1989 is Taylor's first pure pop album, there's no twangy country-feeling songs in this. As mentioned before, I don't really like country, so of course this is a welcome relief. 1989 is heavily-produced and differs so much in terms of sound than Tay's previous album, but it's still has that quintessentially her quality in the lyrics. I have a love-hate relationship with Taylor's lyrical skills; on one hand I find some of her lyrics to be pretty vapid and silly and just straight-up awkward but on the other hand that's what makes her her, ya know what I mean? I love the allusions to Greek mythology and the sentence 'love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right' in "State of Grace" because it's such a Taylor Swift thing to say but hate the mixed-up metaphors and literary allusions in "Love Story" even though it's what she'd do.
I find some of the songs unlistenable (deleted "Welcome to New York" and "Bad Blood" on the first listen and never looked back tbh) but the rest of them makes up for it. Hell, the existence of "Blank Space" alone is enough to make this the best Taylor Swift's album for me. While there are a lot of repetitions (see: "Out of the Woods") but it's played up to great effect. I'm not a Taylor Swift fan, but after listening to this album, I'm a convert.
Okay, I'm going to attempt to do a track-by-track review of the album (sans "Welcome to New York" and "Bad Blood").
- "Blank Space" is the second track of the album and my most favorite song off the album. It is also one of my most favorite Taylor Swift song, tied with "State of Grace". It has a heavy beat that's reminiscent of the chorus to Lana Del Rey's "Florida Kilos" (it makes sense in my head). The lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, referring to Taylor's many boyfriends and the media attention paid to them, and so, so good. Seriously. It has so many quotable lines. Taylor in this song evokes a kind of carefree attitude towards love, in contrast to her more serious songs about love and heartbreak. It cheerily acknowledges the fact that she'll probably be heartbroken ("it'll leave you breathless, or leave a nasty scar"), and that her exes call her crazy for writing songs about then ("got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane") but that's okay, 'cos love's a game and she loves the players. Most of my friends who listened to this album said that "Blank Space" is their favorite and I couldn't agree more.
- "Style" is the third track in the album. It is ostensibly about Harry Styles; no doubt about it. When I first heard about it, I looked up the lyrics and thought, "well these all seem very awkward how is this any good?" But then I listened and it defied my expectations. It has a sort of vintage 1980s feeling to it, and it indeed is inspired by 1980s pop. The music was peppy and upbeat, but it has also that tinge of sadness to it, which fits the lyrics of going crashing down and coming back every time, because they never go out style. I love the mention of "James Dean daydream look" because it's so specific yet so general, like, I can even picture it right now. Plus, I really like the way she said "tight little skirt".
- "Out of the Woods" is the fourth track in the album. When I first heard it, I heard it along with my friend. She didn't like it and I laughed, but I liked it. It was repetitive, yes, the whole album has many repetitions, but it was also fun and the repetitiveness adds to the general atmosphere of the song. I also like the sound and the lyrics even though I find some of them to be funny in the wrong way ("the monster was just trees") and plain ol' mind screw ("your neck is hanging from my neck"). Still, it's catchy and had some parts that I really liked.
- "All You Had To Do Was Stay" is the fifth track in the album. It has a really fast and fun chorus, with a high-pitched yelp of 'stay' in the beginning, which can be rather jarring and annoying, and at first I didn't like it for that reason lol. But it grow on me like many other Taylor Swift's song (girl had a talent for making grower songs) and now it's repeated many times in my iTunes library.
