The Taylor Swift Eras Tour showcases all of Swift’s vastly different albums, leaving us to determine for ourselves which era is the ultimate winner. Two members of The Wolf staff with varying opinions on Taylor Swift weigh in to determine which Taylor Swift era is the best. 

Amanda: I’ll admit I’m not much of a Swiftie. There. I said it. I finally told the world my darkest secret. Now, before I receive death threats from Taylor Nation, I do appreciate Taylor and admire her talent, but her songs don’t often appear on my playlists. However, I have a soft spot for one Taylor Era: Reputation. This album encompasses a cocoon-to-butterfly transformation that features a bold, new, untouchable version of Taylor. There are songs such as “I Did Something Bad” and “Look What You Made Me Do” that ignite the audacious tendencies within us, making listeners feel like they can conquer every fear head on, but also songs such as “Delicate” and “New Year’s Day” that are softer and describe the trials and tribulations of love. This album is packed with references to everyone who has wronged Taylor, making digs at her ex-boyfriends, the media and, of course, the drama surrounding her and Kanye West. How could you not love an album that’s Taylor’s version of revenge? This album is a fiercer and edgier rendition of Taylor, showing a metamorphosis from the sweet and innocent country singer to the birth of a bold, unapologetic Taylor Swift. The Reputation Era is a complete power move that addresses the drama Taylor is dragged into head on while simultaneously launching a new version of Swift. For these reasons, I firmly believe Reputation reigns supreme. 

Peyton: As a long-time Swiftie, I can wholeheartedly state that Taylor Swift’s Folklore era is her greatest achievement of her career and could quite possibly be one of the most influential albums of our time. A tweet announcing the release of her eighth album shook the lives of Swifties worldwide, as they longed for an ounce of inspiration amidst the global pandemic. With her previous album depicting the beauty and comfort of finding love, Folklore was a complete rebirth of her image. This album is, by far, the most honest and vulnerable album of her discography, with songs like “mirrorball” and “this is me trying,” and painstakingly brutal songs about heartbreak like “my tears ricochet” and “illicit affairs.” “Mirrorball” is my personal favorite song, and Taylor Swift herself depicts it seamlessly: “We have mirrorballs in the middle of a dance floor because they reflect light. They are broken a million times and that’s what makes them so shiny. We have people like that in society, too. They hang there and every time they break it entertains us… It was a metaphor for celebrity, but it’s also a metaphor for people who have to feel like they have to be on for certain people.”A beautiful-yet-complicated fictional love triangle was revealed as fans pieced together the broken story of love and temptation of Betty, Augustine and James. The songs “Betty,” “Cardigan” and “August” reveal the explanations of feelings and desires from each character’s perspective, illustrating a toxic teenage fling that only ends in heartbreak on both ends. Folklore’s blend of acoustic guitar and piano melodies mix seamlessly with the mature lyrics built of metaphors, imagery and rich storytelling portrayed in her first indie/alternative album. This album is more than just music, but rather storytelling perfection that grasps the hearts and minds of any listener with its wide variety of relatable thoughts. Although Taylor Swift was already the queen of versatility by touching on almost every possible genre in the first eight albums in her discography, Folklore was the icing on top of the cake to prove to the world that Swift is a monumental part of the music industry and, therefore, is superior in her already-top-tier album lineup.