Every Taylor Swift Album In Release Order (And Which Are Taylor's Versions)

Summary

• Swift’s battle with her original label and Scooter Braun over ownership rights led to her ambitious plan to re-record her first six albums.
• Taylor Swift’s re-released, re-corded albums, known as Taylor’s Versions, allow her to reclaim her early musical legacy on her own terms.
• Taylor Swift has released 15 albums total since 2006: 11 original albums and four “Taylor’s Version” albums.

Taylor Swift‘s album release order was somewhat complicated by the introduction of Taylor’s Versions, but the re-releases represent the powerhouse artist reclaiming her early musical legacy on her own terms. After bursting onto the country-pop music scene in 2006 with her self-titled debut album, Taylor Swift quickly became one of the biggest stars in the world, and every one of her releases has been a smash hit. Known for her powerful lyrics and open and honest approach to storytelling, Swift is a new kind of 21st-century pop diva whose success is owed to her abundant talent.

The music industry hasn’t always been very fair to artists, though. Swift’s notorious battle with her original label, Big Machine Records, only escalated when music manager Scooter Braun purchased her whole catalog in 2019 (via The New York Times). Now that she’s signed to Republic Records, Taylor Swift actually owns all her newer albums and has embarked on an ambitious journey to re-record her remaining albums that were released under Big Machine. Known as Taylor’s Versions, these re-recorded, re-released, full-length records (which also include some tracks from the vault) have allowed Swift to reclaim ownership of her earlier work.

Every Taylor Swift Album In Original Release Order

Taylor Swift (2006)

October 24, 2006

Swift’s debut album dropped when she was a teenager, and it illustrated her early country music influences in a way that would make it nearly unrecognizable to her modern hits. Singles like “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Tim McGraw” were seminal songs in the rising country pop genre, and the album continued to produce singles into 2008. Swift herself was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2008, and Taylor Swift spent 157 weeks on the Billboard 200 (via Billboard).

The album was written in 2005 over the course of the year that Swift first signed with new label Big Machine Records. She had previously had a development deal with RCA, but they wanted to keep her on a development deal until she was 18, which would have meant she was writing songs for the label without actually getting to record her own album. Under the deal with Big Machine Records, Swift was promised to get to record what she wrote.

Though she originally wrote 40 songs for her debut album, 11 ended up on the standard edition of the record released, mostly co-wrote with Liz Rose, who helped Swift hone her songwriting skills. Five of the songs were released as singles: “Tim McGraw,” “Our Song,” “Teardrops On My Guitar,” “Picture To Burn,” and “Should’ve Said No.”

Since its release, the album is now certified platinum – seven times.

Fearless (2008)

November 11, 2008

Even as her debut album was still riding high, Taylor Swift released her second album in 2008. Fearless still showed signs of Swift’s country roots, but songs like “You Belong With Me” not only incorporated more pop but also set the tone for her love gone wrong theme that still peppers her biggest hits today. Setting a record at the time as the youngest artist to win the award, Swift snagged Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards along with Best Country Album and firmly established herself as the newest thing in music.

Swift actually wrote the majority of Fearless while on tour as an opening act for different country artists. She wrote over 70 songs during this time, but only a fraction of them made the album. According to an interview with Billboard at the time of release, some of the tracks chosen for her sophomore album were actually written for the first. Again, five singles were chosen for release while the album was being promoted, and they allowed Swift to cross over into more pop territory.

“You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” both set records (at the time) for radio play on country and pop stations. Since its release, Fearless has been certified Diamond in the US, meaning it’s sold over 10 million copies. This album also marked Swift’s first foray into producing as she became a co-producer for the record.

Speak Now (2010)

October 25, 2010

As she fully blossomed into an adult artist, Taylor Swift’s third studio album, Speak Now, showed maturity in the singer/songwriter. Speak Now was Swift’s first album which was entirely self-written (except for the bonus track “If This Was a Movie” on the deluxe edition). Though questions of her country music authenticity had persisted since her debut, singles like “Back to December” led mainstream critics to declare that Swift had moved in an almost entirely pop-rock direction (via Los Angeles Times).

Over the course of two years while promoting Fearless, Swift wrote the tracks that would end up on Speak Now. The entire album is framed as a confessional of sorts with each track being something she wished she could have said. Again, Swift co-produced the album. Between writing and producing, she had gained more creative control of her work than she would have had if she had stayed under the original development deal with RCA, which allowed her to mature as an artist.

