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Exploring Black Sabbath’s Originality, Their Relationship to Heavy Metal, and Their 15 Best Songs
Discussing the band’s pioneering legacy; their position in heavy metal and hard rock (and my relationship to both genres); covers of Black Sabbath songs from unexpected sources; and then wrapping up with their 15 best songs.
(Photo courtesy of Billboard, page 7, 18 July 1970)
Black Sabbath’s Pioneering Legacy and Their (and My) Relationship to Heavy Metal
Last month, Ozzy Osbourne finally succumbed to the death he had eluded for so long, at the age of 76. Ozzy became a cultural phenomenon outside the realm of music — a popular reality show and biting the head off of a bat will do that to you. But I couldn’t care less about any of that. The only thing I really care about is the music, because it was innovative, it was influential, and it was just plain good.
Since his passing was announced, I’ve been blasting Ozzy-era Black Sabbath non-stop, and it got me thinking: whenever I think of musical artists that were “ahead of their time,” it’s not Bowie, or the Kinks, or the Velvet Underground that come to mind first — though they all certainly qualify. The first group I think of is Black Sabbath.
No one sounded like them. Yes, there was Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, bands making a heavier and more distorted form of blues rock, but no one had turned the dials up on that formula and combined it with the sense of dread that Black Sabbath did. The riffs were thick and chewy, the lyrics were haunting, and Ozzy’s vocals were primal. He wasn’t the most technically proficient singer, a la Robert Plant, but his voice had a gravitas that drew you in, excited you, scared you.
Obviously you could hear the horror in Sabbath’s music, but you could also see it. I mean, just look at the mustaches and the crosses. Look at Ozzy while he belts “War Pigs.” And look at their debut album cover! I can’t believe the label let them use that cover. Legitimately scary.
Black Sabbath’s frightening debut album cover (1970)
They were true pioneers, tapping into a sludgy doom that people didn’t even know was possible yet. And it resonated, big time. Despite critics panning the band (like Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone calling the music “claptrap”), album sales were huge. Fellow outcasts, weirdos, and the working class felt Sabbath’s music within their bones. Rob Halford, frontman for Judas Priest, one of the many heavy metal bands indebted to Black Sabbath, put it best. “They were, and still are, a groundbreaking band. You can put on the first Black Sabbath album and it still sounds as fresh today as it did 30-odd years ago. And that’s because great music has a timeless ability: To me, Sabbath are in the same league as the Beatles or Mozart. They’re on the leading edge of something extraordinary.”
My teenage friend group loved heavy metal, and even played in a Metallica-inspired metal band in high school called Revelation. While I appreciated the genre, and had songs that were favorites of mine — Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” pretty much anything by the aforementioned Judas Priest — I could never fully sink my teeth into lots of the most popular forms of metal, especially thrash metal like Slayer, Pantera, or Anthrax. The musicality was impressive, but it only spoke to me in bits and pieces.
So why did I adore Black Sabbath (and still do), when they were the originators of metal, a genre I’m only mildly interested in? It’s because their brand of metal was still in its infancy, still yet to fully branch off of “hard rock,” a genre I am passionate about. Metal hadn’t evolved into the thrashing, head-banging ecosystem it is today. That grey area between metal and hard rock hits a sweet spot for me — less pummeling, but still full of heavy riffs, booming drums, and howling vocals. Judas Priest’s radio-friendly hits often fit into that grey area, along with bands like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Heart, and Van Halen.
I would argue that Black Sabbath, despite being the first metal band, actually align more closely with “hard rock” than “metal,” particularly in those ’70s-era Ozzy days (as opposed to the more full-blown metal they would embody after firing Ozzy and employing singers like Ronnie James Dio in the ’80s). Their self-titled debut (the one with the creepy album cover) has the bluesy, harmonica-laden “The Wizard,” as well as “N.I.B.,” which takes the psych-rock sound of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and makes it nastier. Then they released Paranoid — the platonic ideal of “hard rock” (also their best work and quite possibly a top-ten-all-time album for me). Tony Iommi’s riffs are gigantic throughout, but they’re also chunky and tactile, still coated in the blues in a way that most metal is not. Bill Ward’s drum fills are too dry, and Geezer Butler’s melodic bass is too vibrant to be considered metal.
After those first two albums, flickers of metal begin to surface, but those flickers are channeled through a hard rock filter, which is just how I like my metal. It’s thrilling to listen to Master of Reality, Vol. 4, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and get little tastes of the metal that would sprout forth a decade later — the filthy midsection of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” the trudging doom of “Into the Void”, the inevitable gallop of “Supernaut,” or the relentless onslaught of a riff on “Children of the Grave.”
