Rank It: Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” Surprise Songs

This summer, Taylor Swift enlightened and terrorized Swifties across the globe during each of her shows when she performed her ‘surprise song’ segment of her Eras Tour.

The ‘surprise songs’ are a part of Swift’s monumental three-hour show in which she plays two acoustic songs each night. These songs are not on the setlist that she will only perform once (unless she messes up or it was off her latest album, “Midnights”) to make each stop its unique show.

With “Taylor Swift: Eras Tour” in theaters, Sophia D’Ovidio decided to rank each show of the US leg (and Mexico City Shows) as ‘surprise songs.’

57- Foxborough, MA (May 20) - “Question...?” and “Invisible”

This night’s show experienced a torrential downpour. However, Swift loves to perform in the rain.

“Question…?” is nowhere near the best song on “Midnights,” and “Invisible” is a highly underrated deep cut from Swift’s debut album. But someone had to be last.

56- Houston, TX (April 22) – “A Place In This World” and “Today Was A Fairytale”

Swift’s first album has some of her greatest songs and filler. “A Place In This World” falls in the latter category. Paired with a song that Swift took off, “Speak Now” for the re-recording and tried to rebrand as a song from “Fearless” doesn’t let this night rank high.

55- Seattle, WA (July 23) - “Message In A Bottle” and “Tied Together With A Smile”

Again, another less memorable song from the debut. Paired with a fun song from the “Red” vault, no one thought “Message In A Bottle” should’ve made the original cut.

54- Philadelphia, PA (May 14) - “Hey Stephen” and “The Best Day”

It was Mother’s Day, so of course Swift was going to perform “The Best Day,” which is dedicated to her mom.

It was also great to see “Hey Stephen” performed live, with this show getting two songs off “Fearless,” which only got three songs on the setlist.

53- Houston, TX (April 21) – “Wonderland” and “You're Not Sorry”

I think I started to get controversial here. But these are two songs off two of Swift’s three Album of the Year winners that aren’t the best on those projects.

Swift’s vocals are exceptional on “You’re Not Sorry,” but neither of these tracks are heavy hitters.

52- Arlington, TX (March 31) - “Sad Beautiful Tragic” and “Ours”

These are two underrated songs. Neither are songs Swift sings often, and they’re great done acoustic. Unfortunately, this list is brutal, and these tracks can’t compete with the one ranking above it.

51- Chicago, IL (June 3) – “You All Over Me” (with Maren Morris) and “I Don't Wanna Live Forever”

It was a shock Swift even did “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” which isn’t on any of her albums. Bringing out Maren Morris for their collaborative song was also a nice surprise.

The shock factor and guest bring these underrated songs up the list but not in the top 50.

50- Mexico City, Mexico (Aug. 25) - “Tell Me Why” and “Snow on the Beach”

“Tell Me Why” is one of my favorites on “Fearless.” This show marked the second time Swift sang “Snow on the Beach.” It's an underrated combination for a more recent show.

49- Arlington, TX (April 2) - “Jump Then Fall” and “The Lucky One”

I sound like a broken record, but these are both great songs; they’re not Swift's best. I would be really happy to hear either of these songs.

48- Mexico City, Mexico (Aug. 24) - “I Forgot That You Existed” and “Sweet Nothing”

“Sweet Nothing” is such a beautiful song that it carries “I Forgot That You Existed” higher up this list than it probably should be.

47- Santa Clara, CA (July 29) - “Stay Stay Stay” and “All of the Girls You've Loved Before”

“Stay Stay Stay” is silly but cute, and “All of the Girls You’ve Loved Before” was a leaked track cut from “Lover” that Swift put out herself. It’s honestly a really fun pairing, but that’s it.

46- Detroit, MI (June 10) – “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “Breathe”

Maybe one of Swift’s most underrated track fives, “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” is a phenomenal song. However, it’s a song that is elevated by the production. “Breathe” is a beautiful song but somewhat boring.

45- Tampa, FL (April 13) - “Speak Now” and “Treacherous”

We’re starting to get to the point of this list where many of the rankings could be switched around. These are great songs off great albums, but neither are true heavy hitters. Still a great night.

44- Chicago, IL (June 4) – “Hits Different” and “The Moment I Knew”

Getting the elusive “Hits Different” live and acoustic is extremely lucky.

