Top 10 Taylor Swift Collaborations

“The Last Time” is a song from Taylor’s fourth album, “Red”. It features a distinctive indie-rock sound that is a departure from her typical pop/country stylings, as well as from the rest of the album. Gary Lightbody, the singer of alternative rock band “Snow Patrol”, lends his delicate vocals to the track, adding a haunting quality to it. The slow build of orchestral instruments in the background only enhances the effect. The music video for the song features both Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody performing live together, before sharing a friendly hug.

Even after the peak of her country music phase, Taylor still chose to fall back on the familiar sound years later. In 2013, she chose to collaborate with country legend Tim McGraw. Another famous face in the country scene, Keith Urban, also performed on the track, playing guitar. You wouldn’t be able to tell from the final product, but McGraw and Swift actually recorded their vocal parts at different times. The song was critically well received and charted at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

In 2012, Taylor’s vocals appearing on a rap track was a pretty big deal, considering what a departure it was from her typical style, although she had previously worked with T-Pain, Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida for live performances. The song “Both of Us” was the third single from B.o.B.’s album, “Strange Clouds”. It addresses the heavy issues of both racism and bullying, and according to B.o.B., the collab was actually Taylor’s idea. They filmed the video in Nashville, with Taylor appearing in it along with the rapper.

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran have a long history of friendship, touring together and giving everyone BFF envy with their adorable selfies. In an interview with British GQ, Sheeran explained their relationship by saying that they can relate to one another because they both started out being the unpopular kids in school. Interestingly, the music video for their recorded collaboration, “Everything Has Changed”, features two kids who look remarkably like a young Taylor and Ed. Sheeran has also hinted that this won’t be the last time they record a track together.

After the release of her album “1989” in 2014, Taylor fans had a long time to wait before getting a follow up with her next record, “Reputation” releasing late in 2017. In between, however, she recorded a tune for the soundtrack of the steamy sequel to “Fifty Shades of Grey”, “Fifty Shades Darker”, alongside ex-One Direction member Zayn Malik. When it was released in the December of 2016, it appeared at number one on the Digital Songs chart. The song was awarded with an MTV Video Music Award in the category of Best Collaboration in 2017.

Probably one of Taylor’s best known collaborations is this song that she recorded with rock singer John Mayer. In early 2009, Mayer posted on his Twitter account that he had a song idea and wanted to have Taylor sing on the track, even though at the time they didn’t have a personal or professional relationship. It was released on Mayer’s album “Battle Studies” in 2009. It went on to be nominated for a Grammy in 2011, in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Their ensuing tumultuous romantic relationship spurred Swift to create one of her fan favorite songs, “Dear John.”

To put together a song for the soundtrack of 2012’s “The Hunger Games”, Taylor paired up with alt country band, “The Civil Wars.” T-Bone Burnett produced the song and worked with the artists to write it, and as the story goes the entire song was actually written in only a couple of hours because “The Civil Wars” had a show in LA later that night. At the point of its release, “Safe & Sound” was significantly different than the typical country pop Taylor had been putting out, and its lullaby-like sound and beautiful harmonies made it a big hit with critics and audiences alike.

One of the biggest hits from Taylor Swift’s “1989” album was this track, where she worked with Kendrick Lamar to create a bigger and bolder sound than fans were used to. The single was a huge success, reaching number one on the charts in many countries including the US, Canada and Australia. The cinematic video for the track, which was directed by Joseph Kahn, features Taylor’s girl squad playing roles in a story of vengeance. Much speculation has been made about who inspired Taylor to write this biting and aggressive track, with most fingers pointing to longtime rival Katy Perry.