‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ (2012)

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was the first taste of Taylor Swift's fourth album, Red, and it demonstrated not only the immediacy of the best Taylor Swift songs, but also how young artists can establish authority over their own future. The song was Taylor's breakout work as her first collaboration with legendary hit-makers Max Martin and Shellback, and it pitched the confident message of romantic control ahead of the era when women's exploitation across this, and so many other areas of life, was truly exposed – and it was Taylor's breakout work as her first collaboration with legendary hit-makers Max Martin and Shellback.

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," which was infectiously addicting, became her first Billboard chart-topper, and her lyrics provided plenty of fodder for the tabloids, who were becoming increasingly enthralled with this enigmatic new star.

Album: “Red”

Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

Accolades: The song became Swift’s first to hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and she earned numerous awards and nominations including Record of the Year at the Grammys.