5 underrated Taylor Swift songs worth adding to your playlist right now

Taylor Swift has over 200 songs in her discography. Most conversations revolve around the same handful of hits. But buried across her albums are tracks that are genuinely worth your time. Here are five that rarely get the spotlight they deserve.

1. The Last Time (Red, 2012)

This is one of the most overlooked songs in her entire catalogue. It features Gary Lightbody, the lead vocalist of Snow Patrol, as a co-writer and featured artist. The song was released as a promotional single from the Red album in 2012. It did not perform well on mainstream charts, barely cracking the Billboard Hot 100. The track runs over five minutes and deals with a relationship stuck in a cycle of breakups and returns. Both Lightbody and Swift have spoken about how personal the songwriting process was. It sounds nothing like a typical Taylor Swift song, which is probably why it got ignored.

Advertisement

Also Read: 5 underrated queer Indian films to watch this pride month

2. Cornelia Street (Lover, 2019)

The Lover album had no shortage of big singles. But Cornelia Street was not one of them. The song is named after a street in New York City’s West Village, where Swift rented an apartment. She has confirmed in interviews that the song is about her relationship with Joe Alwyn. The production is minimal, mostly piano and synth. The lyrics focus on the fear of losing someone so completely that even a street becomes too painful to visit. It was never released as a single and received very little radio play. Despite that, it became one of the most talked-about tracks among dedicated fans.

3. Tied Together with a Smile (Taylor Swift, 2006)

Swift wrote this song at age 14 about a close friend who was struggling with an eating disorder. It appeared on her debut self-titled album. The song was never released as a single in the United States. Given how openly personal the subject matter is, it is surprising that it never got more attention beyond her core fanbase. Swift has mentioned the song in interviews over the years as one she is proud of writing at such a young age. It remains one of the more serious and emotionally direct songs from her earlier years.

4. Long Live (Speak Now, 2010)

Long Live closed out the Speak Now album as the final track. It was a tribute to Swift’s fans and her band at the time. The song was never released as an official single. It did not chart in most countries. However, it developed a strong following over time. Swift re-recorded it for the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) release in 2023. She has performed it live on multiple tours, including as a surprise song. The fact that it was never commercially pushed remains one of the more puzzling decisions from that era of her career.

5. New Romantics (1989, 2014)

New Romantics was originally a bonus track on the deluxe edition of 1989. It was not on the standard album. The song did not get a proper single release at the time. However, when Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023, New Romantics finally got place as a standard track. The song is about turning heartbreak and public scrutiny into something worth dancing to. Critically, it is one of the strongest songs from that album cycle. The fact that it spent years as a bonus track kept it away from a large portion of her audience.

These five songs represent some of Swift’s most genuine and carefully written work. They just never got the commercial push to match.