This Taylor Swift Fan Book Dives Into the Evolution of Her Musical Eras

Football season is here, so it's time to watch Taylor Swift watch the Kansas City Chiefs tear it up on the field. As the Grammy winner supports her "So High School" muse Travis Kelce and gears up for her next round of shows on her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swifties can get their fix with an all-new collectible Taylor Swift fan book, featuring ~gorgeous~ photos, clued-in commentary from industry experts, and Easter eggs galore.

But first! To order the book, click on the retailer of your choice:

Amazon Barnes & Noble Target Books-a-Million Bookshop

Are you ready for it? Good, because the book drops on October 1, which gives ya juuust enough time to gift it to yourself the Swifties in your life. In case you want a taste of what's to come in the chic book before you click "add to cart," we've got an exclusive essay excerpt from Taylor Swift by award-winning author, journalist, and editor Annie Zaleski riiight here.

"Taylor's Musical Evolution," by Annie Zaleski in Taylor Swift

In August 2015, Taylor announced a special mystery guest at the Los Angeles stop on her 1989 World Tour. “I can safely and honestly say I would not be a musician if it hadn’t been for this artist,” Taylor said by way of introduction. “I would not have wanted to be a country music artist. If not for this woman and her band, I would not have known that you could be quirky and fun and yourself and outspoken and brave and real.” After this glowing tease, Natalie Maines of The Chicks appeared onstage—and the two ran through a barn-burning, joyous version of what Taylor called her“go-to talent show song,” The Chicks’2000 hit “Goodbye Earl.”

The tune—a jaunty murder ballad that finds two best friends teaming up to kill an abusive husband and then living happily ever after without him—isn’t typical talent show fare. However, it makes sense that Taylor gravitated toward “Goodbye Earl.” The song’s lyrics cover themes that Taylor revisits in her own songs: friendship, resilience, and moving forward after a bad relationship.

Of course, Taylor’s complete catalog covers far more ground thematically. She’s become the biggest musician in the world today precisely because she never stops changing and pushing herself in new directions.

The heart-on-sleeve journal entries of her 2006 self-titled debut gave way to 2008’s Fearless—a mighty pop-country album that spawned two crossover hits: the Romeo and Juliet update “Love Story” and the aching romantic fantasy “You Belong withMe.” The even more expansive 2010 release Speak Now found Taylor writing every song by herself, her first time without cowriters. Buoyed by this freedom, she dipped her toes deeper into the pop music world, courtesy of songs like “Mine,” a teen-movie-worthy tale of two people who find love despite their differences (“You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter”), while still acknowledging the rootsy country style that first propelled her to stardom.

With the release of 2012’s melodic masterpiece Red, Taylor officially entered the pop phase of her career. The album featured collaborations with hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback on the sassy “I Knew You Were Trouble,” the celebratory “22,” and her first number one pop single, the catchy earworm “We Are NeverEver Getting Back Together.” From here, Taylor boldly experimented with different sounds and styles: the dreamlike synth-pop of 2014’s 1989; the defiant rock and electro sounds of 2017’s brash Reputation; and the delicate watercolor-pop of 2019’s Lover. These albums all sound different—and they all propelled Taylor’s career like a rocket.

Artists generally build their careers in one genre, attracting audiences who appreciate a specific style of music. So why did Taylor’s popularity keep growing even as her music kept changing? For starters, Taylor lost none of her underlying sincerity as she evolved from a teenage country star into a sophisticated pop icon. Her lyrics always validated the thoughts and feelings of young women, honoring the cold, hard truth that growing up is messy and full of ups and downs. And her songs never run away from sadness; instead, she tries to make sense of emotional pain and confusion by writing about what she's going through. Even more important, Taylor chronicles life’s happier moments too—bonding with your best friend over shared memories (“dorothea”)or times when a romance does work out and you feel optimistic (“Lover”). Her songs ascribe equal importance to traumatic and ecstatic experiences.

Crucially, Taylor realizes that these experiences often produce a complex mix of emotions. The 10-minute version of “All Too Well” is a cathartic song that depicts both the highs and lows of a relationship that ends badly. “The Best Day” is a tearjerker that reminisces about spending wonderful days with your mom. Taylor embraces emotions that swing like a pendulum: Sometimes you want to get blazing revenge on an ex (cue “Picture to Burn” or “Bad Blood”), other times you’re uncertain about where you stand in a new relationship
(à la “Delicate”), and then you’re remembering the delightful private moments of a romance (the wistful “Cornelia Street”).

Taylor is also unafraid to explore deeply personal family matters. The somber “Soon You’ll Get Better” featuring The Chicks alludes to her mom’s real-life health problems, while “marjorie” is a touching homage toTaylor’s grandmother, an opera singer.

In 2020, Taylor unveiled a bewitching universe centered on two indie-folk releases: folklore and evermore. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic with collaborators including The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, the albums are structured like elegant works of fiction with elaborate storylines and vivid characters. “Early in quarantine, I started watching lots of films,” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2020. “Consuming other people’s storytelling opened this portal in my imagination and made me feel like, ‘Why have I never created characters and intersecting storylines?’”

Next, Taylor switched it up with her 2022 release, Midnights, an album filled with fresh, modern pop textures. Mood-wise, Midnights found Taylor feeling vulnerable, candid, and mischievous. She’s never been afraid to admit her flaws, but in the anthem “Anti-Hero,” Taylor turned inward and blamed herself for her insecurities—a powerful statement that was deeply relatable. With 2024’s The TorturedPoets Department, Taylor released one of her most personal albums yet. Over 31 tracks, she grieves the end of romances—an emotional roller coaster that includes breaking down in tears at the gym (“Down Bad”), reminiscing about a sordid affair (“Fortnight”), and wrestling with harsh realities (“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”).

Taylor launched her Eras Tour—a dazzling, dizzying multimedia achievement that became one of the hottest concert (and movie) tickets ever—to celebrate all the albums released since her previous tour.

For certain Eras shows, Taylor linked up with the rock trio HAIM to perform a giddy version of their collaborative song “No Body, No Crime,” a sinister murder ballad. For Taylor, it was a particularly lovely full-circle moment—going from an aspiring singer belting out The Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” in hopes of launching a career to performing a murder ballad she wrote herself in front of a packed, sold-out stadium.

Taylor Swift by Holly Corbett, Beatrice Forman, Maura K. Johnston, Scott Raab, Carissa Rosenberg, and Annie Zaleski will be released by Hearst Home Books on October 1, 2024. To order the book, click on the retailer of your choice:

Amazon Barnes & Noble Target Books-a-Million Bookshop

Disclosure: Hearst Magazines is the parent company of Hearst Home Books and Cosmopolitan.