Whether or not you’re a fan, it’s impossible to deny Taylor Swift’s impact on music. With hundreds of songs and dozens of hits in her career, she is a master singer-songwriter (and officially, Billboard’s Woman of the Decade in 2019).
These days, however, music isn’t just 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’s cover can play a big role in making a great album. 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 recreations of the iconic half-faceless 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 us be clear: this list is only taking album artwork into account. If you’re looking for how the albums stand against each other musically and lyrically, you’ve come to the wrong place. 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 master recordings, as well as that oft-forgotten 2007 Christmas record, see how we rank each of the Swift’s album covers, from worst to best, below.