The fact they were making songs as heavy as “Children of the Grave” as early as 1971 just blows my mind. Only ten years earlier, the heaviest rock and roll in existence was surf rock. In the earliest years of the 1960s, bands like the Beatles and the Kinks were barely blips on the radar. The doom and gloom of Black Sabbath couldn’t have even been conceived in anyone’s wildest imagination.
Their impact was immense, their level of “metal” was perfect, and their songs were excellent.
Unexpected Black Sabbath Covers
Black Sabbath is obviously tremendously influential for any metal band that has existed, but their reach was wider than you might think. Here are a few great Sabbath covers from non-metal artists.
The Cardigans: “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” / “Iron Man”
Swedish pop rock band The Cardigans, of “Lovefool” fame, covered quite a few Sabbath songs, including an airy take on “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” and a groovy “Iron Man.”
Charles Bradley: “Changes”
Charles Bradley, the soul singer who channeled James Brown so effectively that he impersonated him on stage at local clubs, miraculously got his music career off the ground in the 2010s, when he was already in his 60s, before passing away in 2017. The original “Changes” was already an outlier in Sabbath’s catalog — a maudlin ballad with nothing more than piano, mellotron strings, and bass. Its minimalist nature made it a perfect blank canvas for Bradley to turn it into a completely natural sounding, 1960s-style rhythm & blues track.
T-Pain: “War Pigs”
T-Pain covered Black Sabbath. Yes, you read that right. T-Pain. The 2000s R&B hitmaker lends his autotune-less voice to a straight, mostly unchanged, live rendition of “War Pigs,” and kills it. Absolutely kills it. Ozzy himself said it was the “best cover of ‘War Pigs’ ever.”
The 15 Best Black Sabbath Songs
Honorable Mention: “Killing Yourself to Live” (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973)
15. “Junior’s Eyes” (Never Say Die!, 1978)
“Junior’s Eyes” is from Ozzy Osbourne’s last album with Sabbath before the band fired him for his alcohol and drug use (though the other members didn’t have much of a leg to stand on in that department). Never Say Die! is often maligned as being below the standard of their early albums, and it is, but there are some gems, especially the groovy, bass-heavy, hard rock masterpiece “Junior’s Eyes.” It was never a hit, but it should have been — that soaring chorus would fit right in on classic rock radio.
14. “Tomorrow’s Dream” (Vol. 4, 1972)
If you want a short, straightforward Sabbath song, with a fat, simple riff, then “Tomorrow’s Dream” has you covered.
13. “After Forever” (Master of Reality, 1971)
Black Sabbath were often unfairly maligned for being Satanists, but the band members were actually more Catholic than you would expect, and never more overtly so than on “After Forever.” Just look at these lyrics: “Perhaps you’ll think before you say / ‘God is dead and gone’ / Open your eyes, just realize / That He is the one.” Doesn’t really sound like a Satan-worshipper to me! But that doesn’t really have any effect on my opinion of the song. I like it because the bass weirdly sounds like “Paperback Writer.”
12. “The Wizard” (Black Sabbath, 1970)
Led Zeppelin weren’t the only ones singing about Lord of the Rings — bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler says he wrote this about Gandalf. Also, unless my research failed me, this is the only song on Sabbath’s first four albums where Ozzy played an instrument — that bluesy harmonica.
11. “Planet Caravan” (Paranoid, 1970)
Congas, flute, piano — not instruments you usually hear from a supposed “metal” band, but “Planet Caravan” puts other underappreciated dimensions of Black Sabbath on full display. Despite no riffs to be found, the jazzy psychedelia here still boasts plenty of Sabbath’s spooky aura.
10. “Supernaut” (Vol. 4, 1972)
Whenever “Supernaut” comes on, it’s literally impossible not to ferociously head-bang. It just rocks too hard.
9. “Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots” (Paranoid, 1970)
Anyone who wants to slag on Ozzy’s talents should just listen to his chilling vocals on the swinging “Fairies Wear Boots.” He recounts the tale of how “suddenly, [he] got a fright,” and the terror is right on the surface. Bill Ward went crazy on those drum fills too.
8. “Into the Void” (Master of Reality, 1971)
Of the various subgenres of metal, my favorite is probably “doom metal,” characterized by slow, thick, down-tuned guitar riffs. “Into the Void” is the quintessential doom metal prototype. James Hetfield, guitarist for Metallica (notably, more of a thrash metal than a doom metal band), says this is his favorite Sabbath song.
