It’s impossible to deny Taylor Swift’s impact on music. With hundreds of songs and dozens of hits, she’s a master singer-songwriter with countless awards – including the only artist to win the album of the year at the Grammys four times.
But a music career isn’t only about music — it’s about the visual execution too. And though the age-old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is generally true, an album cover can play a big role in making it memorable. For Swift, a handful of her biggest albums feature some of the most memorable art. When 1989 was released in 2014, for example, everyone from Swifties to casual listeners attempted their re-creations of the iconic half-face Polaroid cover. And that album went on to win album of the year at the Grammys.
At the same time, not all hit covers are hit albums, and vice versa. So Billboard decided to rank each of the pop star’s covers since her debut in 2006.
Now, let’s be clear: This list is only taking album artwork into account – not the merit of the music itself. We’re simply looking at covers: filters, styling, framing and how the creative represents the album as a whole. And, yes, this list is completely subjective, so it’s OK to disagree. No hard feelings.
Including both her re-recorded Taylor’s Versions and original recordings (but not deluxe or limited editions), as well as that oft-forgotten 2007 Christmas record, see how we rank each of Swift’s album covers, from worst to best, below.
