13 Songs Taylor Swift Has Still Never Played Live

Over the last two decades, Taylor Swift has been able to play nearly every song in her discography, aside from the following 13 songs. With 11 studio albums under Swift’s belt, not including her “Taylor’s Version” re-records, and countless other EPs, singles, special editions, and more, Swift has one of the most impressive discographies in the music industry today. Despite the massive number of songs Swift has accumulated, she’s still managed to play nearly every single one of them live on at least one occasion, something The Eras Tour has certainly helped her to accomplish.

With the “Surprise Songs” set at The Eras Tour, Swift has given herself the opportunity to play almost all the songs from the albums she’s released ever since she embarked on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, including Lover, folklore, evermore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department. Not only that, but her mashups and more have also allowed her to play some more deep cut songs from earlier in her career. Still, however, there are 13 songs Swift hasn’t ever played live, before or during The Eras Tour, and here they all are – including songs she’s featured on.

13 I Heart ?

Release Date: October 24, 2006

Officially released as a part of her Beautiful Eyes EP in 2008, “I Heart ?” sees Swift wrestling with a recent breakup that’s left her utterly confused about the way love works. She acknowledges that she probably should have seen it coming, and that when her former partner began to show remorse for his actions, Swift still refused to take him back. Because of all this turmoil, Swift was left with the question of who or how to love, which caused her to write the titular “I heart question mark” on the back of her hand.

This is certainly a deep cut for Swift, and that alone could be the reason why it hasn’t yet been played live. “I Heart ?” was originally released as an exclusive digital download on her debut album, Taylor Swift, during its first week of release at Best Buy, but it would later become a promotional single before Fearless. It could also be that Swift simply has a personal preference for not playing this particular song. Either way, it would be very exciting to get to hear her play this one day, especially if she includes it on Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version ).

12 Christmas Must Be Something More

Release Date: October 14, 2007

“Christmas Must Be Something More” was released as a part of The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in 2007, following up her self-titled debut album. This song focuses on the true meaning of the Christmas holiday underneath all the decorations, gifts, and more, landing on a central idea: the birth of Jesus Christ. Swift sings about how important it is to recognize Jesus as the reason for the season, emphasizing that “Christmas must be something more” than simply hanging up wreaths and carefully wrapping gifts.

The strong religious message in this song could be the reason why Swift has never opted to play this one live, especially with Swift not being known as a Christian artist. Her faith was more apparent in her music when she first debuted, but as Swift grew and developed her own voice, she began to break away from that religious mold within the country music sphere. It could, however, simply be a matter of Swift being ready to move on from this holiday collection, and seeing no good reason to bring this particular song back.

11 Girl At Home

Release Date: October 22, 2012

“Girl at Home,” originally included in the deluxe version of Red and now a part of the re-recorded Red (Taylor’s Version), details Swift’s feelings about being hit on by a man who already has a girlfriend. This, according to Swift, derives from a real-life experience at the time, and through the song, she tells this story and expresses her distaste for it – particularly as someone who’s been on the other end of it, as the titular “girl at home.” Swift rejects the man’s advances and reminds him that he’s not single, and shouldn’t act as such.

There’s no obvious reason why Swift hasn’t yet performed “Girl at Home” live, though it simply could be that Swift has elected to play other tracks from Red and Red (Taylor’s Version) in its place. This is a beloved song, no doubt, but there are certainly others on Red that carry more significance for Swift, or have simply mashed up better in instances where that’s been a factor. It’s likely she will end up playing this one day, especially if she continues her Surprise Songs tradition on future tours, but until then, it remains unplayed.

10 Beautiful Ghosts

Release Date: November 15, 2019

Released as a part of the infamous CATS movie adaptation, the radio version of “Beautiful Ghosts” is sung by Swift, although it’s sung in the movie by Victoria actress Francesca Hayward. The song, written and composed specifically for the movie, sees Victoria yearning for something bigger and better for her life and her future after listening to Grizabella lament about no longer having her lavish past. After living such a lonely life on the streets, Victoria expresses to Grizabella how lucky she is to have something to miss, whereas she herself has no similar experiences to even reflect upon.