7. “Snowblind” (Vol. 4, 1972)
The most blatant “cocaine” song in their catalog — just in case you find “Feeling happy in my vein / Icicles within my brain” to be ambiguous, Ozzy helpfully whispers “cocaaaiiine” to get the point across. “Snowblind,” and all of Vol. 4, has a sandpapery, treble-heavy, exciting guitar sound — I can hear the beginnings of grunge, can picture Kurt Cobain hearing “Snowblind” and trying to get that sound on Nevermind.
6. “Sweet Leaf” (Master of Reality, 1971)
It’s fitting to follow Sabbath’s most blatant “cocaine” song with their most blatant “marijuana” song. Tony Iommi’s immortal reefer-laden coughs are followed by one of the sickest riffs you can imagine, as Ozzy wails “ALRIGHT NOW!” and “I LOVE YOU!” to his beloved sweet leaf.
5. “N.I.B.” (Black Sabbath, 1970)
As I alluded to before, the “N.I.B.” riff is like if “Sunshine of Your Love” had an evil twin. When you combine Geezer Butler’s absolutely filthy bass solo opening with Ozzy’s conviction and that guitar riff, it’s hard to find a more hair-raising song anywhere.
4. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1973)
I mentioned this song earlier, when talking about the “flickers of metal” in Sabbath’s early music. I just can’t believe how a song from 1973 can be this heavy in the middle section (which you can hear at 3:19 in the track). But the rest of the song is amazing too — Ozzy’s howling over the main riff, followed by an almost sweet and pensive acoustic section. And then, there’s that disgusting mid-section (complimentary).
3. “Iron Man” (Paranoid, 1970)
If we’re just ranking Tony Iommi’s greatest guitar riffs, “Iron Man” ranks at #1 (“Paranoid” is #2, “Supernaut” is #3, “Into the Void” is #4, and “Children of the Grave” is #5). In fact, “Iron Man” might have the greatest riff ever created by anyone — apologies to Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Angus Young, Kurt Cobain, Nancy Wilson, etc. What’s funny is that this song has at least 4 incredible riffs throughout its runtime — Iommi must have said “let me just put everything in here and make it the best electric guitar song ever.”
2. “Paranoid” (Paranoid, 1970)
The story has been told a million times before, but “Paranoid” was an afterthought, written in about a half hour when they needed to fill 3 minutes of empty time on the album that would eventually also be called Paranoid. Greatest afterthought of all time? “Paranoid” is a tightly-wound burst of energy — hard, fast, and insanely catchy, with all four band members firing on all cylinders.
1. “War Pigs” (Paranoid, 1970)
My whole arm has been hurting for a month now, ever since Ozzy’s death, because I can’t stop listening to “War Pigs,” which means I can’t stop vigorously air-guitaring every note and air-drumming every beat. “War Pigs” is a masterpiece. Every piercing riff, every bass groove, every drum fill, and every haunting wail is so freaking satisfying and perfect. While the hippies were preaching peace and love in the face of the Vietnam War, Sabbath were more accurately channeling the horrors of war and more bluntly calling out the perpetrators: “Politicians hide themselves away / They only started the war / Why should they go out to fight? / They leave that role to the poor.” As relevant today as it has ever been.
If you want to hear these 15 tracks, plus a bonus 15 more, enjoy a Spotify playlist of the 30 best Black Sabbath songs:
The 10 Best Elements of 10+ Great Brian Wilson Songs
Brian Wilson, who passed this month at the age of 82, was one of the best songwriters and studio wizards of all time. Let’s dive into 10+ of his songs, and what specific aspects made them so great.
10. The nascent “wall of sound” production on “California Girls” (1965)
By 1965, Brian Wilson had fully grown his wings in the studio. He had already come to define the sound of Southern California, and was starting to give that sound more depth and nuance (before taking it even further the following year on Pet Sounds). Phil Spector’s dense “wall of sound” production for groups like The Ronettes and The Crystals was a major influence on Wilson, and you can hear elements of that method here — the echoing production, the thicket of saxophones, the chiming organ. The production is so cohesive and well done that it ultimately ends up being kind of subtle, allowing the great melody and harmonies to take center stage.