- "Shake It Off" is the sixth track in the album. It is also the "lead single", which is what Taylor decided to use to promote her album. As a lead single, it had plenty of exposure. When I first heard about it, I was ambivalent. The title is too similar to Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Out" and I love her and that song. I love Taylor, too, but for different reasons. They were too different with each other and I was afraid that I couldn't reconcile them in my head. But my curiosity got the best of me and I watched the video. Bad mistake. The video's pretty good - love the part where she does the ballet - but the twerking part's too embarrassing. And the song's pretty embarrassing too, especially the part of "my ex-man". I was so disappointed. It was so different, so unlike "22", which was one of Taylor's 'party anthem' and a song that I liked. So I abandoned it after a listen and went on without listening to it for some time (which is uncharacteristic for a Taylor Swift song since Red). But after hearing about the buzz surrounding it, I decided to give it a second chance - and I got hooked. Reader, it grows on me. I spent a whole week listening to nothing but that fucking song in the morning as a pick-me-up, which's gonna jack up the iTunes play, I'm sure. Though, I must admit, the song sounds out of place with other songs in 1989 it still is a good listen. And if you don't like it in the first listen, try, try again.
- "I Wish You Would" is the seventh track in the album. I...really have no opinion about this song. It's not good, but it's not bad either. Like, it's a decent listen, but it's just so...bland and boring. It's not as bad as "Welcome to New York" 'cos I still have it in my iTunes library, but it's just forgettable. To me, it's just an obstacle to one of my favorite and best songs in the album.
- "Wildest Dreams" is the ninth track in the album. It's also a very Lana del Rey-ish track; the chorus eerily reminds me of LDR's "Without You". The lyrics are also very Lana-ish, with mentions of bad boys and red lipstick (but no "red dress" or "Queen of Saigon" which is quintessential Lana terms). And the lyrics too are a bit more explicit than Taylor's usual fare, with sex implied, but still very much PG-13.
- "How You Get the Girl" is the tenth track in the album. Much like "I Wish You Would" this is a very average song for me. It's easy-listening, but I won't, like, play it on repeat or something. My friend loves it tho; it's his favorite song in the album. So there's that.
- "This Love" is the eleventh track in the album. It's mellow, soft, and reminds me of fluffy cotton candies. Taylor incorporates a good deal of indie-pop sound in 1989 and this song's a very simple sound, with "less" of a production feel than, say, "Out of the Woods" or "Blank Space". I like it.
- "I Know Places" is the twelfth track in the album. This song, my friend says, is very gothic but with a Taylor Swift flair, you know? It's not like "I Know You Were Trouble" but it has the same fast-and-slow tempo. I really like this song. It has great lyrics too.
- "Clean" is the thirteenth track in the album. I really want to like this song. This song's co-written by Imogen Heap, and I like Imogen, so I really really want to like this song. But I can't. Like, it's not as bad as "Bad Blood" or "Welcome to New York" but it's so boring. Nothing in the lyric is memorable, I don't even remember what it is about.
- "Wonderland" is one of three bonus tracks. Aaaaand, let me tell you how much I love the bonus tracks. The bonus tracks could and should be one of the main songs. "Wonderland" is so beautiful, it's one of my favorite song in the album. I really like the sound and the lyrics are so good and for once, Taylor's literary allusions and references are right! Yay! Four for you, Taylor!
- "You Are In Love" is one of the three bonus tracks. Lena Dunham says this song is hers and Jack Antonoff's wedding song and as much as I dislike agreeing with Lena Dunham, this time she's right. It is a song that's perfect for a wedding, the sound is soft and the lyrics are beautiful and smooth. This song somehow reminds me of a peach pink tulle dress. I don't know why I have that image. It is just so soft.
- "New Romantics" is one of the three bonus tracks. It is also one of my favorite songs in the album (I have a lot of favorite songs in this album apparently). It's a cheery party anthem, but it's not the kind of party anthem that's played in the club. It's the kind of party anthem that you play when your friends are having a picnic in the meadows and you decide to have a little dancing party with flowy, dresses. It's the kind of party I imagine ballerinas throw after they held a Spring performance of Giselle in a park, where everybody is happy and wearing beautiful tutus and flower crowns. ("The best people in life are free")
So that's my thoughts about Taylor Swift's new album 1989! What do you think of the album? Tell me in the comments below! And if you haven't listened to it, buy it on iTunes or Amazon or your nearest record shop, and listen to it. Now. It'll be good for your life (and ears).
