"Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd." - Lana Del Rey
(Interscope/Polydor Records)
1) "The Grants"
With a gospel style intro, this deals with carrying memories, specifically taking your memories into the afterlife; "And I'm gonna take mine of you with me".
2) "Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd."
This is slower paced with a nice piano backing; "There's a girl who sings 'Hotel California', Not because she loves the notes or sounds that sound like Florida. It's because she's in a world, preserved, only a few have found the door...". The vocals are layered over smoothly.
3) "Sweet"
The instrumentals are nice, but the vocals don't always match up well.
4) "A+W"
This acts as a rant/stream of consciousness that goes from her childhood to adulthood; "It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore. This is the experience of bein' an American Whore". I love the transition into Part 2. This whole track comes together perfectly. The message that these lyrics relate are incredibly powerful.
5) Judah Smith Interlude
A recording of a Judah Smith sermon, where among other topics are the differences of lust & love.
6) "Candy Necklace" (ft/ Jon Batiste)
This is a reflection on a troubled relationship; "White noise comin' out of my brain, Turns off for nothing". She's obsessed with her partner's reckless behavior. Batiste really shines on piano and adds a nice element to the track.
7) Jon Batiste Interlude
A spoken interlude on joy.
8) "Kintsugi"
This refers to the art style, dealing with breakage & repair; "I don't trust myself with my heart, But I've had to let it break a little more. 'Cause they say that's what it's for. That's how the light shines in". Overall the lyrics feel a bit scattered.
9) "Fingertips"
She's showing her innermost thoughts. It's a deeply personal stream of consciousness.
10) "Paris, Texas" (ft/ SYML)
Reflections on her relationships back home; "When everyone's star is bright, Brighter than you are, It's time to go".
11) "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing" (ft/ RIOPY)
This deals with her desire for spiritual guidance & connection; "God, if you're near me, send me three white butterflies, Or an owl to know you're listening, sitting while I'm drinking". This track is simply gorgeous.
12) "Let The Light In" (ft/ Father John Misty)
This could be seen as a story of an affair.
13) "Margaret" (ft/ Bleachers)
This track is about Jack Antonoff's now wife Margaret Qualley.
14) "Fishtail"
This deals with inconsistencies; "Maybe I'll take my glasses off so I stop painting red flags green".
15) "Peppers" (ft/ Tommy Genesis)
This track is about the confidence and allure of Angelina Jolie; "Take a minute to yourself, skinny-dip in my mind". This track is very scattered overall.
16) "Taco Truck x VB"
This track has a nice rhythmic flow.
You tend to know what to expect from Lana Del Rey, but the lyrics in "Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd." really hit hard, particularly in the title track and "A+W". Lana and Jack Antonoff producing make for a nice working pair. (87.1)
Taylor Swift: "Midnights" - 93.6
Lana Del Rey: "Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd." - 87.1
This is about moving past a relationship; "I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand. Talk to myself for hours, say things you don't understand". The bass really grooves, and the strings are a nice added touch.
2) " Jaded"
Dealing with regret and missed opportunities; "Said goodbye forever, but you never unpacked. We went to hell, but we never come back". She still feels for her ex.
3) " Rose Colored Lenses"
She wants to stay in the moment; "Wearing rose-colored lenses, let's just play pretend.... Pretend we'll never end". There's a nice backing guitar, but the track plods along a bit.
4) " Used To Be Young"
She's looking back at her past; "Turns out open bars lead to broken hearts, and goin' way too far". She shows off her vocals, and you can feel the emotion.
5) " Thousand Miles" (ft/ Brandi Carlile)
This is a reflection on a relationship; "I'm out of my mind, but still, I'm holding out like a rolling stone. A thousand miles from anywhere". I wish Brandi had her own verse.
6) " You"
This is about being wild with someone. There's a slow groove, but the lyrics leave something to be desired.
7) "Handstand"
This track deals with meeting someone you won't forget. There's a spoken word intro. The track has a techno feel. The track is certainly experimental, but I'm not sure if it works. This is one I'd have to sleep on.
8) "River"
An upbeat track, she's showing devotion. I'm not a fan of the almost spoken word verses.
9) "Violet Chemistry"
This is about wanting a lover to stay. The track is synth heavy.