9. The bass harmony lines in “Little Deuce Coupe” (1963), “Catch a Wave” (1963), and “‘Til I Die” (1971)
I guess we technically have to share some of the props with Mike Love here, since he’s the one that sang all of these great bass lines. But Brian Wilson is the reason the vocal lines exist in the first place. The bass parts are not content to just hang out on the root note of the chord — they traverse up and down, moving around like a Paul McCartney bass guitar line. It’s so incredibly satisfying to sing along to those bass harmonies. (Bonus: Check out the a cappella version of “‘Til I Die” — the harmonies really shine.)
8. The rhythm and handclaps in the verses, and the harmonies in the chorus, of “I Get Around” (1964)
Does it get any more catchy than “I’m getting bugged driving up and down the same old strip. I gotta *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*…”? I think not. And thank goodness for those handclaps, or we wouldn’t have been able to see Brian Wilson’s brother Dennis so eagerly (and cheesily) clap along in the video below. Go to 1:08 in the video and just look. I feel you, Dennis. If I had to pick one song from their surf/girls/fun era to take with me to a desert island, it would be “I Get Around.”
7. The evocative songwriting and intricate production on all of Pet Sounds, best exemplified by “I Know There’s An Answer” (1966)
Pet Sounds was the culmination of all of Brian Wilson’s desires. After hearing the lack of filler tracks on the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, he wanted to one-up the Fab Four and create the greatest rock album ever made. The complex symphonies in his head, the “wall of sound” production, the personal subject matter — on Pet Sounds, everything came into place. “I Know There’s An Answer” was originally conceptualized as “Let Go of Your Ego,” inspired by an acid trip Wilson took, but Mike Love didn’t want to be involved with such direct references to LSD, so the chorus and title were altered, but the message of introspection remained.
6. The vocal harmonies on “In My Room” (1963)
As early as 1963, while the Beach Boys were still very much in their surf music heyday, Brian Wilson was already writing introspective hymns of unparalleled beauty. The harmonies of “In My Room” are just stellar. The only group that can rival the Beach Boys when it comes to male vocal harmonies is Crosby, Stills & Nash, and this song almost demoralized David Crosby — “When I heard [‘In My Room’], I thought ‘I give up. I can’t do that. I’ll never be able to do that.'”
5. The vocal harmonies that define “Our Prayer” (2004)
“Our Prayer” is the beautiful opener to Wilson’s Smile album, which he originally felt too overwhelmed to finish with the Beach Boys in 1967 and finally re-recorded and officially released as a solo record in 2004. It’s a wordless blast of vocal harmonies, gorgeous enough for an echoing cathedral and powerful enough to level you like a truck. How one person can come up with the chords he’s singing here is beyond me.
4. The melody in “Don’t Worry Baby” (1964)
“Don’t Worry Baby” used to blend in with the pack of early Beach Boys hits in my mind, but over time, the transcendence of its melody started to stand out. That melody expertly conveys the mixture of melancholy and hopefulness in the lyrics. And as usual, the harmonies aren’t half bad either.
3. The piano chords and melody in the “Surf’s Up” demo (1966)
“Surf’s Up” wasn’t on the Beach Boys greatest hits CD I had as a kid, so it wasn’t until later in life that I became familiar with this understated tour de force. It would take more words than I can fit here to recount the winding road “Surf’s Up” took to be released, but to give you a sense, there are at least five different versions that could stake a claim as the “definitive” one. They all vary in both lead singer (Brian or Carl) and production level (full production suite or stripped down), but I came to especially love the early versions that involve Brian singing that sweeping melody over just a piano, playing the most beautiful chord sequence put to tape.
2. The melody and ending vocal interplay in “God Only Knows” (1966)
“God Only Knows” is a perfect song. Paul McCartney thinks it’s the greatest song of all time, and he might be right. And yet, I have it at only #2 here. That’s how good Brian Wilson was. The production on “God Only Knows,” replete with strings, flutes, a French horn, and innovative touches of percussion, would have been impressive enough, but that all takes a back seat because it features exquisite vocal harmonies, as well as one of the best melodies ever written (with a flawless lead vocal provided by Brian’s brother Carl). The last minute of the song, with its three soaring, contrapuntal vocal lines, is simply stunning. Oh, and by the way, I’m not much of a lyrics guy, but his and Tony Asher’s lyrics — the way they invoke God and frame the idea of love — were also groundbreaking for a pop song.
