Taylor Swift has become widely popular through the years since her self-titled debut album released in 2006. From that first accolade to her most recent–Album of the Year for the third time at the Grammys–it is hard to deny Swift’s superstardom. 

So, why does everyone figure she only writes meaningless songs about her exes? From high school sweethearts to famous figures like Harry Styles. John Mayer, and Tom Hiddleston, Taylor Swift has had an experience with men of every type and warning others of her bad experiences. 

When “Taylor” debuted in 2006, it didn’t take long to gain a following. By the time ‘You Belong With Me’, from her album “Fearless” won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, Swift was a household name as a senior in high school.

After “Fearless,” Swift began to hear more critics accuse her of not writing her own music. In response Swift wrote her third studio album “Speak Now” alone. 

Swift said in a Rolling Stone interview, “… When I was 18, they were like ‘She doesn’t really write her own songs.’ So I wrote my third album by myself as a reaction to that.” 

This allowed for Swift’s songwriting to shine and prove herself in the industry. “Speak Now” is still a staple for any Taylor Swift fan’s playlist and has left fans with favorites like ‘Enchanted,’ ‘Better Than Revenge,’ ‘Dear John,’ and so many more. 

Senior Emily Whitten comments on the album saying, “I see the album as what she wants to say to her fans without being filtered by others because the album is 100% her words, thoughts and feelings.”

“She wasn’t sure if the album would be successful as she was young and wrote it herself, so she included a goodbye to fans as the song ‘Long Live,’” Whitten continued, “I can’t even pick one song as a favorite because they all are important.”

After “Speak Now,” came Swift’s fan-proclaimed ‘coming of age’ album entitled “Red.” In this album, Swift began her infamous transition into pop music. In order to begin the change, Swift organized her album methodically: the entire album has one country followed by a pop song. 

At this point, she had been called a “man-hunter” and “heartbreaker” for years. So when it came time to begin writing her 5th studio album “1989,” Swift had a brilliant idea. In retaliation, she wrote a satirical look at herself in the same way the internet viewed her. This song was ‘Blank Space.’

“Blank Space” has lyrics that speak about how the media viewed Swift like “… got a long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane, but I’ve got a blank space baby, and I’ll write your name.”

Swift told New Musical Express (NME), “It’s so opposite my actual life. Half the people got the joke, half the people really think that I was like really owning the fact that I’m a psychopath… I have no complaints to how things out.”

After the pop parody got to the top of the charts alongside ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Shake it Off,’ also from “1989”, Swift went on to win her 2nd Album of the Year at the Grammys. 

Due to conflict with Kanye West, after three years, Swift finally released new music. This became her album known as “Reputation,” leaving audiences with a brand-new Swift sound. 

After “Reputation” came Swift’s album “Lover,” written about all kinds of love. With heartbreaking numbers as tribute to her mother’s cancer to serenading her partner, “Lover” showcases love in every possible form. Many fans claim some of these songs as her best use of lyrics– but not the entire album. 

Swift’s fans leave the best use of lyrics to her sister-albums “folklore” and “evermore.” You can check out a past review of “folklore” by alumni staff here. 

“folklore” and “evermore” have songs inspired by Swift’s life, her friend’s experiences, and completely fictional ideas. These songs showcase her lyrics and intelligence more so than any other.

In “folklore,” the bonus track “the lakes” opening line comments on the exact topic of the article. 

“Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?” This line speaks to the romanticism era of English with writers like William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Lord Byron that were more focused on freedom from rules and nature. This tone remains throughout the song alluding to this era of literature several times. 

This line also speaks about how her elegies eulogize her. But what does that mean? An elegy is a somber poem normally used as a descriptive tribute. However, a eulogy is still about death, but is more of a celebration of one’s life. 

This line essentially is Swift reflecting on her life. Swift is still known for writing breakup songs in high school although she’s moved on from that part of her life. That part of her life is dead as we saw in “reputation.” 

We see so many more brilliant examples in not only this song, but the full albums. With genius like the love triangle from “folklore” that included three songs from all different perspectives (“betty,” “august,” and “cardigan) and the lyrics in “champagne problems” from “evermore,” Swift has left an impact on her own career. 

“folklore” won the 3rd Album of the Year at the Grammys, and still people choose to hate on Swift because–in their words–all she writes about are her ex-boyfriends. While Swift may choose to write from her life experience, that should not undermine the rest of her musical talent and intelligence.