10) "Muddy Feet" (ft/ Sia)
She's calling out a cheater. She really goes off in the chorus. Based off of this track, it would be interesting to see a rock album from her.
11)"Wildcard"
Miley is wanting more in a relationship; " loving you is never enough". This is a vocal showcase.
12) "Island"
She's going through the process of missing someone; "Am I stranded on an island? Or have I landed in paradise?".
13) "Wonder Woman"
This is about a strong & resilient woman; "Never know she's broken cause she's always fine. She's a million moments, lived a thousand lives. Never know she's hopeless, only when she cries". Miley's vocals are beautiful and vulnerable.
" Endless Summer Vacation" has a few dips, but overall this is a very solid album. Miley is really able to show off her vocals. And as I mentioned with "Muddy Feet", I'd really like to see Miley's take on a rock album. (84.4)
Capturing the "honeymoon phase" of a relationship, there's a cool vibe to this opener; "And you don't really read into my melancholia". She takes on outsiders' view on a relationship (asking about marriage) when she just wants to stay "in that lavender haze".
2) "Maroon"
This is a different take on a love story; "When the morning came we were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf 'cause we lost track of time again. Laughing with my feet in your lap like you were my closest friend". 'Maroon' sees the breakdown of a relationship; "Carnations you had thought were roses, that's us". The chorus has a really nice rhythm, as we see the power of her lyricism.
3) "Anti-Hero"
A song on self-reflection, pondering on her worst fears; "I wake up screaming from dreaming, One day I'll watch as you're leaving cause you got tired of my scheming". There's fantastic imagery throughout, for example; 'Monster on a hill...too big to hang out'. This track is very bleachers-esque.
4) "Snow On The Beach" ft/Lana Del Rey
This track deals with the concept of falling in love at the same time; "flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful, tonight feels impossible". With a very dreamy feel, you can tell that Lana's fingerprints are on this track. While Lana's vocals are mainly backing in this version, there's some beautiful blending.
5) "You're On Your Own Kid"
'You're On Your Own Kid' is very auto-biographical; "I play my song in the parking lot, I'll run away...I gave my blood, sweat & tears for this". With a classic Taylor bridge, her vocals feel delicate.
6) "Midnight Rain"
Dealing with the ending of a relationship, this track utilizes a vocal modulator; "He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain, He wanted a bride, I was making my own name". While being synth heavy, it doesn't feel overdone.
7) "Question...?"
This is a reflection on if someone's new relationship compares to what came prior; "Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Did you wish you'd put up more of a fight?' Overall its a little clunky lyrically.
8) "Vigilante Shit"
This deals with seeking revenge; "Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man. You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them". There's a 'Reputation' feel to "Vigilante Shit". Overall this track has a stripped back production, putting her vocals out in front with the backing synth.
9) "Bejeweled"
'Bejeweled' is about the frustration of a relationship; "Didn't notice you walkin' all over my peace of mind". Everything just comes together here; lyrically & stylistically.
10) "Labyrinth"
We see her detailing the process of falling in love again; "It only feels this raw right now. Lost in the labyrinth of my mind.....everybody just expects me to bounce back". This time around the synth can be distracting at times.
11) "Karma"
With a fun feel (and a cool record-scratching intro), this is about confronting people in your past; "You're terrified to look down, Cause if you dare, you'll see the glare of everyone you burned just to get there". The chorus here is among the catchiest of the album.
12) "Sweet Nothing"
A reflection of literal 'sweet nothings' exchanged; "I find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings...All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing". (This song might have a new perspective in the swiftie community)
13) "Mastermind"
This is about the machinations of a relationship; "What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me". The bridge is both very personal & heartbreaking; "No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since". A perfect closer to the standard album.
There are a lot of different ways you can view "Midnights". One is as a self-reflection, on Taylor's past in general but also on her own music, borrowing certain lyrical and rhythmic flourishes. On the other-hand, in hindsight this could also be viewed as a 'breakdown' album (if not a straight up break-up album). This is the genius of Taylor Swift, that you can find these different perspectives depending on where you look. Given the reflexive nature of "Midnights", I can't wait to see what direction Taylor eventually goes on with her next new studio album. (93.6)
(As a Swiftie myself, I tried to be as balanced as possible in reviewing this. If I had included the 3am tracks, along with "Hits Different" and "You're Losing Me", this score would have been even higher.)
