Taylor Swift All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track

by Damien Somville, Marine Benoit

A behind-the-scenes look at the music and creative process of worldwide phenomenon Taylor Swift, as told through the writing and recording of every song. * An Associated Press Holiday Gift Guide pick * An HGTV Best Gift for the Taylor Swift Fan pick Step into the world of Taylor Swift from her beginnings as a teenage country singer to her record-breaking “Eras Tour.” This is an all-encapsuling deep dive into her music, album-by-album and track-by-track, detailing her greatest hits, the hidden meanings in her lyrics, and the evolution of her sound. Each song entry includes recording studio information such as insights into Taylor’s collaborations with musicians like Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, and Haim; her long-standing work with producer Jack Antonoff; and how her Taylor’s Versions albums differ from the originals. Exploring every Easter egg and melody, and packed with hundreds of photographs, this is a must-have for every Swiftie.
 

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

484 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐
Eagerly awaiting "The Life of a Showgirl" 🧡

Offering deep, insightful looks into all of Ms. Taylor Swift's discography, this book is detailed and thorough in its research and its comprehension of the artist's massive impact on the music industry, her storytelling capabilities, and the love of her fans.

I'm a down bad Swiftie, so anything related to my girl is automatically great in my book. Of course, do I think some of the information is a bit repetitive and reminiscent of other books on Taylor: yes. However, what I appreciate about this book is the detailed look into the sonic features of her songs, not just focusing on her lyrical or storytelling talents.

I also love the photos that are included and it makes me so happy to see the life of Taylor documented in beautiful and captivating images.

This is a perfect book for any reader - whether you're a resident Swiftie, a burgeoning beginner, or someone who is fascinated by this talented artist. I think anyone would enjoy this work and can find something beautiful to appreciate.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Black Dog and Leventhal for an ARC of this book!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and informative collection of all of Taylor's albums, from Debut through to The Tortured Poets Department, including bright photographs throughout all the eras, background info on the lead-up to each album as well as an explanation for each song and notes on the musical production of each song.

I own quite a few of these now and was curious to see how this one holds up being part of the All the Songs series. The inclusion of the musical production notes as well as one-two page mini bios of the important figures in Taylor's musical career was a nice touch and makes this standout from other similar books out there.

There were a couple of formatting errors that should be ironed out by publication.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

[Jennifer ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I a diehard Swiftie? Yes. Did I squee with excitement when I received this ARC? YES!

I love love this book! I plan to purchase it when it is released.

One of the things I love about Taylor (and I know I am not alone) is her ability to put together words in such an eloquent way in song form that elicits emotional responses that really no one else can do like she does. And she does it over and over again. I often find myself listening to songs over and over, discovering another hidden meaning in a lyric that I bypassed before.

I loved being able to read the background behind each of her songs and the ability to skip around the book based on my mood. I also like the added pictures and the bonus blurbs for “discerning swifties.” I appreciate the inclusion of all her collaborations as well.

This is a definitely a must in any Swiftie’s collection of TS merchandise- but for me it’ll be my favorite addition. Now not only can I look forward to The Life of a Showgirl, I can look forward to this book release as well.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers for the ARC of #TaylorSwiftAllTheSongs

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich bin ein wirklicher Fan von Taylor Swift und war sehr gespannt auf dieses Buch. Alleine das Cover wirkt ansprechend und hochwertig. Die glitzernde Elemente passen einfach perfekt und die Haptik des Hardcover Buches finde ich sehr gelungen.

Eine der Sängerinnen unserer Zeit, Taylor Swift, in diesem Buch werden ihre Songs beschrieben, erklärt und durch Fotografien begleitet. Auch der Aufbau ihrer Karriere und ihre Meilensteine werden kurz erklärt. Das Buch ist eine wunderbare Ansammlung und hat mir gut gefallen. Die vielen zusätzlichen Information waren toll und so konnte ich noch mehr über diese außergewöhnliche Künstlerin erfahren.

Das Buch ist einfach toll, die Mischung aus Informationen, Text und Bildern ist harmonisch und wirklich gut umgesetzt.
Insgesamt ist das Buch unglaublich vielseitig und beleuchtet Taylor Swift und ihre Musik. Wer gerne mehr über die Lieder erfahren möchte, ist mit diesem Buch unglaublich zufrieden. Für jeden Fan ein absolutes Muss, ich empfehle das Buch auf jeden Fall weiter.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many errors. Some may be typos but some are errors—for example, the mention of the book Rebecca is totally incorrect because the second Mrs deWinter is never given a first name in either the book or the two film adaptations. This book gives her the name of the nasty woman who employed her as a companion, something that could have been avoided with a quick online search.The song Invisible String is referred to several times as Invisible Strings. I Hate it Here lyrics say 1830s while this book says 1930s—again, maybe a typo but these errors should have been caught by an editor. There are so many mistakes that I tend to doubt the validity of the text. Lastly, the ebook (thankfully borrowed from my library and not purchased) had no photos even though photo credits were listed.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures are super nice and it is so fun to read about the stories behind some of my favorite albums and Taylor Swift's journey. I'm actually looking forward to the hard copy to have around and look at the pictures with my daughter!

Thank you to Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers for allowing me to preview the ARC!

[Cher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's such a fun and cool book. the pictures are amazing. As a swiftie, I will definitely be purchasing this in a hardback when it's released.

I have not read any previous books like this, so I found it interesting and learned more from behind the scenes. This is definitely perfect for any swiftie

thank you, netgalley, for giving me an ARC

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly this wasn't for me. I was expecting more on the lyricism and intertextuality of Taylor Swift's song writing rather than a deep dive into the music production of every single song she's ever released. Also my edition had a few of the insights in French rather than English which seems like an editing oversight?

[Zoe Wilkes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is pretty standard, ive read many books like this and it just feels very similar. while i understand the story is similar it just feels repetitive. not saying its a bad book just that there is so many of these books this one just doesnt have a stand out quality to it

[Sarah Easley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cool concept, but you could tell that it was written before TTPD and that section was hastily added in. Lots of graphic design errors, and calling the song “invisible strings” with an S is unforgivable.

[Anna Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gave me a newfound appreciation for some of the songs I didn’t vibe with as much. There were some publishing typos and mistakes that annoyed me tho LOL

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you to my mom who let me have this Christmas gift early on Thanksgiving! I spent a large portion of the Saturday after Thanksgiving curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace in my childhood home, devouring this book. As a long-time Swiftie, I really liked seeing the stories behind each song and some additional information on the production. I also liked seeing Taylor's major collaborators highlighted and each era introduced and analyzed in relation to Taylor's career. There were some copyediting errors here and there: a fact repeated on two different pages, formatting being off, text being in French... Even with that, it's still a great gift for the Swiftie in your life. I thought I knew everything about every Taylor song, and even I learned something. And it includes vault tracks and TTPD. I would have loved Life of a Showgirl to be included, but it is so recent that it would be impossible.

[Nat Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the breakdown of all of Taylor’s songs and the backstory of them, I could’ve done without the breakdown of the instruments though, I didn’t really care for those sections.