10. Wildest Dreams

Favorite Lyric: “Standing in a nice dress / Staring at the sunset, babe”

“Wildest Dreams” was my favorite Taylor Swift song in 5th grade. It’s one of those songs that takes you back to the time of your life when it frequented the radio. The song is a time machine. The nostalgia factor here is definitely what convinced me to include it on the list.

9. tolerate it

Favorite Lyric: “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky / Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life”

A stripped-down, piano-only song about feeling unappreciated by someone who means the absolute world to you? Yes, please. Piano and vocals are all that Swift needs to truly depict the confusion and heartbreak of the song’s breathtakingly painful lyrics.

8. I Bet You Think About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton)

Favorite Lyric: “Does it make you feel sad / That the love that you’re lookin’ for / Is the love that you had?”

This song has a lot of personality–Swift’s delivery of the lyrics, her intonation, her laugh adds extra meaning to the lyrics.

Chris Stapleton backs Swift on the song, bringing Taylor’s country roots to the front and center. Swift’s country sass (“Your million dollar couch/ your organic shoes”) is evident in the lyrics and their delivery in this vault song from “Red (Taylor’s Version).” I would absolutely love to hear a live version of this song.

7. Getaway Car

Favorite Lyric: “The ties were black, the lies were white / in shades of gray in candlelight”

Taylor Swift put her whole soul into writing “Getaway Car.” Its bridge is certainly one of her greatest, we all know Taylor is known for writing spectacular bridges. The song is the culmination of what her “reputation” album is all about: incredible pop hits that still maintain lyrical complexity and variety.

6. Run (feat. Ed Sheeran)

Favorite Lyric: “I could see this view a hundred times / Pale blue sky reflected in your eyes”

It’s practically a fact that Swift brings out the best of Ed Sheeran. This vault song from “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is clear proof of that. The soft vocals, acoustic guitar and Swift and Sheeran’s incredible chemistry make “Run” their best collaboration.

5. Maroon

Favorite Lyric: “Carnations you had thought were roses, that’s us”

This song is my favorite off of “Midnights.” It has a really unique flow and a great backing track. Of course, like most Taylor Swift songs, the lyrics make it great. In an extremely creative use of color in her songwriting, Taylor uses about five shades of red to describe the spectrum of a relationship.

4. peace 

Favorite Lyric: “I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best / But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me”

When Taylor slows down the pace and the acoustic guitar comes in, you know something great is about to come. You don’t need any fancy instrumentals when your songwriting is already perfect. And yes, “peace” is songwriting perfection for sure.

3. illicit affairs

Favorite Lyric: “Look at this idiotic fool that you made me / You taught me a secret language / I can’t speak with anyone else”

“illicit affairs” is a late summer night. It’s freedom; it’s discovery. It’s making mistakes and growing up. It’s doing something when you know it’s going to hurt you in the end, but you want to do it anyway. The song speaks for itself.

2. State Of Grace (Acoustic Version)

Favorite Lyric: “So you were never a saint / And I’ve loved in shades of wrong / We learn to live with the pain / Mosaic broken hearts”

With some acoustic guitar and a much, much slower tempo the upbeat, lovey-dovey starting track on Red is transformed into a sad, painful love story. The struggle and pain heard in Taylor’s vocals seem to change the entire meaning of the song. It becomes more about the fight to keep the love alive than the love story itself. The beauty of this song is almost unmatched.

1. New Year’s Day

Favorite Lyric: “Please don’t ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere”

The love song of all love songs. January 1, New Year’s Day, is about looking to the future, and in “New Year’s Day” Taylor compares that to a relationship that she sees herself staying in. She promises always to be there and begs her significant other never to leave. It’s the perfect combination of desire and desperation that a true love story needs.