About liberation and confidence, there's a nice brass backing; "I used to walk into the room head down. I don't walk, now I float"
2) "Champagne Shit"
Just a sidenote, being a swiftie this title track piqued my interest, haha. With a funky backing, I wish there was more to this track.
3) "Black Sugar Beach"
This acts as a lead-out from the prior track.
4) "Phenomenal" (ft/Doechii)
There's a good rhythm and some really nice phrasing.
5) "Haute"
This is a continuation from "Phenomenal".
6) "Oooh La La" (ft/Gracie Jones)
7) "Lipstick Lover"
"Cause for your love, I'll take my time. Just wanna feel your hips on mine".
8) "The Rush" (ft/Nia Long & Amaarae)
Janelle's lead vocals are so pure, but the features lead to mixed results.
9) "The French 75" (ft/Sister Nancy)
10) "Water Slide"
There's a reggae feel.
11) "Know Better" (ft/ CKay, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80)
I really appreciate the brass instrumentals. "Committed to your shrine".
12) "Paid In Pleasure"
This is a continuation.
13) "Only Have Eyes 42"
This track really grooves.
14) "A Dry Red"
Slowed down, I find that lyrically this track doesn't quite fit.
"The Age Of Pleasure" is a lot of fun, but I do find that it leaves you wanting more. There are a few standout tracks, but a lot of the album sort of blends together. (78.4)
This may have been my toughest project yet.....ranking Taylor Swift's catalog to come up with this list. My set number was arbitrary, and in the end I was able to come up with a top 115. Her catalog is so vast, that there were a lot of tough cuts. To make things a bit easier on myself, I judged each song on lyricism, musicality....and just a general vibes check. I based these on studio recordings (hence why songs like 'Clean' for example may not be as high). Obviously this is a subjective list, and if I repeated this again in a few months this list would probably look different. I tried best as I could to balance this out across her discography, hence some omissions. There were certain songs (Soon You'll Get Better, Bigger Than The Whole Sky, Ronan, etc) that I didn't feel right judging based on their personal nature.
All rights to Taylor Swift (Productions) and Republic Records.
115) "Paper Rings" Lover (2019)
114) "How You Get The Girl" 1989 (2014)
113) "...Ready For It" Reputation (2017)
A fun, anthemic start to the album, I just had to include it.
112) "I Forgot That You Existed" Lover (2019)
Another enjoyable album opening track.
111) "All You Had To Do Was Stay" 1989 (2014)
The first 'track 5' on this list.
110) "Clean" 1989 (2014)
As I mentioned up top, this is a really good song...but if the piano version that she does on tour (as seen in the documentary 'Miss Americana') was made available as an official recording, this would have vaulted even higher.
The very first 'track 5', lyrically this song is really underrated. This would be one to look forward to if Taylor re-records her debut album.
105) "I Did Something Bad" Reputation (2017)
104) "Wonderland" 1989 (2014)
In retrospect, "1989" was an album just loaded with depth.
103) "Teardrops On My Guitar" Taylor Swift (2006)
Her song catalog is so loaded, that it almost feels blasphemous to have this so relatively low (there are songs I really enjoy that didn't make this list...had to save myself by not making this list even bigger). I have a distinct memory of where I was in the car when I first heard this on the radio.
102) "Our Song" Taylor Swift (2006)
101) "22" Red (2012)/Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
100) "Mine" Speak Now (2010)
At the time of this posting, 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' is around 2 months away.
99) "Midnight Rain" Midnights (2022)
Taylor and producer Jack Antonoff really started to experiment with 'Midnights', using different synths and with this track a vocal modulator.
98) "Glitch" Midnights (3am Edition) (2022)
97) "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" Lover (2017)
96) "Dear Reader" Midnights (3am Edition) (2022)
This is a really fitting closing to the 3am edition of 'Midnights'.
There's just something about her voice in 'Bye Bye Baby' that really hits for me.
40) "The Lucky One" Red (2012)/Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
Given her time in the music industry, this song takes on an interesting new light.
39) "You All Over Me" ft/Maren Morris Fearless (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (2021)
38) "this is me trying" folklore (2020)
This is a great perspective on mental health. It can mean something different to everyone.
37) "peace" folklore (2020)
36) "Treacherous" Red (2012)/Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
As I mentioned previously, lyrically you can see the threads here that would lead to 'folklore' & 'evermore'.
