my favorite Taylor Swift album

After years of soul searching I am proud to say that Fearless is my favorite Taylor Swift album!

My history as a Swiftie

    I really locked in as a Swiftie right after Midnights came out in 2022, but even before that I had always been a fan of her music. She has been on the music scene since 2006 so me, and many people, grew up alongside her music. Even if I wasn't a die hard fan when I was younger I remember hearing songs from her albums Red and 1989 all throughout elementary school. 

    Around Covid the first album of hers I really latched onto was Lover. I slowly collected songs from that album for my playlist and began to explore her albums. I considered that album my favorite all throughout highschool, and given my colorful nature I really thought that Lover was going to be my go to all time favorite album. I then listened to Folklore and omg I fell in love with it. Lyrically, it is such an amazing album and even now as a junior in college it's all I listen to every fall and winter. Cardigan was my obsession for a good year. Out of all her albums, I'd say Folklore is the only one I truly know like the back of my hand. Every title track, every lyric. Even then though, my passion for Folklore felt like a seasonal love. When spring would roll around it felt weird for me to consider it my favorite album or play it on repeat. And I honestly never truly felt right saying it was my favorite album when people would ask me about it. I just felt like it clashed with my vibe. 

    In this past year or so I feel like I've really had a breakthrough in terms of finding my style and deciding on what truly makes me happy. I'm not sure if it's just being in college or getting a boyfriend, but I suddenly feel heavily in tune with myself. I also started slowly being introduced to some Taylor Swift songs that I wasn't familiar with yet. A lot of them being from Fearless. Maybe it was the tik tok algorithm knowing I was destined to be a Fearless girl because I loved every song I was being shown. 

Of course our opinions are ever changing and I have witnessed my love for albums shift and favorite songs from Taylor rotate and swap out with others, but as of right now I feel this sort of enlightenment and clarity on the subject. Fearless is and was meant to be my favorite album. It truly feels so right considering my new stage in life and discovery of my aesthetic.

Why I love Fearless so much

    It's impossible to deny how important this album was for Taylor Swift's success. Love Story and You Belong with Me solidified the fact that she was going to become a star, and these songs continue to be pop culture icons of the late 2000s. I've lately really been resonating and identifying with this era of fashion and music lately so it makes sense that this album is my favorite. I don't really consider myself much of a hard core country fan, but I do have a love for folk music and instruments. I think this album is such a sweet spot on the country to pop spectrum for me. 

    It truly captures 2009 and rising main stream popularity of country-pop. This whole album also screams highschool and first love in the 2000s. It is an introspective and honest depiction of the trials of teenage love. This being Taylor's second album also means it is just so nostalgic and classic in terms of her production style and writing. It follows her strongly narrative centered lyricism. Although there are many songs centered on the lows associated with young love, the majority of the album (and especially my favorite songs) are just so warm and optimistic and really manage to capture the wonder of teenage romance while still shedding light to the trials that comes with it. 

My favorite songs off the album

• Fearless - God the intro instrumentals are so good, my spirits are instantly lifted. The guitar is so dreamy and fun. I think this song is such an amazing opening track and fully encapsulates the feel and goal of this album. The chorus really feels  sweet and innocent and really ties into the feelings of teenage love. There's also such a fun guitar break before the chorus and high energy drums all throughout. Such a feel good song! (I always do the heart hands after the bridge iykyk)

Favorite line: "But with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress Fearless"

• Tell Me Why - The thing that immediately caught my attention in this song is the highlight of what I believe is a fiddle at the beginning and then the constant use of banjo. Such a fun mix of pop production with country instruments! I also love how much story telling there is in this song and how you can see it build up. I saw something about how some people theorize parts of this song were inspired by her father and as someone with daddy issues I can definitely see that and relate. I love how the outro ties directly back into the intro and shows development in the narrative Taylor's telling.

Favorite line: "And I need you like a heartbeat but you know you got a mean streak"

• Forever and Always - This is one of the newer Taylor Swift songs I've been introduced to and the thing that caught my attention is the chorus. I think the chorus is really interesting because it almost feels like two choruses. She repeats the title of the track midway through the chorus and then again at the end of the chorus. I also love the vocal melody and how she chooses to utilize higher pitches on certain words for variety. This melody is so wildly catchy when I first heard this song I'd find myself humming it even though I didn't know the lyrics fully yet. This song also features an instrumental break before going into the bridge which ties in some more pop or even rock elements to the song. I can see this song becoming one of my top ones from this album. 

Favorite line: "And it rains in your bedroom everything is wrong it rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone"

• Jump Then Fall - This song falls more onto the country side of the spectrum. The verses in this song are so sweet and are just giving hopeless romantic. They honestly make me think of my boyfriend whenever I listen to this song. I enjoy the repetition of the title of the song throughout the chorus and how she chooses to "jump" up to a higher notes when she sings the word jump. I'm not sure if that was intentional, but I think it makes the chorus interesting to listen to. The phrase "jump then fall" is a unique spin on terms such as jumping into a relationship and falling in love. Right after the bridge you can really hear the blending of country and pop in the production and it makes for a fun background instrumental.

Favorite line: "Well, I like the way your hair falls in your face you got the keys to me, I love each freckle on your face"

• Untouchable - This is one of the slower and softer songs on the album and I just love how whimsical and dreamy it feels. Lyrically, this song is relatively simple and mainly repeats the chorus multiple times, but I think the way the chorus builds with each time it's repeated adds interest to the song. I adore the way the vocal pacing and pitch changes on the last repeat of the chorus. A very easy and cozy listening experience. 

Favorite line: "In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream it's like a million little stars spellin' out your name"

• The Other Side of the Door - First off, very country with the twangy banjo and guitar. I love to see it. I like how the line about throwing pebbles ties into Love Story and the mention of rain ties back to Fearless. I love how passionate the imagery in the chorus is. I think the overall conflict of the song  stands out compared to the stories being told in the other tracks. It tackles the heightened emotions that can lead to mistakes in relationships and the sort of "love-hate" nature of it all. It almost feels like listening to an argument that ends in reconciliation when Taylor confesses in the last line that she needs to person she's singing to, even if they're relationship has rough patches. OMG HOLY OUTRO. Truly one of her "oh and another thing" tangents. It's the perfect closer to a song that features such intense feelings and emotional turmoil. 

Favorite line: "To stand outside my window throwing pebbles screaming 'I'm in love with you'"

use this spreadsheet to mathematically calculate your favorite Taylor Swift album!