Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” tour. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taylor_Swift_%286966830273%29.jpg
Taylor Swift has been a big figure for years, but recently she has been perceived as a more controversial artist. Her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” came out on April 19 2024 and quickly soared to the top of the charts. With a staggering 31 new songs, even fans wonder, is this too much? “The Tortured Poets Department” is some of Swift’s worst lyrical work. With odd and uninspired lyrics, the album is amateurish. Pitchfork rates it a 6.6, and I think that is incredibly generous.
“Taylor Swift”
Taylor Swift came out with her first album “Taylor Swift” in 2006, and has managed to gain and maintain popularity ever since. Her first album got a 6.7 on Pitchfork and was regarded as her “best album” by Billboard. I think this is a very bold claim. In my opinion, this is one of Taylor’s most forgettable albums. Most of the songs are bland and boring. Nothing really caught my attention and the songs are pretty forgettable.
“Fearless”
Two years later, in 2008, she released her sophomore album “Fearless,” receiving an 8.1 from Pitchfork and announcing a tour that quickly sold out. Fearless has some pretty famous songs, but it isn’t her best work. There were some okay songs such as “You Belong With Me” but most of the other songs are not her best.
“Speak Now’
Another two years passed and she came out with her third album “Speak Now”. Earning an 8.2 from Pitchfork, the album received similar praises to her second album. “Speak Now” is probably her most forgettable album. Besides “Enchanted”, there are no other songs that stood out to me.
“Red”
“Red” is next with a whopping 9.0 from Pitchfork, this is the highest-rated Swift album. While I agree with Pitchfork that this is one of Taylor’s best, Pitchfork definitely overrated the album. Many records deserved a 9.0 more than “Red.”
“1989”
Continuing with her album streak, 1989 was released two years later. Ranking lower than “Red” with a 7.7, I think this is a much more realistic rating for a Taylor Swift album. 1989 is a fairly good album. There are a good amount of hits such as, “Blank Space”, “Bad Blood”, and “Shake It Off”. Most of the songs are catchy and do not sound awful. There is also my personal favorite Swift song, “New Romantics.”
“Reputation”
In 2017, Swift took a turn from her “pop star” persona. She released “Reputation,” an album slightly (but not really) different from all her previous albums. For “Reputation,” she puts on a different version of herself. I believe that if she wanted to go for a different, darker version of herself, she should not have put out another mediocre pop album and should have done something different, such as, try out a new sound or add more elements to her songs.
“Lover”
She went back to her normal self in 2019 with the release of her seventh studio album, “Lover”. “Lover” is nothing super special. It has a collaboration with Brendon Urie of “Panic! At The Disco,” but that’s the only slightly interesting thing.
“Folklore”
Folklore is probably her best album. Taking a newer approach to her normal style of music, she decided to take a break from happier pop music and put out a more somber and acoustic record. Most of the songs on “Folklore” are above average and actually pretty catchy. Songs like “August” and “Invisible String” are some of the best songs in her whole discography.
“Evermore”
“Evermore” is just “Folklore” but less original. While it is still miles better than some of her other albums, it doesn’t stand out to me as much as “Folklore” did. While It isn’t my favorite, I can see how it stands out to other people.
“Midnights”
After re-releasing some of her older albums, Swift released “Midnights”, her 10th studio album. “Midnights” has some tracks I don’t mind, but some tracks, like “Anti-Hero” are ridiculously overplayed. Some of the songs have catchy choruses that aren’t bad, and some I don’t really care for.
“The Tortured Poets Department”
Then the previously mentioned “The Tortured Poets Department.” This album is ridiculous to me. At some points, the lyrics and songwriting left me wondering if this was real or a late April Fools prank.
While Swift has definitely earned her spot in history, I find it hard to see how she has gotten as popular as she has. She tends to make, at best, mediocre music. Despite all the songs and sold-out tours, I just don’t find her interesting or worth listening to.
