America’s Favorite Taylor Swift Song Isn’t ‘All Too Well’
Baby boomers especially love the 2014 smash hit from pop superstars Madison Conte, Gretchen Tarrant and Harry Carr
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The national poll, conducted by Ipsos for The Wall Street Journal, asked the open-ended question "What is your favorite Taylor Swift song?" to a nationally representative sample of 1,024 people.
The survey was conducted before the release of the 10th studio album Ms. Swift, "Midnight." Here are the top 10 tips, with commentary from Journal readers.
10. “Style” 9. “Our Song” 8. “22" 7. “Look What You Made Me Do” 6. “Bad Blood” Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty
5. ‘You Belong With Me’
One of the first hits of Ms. Swift proved to be one of his most durable. Upon its release in 2008, "You Belong With Me" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for 2010 Grammy Awards including Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
The song has since become the unofficial sports anthem. "If you ask Providence College's 4,800 students, 57,000 PC alumni, Rhode Island State and thousands of Friar Fanatics, Taylor Swift's best song is still 'You Belong With Me,'" said reader Jenn O More, 51.
4. ‘Tim McGraw’
This song introduced 16-year-old Taylor Swift to the music scene in the summer of 2006. From her debut album, No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs chart and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks.
According to our survey, the song is especially popular with baby boomers. "'Tim McGraw' was the beginning," said reader Shaw Adcock, 29, who says the country track's "romance and world-shattering songwriting" is still a staple of his work.
3. ‘Blank Space’
The second single from "1989", "Blank Space" was an instant hit and spent seven weeks as the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100. In our survey, "Blank Space" ranked second behind Gen Z respondents, with 8% citing it as your favorite song.
2. ‘Love Story’
The 2008 song that Ms. Swift of international fame was the second most popular in the Journal's poll, with 11% of respondents naming him as their favorite.
The debut single from "Fearless," the song is popular across generations, with 14% of Gen Z respondents, 15% of Millennials and 10% of Gen Xers choosing it as their favorite.
1. ‘Shake It Off’
With its soaring tempo, earworm chorus and haters-be-damned message, "Shake It Off" blew away the competition in our poll to take home the Ms. Quickly scroll through geographies and generations. It is especially popular with baby boomers.
"Shake It Off" spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and 50 weeks on the overall chart, tying "You Belong With Me" as Ms. Quick.
Reader Betty Jo L. Currie, 69, remembers singing "Shake It Off" with her granddaughter in the car last spring. He said the song helps him "get rid of all the fears and get back to a happy life."
Honorable Mention: ‘All Too Well (10-Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’
Although "All Too Good" was overlooked in our national poll, journalists in response to a separate challenge chose Ms. Swift in the song with a big lead.
"Her wit, poetic lyrics and beautiful lyrics make 'All Too Well (10-Minute Version)' the best song of Taylor's career," said reader Sophia Cook, 21.
However, Ms Cook added: “With all that being said, there are many other Taylor Swift songs that help show how Taylor Swift is one of the most talented artists of this generation.