This time around, the album had six singles to promote it. Both “Back to December” and “Mine” hit the Billboard Hot 100 while “Ours” and “Sparks Fly” landed on the country charts. Continuing her impressive album sales, Speak Now flew off the shelves, and by 2020 it was certified six times platinum (via RIAA).

Red (2012)

October 22, 2012

Though many tried to make Swift’s country pop image stick, 2012’s Red represented the singer/songwriter’s final push towards mainstream radio pop. Generally considered one of Taylor Swift’s more naughty albums, she broadened her horizons in the songwriting process and stripped away the cutesy naïveté that dominated her first three records. Boisterous anthems like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22,” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” completely transformed her sound.

Red marks Swift’s first breakup album. Even though there are songs about other concepts, like “22,” on the record, much of the album is themed around lost love. The album played with even more genres than country and pop, which left critics on the fence about what kind of artist Swift was becoming, but it was definitely a hit with fans who loved to see her exploring more sides of her musical personality.

Seven singles were used to promote the album, including a collaboration with Ed Sheeran, “Everything Has Changed.” Swift earned an Album of the Year nomination at the Grammy Awards, and Red managed to crack seven times platinum (via RIAA) before her earlier albums.

1989 (2014)

October 27, 2014

Any question about where Taylor Swift stood regarding country music after Red was instantly answered by1989. Pop anthems like “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” were certified radio juggernauts with no hint of the twang that accompanied Swift on her first few albums. By 1989, Swift’s personal life began dominating the discourse regarding her music, and her distinct songwriting style fueled the flames of celebrity gossip.

Initially, Swift saw pushback from Big Machine Records about making a pop album. Scott Borchetta had tried to get her to incorporate a fiddle onto some of the tracks to retain some of the country sounds of her previous efforts, but Swift declined (via Billboard). That was a smart decision as she’s found an even bigger audience and more longevity in the world of pop music.

Despite winning Album of the Year, 1989 divided critics, with some criticizing her overt attempts to be commercial (via Slant). Regardless, Swift had finally come into her own as the new Queen of Pop. The album went nine times platinum and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys as well.

Reputation (2017)

November 10, 2017

Continuing Swift’s somewhat divisive era from a critical standpoint, 2017’s Reputation (stylized as reputation) didn’t struggle to pull in the cash financially and produced a slew of singles. After the bubblegum synthpop of 1989, Taylor Swift presented a noticeably darker version of herself on Reputation that was likely informed by Swift’s feud with the Kardashians and Kanye West. On top of that, with the media picking apart every part of her relationships, songs like “Look What You Made Me Do” had added meaning. Reputation was Swift’s fourth consecutive album to debut at the top of the US Billboard 200.

If 1989 solidified Swift as a pop artist, Reputation allowed Swift to make her mark as a global artist. “Look What You Made Me Do” was a hit around the world much faster than any of her country pop tracks had been. Swift’s clearing of all of her social media counts and debuting anew with Reputation raised some eyebrows, but it had also been a hint that the world was about to see a very different side of her as an artist.

Swift had spent so much time out of the public eye, trying to avoid rumors about her relationship status and getting backlash for her success, that very little was known about Reputation before it debuted, unlike her other albums. It went on to become three times platinum in the US, but was also certified platinum in five other regions around the world.

Lover (2019)

August 23, 2019

Lover was Taylor Swift’s first album following her departure from Big Machine Records, showing off a version of her who could look backward for the first time. Reincorporating earlier influences, Lover was a step back from her rising pop queen status and showed a happier and healthier artist in general. Singles like “You Need To Calm Down” poked fun at her critics, but the album was intended to be a more subdued release. While previous albums had clear hip-hop and R&B influences, Lover showed Swift setting her sights on rock and indie.

In reflecting on the album while speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Swift said she was inspired by her fans seeing her as more than just a pop star during her Reputation Stadium Tour. She explained, “This time around I feel more comfortable being brave enough to be vulnerable, because my fans are brave enough to be vulnerable with me.”

The album had five singles released between 2019 and 2023. Lover was supposed to get its own tour, but the COVID-19 pandemic put that on hold, which might be why “Cruel Summer” was still released as a single four years after the debut of the album. The album still went platinum in multiple regions around the world, selling over 2 million units in the US alone.

