Scientifically Ranking Taylor Swift’s Post–Big Machine Albums 🤓

Evolution of a Snake: The Taylor Swift Fan Podcast

The Snakes & Studio71

Society & Culture, Entertainment News, News, Music, Music Commentary

4.8 • 826 Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’re finally doing it: ranking Taylor Swift’s post–Big Machine albums, from Lover through Showgirl, using a semi-serious “scientific” system we built to avoid pitting Old Taylor against New Taylor. In this episode, we break down cohesion, execution, longevity, and overall Snakeology to figure out which version of independent-era Taylor is truly operating at her peak. The addition of The Life of a Showgirl complicates everything in ways we didn’t expect, and the final ranking surprised even us. GET MORE EOAS ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/swiftologist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Christmas is coming. You're either hosting the crowds at home.
0:02.7	They'll be here any minute.
0:04.2	Or driving to guest at the in-laws. Streaming movies in the front roof or cartoons in the backseat.
0:09.7	Prepping the party playlist or making your way on maps.
0:13.0	Rerouting again.
0:14.2	So whether you're hosting or guesting, you need the UK's Best Mobile Network and Broadband Technology.
0:20.4	E.E. does more. UK's best network, route metrics data, H125, full fibre is the UK's best mobile network and broadband technology. EEE does more.
0:22.0	UK's best network, root metrics data age 125, full fibre is the UK's most reliable broadband technology.
0:26.1	Ofcom's broadband terminology research March 223, verify at e.criticase slash claims. Welcome back to Evolution of a Snake. I'm Zach. And I am Madeline. And today we're doing something that we have repeatedly sworn off of. We said we're not doing this again.
0:55.2	Don't make me.
0:55.9	I can.
0:56.3	It's not my business.
0:57.6	We are ranking Taylor's albums.
0:59.6	But with a twist, Madeline, what's the twist that we're doing today?
1:02.3	So the twist is we have cut out the hardest part of ranking the albums, which for us,
1:08.5	as longtime OG Swifties, is comparing the original
1:13.0	Old Testament albums to the New Testament albums.
1:15.8	So we're not ranking anything from reputation or earlier.
1:20.5	We're only ranking the albums that have come out on UMG since she broke up with Big Machine
1:26.0	Records, to put it another way, which makes it a lot easier.
1:29.1	I'll tell you that for free. Not having to compare reputation fearless. I love that. I don't want to do that
1:33.7	anymore. I'm not doing it. I'm out. It's not fair. How can you even have a conversation about like speak
	...

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