Rating: 7.5/10
Taylor Swift has undoubtedly grown and developed as an artist since 2006, when she made her debut as a 16-year-old country artist. And while it’s safe to say that her first album is not objectively her best, it’s still very sweet, and quite advanced for the age it was written at.
In this post I am going to be ranking all of the songs from her debut album from worst to best. Now, keep in mind, some songs will be ranked higher than other songs that may be objectively better than them. That’s because all of my rankings are based off a mix of lyrics, vocals, relatability, meaningfulness, and my own personal enjoyment and connection to the song.
14. A Perfectly Good Heart (Track 14)
It makes me slightly sad to rank the closing track as the worst, but unfortunately that’s just how I see it. This song, while not awful, is pretty generic and boring. The lyrics are rather bland, and they make the topic of the song sound meaningless. This song also doesn’t have much replay-value, and I can’t imagine ever adding it to my Taylor Swift playlist. Definitely the worst closing track of any album Taylor has released as of now.
13. I’m Only Me When I’m With You (Track 12)
This song is apparently written for Taylor’s family, which is very sweet. However, this track, similarly to A Perfectly Good Heart, feels rather generic, and it doesn’t have much replay-value (for me, at least). It kind of sounds like the theme song for an early 2010s Disney Channel show.
12. Stay Beautiful (Track 8)
This song is very cutesy and the lyrics are actually quite relatable, but it does come across as very immature and naive (although that fits with the whole theme of the album). Again, it’s not terrible, but it’s just a little too sugary for me.
11. Should’ve Said No (Track 9)
This should probably be ranked higher, but I’m sticking it here. This song is filled with emotion, and you can really tell how much the incidents that it was based on affected Taylor. Additionally, the vocals are really good. I can’t really relate to it though, so I’m not going to rank it any higher. Sorry. Also, it’s kind of burned out for me over time.
10. Picture to Burn (Track 2)
This song is so sassy and fun, it’s honestly just a blast to listen to. It really showcases the theme of Taylor being shamelessly angry and petty that reoccurs quite a lot throughout her discography, and I love it.
9. The Outside (Track 6)
Now, some could say that I’ve ranked this song too high, and to be honest, I’d probably agree. It is a little on the whiny side, but that is excusable, considering that, according to Genius, this song was written when Taylor was 12 years old, and it was meant to describe her feelings of isolation and rejection. The main reason I have it ranked so high is because I actually relate to it quite a bit. In case any of you readers didn’t know (you can probably tell just from my writing ), I’m currently a teenager, and I have dealt with feelings of isolation and rejection myself. Plus, considering that she was 12 when she wrote this, it’s quite impressive.
8. Invisible (Track 13)
This is, yet again, a song that is probably ranked too high. And, frankly, I don’t even listen to it as much as I listen to some of the songs that are ranked below it. However, this song is so accurate to what it feels like to pine for someone who you feel like you’ll never be able to reach. This is definitely one of the best unrequited love songs in Taylor’s entire discography. Some of the most piercing lyrics are “There’s a fire inside of you that can’t help but shine through“ and “All I think about is how to make you think of me, and everything that we could be.”
7. Cold As You (Track 5)
Ah, the first ‘Track 5’ to ever be. And boy is it a good one. The vocals on this track are great, and the lyrics are stunning. For example, “You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray, and I stood there loving you and wished them all away. And you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.” That’s absolutely beautiful.
6. Tim McGraw (Track 1)
We’ve now transitioned into the part of this list where every song from here on out has good replay-value for me. And it saddens me that I have to rank this track relatively low, because I actually really like it. The lyrics are very Swift-esque, and the vocals are very pleasing. However, compared to the rest of the tracks on the album, it’s not mind-blowing. I do like the story quite a bit though. It’s a refreshingly mature ode to a love who has left you, where there isn’t any animosity or hatred, just feelings of longing for the times of the past. The lyrics I really like in this song are “Just a boy in a Chevy truck that had a tendency of getting stuck” and “And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone” as well as “In a box beneath my bed is a letter that you never read.”
5. Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) (Track 10)
Oh my my my, I adore this song. It’s probably the most heartwarming on the album, and the fact that it was written about Taylor’s elderly neighbors makes it even more touching. I can’t listen to it without swooning, and it does a great job of showing that not all high-school relationships are meaningless, and that just because a love starts at a young age doesn’t mean that it can’t be real.
4. Our Song (Track 11)
Everyone behold the most iconic song on this album. This song is so completely charming and youthful, and it’s practically impossible to not sing along to it. It’s hard to think that this song wasn’t even going to be on the album at first (it was written for a school talent show). In fact, I originally had this in the number two spot, but alas, what can I do? The top 3 songs of this album are neck-and-neck.
3. Tied Together With a Smile (Track 7)
This song was written for a friend of Taylor’s, who, while being a beautiful and popular girl, was struggling with an eating disorder. The song uses excellent imagery to convey the situation, such as, “the water’s high, you’re jumping into it and letting go” as well as “I guess it’s true that love was all you wanted, ’cause you’re giving it away like it’s extra change. Hoping it will end up in his pocket, but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain.” As someone with decently good self esteem, it’s not too relatable to me in the most literal way, but I think the feelings of insecurity and desperation are ones that everyone experiences at one time or another.
2. A Place In This World (Track 4)
This may seem like a strange choice for the number two spot, but I actually used to have it at number one. This song is such an anthem for young girls, and when I first heard it, I listened to it on repeat for literally hours. I just feel like Taylor did a great job of capturing the uncertainty yet excitement of not quite knowing where your life is going. It’s also not about boys (no shade to the songs that are about boys, because I love them) which is nice considering that the ratio of romantic to non-romantic songs on this album is 10/4. Some of the more cultured readers of this list may recognize this song from Ramona and Beezus.
1. Teardrops On My Guitar (Track 3)
I actually used to have this in the third spot. The reason for this I cannot fathom. This song is so incredibly relatable and accurate for what it’s like to be so utterly infatuated with someone who somehow just can’t tell. This song is a perfect demonstration of why so many people love Taylor Swift. She takes things that everyone goes through in different ways, and puts them into words that everyone can relate to. This is certainly one of my favorite songs she’s ever made. “The only one who’s got enough of me to break my heart” is quite possibly the most accurate description of my current crush-situation I’ve heard in my entire life.
Anna's Music World 