35) "gold rush" evermore (2020)
Her rhyming scheme really flourishes.
34) "Mean" Speak Now (2010)
Such a well-crafted tell-off kind of song.
33) "Holy Ground" Red (2012)/Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
From the driving beat to start it off, this song really has everything. If Taylor ever wades back into the Country genre, I hope this is a sort of template.
32) "Cornelia Street" Lover (2019)
This song just hits different now. While factoring in the studio version, given that it got an official release, I used the 'Live From Paris' version.
31) "Better Man" Red (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (2021)
This song was a big hit for 'Little Big Town', but it was such a blessing that we got this original version.
30) "exile" ft/Bon Iver folklore (2020)
By the end of 'exile', its just art how Justin Vernon and Taylor's voices mesh together. I used the official long pond studio session recording.
29) "You're On Your Own Kid" Midnights (2022)
I just love the autobiographical nature of this.
28) "Begin Again" Red (2012)/Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
27) "mirrorball" folklore (2020)
26) "Enchanted" Speak Now (2010)
Along with "gold rush", "Enchanted" gives a perspective of what it can feel like to have a crush on someone.
25) "Only The Young" (From "Miss Americana") (2020)
There's just something special about this politically motivated song, especially in that 2nd verse.
24) "New Year's Day" Reputation (2017)
"New Year's Day" is a perfect closing on 'Reputation', as you see Taylor coming out through the other side. I've included her 'Tonight Show' performance along with the studio recording because of just how touching of a tribute it was for Jimmy Fallon.
23) "Nothing New" ft/Phoebe Bridgers Red (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (2021)
The fact that Taylor was already thinking about whether she'd be replaced during the 'Red' era, such a poignant song.
22) "Dear John" Speak Now (2010)
One of the quintessential track 5's, I really can't wait until we get to hear the 'TV' version.
21) "Carolina" (From "Where The Crawdads Sing") (2022)
20) "Forever Winter" Red (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (2021)
Such a powerful song dealing with mental health.
19) "marjorie" evermore (2020)
An incredibly moving tribute to her late grandmother.
18) "mad woman" folklore (2020)
I love how biting and pointed these lyrics are.
17) "august" folklore (2020)
The 2nd part of the 'folklore' trilogy.
16) "Anti-Hero" Midnights (2022)
A song that just about anyone can relate to.
15) "Safe & Sound" ft/The Civil Wars (From "The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 And Beyond) (2012)/(Taylor's Version) (2023)
There's just a way with how this track flows, and how delicate Taylor is able to get with her voice.
14) "False God" Lover (2019)
"False God" is something I don't think many would have expected from Taylor. Such a cool song. I used her 'Saturday Night Live' performance.
13) "the lakes" folklore (2020)
12) "betty" folklore (2020)
The final part of the 'folklore' trilogy, I love the country feel on this song.
11) "right where you left me" evermore (2020)
You could write a whole screenplay solely based around this track.
10) "champagne problems" evermore (2020)
Her phrasing really shines here.
9) "illicit affairs" folklore (2020)
8) "tolerate it" evermore (2020)
Just heartbreaking lyrics.
7) "evermore" ft/Bon Iver evermore (2020)
Thematically, this is one of Taylor's best closing songs to an album. Within the song lyrically, we see the speaker coming out on the other side of a depressive state.
6) "Death By A Thousand Cuts" Lover (2019)
An all-time bridge.
5) "ivy" evermore (2020)
From top to bottom, this song has so many interesting facets to it.
4) "Cruel Summer" Lover (2019)
If this had been the lead single, it would have easily been the song of the summer for 2019 (and probably for 2020 as well).
This is almost like a retrospective sequel to 'Dear John'.
2) "my tears ricochet" folklore (2020)
This song is absolutely gorgeous. Its really hard to quantify in just a few sentences.
1) "All Too Well" (10 Minute Version) Red (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (2021)
I mean, #1 had to be "All Too Well". She took an already great song, and just created an all-time epic. To make this list fair, I only allowed this version to make the list.
And there you have it, my top 115. If I did this over in a year, or even in a few months (with "Speak Now TV" approaching) this list would look quite different. It just depends on what kind of a mood you're in during that given time, but right now, this list is where I'm at.
