Rating: 8/10
After the surprise release of July’s Folklore, there were a lot of questions about where Taylor Swift’s music direction was going. It was hard to tell if she was going to continue the indie/alternative-pop sound of Folklore, or continue making the sophisticated pop records that she’d become known for. With Evermore, she decided to continue the quiet, stripped-back sound of Folklore, but add in a bit more country flair. That gentle musicality, combined with the flowery and poetic lyricism, makes Evermore a very strong album in my opinion.
In this post I’ll be ranking all the songs from Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album, Evermore, from worst to best (in my opinion). If you have thoughts on the album, feel free to share them, I’d love to discuss. Now let’s get into the ranking!
(PS: If I was also ranking deluxe tracks, ‘Right Where You Left Me’ would be in the top two. That song is incredible.)
15. Tolerate It (Track 5)
I feel bad putting this so low, because Track 5’s are usually some of my favorite Taylor songs, but alas, this one just doesn’t really do it for me. It just feels very safe it and there’s nothing that makes it stand out to me. The lyrics are good, but it’s Taylor, so that goes for every song. The bridge is nice.
14. Closure (Track 14)
I don’t hate this song, and I enjoy the piano and Taylor’s vocals. But I just think she could’ve done a lot more with this one. Again, she just played it completely safe and there’s nothing that feels really fresh and interesting about this song.
13. Coney Island (Track 9)
This is a pretty song, and the production is really gentle and soothing. But it’s just a little slow and boring to be honest. Taylor and Aaron have some pretty harmonies in the last part of the song, but that’s about as exciting as it gets in this song.
12. Happiness (Track 12)
This song reminds me of ‘The Archer’ in that it just feels like a stream of consciousness. I really wish I could like this song but it’s just… not it for me. The instrumental takes forever to pick up, and I think the song would’ve done better with a more ‘Sad Beautiful Tragic’-style production. Regardless, this song has some nice lyrics and I can imagine that it would strike a chord for some people.
11. Long Story Short (Track 12)
“Long story short, it was a bad time. Long story short, I survived.” One of the only upbeat songs on the album, this one took a while to grow on me. The melody isn’t very memorable, and neither is the instrumental, but it is a fun song. It kind of takes you on a journey, and you feel like you’re watching the events described in the lyrics take place. But I feel like the lyrics can be relatable to almost anyone. We’ve all had various times in our life where we have this goal that we’re trying to reach, but no matter what we just keep failing and stumbling. This song is kind of an anthem to push through those confusing, stumbling times because eventually you’ll reach your goal and it’ll feel amazing. Once I started to view the song like this, I started to like it more. (Also, for some reason I feel like this could’ve been on Lover.)
10. Marjorie (Track 13)
“Never be so kind you forget to be clever, never be so clever you forget to be kind.” A beautiful but bittersweet track, ‘Marjorie’ is an ode to Taylor’s late grandmother. I find this song to be very moving, perhaps because I have a really strong bond with my grandmothers, and I just love that Taylor wrote a song for hers. This song is a really powerful demonstration of how much importance and impact one person in particular can have on your life. It is a beautiful song, and Taylor sings it beautifully, but it makes me very sad when I listen to it and it’s not an absolute favorite, so I’m gonna stick it in the middle of the ranking.
9. Evermore (Track 15)
This song took me by surprise with how good it is. Starting out with simple piano and a quiet vocal from Taylor, this song at first sounds like it’s just going to be a typical sad ballad. However, about halfway through the song Bon Iver comes in and the song really picks up and starts building to this wonderful crescendo of back and forth vocals between the two of them. Then it all comes crashing down and returns to a lone, gentle Taylor vocal and piano line. Sonically, this song is very pretty and the vocals are amazing. Lyrically, it’s very somber, poetic, and reflective. But it ends on an optimistic note. Seeing as this is the final song on the (standard edition) tracklist, the song and album ends on the lyric, “I had a feeling so peculiar, this pain wouldn’t be for evermore.”
8. No Body No Crime (Track 6)
This is by far one of the most interesting and unique songs Taylor has ever made. Taking on a Western sound, ‘No Body No Crime’ tells the story of a woman who suspects her husband is cheating on her, then gets murdered by said husband, then said husband is murdered by the woman’s friend. Not only is this song super fun to sing along to, but the storytelling Taylor achieves through her lyricism is truly impressive. This song is just really fun and mysterious, and you can tell that Taylor was enjoying crafting such a twisted and intricate story.
7. Willow (Track 1)
“The more that you say, the less I know. Wherever you stray, I follow. I’m begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans, that’s my man.” The album’s opener is delicate and romantic, with a quiet guitar-picking instrumental, soft vocals, and pretty, metaphor-filled lyricism. While I don’t find this to be one of the most exciting or captivating songs on the record, it’s a very strong start to the album and I do think it makes the most sense as the opener. There’s a very mystical, enchanted feel to this song and it makes it very pleasant and enjoyable. “Life was a willow, and it bent right to your wind. Head on the pillow, I can feel you sneaking in. As if you were a mythical thing, like you were a trophy or a champion ring. But there was one prize I’d cheat to win.”
