Taylor Swift: Throughout the Eras
Taylor Swift is one of the most well known people in music. With her music constantly topping the charts, sold out tours, and the drama that comes with this life, it’s impossible to not know who she is. Over the years, she’s shift from genre to genre, or era to era as she would say, and throughout each has explored a new way to share her experiences. From Country to Folk, Taylor has music for fans of almost any kind of music.
Country:
Taylor Swift:
Taylor Swift began her career as a country artist. Her first self-titled album was released in 2006. It featured hit songs, such as, “Teardrops on My Guitar”, “Our Song,” and “Picture to Burn.” Her music explored the world of a teenage girl experiencing love, heartbreak, and friendship, which is why her music was so relatable for her fanbase. Taylor Swift debuted as number 19 on the Billboard Hot 200, starting her career off with a bang. But this album does more than showcase her talent as a singer. It also showcases her talent as a songwriter. Her lyrics are something that Swift has always been very well knpwn for, and it has been a career long streak. At the young age of 17, Taylor produced a top charting album, proving her talent as a singer and songwriter.
Fearless:
The second album done by Taylor Swift is Fearless, which was released in 2008. Fearless began to really showcase Swift’s talent as a musician. She began to create much more music that walked the line between country and pop. Some of the most popular songs released were, “Love Story,” “Fearless,” and “You Belong With Me.” It hit number one on the Billboard 200 and holds the record for the most weeks at number one for a female country album. Taylor began to really show more commercial success, as this was her second album to hit the Billboard 200. Many of these songs are arguably her most popular from this genre. It also made Swift shift from being known as a country artist, to an artist in general. She became much more mainstream following the release of this album.
Speak Now:
Spek Now was released in 2010 with singles such as “Sparks Fly” and “Back to December.” Swift once again showcases her songwriting talent, as she wrote every song on the standard edition of the album for the first time. This album really includes themes of love, heartbreak, and growing up. Songs like “Better Than Revenge” show a very young perspective on heartbreak, while “Back to December” shows a contrasting mature take on love. “Long Live” is all about growing up and trying to maintain the friendships one has as a child. She once again debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and is listed as the fastest- selling album in the US by a female country artist in the Guiness World Records in 2010. It was also ranked 13th on Rolling Stones list of best albums in 2010.
Red:
Red is the last official country album released by Taylor Swift. It very clearly walks the line between country and pop, similar to her previous albums, though many critics argued that she is no longer a country artist and has moved too far to pop. However, it was a big success amongst listeners. It hit number one on the Billboard 200 and received 3 Grammy nominations. Some of the hit singles included, “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” “22,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Many of these were featured on social media platforms such as Vine, as part of trends going on at the time. She also released “Everything Has Changed” which featured singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The album as a whole was extremely successful and paved the way for her shift into the pop genre.
Pop:
1989:
As her first official pop album, Swift once again hit number one on the BillBoard 200 with 1989. It included hits such as “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Style,” which is rumored to be written about Harry Styles, who she previously dated. Swift won two Grammys in 2016 for 1989 and was listed in Eolling Stone’s all-time album ranking. The album once again includes themes of heartbreak, growth, and really overcoming hate you may face. While many artists would have a hard time maintaining success after shifting genres, Taylor Swift has maintained her success and proven to her critics that she is able to sing, write, and create music she enjoys, regardless of genre.
Reputation:
Reputation is one of the most well known albums by Taylor Swift. The album really tells of her anger and expereicne with scrutiny from the media and the public. With Reputation, she created an album that is built on themes of revenge and anger. Some singles include, “Look What You Made Me Do,” “…Ready for It?,” “Delicate,” and “Getaway Car.” At this time, Swift was experiencing a lot of criticism in the media. Following Kayne West’s interruption at the VMAs, where he takes the mic and says Beyonce deserved the award, he released the song “Famous” where he states he made “that bitch” (Taylor) famous. In addition, she had been scrutinized for her relationships she had at the time and was often accused of dating around too much. All of these issues seem to really be used to drive the themes seen in Reputation.
Lover:
Released in 2019, Lover is the seventh album by Taylor Swift. Once again, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It was also nominated for three Grammys in 2020. It includes tracks such as “Me!,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “The Man,” and “Cruel Summer.” As the title tells, the album includes many themes of love throughout. However, “The Man,” is about the misogony that women, like Swift, often face in the media. Swift is a very well known feminist and songs like “The Man” really showcase her beliefs and her experiences as a woman in a male dominated industry. Following Repuation, Swift experienced a lot of hate in the media after the dispute with Kanye West. She also has songs such as “The Archer” which really follows the themes of self reflection and past mistakes.
Folklore:
Folklore is the first folk album Swfit releases. It was written and released in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak, but still maintained success. Showcasing, Swift’s talents, it contains much slower ballads with touching lyrics. Some songs included are “Cardigan,” “Seven,” and “Exile.” Some of the main themes are escapism and romanticism. It seems that a lot of this album was influenced by the lockdown occurring at the time. Songs such as “This is Me Trying” really focus on ideas of constantly trying to do well and feeling constantly let down. It won album of the year at the 63rd annual grammys in 2020.
Evermore:
Evermore was released in the same year as Folklore. She once again debuted at number one on the Billboars 200. It includes songs such as “Willow,” “Champagne Problems,” and “Right Where You Left Me.” Folklore and Evermore together really showcase the talent and skill Swift has. AS she has switched between multiple genres, it showcases her skills as a musician, to be able to create music that has done well in all categories. Many artists are unable to expand in this way, however Taylor has done it successfully with these two albums.
Midnights:
Bringing her back to pop, Midnights tells the story of 13 nights. It was released in 2022, and discusses anxiety, insecurity, love, and self realization. Songs such as “Midnight Rain” really explores all three of these themes. It follows the journey of loving someone but not being ready and constantly hurting them. “You’re on Your Own Kid” follows the fears that some may have stepping out of their comfort, yet it encourages them to do it and that it will all work out in the end. Songs such as “Lavender Haze” show insight to her relationship with Joe Alwyn at the time, as they were facing a lot of scrutiny in the public which affected her relationships in the past.
Taylors Version:
Due to a disagreement about owning her own masters, Swift signed with a new record label following the Reputation album, and has rerecorded her previous albums as a way to now own the masters. Albums that say (Taylor’s Version) are her official masters and also include unreleased songs from before. Beginning with “Fearless” Taylor has rerecorded three of her previous albums and is releasing her next one 1989 (Taylors Version) on October 27, 2023.