Folklore (2020)

July 24, 2020

Co-produced by indie rock pioneer and guitarist for The National, Aaron Dessner, Folklore (stylized as folklore) was yet another major shift for Taylor Swift as she fell headlong into her indie-folk influences. Released during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift traded out her love gone wrong themes for a much more heady and introspective look at herself. Critics came around to her transformation as well, and in a more stripped-down state, music publications like Pitchfork were won over by her charms and bestowed Folklore with an impressive 8.0/10.

While only three singles were released from the album, it still marked an interesting point in Swift’s career. She recorded The Long Pond Sessions for Disney+ to give fans an inside look at what went into making the album while she was isolated during the pandemic. She also made a departure from theming the music around her personal life, crafting narratives about different characters (some named after the children of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds) that meant fans didn’t feel as much need to speculate about Swift’s “secret messages” in her music, though there were still plenty of Easter eggs.

Folklore won Album of the Year at the Grammy’s, making it Swift’s third win in the category, and making her the first woman in history to do that.

Evermore (2020)

Released right on the heels of her surprise album, Folklore, Swift’s second album of 2020 was a continuation of her work with Dessner. The stripped-down Evermore (stylized as evermore) continued her cinematic approach to storytelling and even brought in The National to back her up on the single “Coney Island” and perennial indie favorites Haim on “No Body, No Crime.” Like Folklore, the album was recorded in secrecy.

It’s considered Folklore’s sister album since both albums contain tracks written during the pandemic, and both albums also contain fictional narratives inspired by a lot of the media Swift herself was consuming during isolation. Also like Folklore, the album only had three singles released to promote it. The album debuted at number one and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

The album definitely has influences from stories from the early 1900s. “Tolerate It” is inspired by Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca, while “Happiness” contains references to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Interestingly, some of the songs also connect to one another. “Dorothea” and “‘Tis The Damn Season,” for example, tell two points of view of the same story. These links were loved by fans, who made the album platinum in multiple regions around the world.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

April 9, 2021

2021’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was Swift’s first attempt at reclaiming her musical legacy after the Big Machine catalog debacle in 2019. In 2019, Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Records from Scott Borchetta. Swift had already signed with a new label in 2018 and had attempted to buy the master copies of her first six albums, but called the deal offered her “unfavorable.” Swift decided to rerecord new versions of her first six albums.

The album consists of an entire re-recording of the classic songs as well as a handful of vault tracks that were left on the cutting room floor originally. Taylor Swift was allowed to re-record her music, and she has committed herself to not only reclaiming the songs but also cleaning up many of the instrumentations and mixes that were somewhat lackluster upon the album’s initial release.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) has been certified platinum.

Fearless
was the first re-recording to reach number one on the
Billboard
200 and served as inspiration for other Taylor’s Versions.

Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

November 12, 2021

Leaving nothing off the table, Red (Taylor’s Version) was a complete passion project that showed just how committed Swift was to her brand. Along with re-recording all the songs, charity singles, and additional bonus tracks, Red (Taylor’s Version) also featured guest vocals from artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton.

Swift also released the 10-minute long version of “All Too Well” which added much-needed context to the hit song. When Swift had initially worked with Liz Rose on the original track, Rose had encouraged Swift to cut the song down to make it more digestible for radio play. It was unlikely that any radio station was going to want to play a 10-minute track. With the popularity of streaming, however, Swift’s 10-minute version of the song became even more popular.

The short film released for it, featuring Sadie Sink as the song’s protagonist and Dylan O’Brien as the man who broke her heart only increased interest in the track.

Not only did Red (Taylor’s Version) then go platinum, but it also landed on several year-end lists for the best albums of 2021, including Billboard’s and Clash’s. It also landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Day-One Streams For An Album On Spotify in 2022. It proved that Swift’s fans were ready and willing to support her new versions of her previous music.

Midnights (2022)

October 21, 2022

Taking a break from reviving her old standards, Taylor Swift released 2022’s Midnights, a moody and introspective concept album that continued the trends in her previous two studio efforts. “Anti-Hero” offered a side of Swift that had never been seen before, and the Queen of Pop looked vulnerable and human as she took inspiration from the rising popularity of moody bedroom pop artists. Despite lacking the same radio-friendliness of her earlier records, Midnights proved to be Swift’s best-selling album so far (via CNBC) and was further proof of her untouchable status.