It’s easier to understand why Swift has not yet played this song live. The CATS movie was not well-received, particularly for the way in which it chose to bring the titular cat characters to life through partial CGI, and thus this song became somewhat lost amongst the louder voices of criticism. Swift isn’t typically one to be afraid of such criticism, but it very well could be that she wants to keep this song as a part of the musical movie itself, and feels that performing it alone without the song it follows up wouldn’t do it proper justice.

9 Only The Young

Release Date: January 31, 2020

“Only The Young” was a significant release for Swift, who had only just broken her political silence two years prior, in 2018. This song encourages the younger generation to rise up and take charge of the political decisions facing them, taking what they hear day-in and day-out and turning it into action with things like voting. It was released as a part of her documentary Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, which showed a more in-depth look at how passionate Swift really was to finally use her own voice in the political sphere.

Given the depth of meaning behind this song, it’s again understandable why Swift hasn’t played it live before. It could simply mean too much for her to bring to the stage, especially when it was meant to act as an anthem alongside her documentary more than anything else. The time to play it live would have been before America’s Election Day, which has already gone and passed, so it’s unlikely that this one will ever be performed live – at least, anytime soon.

8 That’s When (Feat. Keith Urban) (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]

Release Date: April 9, 2021

As one of Swift’s first-ever “From the Vault” tracks on Fearless (Taylor’s Version), “That’s When” hasn’t yet had its moment to shine in a live performance. Like her other vault tracks, “That’s When” was originally written in 2008 as a part of the original Fearless album, detailing an experience where Swift has taken a step back from her relationship to get space and decide whether this is a relationship she can continue to pursue or not. On the track, Keith Urban sings the part of her partner, debating a similar thing as they decide whether to move forward or not.

With this now being a duet between Swift and Urban, the reason for her not playing it live yet could simply be that she prefers to perform live with Urban if possible. Swift has had a few guests join her on the stage during her Surprise Songs set on The Eras Tour, but Urban has not yet been one of them, which means Swift hasn’t had an ideal opportunity ever since Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was released to bring this song to life with him. There could be other factors as well, but this seems to be the likeliest reason.

7 Bye Bye Baby (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]

Release Date: April 9, 2021

“Bye Bye Baby (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]” is the last track on Fearless (Taylor’s Version ), tying together Swift’s first re-recorded album. It tells the tragic story of Swift trying to reckon with an absolutely heartbreaking breakup, bad enough where even empty picture frames can conjure up difficult emotions. It was especially difficult because she had a certainty of their future, but all along, her partner was hesitant, trying to find a way to let her down easily. This song acts as her goodbye to him and the relationship that wouldn’t last.

It’s hard to say why “Bye Bye Baby” hasn’t yet been played by Swift live, especially as a solo song, but it could simply be that Swift has chosen to prioritize other songs while performing in the years since the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version). It could also be that, based on the title alone, this is one Swift is saving for one of her last shows on The Eras Tour. This isn’t one of the more popular “From the Vault” tracks either, which could be another factor as to why it hasn’t yet been played live.

6 Renegade By Big Red Machine

Release Date: July 2, 2021

While “Renegade” simply features Swift, she leads the vocals on this track, with Big Red Machine’s Justin Vernon (also Bon Iver’s frontman) only joining her in certain parts. Swift’s frequent collaborator, Aaron Dessner, is the second half of this band, hence why this collaboration came to fruition – with Dessner being a major part of Swift’s two 2020 album releases, folkore and evermore. “Renegade” sees Swift singing about how mental health issues and anxiety affect a relationship, and how it comes with both a desire to care for the other and also an understandable amount of frustration.

Since many fans speculate that this song may be quite personal to Swift’s own experience in her past relationship with Joe Alwyn, whom she was dating at the time, it could be that “Renegade” is again too close to home to ever truly hit the stage. This seems especially true in retrospect, given Swift’s songs from The Tortured Poets Department that document this being a prevalent issue in the relationship (primarily “So Long, London”). It could, however, simply be because this isn’t Swift’s own song, and thus her other tunes have taken priority in live settings.

5 Birch By Big Red Machine

Release Date: August 27, 2021

“Birch” is Swift’s second collaboration with Big Red Machine from their 2021 album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, and as a non-single, it’s the lesser-known between the two. This song, as is true to its title, uses imagery of trees and forests to depict the confusion and uncertainty the narrator is experiencing – whether it’s in a relationship or some other kind of situation. Over the course of the song, the narrator, with the help of Swift, it seems, accomplishes an understanding that transforms their outlook, beginning with how they wake up.

