Taylor Swift is known for her songwriting skills, but she's also talented at bringing her stories to life through music videos. Swift's first music video was for her first single, "Tim McGraw," which premiered on July 22nd, 2006. It was directed by Trey Fanjoy and acted as a supercut of the best moments from a young relationship. Since then, Swift has worked with directors like Roman White, Declan Whitebloom, and Joseph Kahn.

Starting with her Lover album, Swift began directing her own music videos, preparing herself for the "All Too Well" short film. Many of Taylor Swift's music videos have theatrical aspects that feel like short films. However, Swift has also released some more laid-back videos. However, whatever route Swift goes down, she's bound to create something mesmerizing. It can be hard to narrow down, but here are Swift's 10 best she's ever created, achieved by a combination of overall artistry, cultural impact, and storytelling.

10 Our Song

Directed By Trey Fanjoy

One of Taylor Swift's earliest music videos was for her country single, "Our Song," and it is reminiscent of an old film. In the video, Swift paints her toenails on her bedroom floor, talks on a rotary dial phone, and spins around in a Cinderella-esque dress on a porch set. Later, she would lie in a pile of flowers and come together with her band, showcasing her sparkly guitar. The video all feels very fake, as if it were made on a Hollywood film set.

However, it worked well with the campy country song. The "Our Song" music video was also where Taylor Swift's iconic sparkly guitar originated. She and her mom glued the rhinestones on themselves before filming took place. The guitar would travel with her on her Fearless and Speak Now tours before retiring to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Swift later recreated the guitar for the Fearless set on her Eras Tour.

9 Bad Blood

Directed By Joseph Kahn

The "Bad Blood" music video was a culturally significant moment in 2015. It felt like the coolest party in Hollywood with the number of celebrity peers the pop star included. From Gigi Hadid to Cindy Crawford, Taylor Swift had an array of powerful women in her video. At the time, Swift was known for her iconic squad, which would later attract a lot of criticism. However, in 2015, being a part of Swift's group of friends was the highest honor. Aside from the celebrity appearances, "Bad Blood" had a storyline that felt like a Marvel movie.

The music video opens with a fight scene between Swift and her best friend, Selena Gomez, who is portraying her enemy in the video. The fight resulted in Gomez kicking Swift out a window, where she landed on a car. Throughout the video, Swift and her girlfriends band together to fight off the rival squad led by Gomez. Kendrick Lamar also appears in the video, rapping his verses. It was one of Swift's most theatrical and fun videos to date.

8 Picture To Burn

Directed By Trey Fanjoy

Another one of Taylor Swift's earliest music videos was "Picture To Burn." Swift's high school best friend, Abigail Anderson, appeared in the video's intro as they spied on Swift's ex and his new girlfriend. The video coined the phrase, "He let her drive the truck? He never let me drive the truck," which has floated around the Swiftie fandom ever since. As Swift sings about getting revenge on her ex, she and her band tear his house apart.

From spraying "loser" on the window, licking his utensils, and toilet papering his living room, the place was trashed by the time he and his new girlfriend came home. Cut in between this footage are clips of Swift and her band performing the song with pyrotechnics firing off and Swift in thigh-high black leather boots like a stylish vigilante. The video may not have showcased Swift's maturity or set an example for its millions of viewers, but it's one of her funniest videos to date.

7 The Best Day

Made Up Of Home Videos

In an unexpected twist, Swift took a break from theatrical stories for "The Best Day" music video. The singer-songwriter wrote the song for her mother and gifted her the song and video as a Christmas present. The video is made up of home footage from Swift's childhood, emphasizing her mother's role in her upbringing. It is the sweetest video Swift has released to date, and despite not following her typical format, it is immensely powerful. While the song and video are personal to her and her family, it's also something her fans could see themselves in.

So, while Swift takes viewers through her own childhood, she also reminds them of their own.

For those with great relationships with their mothers, "The Best Day" music video feels nostalgic. Tractor rides, paint sets, and rocking horses are pretty universal childhood experiences. So, while Swift takes viewers through her own childhood, she also reminds them of their own. Swift's heartwarming video showcases her gratitude for her mother and encourages her audience to express the same for those who raised them.

6 Mean

Directed By Declan Whitebloom

Taylor Swift wrote her Speak Now track "Mean" about a music critic who harshly criticized her vocals at the 2010 Grammys. However, the song's music video dives into various forms of bullying, introducing different characters who are being mistreated. The video starts with Swift and her band performing on stage in an old theater. The midwestern set and costumes look like they're straight out of the beginning of The Wizard of Oz.

It then introduces a young fashion enthusiast being bullied in a locker room by football players. Next, a fast food worker is being picked on by a group of teenagers. Joey King also stars in the video as a young girl who doesn't fit in at school. Swift makes another appearance as a woman who's been tied to the train tracks by an old, drunk Charlie Chaplin-like character. In the end, everyone who was once picked on finds success.

