Taylor Swift is taking her time to consider the music that best defines her prolific songwriting catalog—but she is starting to narrow it down.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on December 10, the 35-year-old singer-songwriter opened up about the difficult task of choosing her top five songs. When Colbert asked Swift the same question he has posed to music legends like Elton John, Dolly Parton, and Bruce Springsteen, she hesitated before offering a partial list, to huge rounds of applause from the crowd.
“I’m going to say I’m going to need a little time to get back to you on all the five,” Swift told Colbert. “I think I require a bit of time to appreciate my work in a way…I think number one is ‘All Too Well,’ the 10-minute version.”
The singer, who began performing professionally as a teenager and has written or co-written more than 200 songs, is known for her introspective lyrics and genre-spanning evolution. With more than 200 million records sold globally, Swift is one of the bestselling musicians in history.
She is also the highest-grossing touring artist and the wealthiest female musician in the world.
Her partial answer to Colbert’s question gave fans a glimpse into the tracks she holds in highest esteem. Beyond “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” Swift had previously cited “Blank Space,” “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story,” and “The Last Great American Dynasty” as standout songwriting moments in her career, through her submission to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“I’m really obsessed with The Life of Showgirl right now, the whole album,” she said on Colbert’s evening talk show. “Somewhere in this list is going to be a song called ‘Mirrorball’ from the Folklore album,” she added.
She said that the song had recently resurfaced for her after a friend brought it up. “It came on the other day,” Swift said.
“We can do an update…If I have some time to look back,” she told Colbert, leaving the door open to a revised list in the future.
The songs she named span different eras of her career. The variety underscores Swift’s creative evolution over two decades, during which she has continuously redefined her musical identity.
Her appearance on The Late Show came just weeks after she was revealed to be among the nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. Swift joins a list of artists announced on October 23. Voting closed on December 4, and inductees will be revealed in January ahead of the June 2026 awards gala.
Swift’s nomination marks a return to an institution that recognized her early promise—she received the Hal David Starlight Award in 2010, given to young songwriters who exhibit extraordinary talent. If inducted, she would become the first artist to be honored with both awards.
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