1. “Lover” by Taylor Swift

“Ladies and gentlemen will you please stand? // With every guitar string scar on my hand.”

Taylor Swift has been through a lot this decade and her music’s a reflection of that. Ending the decade by releasing Lover served as her “letting go of a breath she had been holding in for years.” There are many reasons why the title track of her seventh studio album comes out on top. To start, “Lover” is the only track on this list that is completely self-written. It’s the perfect culmination of Taylor’s innate ability to write lyrics that are simple enough to appeal to the masses while also unique to her own experiences. We’ve spent the last decade wondering how she has mastered the art of this oxymoron. The lyric “With every guitar string scar on my hand” is a testament to the hundreds of songs she’s written about the trials and tribulations of finding love, eventually leading her to a place where she could write a song like “Lover.” It’s the perfect love song — both classic and fresh. Once the lyrics were written in the middle of the night, like all of Taylor’s best songs, she paired up with long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff to create the perfect production to match the beautiful lyrics. “Lover” is a triumph for Taylor’s decade of domination, as well as for songwriters everywhere.