10. YONAKA — You Need To Calm Down
A little more indie rock than bubblegum pop, this cover is all about the subtle rhythm of enunciations. The original loves a slant rhyme (don’t know/Patron, damn/7 AM, don’t know/missile), and this cover leans right in. The lead up to the choruses show how dexterous you have to be to deliver the almost rap-level lyrics. Then, in the choruses, I love the subtle drawn-out “you’re being too” before they land on “loud.” It’s like “loud” is just a placeholder for the evergreen insult of being somehow “too much.” The switch from the “uh oh”s to “ohhhhhh”s that build as the notes elevate takes the song from playful tongue-in-cheek bop to an anthem of exasperation. — Sara Stoudt
9. Josiah and the Bonnevilles — Anti-Hero
As one of the biggest entertainers in the world, Taylor Swift has taken on many public personas: rock star, fashion icon, meme generator, political lightning rod, America’s sweetheart, etc. Yet at her core, Swift has always been an exceptional songwriter, with the ability to craft elaborate narrative songs with instantly singable hooks. With his 2022 cover of Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Josiah Leming, who performs under the moniker Josiah and the Bonnevilles, drew a straight line between Swift’s songwriting and the ’60s folk revival. He channels the spirit of early Bob Dylan with his acoustic guitar and harmonica, you can picture Leming singing it in a Greenwich Village coffee shop. It’s easy to imagine Swift playing her acoustic guitar and singing there too, maybe on the next album. — Curtis Zimmermann
8. Ryan Adams — Bad Blood
Did we need a Ryan Adams full covers album of Swift’s 1989? Probably not, but it has its moments, his take on “Bad Blood” being one of them. If you’re a fan of Adams’ style, which is mercurial but most often revolves around off-kilter singer-songwriter vocals and alt-country guitar riffs, this is right in your wheelhouse. Adams didn’t so much pay tribute to Swift’s songs as he “Adams-ized” them. The punchy acoustic rhythm guitar backed by the chiming, dreamy electric is a comfortable blanket of late-’90s/early-’00s indie rock and Adams reverberating voice is the perfect fit, dropping to a whisper at times, cracking with emotion at others.
If there is a tribute here, it’s to Swift’s lyrics as being deeper than many gave her credit for early in her career. The original “Bad Blood” is a stellar pop song, featuring enough bite and enough catchiness to be the perfect crossover hit. Adams digs into the darker, sadder aspects of the track to show how well it works as not-so-pop song. Depending on your mood, Adams’ cover provides an alternate way to enjoy Swift’s music. — Mike Misch
7. nothing,nowhere. — We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Will It Emo? That was the question pop-punker Joseph Edward Mulherin a/k/a nothing,nowhere. asked in his viral TikTok series, which he later turned into a covers album of that title. He took a wide variety of songs and attempted to emo-fy them. A gimmick, sure, but one he proved exceptional at, turning any number of songs from any genre into genuinely good emo music. So, will “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” emo? Absolutely — Ray Padgett
6. Chewy Rodriguez — Wildest Dreams
Who would have thought that there was a phase beyond Imperial? Swift is now all-conquering, the biggest artist in the world, beyond a “simple” empire of music. There was a time when she was merely huge, able to direct complex arrangements in the studio and spend more on the accompanying video than most musicians will make in a lifetime (and then donate the funds from the video to one of your favorite good causes). A tale of admiring and then having a tryst with a handsome, famous, pop-star means you have access to said pop star, as you move in the same circles and are treated as a peer.
Chewy Rodriguez has none of these certainties. He can admire a potential partner but it may have to be from afar, and he might never get the chance see if the chemistry is there. Therefore he has more doubt in his delivery, lacking the certain diction of a star who has risen. That doubt makes the whole thing touching in a very specific and appealing way. — Mike Tobyn
5. Maggie Rogers — Tim McGraw
“Tim McGraw” is the opening track to Taylor Swift’s 2006 debut album. Not a song about the singer himself, but a bittersweet country song of youthful nostalgia for a faded love. “When you think Tim McGraw/I hope you think my favorite song/The one we danced to all night long.” Country singer Maggie Rogers gave the track an update in 2018. Still keeping it country (though slightly more in the pop realm), Rogers delivered the song with a bit more grit in her voice, reworking it as an older woman’s take on young love. Her cover still has the gut-punch of the original, with more of a drown-in-your-sorrows feel. No matter who is singing, “It’s hard not to find it all a little bittersweet.” — Curtis Zimmermann
4. Still Wave — Fortnight
The tortured poetry of Still Wave’s music (a self-styled “dark blend of shoegaze, post rock, and doom black metal”) finds an unlikely ally in Swift’s “Fortnight,” where murderous fantasies surface. Still Wave does away with the ballad feel and the ’80s pop sensibility of the original. The maelstrom of sound behind the vocal exudes danger if not violence, a deep gothic churn that embraces the dark direction Swift only gestures towards. — Tom McDonald
3. Screaming Females — Shake It Off
False advertising: Screaming Females only had one female. But did she ever scream! The late great garage-punk trio ripped through this Taylor Swift for the AV Undercover series, where bands would pick one off a dwindling list of songs to cover. At the end, a reporter asks them why they chose this song. “Because everybody in the world likes this song,” Marissa Paternoster shrugs. She seems exhausted. After the performance she just gave, you can see why. — Ray Padgett
2. Jack Leopards & The Dolphin Club — Look What You Made Me Do
Despite this quieter approach to what was a “shots fired” bombshell of a song, we can still feel the ominous threat of it all. With the simple guitar and mournful, smoky vocals, we’re taken to the set of an old-school cowboy western. It’s less of a spunky and in-your-face cover, and instead more worn down and resigned, yet there is still a whiff of taunt in the iconic “look what you made me do.” — Sara Stoudt
1. Soccer Mommy — I’m Only Me When I’m With You
A bonus track from Swift’s debut that has seen some radio play, “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” is very much a power-pop song with some country dressing, such as a recurring fiddle break and a pedal steel part. It’s another song that shows off her ability early in her career to add just enough country to sneak her power-pop hooks into the country charts.
Though also based in Nashville, Soccer Mommy drops every one of those country elements from the original. Slowing the song down, she gets more of an indie-pop song in the verses. It’s more power-pop on the choruses, a little closer to the style of the original. But the real changes come post-chorus, when she adds a synthesizer, plus the subtle distorted guitar at the end of the bridge, both really cementing the indie-pop feel of her version. It’s faithful in some ways, but it’s very much her own. — Riley Haas
Great list – I had only heard one of these before. (Also, the “glitch” on her website a month ago now looks to be having its payoff, so good timing with this post!)