out – and thinking even more about how she changed the lyrics to represent her current relationship with Travis Kelce.
But there’s just something about Evermore that hits the hardest, and I think I know what it is—Evermore feels like an album that describes a young woman’s twenties. Swift wrote this album when she was barely in her thirties, and it feels like I’m opening someone’s journal and reading their most profound problems, insecurities about life, and so much more.
At the end of the day, despite how magical and whimsical some of the songs felt, they all hit very close to home, as I’m sure they do for many others. It’s an album that was composed during a tough time in our lives that still hits nearly four years later. No matter what, we all have these insecurities, strange feelings, and so much more – and it’s nice to hear someone as big as Taylor Swift speak about them candidly.
I have to say that I am excited for her next album, The Tortured Poet’s Department. While I know all the Swifties are waiting for RepTV, I’m excited for another Era of Swift and what she’s going to bring. And this time, I will not skip any of the albums because I’m a fan, and it’s nice to be back in it after all these years.