Taylor Swift: Every Track 5 Song, Ranked From Worst To Best
Summary
- Swift’s track 5 songs are chosen for their emotional depth, vulnerability, and powerful storytelling.
- Not all track 5s are created equal – some, like “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” fall short in conveying true emotion.
- The standout track 5, “All Too Well,” remains a fan-favorite and showcases Swift’s songwriting mastery.
Whether they’re more fitting to the particular placement criteria or simply of higher quality, some of Taylor Swift‘s 11 track 5 songs across her vast musical discography are better than others. With the release of what turned out to be a double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Swift brought her career total albums to 11 (along with four re-recorded Taylor’s Versions). On every Taylor Swift album since her debut in 2006, the prolific artist has selected the most soul-baring song to occupy the fifth spot on the album’s tracklist.
Although it’s a completely deliberate practice now, Swift wasn’t always aware of her tendency to make her track 5s sad songs. “Track 5 is a tradition that really started with you guys,” Swift explained in an Instagram Live session one month before dropping Lover in 2019. “I didn’t realize I was doing this, but as I was making albums…instinctively I was putting a very vulnerable, personal, honest, emotional song as track 5.” Swift has continued this sad track 5 trend for 18 years, though the tradition has generated some track 5s that are definitively more soul-baring than others.
Honorable Mention: Although “How Did It End?” is the fifth song on the second instalment of The Tortured Poets Department, since The Anthology is not considered a separate album but rather an extension of TTPD, it is not technically one of Swift’s “track 5″s.
Track 5 On Every Taylor Swift Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Song Title | Album | Writer(s) | Length |
“Cold as You” | Taylor Swift | Taylor Swift & Liz Rose | 4:01 |
“White Horse” | Fearless | Taylor Swift & Liz Rose | 3:54 |
“Dear John” | Speak Now | Taylor Swift | 6:43 |
“All Too Well” | Red | Taylor Swift & Liz Rose | 5:29 |
“All You Had to Do Was Stay” | 1989 | Taylor Swift & Max Martin | 3:13 |
“Delicate” | Reputation | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, & Shellback | 3:52 |
“The Archer” | Lover | Taylor Swift & Jack Antonoff | 3:31 |
“my tears ricochet” | Folklore | Taylor Swift | 4:15 |
“tolerate it” | Evermore | Taylor Swift & Aaron Dessner | 4:05 |
“You’re on Your Own, Kid” | Midnights | Taylor Swift & Jack Antonoff | 3:14 |
“So Long, London” | The Tortured Poets Department | Taylor Swift & Aaron Dessner | 4:22 |
11 All You Had To Do Was Stay
Albums: 1989 (2014), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
The worst track 5 song in Taylor Swift’s discography has to be “All You Had To Do Was Stay” from her fourth studio album, 1989. On “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” Swift reminds her returning lover that if they want her back, they shouldn’t have left in the first place. It’s meant to be an anthem about standing your ground and staying strong when an ex comes crawling back but the damage is already done, though Swift doesn’t deliver the empowering lyrics with much conviction.
1989 is Swift’s most consistently upbeat and positive album that’s least defined by heartbreak, giving her slim pickings for a track 5 placement.
Ultimately, “All You Had To Do Was Stay” is a perfectly fine, harmless song that fails to leave any lasting impression. It’s lyrically underwhelming and makes little sense as a track 5. 1989 is Swift’s most consistently upbeat and positive album that’s least defined by heartbreak, giving her slim pickings for a track 5 placement. Even so, “Clean” would have made much more sense as a track 5.
As a track 5, “All You Had To Do Was Stay” just doesn’t compare to the heavy hitters in its company in terms of overall quality.
It’s rare for track 5 to be one of the most forgettable songs on its respective album; in fact, Swift’s track 5s are some of the best songs in her catalog, but “All You Had To Do Was Stay” fails to stand out on 1989. Not even the re-recording on 1989 (Taylor’s Version) could improve this unremarkable song, and as a track 5, “All You Had To Do Was Stay” just doesn’t compare to the heavy hitters in its company in terms of overall quality.
Every Taylor Swift Album The Popstar Actually Owns
Taylor Swift is the Queen of Pop so it may be surprising that she doesn’t own the masters to all her music. So, which albums does Taylor Swift own?
