Taylor Swifthas such a grand discography that her amazing covers are sometimes overlooked, but fans know she is no stranger to celebrating other artists.The Eras Tourrecently ended after 21 months, and the tour was a celebration of Swift’s storied career that has spanned over two decades. Throughout her career, the singer has collaborated with plenty of artists such as Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, and Bon Iver. However, she has also performed her fair share of cover songs.
A lot of Swift’s cover performances came when she was stilla rising country star in her early career. Covers were a way for her to pay tribute to other artists while still showcasing her unique musicality. She put her own spin on a variety of genres, even some that seemed unexpected like hip-hop and rock. Covers are always a nice surprise for the audience, and some of Swift’s have been so good that she decided thatthey deserved to be performed more than once.
10“Lose Yourself” - 34 Times
Originally By Eminem
In what may be a shock to even the biggest of Swifties,her most covered song is actually a hip-hop anthem. “Lose Yourself” by Eminem has had a big impact on pop culture, becoming known by even non-rap fans. Swift has spoken about her love for hip-hop before, andeven expressed her desire to collaborate with Eminem. It’s no wonder that Swift covered it at one point due to the song’s popularity, but it’s a pleasant surprise to know that she ended up doing so over 30 times.
Swift first performed the song in June 2007, continuing until September of that year. The singer was performing at some smaller gigs, along with being the opening act for some notable country stars like Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. The acoustic cover of the hip-hop classic was a consistent opener for most of her 2007 sets. Swift performed the song one more time in 2011 during the Speak Now World Tour stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
9“Cry Me A River” - 2 Times
Originally By Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake got his mainstream start in one of the biggest boy groups of the 90s, NSYNC. However, the rise of his solo career came around the same time that Swift was starting out in the industry. “Cry Me a River” was the second single off of his debut albumJustifiedwhich was Timberlake’s switch from his past pop music to a more mature R&B sound.
Swift first covered the song at a small gig in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2009. The sultry R&B track was a surprising fit for Swift’s raspier country vocals. Two years later in 2011, Swift performed the song once again at her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City during the Speak Now World Tour.
8“Umbrella” - 9 Times
Originally By Rihanna
Though the genres of music that they cover are completely different, Swift and Rihanna’s careers grew alongside each other in a way. Rihanna’s breakthrough with her single “Pon de Replay” and her albumGood Girl Gone Badhappened around the same time that Swift started making a name for herself in the country music scene. It’s only fitting that Swift paid tribute to the other singer in the early years of her career.
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Swift first covered “Umbrella” fromGood Girl Gone Badat the Orange County Fair in July 2007, then continued to perform it at various small gigs including a set at the Apple Store SoHo. With the two singers’ contrasting genres, hearing Swift’s acoustic take on the eclectic dance track was a treat. After Rihanna releasedGood Girl Gone Bad: Reloadedin the following year, Swift swapped out “Umbrella” for “Take a Bow” in her setlists.
7“Irreplaceable” - 7 Times
Originally By Beyoncé
Beyoncé and Swift were recently named the first and second greatest pop stars of the 21st century respectivelyaccording toBillboard. Though fans will often try to pit the two stars against each other, Swift and Beyoncé actually enjoy a supportive friendship with Beyoncé even appearing on the red carpet for The Eras Tour film. Beyoncé was active in the industry long before Swift had her start, but the mid-2000s marked the rise of the former girl group member’s solo career.
“Irreplaceable” was the third single off of Beyoncé’s second studio albumB’Day, and it was hailed as a female empowerment song. Swift first covered the hit a few months after its release in April 2007, then did so six more times at her other various 2007 gigs. It’s no surprise that Swift got around to covering the track as it was a big hit at the time, but it’s also interesting to note that “Irreplaceable” started out as a country record. Swift’s interpretation of the song can be considered a preview of what was almost had.
6“Baby” - 3 Times
Originally By Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber can be considered one of the original examples of YouTube spawning a star. He caught the attention of producer Scooter Braun in 2007, who was also notably Swift’s producer for several controversial years. Bieber’s debut albumMy World 2.0was released as the second part to his previous EPMy World, and there were several songs on the record that were instant hits. It felt like “Baby” could be heard almost everywhere in the early 2010s and love it or hate it, the song has remained a nostalgic pop classic for many.
