(NEXSTAR) — In her career, which extends roughly two decades, Taylor Swift has put out a lot of songs. It’s why shows of her record-setting “The Eras Tour” could sometimes be more than three hours long. It’s also why you may have a hard time ranking just your five favorite songs.
As it turns out, it isn’t any easier for Swift, either.
Swift, 35, was recently asked to do just that by late-night host Stephen Colbert.
As he has done with the likes of Dolly Parton and Bruce Springsteen, Colbert asked Swift, a guest on Wednesday’s episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” to list her top songs from her own catalog.
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Spoiler alert: Swift couldn’t come up with her top five songs on the spot, telling Colbert she needed “a little time to get back to you on all five.”
“I think I require a little bit of time to appreciate my work in a way, and it’s constantly changing, right?” she added.
Selecting the top song from her catalog came pretty quickly, however — about 10 times faster than how long the track is, in case you’re curious.
Swift named the extended, 10-minute version of “All Too Well” off of her album “Red.” More specifically, the song is on the “Taylor’s Version” of “Red,” one of the collection of albums Swift re-recorded in order to have control over them.
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In 2023, Swift won the Grammy for Best Music Video for “All Too Well: The Short Film,” making her the first artist to win in the category for a sole directing credit, according to the Recording Academy. The music video also won awards from the Hollywood Critics Association, the American Music Awards (AMAs), and the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), among others.
Swift’s selection was met with raucous applause from Colbert’s audience.
“I can’t really do any of the others,” Swift said in regard to Colbert’s question, noting that she’s “really obsessed” with her most recent album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
She made one exception, however.
“Somewhere in this list, I think, is going to be a song called ‘mirrorball,’ from the ‘folklore’ album,” Swift told Colbert, which again drew cheers and applause from the crowd.
While Swift didn’t share her top five songs, she suggested to Colbert that they could “do an update at some point.”
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“You’ve got all the time you need between now and May,” Colbert told Swift. “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was canceled by Paramount earlier this year. The company said in July that the decision to end the franchise in May 2026 was sparked by “financial reasons.”
Colbert hasn’t said what he plans to do after the show ends, but Swift offered some suggestions.
“You’re going to be podcasting, you’re going to be an influencer. You’re going to make TikToks,” she said, before adding that she feels Colbert is “going to write an amazing mystery thriller.”
“Done,” Colbert told Swift. “If it sells, I will give you half the royalties.”
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