Happy 8 Years of Red!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
I donât usually get all personal on the blog, but something you should know about me is that Iâve been a die-hard Taylor Swift fan ever since she released âTim McGrawâ as a single from her first album. Iâve listened to all of her albums and memorized every line the day they came out, I once made a super embarrassing music video to âYou Belong With Meâ in high school thatâs still floating around on YouTube somewhere, and I own the official sweater she wore in the âCardiganâ video.
All my friends and I worship Taylor, and Red came out at a crucial part in our lives. Our girl Taylor released Red during our freshman year in college and it couldn't have come at a better time for me, personally. Shortly after Taylor released the album, I got super sick and couldnât go back to college for a semester. I listened to Red on repeat for months bedridden in a tiny room at my dadâs house, and Taylor made me feel not so alone. Red may not be my favorite Taylor Swift album, but it did get me through one of the hardest times of my life. I even got to go see her at Heinz Field during the Red Tour once I had healed from my surgeries! I unfortunately don't have any pictures, but believe me, it happened.
Since I have listened to Red potentially more than any other Taylor Swift album, Iâve decided to rank the songs in honor of its 8th Anniversary from worst to best. Believe it or not, I donât know a ton about music so this is a very unofficial, non-legit ranking. The only criteria I have for making this list is that, like Taylor, Iâm happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time. If youâre still in, letâs do this.
16. I Almost Do
I donât think Iâve listened to this song all the way through more than once. It has a nice message, but after the first few lines, I get it. Taylor wants to reach out to some guy and she doesnât, but every time she thinks about, she almost does, as she tells us repeatedly in the song. If she doesnât actually reach out, why should I care? Give me the drama! Give me Taylor Swift destroying a mansion a la âBlank Spaceâ! This song just doesnât do it for me.
15. Sad Beautiful Tragic
This is another one of those songs thatâs nice, but after the first few lines, I get it. You can only hear the phrase âsad, beautiful, tragic love affairâ one too many times until you get bored. Still, it serves a purpose. Itâs a very good sit-in-the-dark-and-eat-ice-cream-after-youâve-been-dumped song. (Not that I would know, or anything.)
14. Begin Again
A lot of people really like this song, but this is another automatic skip for me. This could be because I donât feel like it encapsulates the feeling of a new relationship. The whole point of this song is that Taylor is in a new relationship and sheâs happy, but itâs boring. New relationships arenât boring, like this song. Theyâre exciting and new and a little scary, and I just donât feel like this song does them justice. Sorry, Tay.
13. Treacherous
I like this song, but only when I have the patience to listen to the whole thing. To me, this song feels like a whole lot of build-up for not a lot of payoff. It gets exciting around the 2:00 mark, and thatâs just too long for me to listen to a song I donât love. On the plus side, I feel like this song better captures the feeling of a new relationship than âBegin Againâ.
12. The Lucky One
Now weâre getting into the territory of songs I actually like. Took us long enough, right? I feel like âThe Lucky Oneâ walked so âThe Last Great American Dynastyâ could run. The whole message is great, about about how getting everything that you want might not actually make you happy, but I have to be in the mood to listen to it since itâs a little slow. I do, however, remember the live version being super cool. Check it out if you havenât seen it:
11. Stay Stay Stay
This song is pure, lighthearted fun, and I just canât help but smile when I listen to it. The only reason it isnât ranked higher is because thatâs all I feel like it is. It doesnât have a whole lot of depth to it, and I didnât play it on repeat like I did with some of the other songs from the album. I still love it, though.
10. Starlight
This songâs cool, but the backstory is even cooler. When Taylor Swift was dating a Kennedy, she wrote this song about Ethel and Bobby Kennedy when they were teenagers. The song is pure, nostalgic bliss, if not a little shallow like âStay, Stay, Stayâ.
9. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Okay, who hasnât sung this song at the top of their lungs with their friends and meant every word? This was the first single off the album, and when it came out, I thought it was super dumb. Over the years, however, itâs grown on me. I have sung this song so many times with my friends, and we all know every single word. Plus, I feel like everyoneâs dated someone whoâs âindie record was much cooler than mineâ. Barf.
8. Everything Has Changed
Ah, why if it isnât the superior Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran collab. The other one, âEnd Gameâ off Reputation, canât even hold a candle to this one. Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are a match made in Heaven, and this was the perfect song for them to release. It has a whole lot of heart and is surprisingly deep yet simple. The video is also super cute, check it out:
7. Red
My friend once said, âNobody needed âRedâ, like the song.â I couldnât disagree with her more. âRedâ, Taylor Swiftâs last great country song, showcases Taylor Swiftâs writing ability perfectly and makes me want to get up and dance at the same time. Iâm no songwriter, but that canât be easy to do. Also, if Taylor Swift had never given us âRedâ, we wouldâve never gotten one of the deepest lines from her Lover album. Near the end of âDaylightâ, Taylor sings, âI used to think love would be burning red, but itâs golden.â So cool!
6. I Knew You Were Trouble.
THE GOAT.
5. The Last Time
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I think âThe Last Timeâ is criminally underrated. In my angsty teenage years, I worshipped Snow Patrol and must have listened to âSet Fire to the Third Barâ at least 300 times. I loved Taylor Swiftâs collaboration with Snow Patrolâs Gary Lightbody, and I also feel like it inspired âExileâ from Folklore.
4. 22
Whether you love or hate the song, you have to admit the song â22â is a cultural phenomenon. This song is the only reason that the age 22 has any significance. Itâs just so fine, and the whole line about being âhappy, free, confused, and lonely at the same timeâ is just *chefâs kiss*.
3. Holy Ground
THE BRIDGE. THE AUTUMN VIBES. WOW. I canât get enough of âHoly Groundâ and still listen to it at least once a month. I think itâs another criminally underrated Taylor Swift song. I donât even have a specific reason why I like it so much. It is just. Really. Good.
2. All Too Well
Bet you thought I was going to put this at #1, didnât you?
Objectively, âAll Too Wellâ is the best song on Red. I would even call it one of the best songs Taylor has ever written, and the single best song pre-Folklore. All us Swifties wanted was a whole album of âAll Too Wellâ, and Taylor gave us that. She didnât have to go that hard, but she did it for us. Long live Queen Taylor, and long live âAll Too Wellâ.
1.State of Grace
This is my all-time favorite Taylor Swift song, because, as they say in Perks of Being a Wallflower (a reference I feel Taylor would be proud of), it makes me feel infinite. This song makes me feel like anythingâs possible, and I just feel good listening to it no matter where I am or what Iâm doing. It makes me feel like Iâm fighting the âworthwhile fightâ.
What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? I know Iâm going to get some major flack for a few of these rankings, so give me your two cents on Twitter at @shutupallybear and happy 8 years of Red!