Swift continued the trend of releasing fewer singles per album with Midnights, only releasing three to promote it. Of course, that might have been due to some of her more adult lyrics needing radio edits to become singles. Theming the album around “sleepless nights,” Swift was able to cover a variety of concepts in the songs, from failed relationships to revenge fantasies and self-doubt. Though she had previously labeled Lover as one of her most vulnerable albums, Midnights was even more so.

Midnights won both Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)

July 7, 2023

Delving even further into her musical past, Taylor Swift returned to her re-recording streak with the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in 2023. Exercising even more musical control, Swift not only brought back all the old tunes, but added new musical influences that incorporated other sounds not previously heard in the original record. The over 100-minute record was a feast for the average Swiftie, and mightily improved on the recording standards practiced in 2010.

Though Swift didn’t push any singles for this rerecording, there were some notable changes that got fans and critics interested in the song. Notably, Swift changed some of the lyrics to “Better Than Revenge,” a song about another woman stealing her boyfriend. The original song implied that sex was used to lure her boyfriend away, but the new lyrics altered that idea in the song. Critics and fans alike were divided on whether the change was needed, but it’s certainly more reflective of Swift not wanting to tear other women down while venting her own feelings in her music today.

The album marked Taylor Swift’s twelfth one to chart on the Billboard 200, making her tied with Barbara Streisand for the most albums by a female artist to hit number one. She would eventually break her own record on that one. Every song from the album also hit the Billboard Hot 100.

1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)

October 27, 2023

In the middle of her record-breaking Eras tour, Taylor Swift announced that her next Taylor’s Version record was going to be her pop-oriented classic 1989. The album was released in October 2023 and was even bigger and grander than previous Taylor’s Version releases. While the album features the original 16 songs rerecorded for the new version, it also features six more sings “from the vault,” including a version of “Bad Blood” with Kendrick Lamar.

The album’s launch featured one of Swift’s most creative promotions. Since she had become known among her fans for featuring messages in her album booklets, Easter eggs in her music videos, and sharing cryptic hints online about her songs, Swift partnered with Google Search to create word puzzles for fans to solve to figure out the titles of her vault tracks for the record. The idea was that once 33 million world puzzles were solved, all of the track titles would be revealed. That happened in less than 24 hours.

Impressively, it became Swift’s 13th album to hit the Billboard 200, and seven of the songs hit the Billboard Hot 100, including vault tracks “Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” and “Slut!,” which all claimed the top spots. When Apple released their list of the best 100 albums, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) landed in the 18th spot.

The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

April 19, 2024

Taylor Swift first announced the release of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, during her Best Pop Vocal Album acceptance speech for Midnights at the 2024 Grammy Awards on February 4. The highly anticipated album arrived two months later on April 19, with features from Post Malone and Florence + The Machine.TTPD also saw the return of Swift’s frequent producing collaborators, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

In a move that shocked the world, Swift announced post-release that TTPD was a surprise double album before dropping the remaining 15 of 31 songs on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

Swift broke many of her own records with the release of The Tortured Poet’s Department. The song became her 14th album to hit number one, and it stayed number one for 12 consecutive weeks. It also earned the highest single-day and single-week global streams on Spotify for its debut. TTPD was also Swift’s seventh album to have more than a million sales in its first week and fourteen of the tracks from the album occupied the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was a massive release for Swift, and though she was in the middle of her Eras Tour when the album released, she revamped the setlist of the concert to include songs from TTPD during a break from the tour.

The Tortured Poets Department
is Swift’s first album with more than two words in the title (excluding
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
.

Every Taylor Swift Album With A Taylor’s Version (So Far)

1. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
2. Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
3. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
4. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)

Along with her much anticipated Taylor’s Version records, Taylor Swift maintains the rights to all of her studio albums recorded since she jumped from Big Machine to Universal. Therefore, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department were all made with Swift being fully in control of the rights and production, and her Taylor’s Version albums are quickly reclaiming the past as well. Considering how quickly she has turned out her re-releases, it can be assumed that Swifties won’t have to wait long until one of her other classic albums gets a modern redo.

The only albums left that still need to get a Taylor’s Version are Swift’s debut album and Reputation. Fans have long theorized that Swift’s debut album would be the final Taylor’s Version to be released. Leaving these two albums for last has indicated that Swift will reclaim her reputation and her own name in the same way she has all of her music. It’s likely that the albums will get their Taylor’s Versions after Taylor Swift finishes her Eras Tour in late 2024.