43- Atlanta, GA (April 28) – “The Other Side of the Door” and “Coney Island”

“Coney Island” is a beautiful and sleepy song. Paired with the cult classic song “The Other Side of the Door,” it is a really fun pairing.

42- Denver, CO (July 15) - “Starlight” and “Back To December”

“Back To December” is maybe one of Swift’s best. “Starlight” is cute but drags it down a bit.

41- Seattle, WA (July 22) - “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things” and “Everything Has Changed”

“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is a really weird song to hear acoustically.

40- Kansas City, MO (July 7) – “Never Grow Up” and “When Emma Falls in Love”

“Never Grow Up” is so sad, but to hear that and a vault track on the day Swift released her “Speak Now” rerecording is such a cool experience.

39- Minneapolis, MN (June 23) – “Paper Rings” and “If This Was A Movie”

This is an underrated duo of great songs beyond cool done acoustic.

38- Atlanta, GA (April 29) – “High Infidelity” and “Gorgeous”

Do you really want to know where Swift was April 29th? This year, she was performing “High Infidelity” because of the date and “Gorgeous,” which arguably deserved a spot on the setlist.

37- Cincinnati, OH (June 30) – “I'm Only Me When I'm With You” and “evermore”

This is probably too low for my true personal opinion. These are two of Swift’s best songs, and I’m hurt by seeing them this low.

36- Denver, CO (July 14) - “Picture To Burn” and “Timeless”

“Timeless” is a cute vault track from “Speak Now,” but it drags one of the best debut tracks down a little bit.

35- Houston, TX (April 23) – “Begin Again” and “Cold as You”

I’d consider both of these songs two of Swift’s most underrated.

34- Atlanta, GA (April 30) – “I Bet You Think About Me” and “How You Get The Girl”

It’s hurting me to see these songs this low.

33- Philadelphia, PA (May 13) - “Forever & Always” and “This Love”

“Forever & Always” is an all-time great from Swift, definitively a top song off “Fearless.” “This Love” drags the iconic track down despite being great itself.

32- Pittsburgh, PA (June 16) – “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “The Last Time”

Swift sings a duet by herself. There’s another time she does this that’s way cooler, though.

31- Kansas City, MO (July 8) – “Last Kiss” and “dorothea”

Why wouldn’t she do “Last Kiss” on July 9th?

30- Detroit, MI (June 9) – “Haunted” and “I Almost Do”

When I say heavy hitters, this is what I’m talking about.

29- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 8) – “I Know Places” and “King of My Heart”

I love the surprise songs because it’s awesome to see production-heavy songs done acoustically. This night is a great example of that.

28- Foxborough, MA (May 21) - “I Think He Knows” and “Red”

It's just another great pairing of songs that would never have made the setlist but are some of Swift's best work.

27- Tampa, FL (April 15) - “mad woman” (with Aaron Dessner) and “Mean”

This pairing of songs is kind of iconic.

26- Philadelphia, PA (May 12) - “gold rush” and “Come Back... Be Here”

I was here, so there’s a little bias.

Swift confirmed that when she sings about her “Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door,” she was referencing the football team. Appropriate for the first night in her hometown stadium.

Shout out to Phoebe Bridgers for requesting “Come Back… Be Here” also, another great deep cut.

25- Foxborough, MA (May 19) - “Should've Said No” and “Better Man”

This is an elite pairing. “Should’ve Said No” is an iconic Swift song, and “Better Man” rounds out this night pretty nicely.

24- Las Vegas, NV (March 25) - “cowboy like me” (with Marcus Mumford) and “White Horse”

Do I know why Marcus Mumford came out to sing “cowboy like me?” No. Am I jealous of anyone who saw this? Yes.

23- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 7) – “Dress” and “exile”

Bon Iver is so great on “exile,” but hearing the audience sing his part back to Swift could give even Swift's biggest hater chills.

22- Las Vegas, NV (March 24) - “Our Song” and “Snow on the Beach”

Swift wrote “Our Song” for a middle school talent show. It’s still one of her best. That’s the kind of raw talent that’s gotten her this far and justifies me writing this article.

21- East Rutherford, NJ (May 28) - “Welcome To New York” and “Clean”

Swift had to pay her album “1989” respect while across the river in New Jersey. Playing the first and last songs on the original album was a nice nod to the city and the album she’d go on to announce her version of at the end of the US leg.

