To me, most of Taylor Swift's albums have no skips. I'll listen to most of them all the way through a dozen times over as I'm working if I want to (only the Taylor's Versions, obviously). But as the artist has released more music, and as I've gotten older and lived through more of the ups and downs that often come with age, I've watched my non-existent skip list grow more than I'd like to admit.
We're talking five or so songs at most, here. But if you're a Swiftie, you probably already know of at least one of them. Listen, if you can listen to "Ronan" all the way through more than once or twice without descending into despair -- and you just keep putting yourself through that -- I don't know what to tell you. Sure, that's on my list despite it being a charity single to honor the life of the real Ronan (if you don't know the backstory, brace yourself before you click that link). But there are others. You may have others, too.
After my grandmother passed away in 2024, I was comforted to learn that "Marjorie" made me feel safe and gave me closure rather than landing on my Swiftie skip list. But I will never again listen to "Soon You'll Get Better" or "Bigger Than the Whole Sky." Something that makes Swift's music so loved by so many is also somehow its biggest flaw: It's often so relatable that you can't disconnect yourself from it. The song becomes you, its pain your pain, and you can't engage with it anymore no matter how much you might love the song itself.
I sometimes feel guilty hitting skip, because isn't music created to be listened to? But we're not doing ourselves any favors if we're scratching at healing wounds for the sake of "no skips." I've been a huge fan of Swift's music for over 18 years, and I know enough about her to assume she would understand that sometimes the writing is just too good and won't be the kind of art everyone can engage with all the time.
These are all deep, emotional, essential Taylor Swift songs that deserve all the love and appreciation. Some of them just aren't for me. And I'm accepting that one skip at a time.