10 Delicate
Album: Reputation (2017)
One of the two track 5 singles in Swift’s discography, “Delicate” sees Swift ruminating on whether her current reputation will drive a prospective lover away. The song appears on Swift’s 2017 comeback album, Reputation, which was released after her public scandal with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West left her reputation in ruins.
Even though the lyrics are anxiety-ridden and vulnerable, “Delicate” is sonically deceiving and does not fit the mold of a track 5 enough to rank it any higher than second-to-last.
Like “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” “Delicate” feels too upbeat and playful to be a track 5. Even though the lyrics are anxiety-ridden and vulnerable, “Delicate” is sonically deceiving and does not fit the mold of a track 5 enough to rank it any higher than second-to-last. Swift faced a similar problem with Reputation as she did with 1989 in that Reputation was predominantly revenge anthems and smitten love songs, so there weren’t many that necessarily fit the track 5 criteria.
“Delicate” is unique in that it is the only track 5 about the beginning of a relationship in which she ponders what the future will bring. Most of Swift’s track 5s see her reflecting on a relationship after it ends or looking inwards at her own journey, but “Delicate” centers on worrying about ruining everything right now. Points for originality, but “Delicate” still does not feel like a proper track 5.
9 Cold As You
Album: Taylor Swift (2006)
The track 5 that unintentionally started it all, “Cold As You” from Swift’s self-titled debut album set the tone for every song with the same album placement to follow. On the inaugural track 5, Swift compares enduring her emotionally unavailable lover’s icy demeanor to the coldest place she’s ever visited. On her website, Swift described the song as capturing “that moment where you realize someone isn’t at all who you thought they were, and that you’ve been trying to make excuses for someone who doesn’t deserve them.”
“Cold As You” ranks higher than “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “Delicate” because the lyrical content and overall tone are much more in line with what a track 5 should feel like.
Some of the best lyrics on Swift’s debut album can be found on “Cold As You,” particularly, “And you come away with a great little story/Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.” “Cold As You” ranks higher than “AYHTDWS” and “Delicate” because the lyrical content and overall tone are much more in line with what a track 5 should feel like. Despite being a lyrical standout on the album, the more juvenile songwriting on “Cold As You” still isn’t as refined as most of her later stuff, including the majority of her track 5s.
Why Taylor Swift Almost Completely Ignores Her Debut Album On The Eras Tour (Despite The Title)
On The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift sets out to take audiences through the entirety of her career, yet has largely ignored her debut album.
8 White Horse
Albums: Fearless (2008), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
The only Grammy-winning track 5 (discounting the ten-minute version of “All Too Well,” which is track 30 on Red (Taylor’s Version)), “White Horse” was the second single off Swift’s sophomore album, Fearless. Serving as the flip side to Fearless’ optimistic, happily-ever-after track 3, “Love Story,” “White Horse” is about the fairytale illusion shattering as Swift realizes her prince charming isn’t who she thought he was. She decides she deserves better and sets off to find someone “whomight actually treat me well.”
The marginally hopeful ending, which sees Swift leaving her lover and their “small town” in the rearview mirror as she sets out for the “big world,” keeps “White Horse” from being as earth-shattering as the best track 5s.
Just as a good track 5 should, “White Horse” spoils the fantasy that the album spent the first four songs constructing. Still, “White Horse” doesn’t quite pack the same gut punch as other track 5s to rank it any higher. It’s sad, sure, but the marginally hopeful ending, which sees Swift leaving her lover and their “small town” in the rearview mirror as she sets out for the “big world,” keeps “White Horse” from being as earth-shattering as the best track 5s.
“White Horse” won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards.
7 The Archer
Album: Lover (2019)
After steering off course a bit with 1989 and Reputation‘s track 5s, Swift returned to form with “The Archer” off her seventh studio album Lover. “The Archer” also marked Swift’s first track 5 that wasn’t explicitly about a romantic relationship, old or new. Instead, on “The Archer,” Swift confronts and unpacks her own neurosis and looks inward at her self-sabotaging behavior and harmful tendencies.
Ultimately, “The Archer” lands below the remaining track 5s because it feels stagnant.
This track 5 serves as an introspective examination of her worst faults in her interpersonal relationships, romantic or otherwise. “The Archer” features some of Swift’s most creatively expressed lyrics, like “I never grew up, it’s getting so old” and “Who could ever leave me, darling/But who could stay?” Ultimately, “The Archer” lands below the remaining track 5s because it feels stagnant.
