The Best Taylor Swift Songs to Cry to This Valentine’s Day
Whether you’re watching the “All Too Well” short film with your cats or jamming out to “You Need to Calm Down” with some gal pals, there’s a Taylor Swift song for every occasion. Here are some of our favorite “sad girl” Swiftie songs to stream this Valentine’s Day.
‘All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)’
Swift fans know this song all too well. When Swift re-released Red, an album first introduced in 2012, the artist included reimagined versions of “All Too Well.” That includes the “Sad Girl Autumn” remix and the 10-minute adaptation, complete with a short film.
“A record label didn’t pick this song as a single…,” Swift said at the premiere of her self-directed music video, according to the New York Times. “It was about something very personal to me. It was very hard to perform it live. Now for me, honestly, this song is 100 percent about us and for you.”
‘Back To December’
As a bonus, this song is not-so-secretly about Swift’s relationship with Valentine’s Day star Taylor Lautner. “Back to December” is a timeless breakup song set in December — not on Feb. 14. Still, this Speak Now track details the nostalgia of a failed romance.
‘Exile (feat. Bon Iver)’
Featured in Folklore, “Exile” is about ex-lovers who run into each other after their relationship ends. Heartbreaking? Of course. Perfect for listening to on repeat? Absolutely.
“‘Exile’ is a song that was written about miscommunications in relationships, and in the case of this song, I imagined that the miscommunications ended the relationship,” Swift said in an interview, according to one Reddit user.
“They led to sort of the demise of this love affair,” she continued. “And now these two people are seeing each other out for the first time, and they keep miscommunicating with each other.”
One version of this song appeared in Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, a Disney+ exclusive special.
‘The Archer’
All the king’s horses, all the king’s men couldn’t put this artist together again. “The Archer” is a track included on Swift’s 2019 release Lover. This song touches on two sides of the spectrum, with the narrator being both the archer and the prey.
‘Illicit Affairs’
If you’ve ever had a secret, semi-friends-with-benefits type fling, this is the song for you. Included in the 2020 release Folklore, “Illicit Affairs” has over 125 million Spotify plays, placing it among the most popular tracks from the album.
‘My Tears Ricochet’
Some fans hypothesize this Folklore release could be about Swift’s relationship with Scott Borchetta. As described by the songwriter, “My Tears Ricochet” is about an “embittered tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession.”
To add these hits to your Valentine’s Day playlists, music by Swift is streamable on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
