If you need a gift for Taylor Swift fans that they have not already got three of, this is the one I would hand you: Part One of my Taylor Swift discography map, an art print that draws every credited musician as a tube line calling at the albums they played on, from the 2006 Nashville debut through Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation, with the Taylor's Version re-recordings woven in. I research each map by hand from liner notes and session credits, it is printed as a Giclée on 230gsm archival fine art paper, and it starts at £42 in A2 or A1, unframed or in a black wood frame.
What Makes a Discography Map the Right Gift for Taylor Swift Fans?
Most Taylor Swift presents are merch: the same photographs, the same lyrics, the same friendship-bracelet beads. A discography map is different because it is built from the credits, the part of the record almost nobody reads. When I map an artist, every band member, session player and guest gets a named line, and each studio album becomes a station where those lines converge.
That means the fan you are buying for can stand in front of it and trace things they half knew but had never seen drawn. Who stayed. Who vanished after one record. Who came back eleven years later when the re-recordings started. It is the best gift for Taylor Swift fans precisely because it rewards the obsessive looking that being a Swiftie is all about.
Every credited musician from the 2006 debut to Reputation, drawn as a tube map. Giclée on 230gsm archival paper.
Nathan Chapman: The First Line Out of Nashville, and Where It Stops
The longest early line on the map belongs to Nathan Chapman. He produced the country records, but he is on my map because he played on them: acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, drums, electric guitar, mandolin and background vocals on the debut alone, and more again on Fearless, Speak Now and Red.
His line even reaches 1989, where he is credited on electric guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. Then it stops. Five stations, 2006 to 2014, and the whole story of the country years ending is right there in one terminating line.
What Happened to the Room Between Red and 1989?
Red is the most crowded original station in Part One. The credits call in a full string section, violins, violas and cellos by name, plus Marcia Dickstein on harp and Simeon Pillich on contrabass. It reads like an orchestra pit.
Two years later, 1989 empties the room. The credits shrink to a small crew of players and programmers, Max Martin, Shellback, Jack Antonoff, Ryan Tedder and Imogen Heap among them, with a Swedish horn section of Jonas Thander, Jonas Lindeborg and Magnus Wiklund passing through. The sound got bigger while the room got smaller, and on the map you can watch it happen between two adjacent stations.
Why Is Max Martin on a Map of Musicians?
A rule I hold to on every map: producers do not get a line for producing. They only appear if they are credited playing something. Plenty of famous names fail that test.
Max Martin passes it. He is credited on keyboards on Red, then keyboard, piano, claps, shouts and background vocals on 1989, then piano and backing vocals on Reputation. The most famous pop producer of his generation is on this map as a working musician, and I find that more interesting than any production credit.
The Touring Band Comes Back: Caitlin Evanson and Amos Heller
Here is my favourite pattern in the whole Taylor Swift research. Caitlin Evanson sings vocal harmony on Fearless, Speak Now and Red, then her line goes quiet. Amos Heller plays bass on Fearless and Speak Now, then the same.
Both lines resume in 2021. When the Taylor's Version project began, the touring band came into the studio, so Evanson and Heller reappear across Fearless, Red, Speak Now and, in Heller's case, 1989 in their Taylor's Version editions. For Heller that is an eleven year gap between studio credits, and the map draws the re-recording story as a set of lines that stop and then start again.
Which Guests Get Their Own Lines?
Branch lines are where the one-off visitors live, and Part One has a good crowd of them. Fearless alone carries seven credits for finger snapping and nothing else, which remains one of the more charming things I have ever had to draw.
| Guest | Station | Credit on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Colbie Caillat | Fearless (2008) | Guest appearance and finger snapping; returns on Fearless (Taylor's Version) with vocals and a co-write |
| Ed Sheeran | Red (2012) | Featured artist; back on Reputation, and again with acoustic guitar on Red (Taylor's Version) |
| Gary Lightbody | Red (2012) | Featured artist and background vocals |
| Imogen Heap | 1989 (2014) | Vibraphone, mbira, drums, percussion and keyboards; returns on 1989 (Taylor's Version) |
| Future | Reputation (2017) | Featured artist, one station only |
Imogen Heap is the one I would point a serious fan towards. On an album built by programmers, she arrives playing vibraphone and mbira, an actual room full of instruments on one track, then comes back nine years later for the re-recording.
What Sizes and Prices Does the Print Come In?
The map is landscape and comes in two sizes, unframed or in a black wood frame, starting from £42. A2 suits a hallway or a desk wall; A1 is the statement size, and the one I would pick for a milestone birthday.
| Size | UK | US / CAN / AUS | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | 594 x 420 mm | 24 x 18 in | Bedrooms, desks, first flats |
| A1 | 841 x 594 mm | 36 x 24 in | Living rooms, milestone gifts |
Every print is a Giclée on 230gsm premium acid-free matte fine art paper, so the colours hold for years rather than fading like a poster.
"Brilliant idea... really like what you've done, Mike."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Taylor Swift albums are on the map?
Part One runs chronologically from the 2006 debut Taylor Swift through Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation, with the Taylor's Version re-recordings woven in alongside the originals.
Are the Taylor's Version albums included?
Yes. The re-recordings sit alongside the original albums, which is what lets the map show touring band members like Amos Heller and Caitlin Evanson returning to the studio a decade after their first credits.
Does it cover Folklore, Evermore and the later albums?
Not on this print. The catalogue is too deep to draw legibly on one sheet, so I designed the Taylor Swift map across three parts, and Part One covers the debut through Reputation.
Who counts as a credited musician?
Anyone credited playing or singing on a studio album: band members, session players and guests. Producers only appear if they are also credited on an instrument or vocal, which is how Max Martin earns his line and why some famous names are absent.
What is it printed on?
A Giclée print on 230gsm premium acid-free matte fine art paper, in A2 or A1, unframed or in a black wood frame.
Related Music Maps
If the fan you are buying for came to Taylor through the country side, two companion pieces sit naturally beside this one: the Lainey Wilson Discography Map Art Print and the Cody Johnson Discography Map Art Print. The full range is in my Music Wall Art Prints collection.
The Gift That Maps the Whole Story
Six album stations, every credited musician, hand-researched and drawn as a tube map. From £42 in A2 or A1.
Get the Taylor Swift map →Not sure which map or size? An art print gift card lets them choose.