1. The production on “Good Vibrations” (1966)
Pop recording concepts that we now take for granted, like artist-driven studio experimentation, or production being integral to a song’s construction rather than just a means to an end, fully came to fruition when Brian Wilson successfully executed on his expansive vision for “Good Vibrations.” Here are the instruments used on “Good Vibrations”: piano, organ, harpsichord, guitar, electric bass, upright bass, cello, tambourine, shaker, drum kit, timpani, bongos, sleigh bells, piccolo, flute, tenor flute, contra-clarinet, bass saxophone, harmonica, bass harmonica, jaw harp, and, of course, the electro-theremin making that high-pitched “WEEE-OOOH-OOOH-OOOH.” And yet, somehow, Wilson’s production doesn’t feel overdone. No single instrument overwhelms or sticks out like a sore thumb. Every element has its place, every instrument coheres into a triumphant, surprising whole — even that wailing electro-theremin.
Bonus: To get a sense of what it was supposedly like in the studio with Brian Wilson at the helm, here’s a clip from the biopic Love & Mercy where Wilson — played by Paul Dano — obsesses over getting the cello players in “Good Vibrations” to play those triplets just right.
Bonus Bonus: One time on this very blog, I compared Brian Wilson to LeBron James and Pet Sounds to the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. To see how I got there, read The Golden State Warriors are the Beatles, in More Ways Than You Know.
Best Songs of 2024
2024 was the best year for music since 2020. It was also maybe the most stressful year since 2020, so make of that what you will. It was truly a joy to listen to new music this year — hopefully you either felt that joy too, or you will once you dive into this list.
8 Thoughts About the 2024 Grammy Awards
“Music’s biggest night” was last night, so let’s talk through some of the takeaways.
1. Taylor Swift is doing too much.
Taylor Swift has plenty of great qualities, but being “cool” is not one of them. Whether it’s something as small as giving Jack Antonoff a million faux punches and a noogie when his name gets mentioned, or as big as announcing the incredibly cringey title of her upcoming album, she was just doing a lot last night. It didn’t set the table very well for winning Album of the Year for Midnights, which I consider to be one of her weakest albums. Folklore and 1989 deserved it, but Midnights? Here’s hoping that music of The Tortured Poets Department ends up better than its name.
2. Tracy Chapman singing “Fast Car” was awe-inspiring, and not only did Luke Combs avoid ruining it, but he actually did a great job.
I’ve held nothing but contempt for Luke Combs’s cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” but when he performed it as a duet with Chapman early in the broadcast, I was won over. The performance was simply amazing — the best one of the night. It was heartwarming to see the crowd’s enthusiastic love for Chapman, who played her timeless classic as beautifully as ever, 36 years after its release. Against all my expectations, Combs did justice to the song as he performed alongside Chapman, displaying his impressive voice. They both clearly had a lot of respect for each other, which went along way toward melting my previous disdain for Combs’s version.
https://twitter.com/DrAmandaSuper/status/1754899033921925360?s=20
3. Trevor Noah is a perfect Grammys host.
Every time Trevor Noah hosts the Grammys, he reminds us that it’s possible to be gracious and positive while also being hilarious. So many award shows hosts think the only way to be funny is to roast its participants, but Noah shows us that’s not true. I burst out laughing when, after shaming TikTok for removing a large swath of music from their app and “ripping off all of these artists,” he followed that with, “How dare you do that! That’s Spotify’s job!”
4. I truly do not get “What Was I Made For?”
I just don’t see the appeal of Billie Eilish’s “Best Song of the Year” winner. I admit that I’ve never really gotten into her music, especially compared to some of her generational peers like Olivia Rodrigo. I did enjoy some of the stuff from her debut album, and I think she’s cool, but the breathy “What Was I Made For?” does absolutely nothing for me. I really try to not be a hater, but it’s so boring, I’m sorry.
5. I also don’t get the immense popularity of Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers.”
As opposed to Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus has made tons of songs that I love. Her catalog is filled with bangers, and she’s an incredibly talented live singer and performer. But “Flowers” is very middling to me. It’s not bad, but it’s not “great” either. It just does its thing for three minutes without leaving any impression. I will say though, her live rendition of “Flowers” during the broadcast was pretty good. I meant it when I said she’s a great performer.
6. The “In Memoriam” section recognizing Tina Turner was well done.
Unsurprisingly, Oprah knocked it out of the park with her tribute, vividly capturing why Tina Turner was so great. Oprah’s delivery, including a loving imitation of her friend’s speaking voice, was part of the magic, but the words themselves were great too:
“Tina Turner was always a towering figure. She is our forever goddess of Rock & Roll, who inspired millions, a moving symbol of grace and grit, soul and power. Our love and respect for Tina grew as we witnessed her bravely reclaim her freedom. From the moment I met Tina, first as a fan, then later blessed to become her friend, she was a special kind of role model… And as those big wheels of time keep on turning, Tina’s voice continues to speak to all of us.”