This likely hasn’t been played live for the same reasons as “Renegade,” aside from the more personal flair. With Vernon being featured as Bon Iver on Swift’s “exile” and “evermore” from folklore and evermore respectively, Swift is much more likely to play those collaborations with him rather than this. Swift has indeed played these several times on The Eras Tour, and even once played “exile” live on Bon Iver’s 2022 tour. “Birch,” however, has yet to accomplish the same feat, though it’s certainly not too late.

4 Forever Winter (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]

Release Date: November 12, 2021

“Forever Winter (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” covers a heavy topic, allowing Swift to express her worries about someone in her life who’s going through something, presumably depression, addiction, or both. Swift sings that she wants to be their “summer sun forever,” and that if he goes, it will be “forever winter.” Throughout the song, she practically fights and pleas with them to take care of themselves and to make it through their struggle onto the other side, and reassures them that she will forever be a constant in their life.

Songs like these are hard to even record, much less play in front of a live audience.

It’s reasonable to believe that this song is simply too personal for Swift to play live, especially if it was based on someone in her life. Songs like these are hard to even record, much less play in front of a live audience. Swift may not be ready to bring something so raw and personal to the microphone just yet, which is totally understandable. It’s similar to songs like “Ronan” from Red, which are rarely, if ever, played live for the very same reason.

3 The Joker And The Queen (Remix) By Ed Sheeran

Release Date: February 11, 2022

Swift joined Ed Sheeran on his track “The Joker and the Queen” for a remix in 2022, a song that details how a relationship has ultimately worked out despite their individual fears about what would come. Swift is a frequent collaborator of Sheeran’s, with the two having worked together on many songs before, perhaps most notably Swift’s “Everything Has Changed” from Red. In this remix, Swift gives life to Sheeran’s partner, expressing her side of the relationship to fully flesh out the story that’s being told.

While Sheeran has joined Swift recently on The Eras Tour during the Surprise Songs set, this was not one of the songs they elected to play, probably because it’s still technically Sheeran’s song, not Swift’s. Even then, the duo has yet to perform it live outside The Eras Tour, though its newness could be to blame for that. Either way, only time can really tell whether this one gets played live one day or not.

2 The Alcott By The National

Release Date: April 28, 2023

In yet another collaboration with her peers, Swift joins The National on their track “The Alcott,” which was released during her earliest shows on The Eras Tour. Dessner is also a member of The National, similarly to his participation in Big Red Machine, which no doubt motivated Swift to join this track. The song is a love story for The National’s Matt Berninger’s wife, with Swift coming in to provide another voice to flesh out everything he wants to say to her and reflect upon. She adds a softness that perfectly rounds out the track.

This, again, has likely never been played live not only because it came out during the course of The Eras Tour when Swift was busy enough playing her own shows, but also because she has another song with The National from her own album evermore, “coney island.” It makes sense, then, that Swift would opt to play the collaboration from her own album rather than one she’s featured in, especially on her own tour. Swift has played “coney island” live during the Surprise Songs set, though she performed it as a solo.

1 Cassandra

Release Date: April 19, 2024

“Cassandra” is the only song from The Tortured Poets Department, including its anthology, to not be played live yet on The Eras Tour. The song takes inspiration from Cassandra in Greek mythology, a Trojan who was given the gift of prophecy but was cursed to never have anyone believe her. The song seems to compare to Swift’s experience during her infamous 2016 feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, in which the latter recorded a phone call with Swift and edited it to make her look like a liar. Only years later would the public finally see their true nature.

Many fans believe that Swift is waiting to play “Cassandra” on The Eras Tour for the day she potentially announces Reputation (Taylor’s Version), given how closely this song is tied to the main inspiration behind Reputation. Some even predict that she will mash it up with folklore‘s “mad woman,” another song that presumably reflects upon her experience during that 2016 drama. Given that Taylor Swift wasn’t afraid to play her track “thanK you aIMee” from the very same album, which is clearly directed at Kardashian, its personal storytelling doesn’t seem to be a factor here.