Although it picks up a bit on the pre-choruses, by never letting the beat drop, the unchanging production evokes the feeling of anxiety that she’s describing in the song. This creative choice may have served a purpose in the song itself, but it prevents “The Archer” from encompassing the full range of soul-crushing emotion present in other track 5s.
6 You’re On Your Own, Kid
Album: Midnights (2022)
Featured as track 5 on Swift’s 10th studio album, Midnights, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” chronicles Swift’s rise to fame, taking listeners back right to the beginning and detailing all the “blood, sweat, and tears” she put into pursuing her dreams. “You’re On Your Own, Kid’ serves as a reflection on her coming of age, as she looks back on how far she’s come and all the pain she’d endured along the way.
As an exploration of her journey from budding songwriter to mega superstar, “Your On Your Own, Kid” is definitely personal like a track 5 ought to be: in the line “I hosted parties and starved my body,” Swift references the eating disorder she struggled with that she’d only previously spoken about in her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana. Truthfully, though, there were more heartwrenching songs on the 3am Edition of Midnights that would have been better selections for track 5 had they made the standard edition, like “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve,” or even “Dear Reader.”
“Your On Your Own, Kid” doesn’t leave the listener emotionally wrecked, which is in many ways a good thing, but renders it less effective as a track 5.
Unlike most of Swift’s track 5s, though, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” ends on a hopeful note, as Swift reassures herself that even though she’s still on her own, she’s “got no reason to be afraid” and “can face this.” It’s a sweet, comforting conclusion, but one that doesn’t fit as well in the track 5 canon. “Your On Your Own, Kid” doesn’t leave the listener emotionally wrecked, which is in many ways a good thing, but renders it less effective as a track 5.
Why Taylor Swift Plays “Our Song” & “You’re On Your Own, Kid” Twice In The Eras Tour Movie (Taylor’s Version)
The newly released Eras Tour Movie (Taylor’s Version) has Swifties and newcomers alike wondering why Taylor Swift plays two of her hit songs twice.
5 Tolerate It
Album: Evermore (2020)
A harrowing account of unreciprocated love, “tolerate it” describes an unhealthy relationship dynamic in which one partner is completely undervalued by the other, told from the perspective of the younger, unappreciated partner. The lyrics of Swift’s “tolerate it” were inspired by the bookRebecca (1938) by Daphne du Maurier about a woman who marries an older, wealthy widower and realizes she’ll never measure up to his titular dead wife, who haunts their home.
Swift said she selected “tolerate It” as track 5 on Evermore because it’s “conveys such a specific kind of hurt.”
Between the emotionally devastating lyrics and unintentionally off-putting yet striking production, “tolerate it” is one of the best songs on Evermore and most crushing in her whole catalog. Like “The Archer,” it finishes with the same opening lyric, showing that the narrator is still stuck in this soul-sucking relationship despite temporarily finding the bravery to voice her pain. Swift said she selected “tolerate It” as track 5 on Evermore because it’s “conveys such a specific kind of hurt.”
However, “tolerate it” loses points because of its detachment from Swift’s personal experience. Although she related to the woman from Rebecca whose husband merely “tolerates” her love, which prompted her to write the song, there’s a clear departure in “tolerate it” from the pure autobiographical nature of Swift’s previous track 5s. Some of Swift’s best work on Folklore and Evermore have been fictionalized accounts, but when it comes to track 5s, this narrative distance interferes.
4 So Long, London
Album: The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
The latest track 5 to join the club is “So Long, London,” featured on Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. On “So Long, London,” Swift bids farewell to the titular city and the lover she’s leaving behind in it after trying to salvage their dying relationship with no reciprocated effort for too long.
“So Long London” is one of the best songs on The Tortured Poets Department double album, which has the longest tracklist of any Swift album with 31 songs. Swift lays all her pain and frustrations bare on this heartbreaking ballad, presumed to be about Swift’s breakup with her British actor Joe Alwyn, whom she lived with in London for many years. Swift’s vocal delivery on lines like “I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free” and “when you’re not sure if he wants to be there” show the range of her exasperation on this song, going from deep, guttural, breathlessness to full-on screaming.
7 The Tortured Poets Department Songs That Must Be Added To Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Certain songs on Taylor Swift’s new double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, were made to be performed live on The Eras Tour.