Bieber grew up in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario, which is just over an hour out from Toronto. For her Toronto stops of the Speak Now World Tour in 2011,Swift fittingly performed “Baby” at one of the most notable stadiums in the countryduring a medley of covers. Outside of Canada, she ended up covering the song one more time at the Speak Now tour stop in Los Angeles.
5“Livin’ On A Prayer” - 4 Times
Originally By Bon Jovi
Performing covers from artists while in their home state seemed to be a running theme for Swift during the Speak Now World Tour. While in Newark, New Jersey, she covered the iconic rock song “Livin’ On A Prayer” by the band Bon Jovi, who originated in New Jersey. Fans at the four 2011 Newark dates were treated to Swift’s acoustic cover, which was a more mellow take on the band’s signature song.
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Swift would actually end up covering “Livin On A Prayer” once more, this time with the iconic Jon Bon Jovi himself. In 2013,the singer attended the Winter Whites Gala charity ball at Kensington Palacein London, England. Alongside Prince William himself, she joined the rocker on stage and the trio belted out a fun cover of the song that got the crowd moving.
4“Cool Kids” - 2 Times
Originally By Echosmith
During the 2015 Philadelphia tour date of The 1989 World Tour, Swift teased the crowd with a guest artist. She mentioned how people love both a surprise and a smash hit, then proceeded to bring out the indie band Echosmith on stage. The sibling quartet had a huge hit with their song “Cool Kids” which resonated with a lot of listeners, including Swift, because of its lyrics and overall message.
Swift covered the song again at the Columbus, Ohio stop of the tour. She once again brought on the original artist to perform alongside her as lead vocalist Sydney Sierota took to the stage. Considering that the band was still building up their name and “Cool Kids” was their first viral hit, it was incredibly nice of Swift to cover their song and introduce the band to a wider audience.
3“Leavin’” - 8 Times
Originally by Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney was one of the main teen heartthrobs of the mid to late 2000s. Thanks to his stint in the boy band Dream Street, his starring role in theAlvin & The Chipmunksfilm series, and his own solo albums, McCartney was well-known amongst young fans for a solid few years. The titular song off of his debut albumBeautiful Soulwas a hit, and he followed it up with another popular track a few years later with “Leavin’”.
“Leavin’” was the first single from McCartney’s third albumDeparturein 2008, and it debuted at number 14 on theBillboardHot 100 chart. Swift first covered the song at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in February 2009, continuing to do so throughout other gigs in the following month. She notably performed the song most during her stops in Australia in March 2009.
2“Complicated” - 2 Times
Originally By Avril Lavigne
Bieber wasn’t the only Canadian artist that Swift honored at her Toronto stop of the Speak Now World Tour in 2011. She also covered “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne on the July 16 date, honoring the province in which the pop-punk artist was born. Lavigne has not only been a trailblazer for Canadian artists but for females in the pop-punk scene as a whole. “Complicated” is one of the artist’s more mellow songs, which made it a perfect choice for Swift to cover.
Since Swift only covered the song once on the Speak Now tour, fans may have thought that was the last time they’d hear her acoustic version. However, she ended up covering the song again four years later during The 1989 World Tour stop in San Diego, this time with Lavigne in tow.Swift described Lavigne as one of her favorite artistsbefore the duo performed “Complicated” together.
1“Sugar, We’re Goin' Down” - 2 Times
Originally By Fall Out Boy
For the Rosemont, Illinois stop of the Speak Now World Tour in 2011, Swift pulled from the catalog of one of the state’s most famous bands. Fall Out Boy released the lead single “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” off of their second studio albumFrom Under the Cork Treein 2005. The song spent five weeks in the top 10, making it the band’s first top-10 hit and broadening their audience from just the rock crowd to the mainstream.
Swift performed her acoustic cover of “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” on both nights of the Rosemont dates. Fans of both Swift and the band eagerly sang along, making it a stellar tribute to Fall Out Boy. As if her cover was a bit of foreshadowing,Swift went on to perform alongside the band’s frontman Patrick Stumpduring The Red Tour in 2013. The duo covered one of the band’s later hits, “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”, and even did so again later that year at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
