Taylor Swift has made a name for herself as the designated singer-songwriter for the heartbroken, but she's written about more than relationships in her career. Unfortunately, Swift's non-relationship songs are lesser known, and she's gotten a lot of criticism for writing so much about love. Oddly enough, it isn't uncommon for singers to sing and write about relationships; for some reason, when Swift does it, it tends to irk the public. Swift has responded to the criticism often, calling it sexist. In a 2014 interview, she pointed out that no one criticizes Ed Sheeran for doing the same thing.
Swift even wrote the track "Blank Space" on her 1989 album from the perspective of the love-sick, boy-crazy character the media created. However, the idea that all Taylor Swift writes about is love is far from the truth. In fact, all of Swift's albums have at least one track that is unrelated to romance. Whether writing about not fitting in at school or coping with being in the public eye, Swift has strayed from writing about love on many occasions. While there are so many to choose from, a few of her non-relationship songs stand out from the rest.
10 Change
Fearless (2008)
"Change" is the final song on Taylor Swift's sophomore album, Fearless. When Swift spoke about the song in the past, she said she was never really sure what it was about. When the pop star first started as a country singer in Nashville, she was on a very small label. Swift explained that she was partly writing about the feeling of being a small fish in a big pond, trying to make it amongst much more successful record labels. However, she also itted she felt like it related to world issues.
Since Fearless was released on November 11th, 2008, just seven days after Barack Obama was elected the first Black President of the United States, the song always felt connected to the progress of America. The lyrics are about the underdog winning after years of struggle and watching other people succeed instead. This feels incredibly relevant at times when it feels like the bad guys are on top and there will never be peace again. "Change" inspires its listeners to hold on and keep fighting because "the time will come for us to finally win."
9 A Place In This World
Taylor Swift (2006)
In Swift's early career, she often wrote about not fitting in at school or in the world. "A Place in this World" was on her debut album and chronicled her desire to make it in country music even though she was unsure how she was going to get there. Swift sang about walking down roads not sure where they'd lead to and feeling lonely in the world around her.
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By the bridge, Swift its that despite how lost she feels, she's "ready to fly." It is the quintessential girlhood anthem for any teen who has a dream but currently feels lost. It cemented Swift as the relatable girl next door and, no matter how famous she is, that authenticity remains.
8 Mean
Speak Now (2010)
In 2010, Taylor Swift achieved a major accomplishment at the Grammy Awards. The singer performed "Rhiannon" with one of her inspirations, Stevie Nicks. The two also duetted on Swift's hit "You Belong With Me." Unfortunately, Swift's vocals did not receive much praise, and one music critic even accused her of ruining her career overnight. Swift's response was the song "Mean" on her album Speak Now.
The song is an anti-bullying anthem where Swift stands up for herself and everyone else who has ever dealt with mean people. Swift calls the music critic mean, a liar, pathetic, and alone in life. When she won three Grammys for the song at the 2012 award ceremony, Swift had the last laugh as she often does. However, Grammys or not, "Mean" is a catchy, country hit that can make anyone feel better when dealing with bullies in life.
7 I Did Something Bad
reputation (2017)
Swift came back with a vengeance when she released reputation in 2017, three years after her former album 1989. The album was a mixture of love songs about her private relationship and comeback songs in regard to her fall from grace in 2016. "I Did Something Bad" was one of the pettiest and angriest tracks on the album. In the song, Swift went full villain mode, itting that it actually feels really good to be bad. The song's strongest point is the bridge, where Swift compares her public takedown to a witch hunt.
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She sings "They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one / So light me up." Swift knew she'd been framed and hadn't done anything wrong in the 2016 "Kimye" (Kanye West and Kim Kardashian) drama. Instead of trying to explain herself, she surrendered and embodied the villain she was made out to be. The song is so empowering and relatable to anyone who has ever felt villainized for something they didn't do.
6 Nothing New
Red (Taylor's Version) (2021)
When Taylor Swift re-released Red in 2021, she included "Nothing New" as one of the vault tracks. The song is a duet with Phoebe Bridgers and was written about Swift feeling like she was fading from the public eye. It plays into another track on the original Red, "The Lucky One." However, it goes much more in-depth with how Swift was feeling about no longer being the young teenager the world fell in love with.
Because of the way society is set up, people from all walks of life have felt their worthiness slipping as they get older.