The fashion lover becomes a successful designer, the fast food worker becomes a powerful businesswoman, Swift unties herself, and King's character realizes she wants to be a singer just like Swift. The music video holds a powerful message about staying true to oneself despite the backlash, knowing that someday things will get better. "Mean" will always be an anti-bullying anthem and the accompanying video gives struggling fans even more hope.

5 You Belong With Me

Directed By Roman White

"You Belong With Me" is one of Swift's most popular songs to date, and her Junior Jewels T-shirt from the video is one of the most recreated looks by fans. Swift even recreated it herself for her 2017 "Look What You Made Me Do" music video. In the music video for the Fearless track, Swift plays two characters. One is the girl next door who's in love with her neighbor, and the other is the mean girl dating the neighbor. Swift comically disguises herself in a dark brown wig to play the popular cheerleader.

The video is quirky, silly, and, all in all, wholesome.

However, the video's most famous scene is one where Swift is in her bedroom communicating with her neighbor via notes written on a notepad. The two hold their notepads up at the window, but Swift waits for her crush to leave before revealing a note that says, "I love you." The video feels like a 2000s high school movie similar to Mean Girls, especially since, in the end, the two end up at a dance together.

In typical rom-com fashion, Swift reveals her "I love you" note only to find her crush has been hiding the same one. The video is quirky, silly, and, all in all, wholesome. While the storyline of two women fighting over a guy might feel outdated, the "You Belong With Me" video will always feel nostalgic and be a fan favorite.

4 The Man

Directed By Taylor Swift

When Taylor Swift premiered "The Man," it was the first time she had ever directed a music video on her own. For the video, Swift proved her dedication by dres in prosthetics to transform herself into a man named Tyler Swift. The video was hysterical but also creative and massively impactful. Swift calls out the many societal gender stereotypes in her song but brings them to life in the video. The video showcases Swift "manspreading" on a subway, doing the bare minimum as a father, and throwing a tantrum on the tennis court.

The latter was an obvious reference to the backlash towards Serena Williams when she smashed her racket on the tennis court. The act is something male players often get away with, while women get reprimanded. As campy and comical as the video was, Swift started important commentary and went all-in by actually dres as a man. The music video is brilliant and some of Swift's best work.

3 Blank Space

Directed By Joseph Kahn

"Blank Space" was Taylor Swift's response to the media's criticism of her dating life. They had painted her as a boy-crazy monster, so for the song, she embodied this character and wrote from her perspective. Swift took things a step further with the music video. Filmed at the historic Oheka Castle on Long Island, New York, Taylor Swift dressed up as the wealthy maneater she was made out to be. Throughout the video, Swift carves her and her partner's initials into a tree like a schoolgirl, then fights with him and throws his clothes out the window.

The best scene in the video is when she's heartbroken by the fireplace with mascara running down her face. The music video concludes with Swift taking a gold club to her partner's car before welcoming a new man into her castle. The video showcased Swift's wicked sense of humor and proved that, despite what anyone thinks, she never takes herself too seriously. It was also shot and directed brilliantly and utilized all the space the castle has to offer. From the golden age interiors to the massive landscaping, the "Blank Space" music video is stunning from start to finish.

2 Look What You Made Me Do

Directed By Joseph Kahn

When Taylor Swift disappeared from the public eye after her Kim Kardashian and Kanye West feud, no one knew when or how she'd make her return. However, in August 2017, she released "Look What You Made Me Do" and premiered the song's music video a few days later at the MTV VMAs. It was the most clever and articulate way to come back after a period of extreme public backlash. Instead of playing the victim, as the public claimed she was used to doing, Swift went full villain mode.

She mocked everything the media had said, from the backlash about her girl squad to the accusations that taking her music off streaming was greedy. At the song's bridge, Swift stood upon a pile of past versions of herself as she announced the iconic line, "The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, 'cause she's dead." The line was a reference to the Twitter hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty and viral graffiti art that said "RIP Taylor Swift."

She also references this in the intro to the song as she climbs out of her own grave in zombie form. The video ends with Swift dressed as several different versions of herself, further mocking her haters. It was the best way to get revenge on those who had treated her poorly, and it proved again that Taylor Swift always has the last word.

1 All Too Well Short Film

Directed By Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has released countless iconic music videos throughout her career, but the "All Too Well" short film remains her best work. The ten-minute music video finally brought a decade-old story to life for fans who loved "All Too Well" since the day it was released. Starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, Swift flawlessly brought viewers through the heartbreak of a young, hopeless romantic taken advantage of by an older man. The video is raw compared to her campier videos, but it's just as beautiful.

There's also maturity to it, and it feels more real than anything she'd done before. It's no wonder the film won the VMA for Video of The Year and the Grammy for Best Music Video. It was the biggest video project Swift had set out to create in her whole career, and she absolutely nailed it. Swift appeared in the video herself at the end, evoking deep emotions as she reminisced about the relationship 13 years later. Taylor Swift has released various videos since, but "All Too Well" is pretty unbeatable.