3 Dear John
Albums: Speak Now (2010), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
Described by Swift as “the last email you would ever send” to an ex-lover, Swift uses “Dear John” as an open letter to a much older man to call him out for severely mistreating and manipulating her when she was only 19 years old. ”Dear John” is widely speculated to be about fellow musician John Mayer, whom Swift was involved with from 2009-2010 when she was 19 and he was 32.
The slow-burn ballad takes its time building up over the first four minutes before exploding on the bridge just like the figurative “fireworks” over the titular John’s “sad empty town.”
At 6:45 on the re-recorded album, “Dear John” is Swift’s longest track 5 by over a minute. The slow-burn ballad takes its time building up over the first four minutes before exploding on the bridge just like the figurative “fireworks” over the titular John’s “sad empty town.”
Swift’s wise, brilliantly articulated perspective showed immense maturity in both her songwriting and as a person, while simultaneously making the point that she was “too young to be messed with.”
Before “my tears ricochet” from Folklore was released in 2020, “Dear John” was the only track 5 Swift had written entirely herself, making it all the more personal. “Dear John” is one of Swift’s most lauded songs to date for its music and lyrics, and received wider critical acclaim when the recording was released on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in 2023. Swift’s wise, brilliantly articulated perspective showed immense maturity in both her songwriting and as a person, while simultaneously making the point that she was “too young to be messed with.”
A “Dear John” letter is a type of letter a man’s romantic partner would write to inform him that their relationship is over.
2 My Tears Ricochet
Album: Folklore (2020)
On Instagram, Swift described “my tears ricochet” as a tale of “an embittered tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession.” In reality, the song is an extended metaphor for Swift’s masters dispute, which led to the destruction of her 15-year friendship and professional relationship with the founder of her former record label, Scott Borchetta. The context adds a layer of tragedy, but this ballad about a sudden, life-altering betrayal is still powerful enough in itself.
“My tears ricochet” was the first song Swift wrote for Folklore, setting the sonic and thematic tone for the rest of her Grammy-winning, career-defining eighth studio album. Ultimately, “my tears ricochet” earns the second spot on the ranking because it was practically born to be a track 5 from the beginning.
Swift acknowledged that while “picking a track 5 is sort of a pressurized decision,” she “knew from day one that [“my tears ricochet”] was probably going to be it.”
In Swift’s concert documentary, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, on Disney+, Swift and producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff concurred that “my tears ricochet” was one of the saddest songs on the album, which earned it track 5 status. Swift acknowledged that while “picking a track 5 is sort of a pressurized decision,” she “knew from day one that [“my tears ricochet”] was probably going to be it.”
1 All Too Well
Albums: Red (2012), Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
Arguably Swift’s most famous and quintessential track 5, “All Too Well” was released on Swift’s fourth studio album Red, and quickly became a fan-favorite. On “All Too Well,” Swift reflects on a failed relationship that left her emotionally destroyed. She recalls specific, expository details from that time to evoke vivid imagery and paint a full picture of their relationship, including the agonizing aftermath.
“All Too Well” was already considered an unparalleled feat in storytelling for Swift and a songwriting masterpiece before the extended cut was released from the vault.
“All Too Well” is widely believed to be about Swift’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2010-2011, when she was 20-21 and he was 29-30. New lyrics on the 10-minute version about a significant age gap and missing Swift’s 21st birthday further supported this claim.
Like “my tears ricochet,” “All Too Well” was the first song Swift wrote for Red and was 10 minutes long before she shortened it to five-and-a-half minutes for the album. Swift finally shared the 10-minute extended cut on Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021, but “All Too Well” was already considered an unparalleled feat in storytelling for Swift and a songwriting masterpiece before the extended cut was released from the vault.
What Taylor Swift’s All Too Well 10 Minute Version Lyrics Mean
Taylor Swift’s 10-minute All Too Well version is supposedly about her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. Here’s a deeper dive into the song’s lyrics.
As far as crowning the top track 5 in Swift’s discography, “All Too Well” is a no-brainer. Not only is it the best of the eleven songs with this notable tracklist placement, “All Too Well” is considered by many to be Swift’s best work to date. Though the ten-minute version overshadowed it and took its place as Swift’s magnum opus, the original “All Too Well” remains track 5 on both versions of Red and no other song in Taylor Swift‘s discography has managed to beat it just yet, regardless of their tracklist placement.