20- Santa Clara, CA (July 28) - “right where you left me” (with Aaron Dessner) and “Castles Crumbling”

Swifties were stressed waiting for Aaron Dessner to walk onto the stage, and the two would perform fan-favorite “right where you left me.”

19- Chicago, IL (Jun 2) – “I Wish You Would” and “the lakes”

These are two perfect songs.

18- East Rutherford, NJ (May 27) - “Holy Ground” and “False God”

This is very biased because not only was I here, but I love both of these songs. I couldn’t be happier with my night seeing these songs live.

17- Cincinnati, OH (July 1) – “ivy” (with Aaron Dessner), “I miss you, I’m sorry” (with Gracie Abrams) and “Call It What You Want”

Due to opener Gracie Abrams's set getting cut short, Swift did three acoustic songs, one by Abrams with her. It's kind of unfair to compare this against the rest, but it happened.

16- Pittsburgh, PA (June 17) – “seven” (with Aaron Dessner) and “The Story of Us”

It was debated if “seven” would be a surprise song since she uses the lyrics as a poem during a costume change. But if she did it, she had to do it with Pennsylvania under her.

“The Story of Us” is also a top song of all time.

15- Mexico City, Mexico (Aug. 27) - “Afterglow” and “Maroon”

“Maroon” broke a lot of hearts the first time it was done. That song is so good the third time it was done still ranks the night high. “Afterglow” also helps put this night up here.

14- Tampa, FL (April 14) - “The Great War” (with Aaron Dessner) and “You're On Your Own, Kid”

“The Great War” deserves more love. I’m giving it that love right now.

13- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 3) – “I Can See You” and “Maroon”

“I Can See You” was the most exciting “Speak Now” vault, and “Maroon” struck a second time.

12- Arlington, TX (April 1) - “Death By a Thousand Cuts” and “Clean”

It seems unfair to get both of these songs on the same night that's how good they are.

11- Nashville, TN (May 5) – “Sparks Fly” and “Teardrops On My Guitar”

Most nights, this high has one older and one newer song. These two are older tracks but amazing ones nonetheless.

10- Nashville, TN (May 6) – “Out of the Woods” and “Fifteen”

“Out of the Woods” deserved to make the setlist. Never not going to be mad about that.

9- Minneapolis, MN (June 24) – “Dear John” and “Daylight”

Swift had to tell her army of fans not to attack anyone before she re-released “Speak Now.” In return, she gave this crowd a perfect two surprise songs.

8- Glendale, AZ (March 18) - “State of Grace” and “this is me trying”

This one hurts. I should’ve been there.

7- Nashville, TN (May 7) – “Would've Could've Should've” (with Aaron Dessner) and “Mine”

“Mine” is an all-time Swift song. “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” is a more recent addition to the fan favorite category, getting this night comfortably in the top ten.

6- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 4) – “Our Song” and “You Are In Love”

“Our Song” got the repeat despite no mistakes. She was filming for the movie that night, and that song made the cut for the film.

5- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 5) – “Death By A Thousand Cuts” and “You're On Your Own, Kid”

She really showed up for the Los Angeles shows.

4-Glendale, AZ (March 17) - “mirrorball” and “Tim McGraw”

This first night of the show, we knew so little. These were the perfect songs to open up the tour and this ‘surprise song’ phenomenon.

3- Mexico City, Mexico (Aug. 26) - “Cornelia Street” and “You're On Your Own, Kid”

“You’re On Your Own, Kid” brings a night up high. I’m sure you put that together. I didn’t know if Swift would ever do “Cornelia Street,” and that’s what gets this night on the podium.

2- Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 9) – “New Romantics” and “New Year's Day”

These are two of my all-time favorite Swift songs. I can’t even think about this without getting sick to my stomach.

1- East Rutherford, NJ (May 26) - “Getaway Car” (with Jack Antonoff) and “Maroon”

The second Jack Antonoff stepped on that stage. Swifties everywhere knew the night's songs were going to be brutal losses. These are two songs that probably should’ve made the set list, particularly “Getaway Car.”

“Getaway Car” and “Maroon” aren’t singles but cult classics among Swifties and are highly praised by music critics. They’re simply too good. There’s no competition; you are beyond lucky if you saw this.

Sophia D'Ovidio is a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu.