Pankaj Sharma
Taylor Swift there’s no ignoring her when Forbes tells you that she’s right at the top on their Celebrity 100 list. And why wouldn’t she be, she’s just 27, and she made a whopping $170 million last year! With her dazzling looks, kickass attitude and personality, and the tremendous talent and creativity she has, she’s a winner all the way. And let’s not forget the fact that she makes great music — that’s how we know her in the first place, right? Taylor Swift’s songs, based on personal experiences and about those very emotions which almost all of us have experienced at some point of time in our lives, make her that girl next door to whom almost everyone can relate to.
Her music—simple, yet honest has an appeal which goes straight to the heart and makes her that adorable superstar that she is. Her music’s received a lot of critical acclaims as well, so much so that it’s hard even to keep a count of all the awards she has won.
Here’s our list of the top 10 Taylor Swift songs of all time:
10. Back to December
Admitting to one’s mistakes and gathering the courage to say sorry isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but here’s our Taylor Swift writing a song about it. She sings about the pain of turning down a lover, whom she loved as well, but owing to her fears she turned him down, and she regrets it now. She remembers him, and it’s torturous for her realising that she can’t go “back to December” and fix the mistake she made and have him back. The pain of it is all in her eyes. The constant snow is symbolic of the cold and gloom that has crept into her life because of the absence of her lover. However, the song, though poignant mostly, ends on an optimistic note as her rejected lover reads her note about her apology for her behaviour, and he’s shown walking towards her place.
Best lines in the song: But this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you saying I’m sorry for that night
9. Mine
This sweet melody at number 9 on our list is about finding love, letting one’s guard down and allowing love to take over, and nostalgia. In the song, Taylor Swift sings about her childhood when she witnessed the death of love and care between her parents, and as a consequence, she got put off by the idea of love. But then she met a man who changed her opinion on love by not giving up on her. She reminisces about how she felt when they were sitting by the water, and he put his arm around her for the first time. The song has a happy ending with Taylor Swift living a happily married life with her man and their children.
Best line in the song: You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
8. Love story
The number 8 spot on our Top 10 Taylor Swift songs list is bagged by this soft, dreamy number. The song was a major hit and sold over 8 million copies worldwide and became of the best-selling singles of all times. The song is about a love interest of Swift’s of whom her family did not approve, and she uses Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as an analogy to express her feelings. Taylor Swift looks every bit a princess with her gentle demeanour and a beautifully done attire to go with it. The song is filled with feelings of young, passionate love and the feelings of rebellion which usually go with it. And unlike Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, this one has a happy ending.
Best line in the song: Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess
7. Ours
What this song has made us realise is that Taylor Swift doesn’t have to be all decked up in her videos. Even at her plainest, she wins our love. This song is about a love that society mocks. But Swift doesn’t care a dime about what people think. What’s important to her is that she loves this man and she’s happy doing that. She plays an ordinary girl who works in an ordinary office full of boring people who scoff at her relationship. The winning moment of the song is the end where Swift’s waiting at an airport, and a young, handsome man in a military uniform steps outside and Swift runs and leaps to hug him. This underrated song definitely deserves a place on our list of Top 10 Taylor Swift songs.
Best lines in the song: And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored,
‘Cause my heart is yours.
6. I Knew You Were Trouble
Wrong choices. We all make wrong choices in our lives. This song’s about a wrong lover that Taylor Swift chose. It works on the classic theme of a good girl falling for a bad guy, and losing herself in the process of doing so. She had sensed that he was trouble the moment she’d seen him, but she fell for his trap. Apparently, Swift fell for his bad guy charm and tried to change herself to adapt to his needs. But it did not work out for her very well, and in fact, at the end of it she had a bad fall and found herself “lying on the cold hard ground”. The song captures Swift’s anguish by some dubstep infused into it, and it bags number 6 spot on our Top 10 Taylor Swift songs list.