While the song is about being a singer in the public eye, it's still relatable to the average person. Because of the way society is set up, people from all walks of life have felt their worthiness slipping as they get older. Swift also sings about feeling like she knew everything when she was a teenager and nothing now that she's an adult. It doesn't require a life in the spotlight to understand that hopeless and lonely feeling.
5 Long Live
Speak Now (2010)
When Taylor Swift was on her first headlining tour, the Fearless Tour, she began writing the final track for her Speak Now album. "Long Live" is one of her most heartwarming, non-romantic songs in her whole catalog. Instead of writing about falling in love or love lost, Swift wrote about what it was like coming up in the music industry surrounded by her band and her adoring fans. While "The Lucky One" and "Nothing New" dove into the perils of fame, "Long Live" was laced with gratitude from start to finish.
Swift also sings about fearing that one day it will all go away, but if that were to happen, she asks her audience to the times they had together and to tell their future children about her. The song has become an anthem for Swift and her loyal fans and even made an appearance on the Eras Tour set for a limited time.
4 You're On Your Own, Kid
Midnights (2022)
Swift is known for her track 5 songs, and one of her most vulnerable was on Midnights. Swift has been honest in her early music about never feeling like she fit in. However, in "You're On Your Own, Kid," she its that the feeling never really went away. The track is for anyone who ever felt alone in the world and never fit in no matter where they went in life.
In fact, after Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie died, Stevie Nicks itted she felt the song related to her and McVie. She confessed she always felt alone in the world and McVie was the one person who understood her. In the song's bridge and final verses, Swift turns the feeling of being left out into a positive. She realizes being on her own isn't necessarily a bad thing and can actually be quite empowering. As she says in the song's ending, "You've got no reason to be afraid."
3 The Best Day
Fearless (2008)
Another one of Swift's heartwarming songs that isn't related to a romantic relationship is "The Best Day." Taylor Swift wrote the song about her mother, Andrea Swift, and gifted it to her one year for Christmas. The song made it onto her Fearless album, and she's often played it live in concert for Mother's Day shows. Swift has always spoken openly about how much her mother has meant to her. In "The Best Day," she sings about her favorite memories from growing up.
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From pumpkin picking to painting in the kitchen, Swift thanks her mother for making her childhood so special. Swift even thanks her mom for doing so much to help her achieve her dreams, such as "staying back and watching me shine." It's a deeply emotional and nostalgic song and pretty universal for anyone who has the same appreciation for their mother and how hard mothers in our society work to give their children good lives.
2 Tied Together With A Smile
Taylor Swift (2006)
On Swift's first album, she touched on a very sensitive topic that was completely out of left field for her. Most of the Taylor Swift album covered school crushes and feeling like an outcast. However, Swift got very vulnerable on the track "Tied Together with a Smile." The singer-songwriter itted that she wrote the song the day she found out one of her friends had an eating disorder. The song is centered on a girl who everyone thinks is beautiful, but on the inside, she's facing complex internal struggles.
While eating disorders are a pretty taboo subject, they're more common than one would think. "Tied Together with a Smile" is such a powerful song because it gives a voice to the voiceless and helps those who have struggled with body image feel seen. To this day, it is one of Taylor Swift's most powerful yet underrated songs. The production on the country track is also beautiful as it aligns with the solemn lyrics.
1 Mirrorball
folklore (2020)
When the world went into lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Swift dove straight into songwriting mode. The pop star returned to her acoustic singer-songwriter roots with folklore, and "mirrorball" was the album's sixth track. In Folklore: The Longpond Studio Sessions, Swift itted that the song was about the aftermath of the world shutting down. Swift has always been a go-getter, so when she accomplishes one thing, she celebrates for a moment before moving on to the next. She's also always aiming to outdo herself.
However, in lockdown, she was forced to put her plans on hold. Her Lover Fest tour was canceled and, despite not having a physical audience to please, she still felt herself needing to do something. "I'm still on that tightrope. I'm still trying everything to get you laughing at me," Swift sings in the song's bridge. The pop star its that she constantly feels the need to perform.
Even in unforeseen circumstances when she had full permission to do nothing, she still found herself writing a new album. However, just because Swift is a worldwide superstar doesn't mean she's the only one feeling that way. Constantly needing to please others is a universal experience, and "mirrorball" has become one of Taylor Swift's most relatable songs she's ever released.