6. ‘Tis the Damn Season (Track 4)
A calm but emotive track, this song uses a simple guitar-strum instrumental, aching vocals, and vivid lyrical description to tell the story of a woman returning to her hometown over the holidays and reuniting with a past love. Musically, it has a bit of a rise in the last chorus, but it’s stagnant for the most part – which I don’t actually think is a bad thing in this case. Listening to this song really does feel like driving through a snowy small town, and there’s a lot of quiet heartbreak conveyed through the song. Plus, this song reminds me of Rory and Jess from Gilmore Girls, so that’s a plus. “And the heart I know I’m breakin’ is my own, to leave the warmest bed I’ve ever known. We could call it even, even though I’m leaving. And I’ll be yours for the weekend, ’tis the damn season.”
5. Gold Rush (Track 3)
“Walk past, quick brush, I don’t like slow motion double vision in rose blush. I don’t like that falling feels like flying till the bone crush. Everybody wants you, but I don’t like a gold rush.” One of the poppiest songs on the album, ‘Gold Rush’ starts off with an angelic vocal chant, then introduces a steady beat that drives the song into catchy, rhythmic territory. This is a very unconventional pop song, and it took me a while to get into it, but now I just bop and twirl around whenever I listen to it. The lyrics are really interesting and relatable (to me at least) as well. This song is about the experience of falling in love with someone who is extremely beautiful and charismatic, and therefore has several people who admire them and long for their affection (thus, the pursuit for that person is likened to a gold rush). There are some really clever and pretty lyrics in this song, and it makes for a nice change of tempo in a tracklist that is mostly filled with slow ballads. “What must it be like to grow up that beautiful, with your hair falling into place like dominoes? My mind turns your life into folklore, I can’t dare to dream about you anymore.”
4. Cowboy Like Me (Track 11)
“Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon. With your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con.” This is a song that took its time to grow on me. On first listen, I found it to just be a drowsy country song, but it truly gets better and better with every listen and now I love it. With teasing, romantic lyrics and hypnotic production, ‘Cowboy Like Me’ makes for a very slow and savory country moment on the album. Taylor’s voice sounds incredibly beautiful here, and she sings and harmonizes in such a delicate, swooning way, it’s truly enchanting. Overall this is a gorgeous song, and it only gets better as you listen to it more and more.
3. Ivy (Track 10)
“Oh, I can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered in you.” For a song about infidelity, this song has a very triumphant and glorious feel to it. The mystical production and graceful, vivid lyrics make this song come alive amazingly, and you feel like you’re experiencing the excitement and caution of the affair that Taylor is singing about. When I listen to this song I feel like I’m running through a misty valley in Scotland, holding the hand of my secret partner. The whole song is very pretty and playful, but the bridge is where the song truly lifts off. The bridge just elevates the song into a whole new territory of awesomeness, and it’s basically impossible not to dance and move your head along to it. Plus, the final minute or so of the song just feels like you’re dancing around a fire in celebration of something. Like I said, it feels very triumphant. This is just a really great song and one of the most unique and interesting ones on the album, for sure. “Clover blooms in the fields, spring breaks loose, the time is near. What would he do if he found us out? Crescent moon, coast is clear, spring breaks loose, but so does fear. He’s gonna burn this house to the ground.”
2. Champagne Problems (Track 2)
THIS SONG IS INCREDIBLE. Piano ballads usually aren’t my favorite simply because I often find them all to be very similar-sounding, but this one is truly outstanding. Taylor’s vocals sound incredibly raw and genuine, and she conveys the emotion of the lyrics beautifully. Plus, the storytelling in the lyrics is exceptional. A story of a woman turning down her longtime partner’s proposal, there’s a lot of sadness and contemplation going on that Taylor captures amazingly well. The bridge is outstanding, and it builds very subtly but then comes in so suddenly, it really takes you by surprise and makes you pay attention to what’s being said. I think this is one of the best songs Taylor has ever made, and it just feels timeless.
1. Dorothea (Track 8)
This and ‘Champagne Problems’ are pretty much equal in my mind, and to be honest, objectively ‘Champagne Problems’ probably is the best song on the album, but this one is my favorite, so I’m giving it the top spot. I don’t know why, but this song just really strikes a chord with me and makes me feel some type of way. It’s just so gentle and earnest and sweet, it makes me nostalgic for simpler times. This song is in the same storyline as ”Tis the Damn Season’ but from the opposite perspective, thus it tells the story of the relationship back when they were still together. There’s something so simple and beautiful about the way this song sounds, and it makes me feel like I’m sitting underneath a windmill in the middle of a field watching a sunset on a crisp Autumn evening. I know that’s very specific, but that’s what I imagine every time I listen to this song, and I mean that in a very complimentary way. This is a hidden gem on the album honestly, and it holds a very special place in my heart.
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