Best lines in the song: I knew you were trouble when you walked in
5. Bad Blood
This is one power-packed track which features Taylor Swift in a very different avatar — a tech-savvy, weapon-wielding, motorbike-riding action chick. The song, though dwelling on the cliched theme of betrayal, is very unusual in its story-telling. Swift (Catastrophe) plays the victim of a betrayal, who then undergoes training for revenge, and when she’s ready, she’s seen in a face off against the enemy team headed by Arsyn (Selena Gomez). Apart from Taylor donning a superhero avatar in amazing costumes, the song has some cameo appearances — Hayley Williams, Gigi Hadid, Ellie Goulding, Cindy Crawford, Jessica Alba, etc. all looking equally fabulous. So, this song scores a number of brownie points and takes the number 5 spot on our list of Top 10 Taylor Swift songs.
Best lines in the song: Did you have to hit me, where I’m weak? Baby, I couldn’t breathe
And rub it in so deep, salt in the wound like you’re laughing right at me
4. Shake it off
Taylor Swift says it loud and clear — People are going to talk, make fun of you, mock you, hate you, but one should just “shake it off” and live their lives the way they want to. And isn’t she just adorable hopping about like an awkward ballerina, hip-hop artist, jazz musician, gymnast, etc. In other words, she’s singing about being a nonconformist and being absolutely comfortable with it. The chorus is almost like an anthem, and the song is full of zing. This song has well-deservedly bagged the number 4 position on our list of Top 10 Taylor Swift songs for obvious reasons — we love it!
Best line in the song: I’m dancing on my own, I make the moves up as I go
3. We Are Never Getting Back Together
The muse for this hilarious number is said to have been Jake Gyllenhaal whom Swift is said to have been dating in 2010 and broke up with later. She revealed that she had a lot of fun composing and recording this song as it came to her so naturally. Well, we had a lot of fun listening to it! The song, though about a breakup and her ex trying to re-kindle their relationship, isn’t soppy or even poignant like a lot of her other songs, but it is a peppy, light-hearted track. Not only is the song great, but the video is a visual treat as well with Swift, instead of moping over her breakup, is seen singing and dancing with her friends, firmly turning down her ex and even shutting the door on him. Way to go girl!
Best line in the song: We are never ever ever getting back together
2. You Belong with Me
It was one of those first songs which made the world fall in love with Taylor Swift, and do we still love it? Yes, we do! The song’s a sweet, simple and honest song about an out-of-reach love. And the best part about it is that it has got two Taylor Swifts instead of just one! The nerd — the blonde with the messy curls and tee shirts and sneakers is the one who’s in love with a cute guy in her neighbourhood, but can’t tell him because she thinks that he is out of her league. The other Taylor Swift — the drama queen and the one with sleek, dark hair, and fancy dresses and an attitude problem is the one who’s always fighting with the cute guy over something or the other. In the end, it’s the good girl who gets the guy of course. The song may seem a little naive now, but it still holds a place in our heart for its realistic depiction of teenage love. Hence, the number 2 spot for it on our list of Top 10 Taylor Swift songs.
Best lines in the song: Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time.
1. Blank Space
Here’s our winner of the Top 10 Taylor Swift songs list! The song’s incredibly powerful lyrics, incredible music, kickass cinematography and Taylor Swift’s oomph factor, all contribute towards making the song the winner that it is. The song is again inspired by Taylor Swift’s life itself. She does indeed have a long list of lovers which have lent her a reputation of being incapable of maintaining relationships for too long. And in all honesty, she talks about the same in this song— if her current lover will remain forever or will he too go down the same road as the others did. In the video, she plays herself as the media has portrayed her owing to her series of relationships— rich, glamorous, seductive, crazy and even aggressive, and incapable of maintaining romantic relationships. Her fierceness in the song seems to make her even more appealing. And we just can’t seem to get over her drool-worthy costumes and magnificent sets in the song. This song scores a perfect 10, and so it is at the top of our Top 10 Taylor Swift songs list.
Best lines: But you’ll come back each time you leave
‘Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream
This is our list, feel free to make yours in the comments below. Do share this article with other Swifties ;).