And Fantasia Barrino did a solid job channeling Turner’s energy with her rendition of “Proud Mary.”
7. The Grammys missed an opportunity by ignoring Rock and Alternative during the telecast.
As some of you know, the live Grammys broadcast doesn’t show the vast majority of the awards they give, with many winners receiving their awards in a pre-show event. For many years, I’ve lamented the complete disregard for the Rock and Alternative categories during the broadcast. Has rock really fallen that far? This year, Paramore won for Best Rock Album, and boygenius won for Best Alternative Album. Not only would I have loved to see them receive their awards, but I have no doubt that live performances from both of them would have brought the house down.
8. Joni Mitchell’s performance was deeply moving.
In her first Grammys performance ever, Joni sounded really great singing “Both Sides Now,” and her co-performers did an amazing job. She somehow wrote that song at age 22, displaying wisdom way beyond her years, but now at age 80, she has a whole life’s worth of experience to give it even more weight. It was a poignant moment.
Best Songs of 2023
Every year, it gets harder and harder to pull this off, as one kid becomes two kids and my spare time steadily shrinks. Plus, how many people out there actually care what my 18th favorite song of the year was? Well, if you’re reading this, you probably do care, so I greatly appreciate it. But also, if for no other reason, I at least need to do this to keep documenting each year’s music highlights for my own personal archival reasons, or I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
And I promise, even though it doesn’t sound like it, I did have fun doing it, too.
Playlist links, then honorable mentions, then #50-21 listed out, then the top 20 with some written commentary. Enjoy.
The 10 Best Taylor Swift Songs of the Last 10 Years
Taylor Swift has dominated 2023, generating endless reams of content, so why not add to it? I came up with my ten favorite Taylor Swift songs of the last ten years (as in, from 1989 onward). I inserted this seemingly arbitrary cut-off just because the task of creating a list from her whole catalog seemed too daunting, and because I know these later albums much better than her first few.
10. “Lavender Haze” (Midnights)
The dark, swirling, all-encompassing production, with its deep synth-bass and thumping beat, anchors a great vocal line from Taylor.
9. “False God” (Lover)
I don’t know many people who rate this one highly, or even think about it much, but I love it. It locks into a sultry, satisfying groove.
8. “Karma” (Midnights)
“Karma” would probably be a lot higher if my daughter hadn’t requested it one million times this past summer. The music is top-notch — most of Midnights’ production was handled by Jack Antonoff alongside Swift, but “Karma” and “Lavender Haze” notably feature contributions from Sounwave, known for his work with Kendrick Lamar. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the album’s best tracks are the ones with an outside voice and perspective.
7. “exile” (folklore)
“exile is a stunningly potent duet between Taylor Swift and Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver). The emotion is palpable, the melodies are impressive, and the chemistry is undeniable.
6. “I Did Something Bad” (Reputation)
Historically, I haven’t had the highest opinion of Reputation, though it has grown on me in the years since its release. One thing I’ve known from the beginning, however, is that “I Did Something Bad” slaps.
5. “Style” (1989)
“Style” is Taylor’s best sounding song. That foreboding Max Martin production in the intro and verses, with its “question-and-answer” format, is the epitome of cool. It’s the kind of song that send you headfirst into your imagination.
4. “Lover” (Lover)
“Lover” feels like a standard that has existed for 50 years. It sounds like a live band on stage in an empty auditorium, playing a song you swear has been in your bones your whole life.
3. “invisible string” (folklore)
Delicately beautiful, in both instrumentation and sentiment. Taylor is at her best when she’s not forcing the music to conform to her lyrics. When the music and words flow naturally together, that’s when she reaches greatness.
2. “New Romantics” (1989)
The euphoric, transcendent chorus makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve been told the lyrics are dumb, but I wouldn’t know. It’s too exhilarating to give that any heed.
1. “Blank Space” (1989)
Expertly crafted, with delightfully self-aware lyrics and a huge, larger-than-life sound befitting the pop star behind it.
And as a little bonus, here’s my next ten, from #11 to #20: “Shake It Off,” “this is me trying,” “How You Get The Girl,” “seven,” “Anti-Hero,” “the last great american dynasty,” “Cruel Summer,” “Call It What You Want,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “It’s Nice To Have A Friend.”
D-Brad Music 