Taylor Swift has such a massive discography that her incredible covers sometimes get overlooked, but fans know she's no stranger to celebrating other artists. The Eras Tour recently ended after 21 months, and the tour was a celebration of Swift's storied career that has spanned more than two decades. Throughout her career, the singer has collaborated with several artists such as Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and Bon Iver. However, she also performed her fair share of covers.
Many of Swift's cover performances took place when she was still a rising country star early in her career. Covers were a way for her to pay homage to other artists while 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 were so good that she decided to they deserved to be executed more than once.
10
“Get lost” – 34 times
Originally by Eminem
In what might come as a shock to even the biggest of Swifties, her most covered song is actually a hip-hop anthem. Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” has had a huge impact on pop culture, becoming known even to non-rap fans. Swift has spoken about her love for hip-hop before, and even expressed his desire to collaborate with Eminem. It's no wonder Swift did this at some point given the song's popularity, but it's a pleasant surprise to learn that she ended up doing it more than 30 times.
Swift first performed the song in June 2007, continuing until September of that year. The singer was performing at a few smaller shows as well as being the opening act for some notable country stars such as 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 once again 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 start in the mainstream in one of the biggest boy groups of the 90s, NSYNC. However, the rise of her solo career came around the same time Swift was starting out in the industry. “Cry Me a River” was the second single from her debut album Justified which was Timberlake's shift from his previous pop music to a more mature R&B sound.
Swift first covered the song at a small concert in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2009. The sultry R&B track surprisingly fit Swift's huskier country vocals. Two years later, in 2011, Swift performed the song once again at her sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden during her Speak Now World Tour.
8
“Umbrella” – 9 times
Originally by Rihanna
Although the music genres they cover are completely different, Swift and Rihanna's careers have somewhat grown side by side. Rihanna's breakthrough with her single “Pon de Replay” and her album Good girl gone bad it happened around the same time that Swift began to make a name for herself on the country music scene. It's only fitting that Swift paid tribute to the other singer in the early years of her career.
Swift performed her first cover of “Umbrella” by Good girl gone bad at the Orange County Fair in July 2007, then continued to perform it in several small shows, 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 pleasure. After Rihanna was released Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded the following year, Swift swapped “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 biggest pop stars of the 21st century, respectively. according to billboard. Although fans 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 movie The Eras Tour. Beyoncé was active in the industry long before Swift started, but the mid-2000s marked the rise of the former girl group member's solo career.
“Irreplaceable” was the third single from Beyoncé's second studio album Birthdayand was hailed as a song of female empowerment. Swift first covered the hit a few months after its release in April 2007, then did it six more times at her other 2007 shows. It's no surprise that Swift was able to cover the track, as it was a huge hit. at the time, but it's also interesting to note that “Irreplaceable” started out as a country record. Swift's rendition of the song could be considered a preview of what almost happened.
6
“Baby” – 3 times
Originally by Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber can be considered one of the original examples of how YouTube created a star. He caught the attention of producer Scooter Braun in 2007, who was also Swift's producer for several controversial years. Bieber's debut album My world 2.0 was released as the second part of their previous EP My worldand there were several songs on the record that were instant hits. It seemed 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 from Toronto. For their Toronto stops of the Speak Now World Tour in 2011, Swift appropriately sang “Baby” at one of the country’s most notable stadiums during a medley of covers. Outside of Canada, she ended up covering the song once again at the Speak Now tour stop in Los Angeles.
5
“Livin' On A Prayer” – 4 times
Originally by Bon Jovi
Performing covers by artists in her home state seemed to be a recurring 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 New Jersey-based band Bon Jovi. Fans at the four Newark dates in 2011 were treated to Swift's acoustic cover, which was a smoother version of the band's signature song.
In fact, Swift would end up covering “Livin On A Prayer” once again, this time with the iconic Jon Bon Jovi himself. In 2013, the singer attended the Winter Whites Gala charity ball at Kensington Palace in London, England. Alongside Prince William himself, she joined the rocker on stage and the trio sang a fun cover of the song that moved the crowd.
4
“Cool Kids” – 2 Times
Originally by Echosmith
During The 1989 World Tour's Philadelphia date in 2015, Swift teased the crowd with a guest artist. She mentioned how people love a surprise and a big hit, and then brought indie band Echosmith on stage. The sibling quartet had a huge hit with their song “Cool Kids,” which resonated with many listeners, including Swift, because of its lyrics and overall message.
Swift covered the song again at the tour stop in Columbus, Ohio. She once again brought out the original artist to perform alongside her as vocalist Sydney Sierota took the stage. Considering the band was still making a name for itself and “Cool Kids” was their first viral hit, it was incredibly cool 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-2000s. Thanks to his time in the boy band Dream Street, his starring role in Alvin and the Chipmunks series of films and his own solo albums, McCartney has been well known among young fans for some years. The title song from their debut album Beautiful Soul it was 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 album Match in 2008, and debuted at number 14 on the billboard Top 100 Chart. Swift first covered the song at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in February 2009, continuing to do so at other shows the following month. She performed the song mainly during her charts in Australia in March 2009.
2
“Complicated” – 2 times
Originally by Avril Lavigne
Bieber wasn't the only Canadian artist Swift paid homage to on her Speak Now World Tour stop in Toronto in 2011. She also covered Avril Lavigne's “Complicated” on July 16, paying homage to the province in which the pop artist- punk was. to be born. Lavigne was not only a trailblazer for Canadian artists, but also for women in the pop-punk scene as a whole. “Complicated” is one of the artist’s softest songs, which made it a perfect choice for Swift to cover.
Since Swift only covered the song once on her Speak Now tour, fans may have thought that would be the last time they would 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 artists before the pair performed “Complicated” together.
1
“Sugar, we are falling” – 2 times
Originally by Fall Out Boy
For the Speak Now World Tour stop in Rosemont, Illinois, in 2011, Swift removed herself from the catalog of one of the state's most famous bands. Fall Out Boy have released the first single “Sugar, We're Goin Down” from their second studio album Under the cork oak in 2005. The song spent five weeks in the top 10, becoming the band's first top 10 hit and expanding their audience from just the rock audience to the mainstream.
Swift performed her acoustic cover of “Sugar, We're Goin Down” both nights of the Rosemont shows. Swift and the band's fans sang along, making it a stellar tribute to Fall Out Boy. As if her disguise was foreshadowing, Swift began performing alongside the band's lead singer, Patrick Stump during 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 did it again later that year at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Sources: Setlist.fm