It’s hard to even go on the internet without seeing a list of Taylor Swift songs ranked in descending order of worst to best. I’ve read many of these lists, like this one from Vulture, or this one from Rolling Stone. 

So, why do I feel the need to post my own list? It’s not because I’m a music critic; I’ve never presumed to have sophisticated taste. But I do know a bit about writing, especially writing fiction. And Taylor Swift is a phenomenal writer and story-teller, hence the term “Swiftature.” My list is about the top 50 Taylor Swift songs for Swiftature fans & fiction writers, where I’ll focus on figurative language, character development, story-telling, and point of view.

Okay, let’s do this!

It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat

The lights are so bright, but they never blind me

Welcome to New York (new soundtrack), it’s been waitin’ for you

I haven’t seen “Welcome to New York” on any other lists of Taylor Swift’s best songs. But I chose this track as tying for #50 because it’s like a prologue. There’s so much enthusiasm and optimism. Swift sings of fresh new beginnings, and if this song was the beginning of a book, I’d want to read more. Plus, she does what any good novelist knows to do right away: establish the setting.

Now you hang from my lips

Like the Gardens of Babylon

With your boots beneath my bed n

Forever is the sweetest con

“Cowboy Like Me” is another underrated track, from Swift’s most underrated album, Evermore, which many believe was just B-tracks from Folklore. While this song isn’t super catchy, its poetry grows on you. The character study and relationship established in the lyrics are pretty incredible, not to mention that it’s all one big simile wrapped in a metaphor with allusions to Hellenic culture.

I don’t know what to say since the twist of fate

When it all broke down

And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

“The Story of Us” has a peppy, fun tempo. Which means, that in addition to other literary devices employed in this song, Swift also uses irony. Because, the lyrics are very sad. It tells the story of a failed love, in a way that appeals to book nerds everywhere.

Fond gestures are exchanged

And the organ starts to play

A song that sounds like a death march

And I am hiding in the curtains

It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be

She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen

But I know you wish it was me

I don’t think “Speak Now” makes it into my top 50 Taylor Swift songs just to listen to. But when it comes to fiction writing, it earns a spot on my list. I can’t hear her sing these lyrics without picturing the whole scene; she tells a story with humor, imagery, and a very strong point of view.

Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me

Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry

But if I’m a thief, then he can join the heist

And we’ll move to an island, and

And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor

Every love I’ve known in comparison is a failure

Every line of lyrics in “Ready For It” is clever and full of attitude. One piece of writing advice I heard early on, is to make every single scene suspenseful. I still don’t how to do that, but look at this song. Swift chose each word carefully, and they all have a purpose.

I hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive

You’re a redneck heartbreak who’s really bad at lying

So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time

As far as I’m concerned, you’re just another picture to burn

I taught AP Lit for several years, and when Taylor wrote “Picture to Burn” she was young enough to be a high school student. Whether or not she ever took that class, she displays an awesome grasp on AP Lit terms. “You’re a redneck heartbreak” is a powerful metaphor, and sort of reverse personification. “Watch me strike a match on all my wasted time,” is both vivid and hyperbolic. And you could argue that “You’re just another picture to burn,” is an example of synecdoche, a figure of speech where a part represents a whole, or vice versa. He’s just another picture to burn, and that’s all he is.

Remember when we couldn’t take the heat?

I walked out, I said, “I’m setting you free”

But the monsters turned out to be just trees

When the sun came up you were looking at me

I know this song is repetitive, but the repetition creates a sense of urgency and suspense. I love how it builds to the bridge. “But the monsters turned out to be just trees,” hits me every time I hear it, reminding me of camping trips or late night drives down country roads, where everything seems so scary and intimidating until the next morning.

This is the last time you tell me I’ve got it wrong

This is the last time I say it’s been you all along

This is the last time I let you in my door

This is the last time, I won’t hurt you anymore

Co-written and performed with Gordon Lightbody from Snow Patrol, “The Last Time” is like a masterclass in alternating POVs. It’s considered one of Swift’s weaker songs, and I don’t get why. The emotion is so raw. It’s about a crumbling relationship and the vicious cycle of heartbreak and forgiveness. You can imagine each character on either side of the door–him outside on his knees, begging to be let in; and her inside, torn between letting him in or telling him to go away. 

You’re all I wanted

Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Can’t breathe whenever you’re gone

Can’t turn back now, I’m haunted

A while back I posted about which Taylor Swift songs fit with which Bronte novels. “Haunted” is like a three-minute version of Wuthering Heights.

No, nothin’ good starts in a getaway car

It was the best of times, the worst of crimes

I struck a match and blew your mind

But I didn’t mean it, and you didn’t see it

The ties were black, the lies were white

In shades of gray in candlelight

I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason

“X” marks the spot where we fell apart

He poisoned the well, I was lyin’ to myself

I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed

We never had a shotgun shot in the dark (oh!)

There is so much to unpack from just the first eleven lines of this song.  Taylor sings about a romance that begins as “the best of times,” but the relationship’s a mistake, or “the worst of crimes.” She “struck a match and blew your mind.” However, their connection was full of “ties” and “lies” described as “black” and “white.” And their decision to run away together was reckless. The “shades of gray candlelight” symbolizes an inability to see their mistake, or that their relationship is doomed. This song tells a story about how Taylor wanted to leave one boyfriend, so hooking up with someone else was her exit plan. It’s a great premise for a novel.

And that’s the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings

And longing stares

It’s born from just one single glance

But it dies, and it dies, and it dies

A million little times

If “Illicit Affairs” was a book, I imagine it’d be a slim novel, found in the literary fiction aisle. No flashy plot or HEA, just a deep character study written in lyrical prose, told in 2nd person: Your secret connection is filled with intense love and passion. Each encounter defies fate. You hide your actions, spinning lies to conceal your affair. You keep your trail hidden. This once-innocent love becomes a forbidden flame, pushing you to seek refuge in shadowy corners. Every moment is secret, doors locked against the world. 

I will post my picks for the 40th thru the 31st best Taylor Swift songs for fiction writers soon. In the meantime, if you’re eager for more Swiftature, I have good news. You can read “Love and Poetry” (a short story written while listening to Taylor Swift) for FREE, no strings attached. You don’t even need to subscribe. But I hope you’ll stop back here soon!

The post Swiftature – Top 50 Taylor Swift Songs for Fiction Writers Ranked: 41-50 first appeared on LaurelLit.com.

The post Swiftature – Top 50 Taylor Swift Songs for Fiction Writers Ranked: 41-50 appeared first on LaurelLit.com.