"Enchanted," "Better Than Revenge," "Ronan" and more: it's time to talk T-Swift deep cuts.

All Taylor Swift obsessives have their favorite deep cuts — the songs that those who only know her radio smashes might not be aware of, but the hardcore fans can’t get enough of. Since her debut album in 2006, Swift has been crafting hits that demonstrate her range as an artist and songwriter, and as her sound has evolved, so have the hidden gems on each of her albums. From the adorable love ode “Mary’s Song” to the seething “You’re Not Sorry” to the far-reaching “State of Grace,” these 10 songs show that, even as she has grown into the pop superstar she is today, Swift has tossed out a number of stellar tracks that stand toe-to-toe with her most accomplished hits.

Check out our picks for the 10 most underrated Taylor Swift songs — they might not be your go-to jam, but they deserve to be on your next T-Swift playlist:

10. State of Grace

Red covers a lot of ground over the course of its 16 tracks, and none of its tracks can match the mass of its gargantuan opening track, “State of Grace.” The guitars on this song swing freely like chimes from a forgotten Cure album, and Swift’s voice is in full arena-rock mode, making the tremble on the chorus line “And I never saw you coming” a universal sentiment. An unbelievable song on an album full of them.

9. A Place In This World

You’re likely familiar with 1989 opener “Welcome To New York,” but Swift has been dreaming of the big city for quite a long time. Off Taylor Swift, this under-appreciated gem pairs wide-eyed wonder with open longing – terms that would become hallmarks of Swift’s oeuvre.

8. Eyes Open

“Safe & Sound,” Swift’s collaboration with The Civil Wars, was the bigger hit, but her other song on the original Hunger Games soundtrack is the better encapsulation of the film’s themes and Katniss Everdeen’s ever-relatable struggle. The chugging rock track finds Swift at her most unsettled — there are moments on the bridge where the typically steady country star sounds downright paranoid.

7. Ronan

A charity single released in 2012 as part of Stand Up For Cancer, “Ronan” was written by Swift after she read the blog of a mother, Maya, about her four-year-old son, Ronan Thompson, who died of cancer. “I remember the drive home/ when the blind hope/ changed to crying and screaming why/Flowers pile up in the worst way/ no one knows what to say/ about a beautiful boy that died,” Swift heartbreakingly sings on the track, which gives Maya a co-writing credit.

6. You’re Not Sorry

The heartbreak queen lets loose on this Fearless number: sung over strings and a single piano part, Swift’s lyrics about cutting your losses and moving on showcase her ability to resonate with fans of all ages. “Looking so innocent I might believe you if I didn’t know. Could have loved you all my life if you hadn’t left me waiting in the cold,” Swift – her voice full of pain – explains.



5. Hey Stephen

This Fearless track is Swift at her innocent best, proving she can turn anything – a forgotten scarf, a memory, even a simple hallway conversation – into a catchy tune with ripped-from-her-diary honesty. This tune is also a great showcase for Swift’s lyrical humor: “Hey Stephen/ all those other girls/ yeah, they’re beautiful/ but would they write a song for you?”



4. Enchanted

It’s no wonder this song was also the title of one of Swift’s fragrances: more so than many of her tunes, this song conjures a memory of an elegant meet-cute so complete it’s easy to forget it didn’t even happen to you. It’s a completely unforgettable tune about unfulfilled wishes, secrets, and magical nights. In other words, it’s perfectly distilled T-Swift.

3. Better Than Revenge

Don’t mess with Taylor Swift: she has no qualms about calling out mean girls in addition to lame ex-boyfriends, and this tune — chock full of snark and sass — shows that she knows how to have the last word. “She’s better known for things that she does on the mattress” is one of Swift’s most iconic standalone lyrics, and while it’s not very, um, polite, it demonstrates just how powerful a songwriting punch she can pack. The fact that it’s scientifically impossible for the chorus not to be stuck in your head after listening to it just once is the cherry on top of this Lyric Burn Dessert.

2. Mary’s Song (Oh My My)

As much creative power as Taylor Swift accrues from devastating breakups, she’s also pretty on-point when it comes to everlasting love, as found on this ode to her next-door neighbors’ childhood romance turned lifelong adoration. Has there ever been more of a lump-in-throat moment at the end of a Taylor Swift song than when she concludes here with, “I’ll be eighty-seven, you’ll be eighty-nine/I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine/In the sky, oh my my my…”? Cue the collective “awwwww.”

1. Dear John

Casual fans may only know “Dear John” as “the song about John Mayer,” but Taylor Swift diehards understand that this is less a song and more an evisceration. Swift, often so strict at confining herself to the structure of straightforward pop songs even when operating in the country genre, sprawls herself out here and lets her hurt seep into the expensive furniture for nearly seven minutes. The result is not exactly radio-friendly but is mesmerizing nonetheless, as Swift sounds downright furious when she spits the line, “Don’t you think too young to be played/By your dark twisted games/When I loved you so?/I should’ve known.” There are screw-you songs directed at exes, and then there is “Dear John,” an expertly crafted middle finger that exists in a class of its own in Swift’s catalog.