Ranking every Taylor Swift album cover
:o
Hey queens! Welcome back to the mind dump…
Sorry for being away for so long. I’m on vacation and writing is not part of my routine anymore because I have no routine during the summer. I love not knowing what day it is. It’s a vibe. But worry not, I haven’t forgotten about you hihihi 🫶🏻
What brings me here today is (I can’t believe I’m writing this) the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) announcement 😭. We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long and the day is finally here.
Wow.
A lot to process.
Some information that needs to be ruminated on for several weeks:
Taylor saying it’s her “most favorite re-record”
5 new vault tracks that she qualified as “so insane”
Max Martin posting about the announcement and the vault tracks meaning he probably worked on these songs. Max Martin being a co-creator of Don’t Blame Me, I Did Something Bad, Wonderland, Blank Space, New Romantics, STYLE?! I can’t cope.
The potential features on this album
Style (Taylor’s Version) 😮💨
But The main thing to process for now is the supreme album cover we’ve received. It’s so good 🥲. I was so scared to see what the cover was gonna be like because I like the original one so much but it’s everything I could’ve asked for. The short hair, the sky is the perfect color, the seagulls, the handwritten tittle, the white borders. Simply perfect. I’m glad it’s not a replica of the original cover, it just feels like an upgraded version of it.
In honor of this new cover that immediately became my favorite Taylor Swift album cover (+ I’m extremely bored) I decided to rank all her album covers from worst to best. 🫡
#14 - Fearless
This picture is frightful to say the least. With all due respect, I think blondie has never looked worse that this picture right here. The noodle hair, the editing that makes her face look weird, the fearless font that looks like 2008 word art… it’s not giving. The only positive is the hair flip that truly encapsulates the essence of Fearless.
#13- Taylor Swift
The debut cover is not top notch artistry but she was just a girl with a dream, writing silly little songs, and hoping for the best. I get the vision, and I think it fits the vibe of the album pretty well.
#12- Speak Now
This is already a significant upgrade compared to Fearless. The picture is not my favorite but represents the themes of the album well. She’s living her fairytale fantasy and I respect that.
#11- evermore
The thing I dislike the most about evermore is the cover and it makes me really sad because I love the album and album photoshoot so much. It’s just this cover that doesn’t really do it for me. The thing that makes it gain some spots in the ranking is the concept of having a back picture on the front cover and a front picture on the back cover - the opposite of folklore which makes them complimentary, which is cool, I can’t deny.
#10 - Red
The original Red cover was everything I aspired to be at the time. I don’t know what that says about me and don’t want to know.
#9 - Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
The first thing I need to mention about this cover is how happy I was that she changed her lipstick color from red to pink for Taylor’s Version. This tiny detail bothered me in the original cover because purple looks way better with pink than red. Good to know she agrees. Apart from that I love the dress and the overall look of the cover that still captures the fairytale aspect of Speak Now.
#8 - reputation
I’m well aware that most people would put this cover way higher on their ranking. I know, don’t judge before reading what I have to say. The concept if this cover is top tier the newspaper print with her name, the placement of the album title, the face half covered, love love love it. But my issue with this cover is in the execution. Mainly the picture of her and the outfit. They’re not that bad, but there’s definitely room for growth.
#7 - Red (Taylor’s Version)
So far, Red is my favorite re-record because it really added a dimension to the album that wasn’t highlighted enough in the stolen version, and the cover encapsulates that really well. The short film and the I Bet You Think About Me music video, were the missing link that made the album’s visual identity strong and cohesive, without compromising the chaotic aspect of this album that make it what it is.
#6 - Midnights
I think we can all agree this album cover is superior. From the minute I saw it, I understood what Midnights was going to be about. It’s giving sitting on the floor after a party, still dressed with your makeup on, overthinking everything that happened, and spiraling endlessly reevaluating every life decision. If this is not Midnights I don’t know what is.
#5 - 1989
If I had to make a time capsule in 2014 for future generations to open, I could only include this album (with the polaroids that came with it) and the people would get what that year was about.
#4 - Lover
We’re getting at a point in the ranking where there’s not much to say. The cover speaks for itself. Lover is this cover and this cover is Lover. They’re synonyms. I can’t listen to Lover without thinking about the cover. One thing we don’t talk about enough is the fact that her hair is partially blue lol.
#3 - folklore
This cover deserves this place in the ranking simply for the chaos it caused on the day it was revealed. We were not aware or prepared for what was upon us.
#2- Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
That’s what I call a glow. up. From least favorite to almost favorite cover ever. When I first saw this, my jaw literally dropped. Physically. I will never forget. Some people don’t like the golden filter on it but I absolutely love it. Plus the fact that she’s wearing the prince’s shirt from the Love Story music video?! Iconic. It is in fact too late for you and your white horse.
#1 - 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
I’ve only had this cover for one day but it’s already long enough to say it’s my favorite. Perfection. No notes. 5 seagulls, 5th album, 5 vault tracks. The white shirt / white dress (both would be relevant to the plot). The smile. The perfect lipstick shade to match the sky. The look back, giving Out Of The Woods music video. Everything. Perfection.
Ok I think it’s enough for now. I saw one picture and wrote about it for hours.
If you’ve read for this long. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I hope it was as fun for you to read as it is for me to write.
I obviously want to know what you think about the announcement and get your opinion on the album covers. If you feel like it, you can even make your own ranking and share it in the comments.
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More posts to come 🔜 hihihi
A 💘