The world first met Taylor Swift as a 16-year-old country ingénue, but today she turns 36 as one of the most powerful figures the modern music industry has ever produced. Two decades into an uninterrupted run at the top, she’s a cultural engine, a touring juggernaut, and a business mogul who has reshaped how artists control their work and their legacies. The industry as it exists today simply does not function the same way without her.
This year alone has only reinforced that dominance. Swift is entering a new personal chapter with her husband-to-be, while professionally expanding her empire on multiple fronts—from her major Disney+ premiere that further cements her as a cross-platform storyteller to the continued financial and cultural success of Life of a Showgirl, which (despite harsh reviews) has proven to be one of the most lucrative and defining eras of her career.
With over 280 released songs, Swift has turned songwriting into long-form autobiography, transforming personal milestones into shared cultural moments. In honor of her 36th birthday, these 36 songs best define the chapters of Taylor Swift’s life, the celebration of an artist who keeps finding new ways to win. Cheers to the next 36, Tay!
36
The Best Day
The first song Taylor Swift wrote about her mother, Andrea Swift, appeared on her sophomore album, Fearless. “The Best Day” chronicles Swift’s upbringing from “the age of princesses and pirate ships” to her mother watching her daughter “shine.” This Mother’s Day classic was an early introduction to Swift’s strongest relationship to date.
35
Never Grow Up
Swift sang about her childhood again on her next album, Speak Now. This time, Swift was reflecting on her upbringing after moving out into her first apartment at 20 years old.
With the freedom came a longing to be young again, dancing around in her pajamas and waiting for her father to come home from work. “Never Grow Up” gave listeners another glimpse into Swift’s youth.
34
Christmas Tree Farm
In 2019, Swift surprised us with a new Christmas song. In “Christmas Tree Farm,” Swift is fed up with everyday stresses like holiday traffic and longing to be back at her childhood farm.
To make it even better, Swift released a music video composed entirely of home videos. The song is a reminder that Swift is still that girl underneath all the sparkles and spotlights.
33
Marjorie
Swifties have long known that Taylor Swift’s grandmother, Marjorie Finley, an opera singer, was one of her biggest inspirations. On her 2020 album, evermore, she finally got to honor her in a song.
The ballad praises her grandmother for the lessons she taught her, as Swift also expresses some regrets, such as not asking her enough questions. Still, it gives insight into one of the powerful women who helped Swift grow into the woman she is.
32
The Outside
By middle school, Swift was struggling to fit in. “The Outside” was one of her earliest songs about feeling outcast from her peers.
“How could I ever try to be better? Nobody ever lets me in,” Swift sings about her attempts to be a part of the crowd at school. Swift would go on to build a career off being the girl next door and making her fans feel less on the outside in their own lives.
31
A Place In This World
Looking at her career now, it seems like Swift’s success was written in the stars. However, when she’d first moved to Nashville at 14, she had no idea how she was going to become the star she dreamed of being.
“A Place In This World” was Swift’s confession that she truly had no idea what she was doing; she was just trying to find her place in this world. She’s surely found it now.
30
You’re On Your Own, Kid
Swift’s 2022 album, Midnights, saw the superstar revisiting 13 sleepless nights from her lifetime. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” felt like a flashback to Swift’s debut album. The singer once again wrote about unreciprocated love, choosing her dreams even if it left her feeling alone, and trying to stand out among all the other people who wanted the same thing as her.
Swift also looked back on all her success and how even when she got everything she wanted, there were still some mistakes she’d made. In the end, she realized it was all going to be okay.
29
Fifteen
While Swift spent a lot of her early career singing about her upbringing and her early teen years, on the Fearless track “Fifteen,” an 18-year-old Swift looks back on her freshman year of high school.
“In your life, you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team” may not have aged so well, but the overall message has. Swift’s teenage years included heartbreak, laughing with her best friend Abigail, and realizing that the world is a lot bigger than it seems between the walls of high school.
28
Change
“Change” is the final track on Fearless, and it pretty much foreshadowed everything that was to come for Swift’s career. The song is all about fighting for what you believe in, something Swift has spent her career doing. From trying to succeed on a small record label in Nashville to winning her battle to own her masters, Swift truly “never gave in,” and she never will.
27
Innocent
Swift saw more success during her Fearless era than most other teenagers, including her first Grammy Album of the Year win and becoming the first country singer to win an MTV Video Music Award. The latter also saw one of the biggest controversies in pop culture history.
The infamous Kanye West incident would change the trajectory of Swift’s career. From that point on, public takedowns of Swift would become the norm. Still, Swift handled it with class and compassion, penning the forgiveness ballad “Innocent” for Speak Now.
