Album Review: 1989

Buy 1989 on iTunes or the Deluxe Album at Target!

If you haven’t been living under a rock since Monday, you know that Taylor Swift has released her fifth album. It sold 600,000 copies within the first TWENTY FOUR HOURS of its release. I’ve been a huge T.Swizzle fan since the beginning and have spent a ridiculous amount of money to see her in concert (5 times I’ve seen her, to be exact). She’s one of my fave artists, and I hope you take the time to listen to her new album and see what all the fuss is about. Here is my track by track review of “1989.” If you take the time out of your day to read this entire thing, I extremely like you and think we should be friends. 

1. Welcome To New York – I thoroughly enjoy the first twenty seconds of this song or so – then it somewhat goes downhill for me. I don’t hate it, but I don’t necessarily like it. I think this is a great opening track for the rest of the album, and I think that’s due to the production. When Taylor originally announced that this album was going to be inspired by 80’s pop, this is the kind of vibe I imagined.  Love the synth. I really like the bridge, but the chorus doesn’t quite cut it for me. The more I listen to this song, I like it. On the other hand, you definitely have to be in a specific mood to listen to this song. I can totally see myself walking to class and awkwardly walking/dancing, or twirling around in Times Square, but that’s about it…

Favorite Line:  “Everybody here wanted something more, searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before” 

2.  Blank Space – I am obsessed with this song. I read somewhere that this song originally started out as a joke. If it’s a joke, I’m laughing the loudest. I love how you can hear Taylor’s sarcasm and sass in this song. It’s up to you if you take her lyrics seriously or not or realize that she’s playing a joke on everyone by writing a song that plays into her image as a “serial dater.” Either way, it’s genius. The click of the pen before “…And I’ll write your name” is just ridiculous in the best way possible. Also, when she sings “gotta long list of ex-lovers” it definitely sounds like she’s saying “Starbucks lovers” (Once you notice, you’ll never hear it the same way again).  This is also her next single!!!! Who’s excited to hear it on the radio?!

Favorite line: “Cause darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream” 

3. Style – The intro of this song is SO GOOD. If you aren’t entirely convinced that this song (and most likely the entire album) is about Harry Styles, you need to re-evaluate. I really like this song, but it’s not one of my favorites. I like how there is this mellow yet excited vibe throughout the entire song and then she screams “TAKE ME HOME!” at the bridge. It’s a line you’re waiting to hear her scream, the build-up is awesome.  Clearly I like other songs more than this one because I don’t have much else to say about it. It’s definitely a jam, though.

Favorite line: “I should just tell you to leave cause I know exactly where it leads but I watch us go round and round each time”

4. Out of the Woods: When Taylor released this two weeks before the album dropped, she said that she wanted to release it early because she believed it was an overall representation of the album. I agree. This is easily one of the best songs on the album. I may be bias because I’m obsessed with Jack Antonoff, who co-wrote and produced it (you can hear him singing the “oooh’s” and the “are we out of the woods yet are we out of the woods yet” at the bridge). I think this song metaphorically is one of the best on the album; it’s so heartbreaking yet you want to dance to it at the same time. The bridge is one of my favorites she’s ever written. 

Favorite line: “We were built to fall apart, then fall back together” 

5. All You Had to Do Was Stay: To say I have mixed feelings for this song is a massive understatement. I guess I am just confused. It sounds like a 2007 Nelly song to me. I’m kind of confused with the vibe she was going for. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t love it either. I suppose I am indifferent. I like how she says “STAY!” It’s like lightning! I like the lyrics more than the production. I think it’d be cool if it was an acoustic track or played on the piano. 

Favorite line:  “You were all I wanted, but not like this” 

6. Shake It Off: When this song was released in August as the first single, I really liked it. It’s a slap in the face to everyone who makes fun of Taylor or calls her names. I like the overall message of the song. I like the trumpets a lot and after hearing the rest of the album, I wish they were present in the other songs. However, there’s no signature Taylor lyrics in this song at all. This song sounds like any other pop star could be singing it, and that’s what is a little disappointing. It’s a fun song, but it’s definitely one of the most lackluster songs on the album for me. 

Favorite line: “I’m dancing on my own, I make the moves up as I go”

7. I Wish You Would: I originally kept mixing this song up with “All You had to Do Was Stay,” but after listening to the album on repeat for the past four days, I’ve recognized the difference. I really like this song! It reminds me of high school (in a good way).  I like how throughout this album, she’s sped up the majority of the tracks, and she usually had slower songs. I like the production on it a lot (S/O to Jack Antonoff again), and the chorus has such a groove. If you’re a huge T.Swift fan like I am, you've noticed her consistent habit of saying “2 AM” in her songs. It’s in this one too!  

Favorite line: “I miss you too much to be mad anymore” 

8. Bad Blood: WOW LETS JUST BLAST THIS SONG AND HAVE A DANCE PARTY. I am so obsessed! I personally really like this song because EVERYONE can relate to it. It’s so vague but it works for everyone. It can be at a boy, a friend, etc. It’s such a good song to chant with your friends in the creepiest way possible. The HEY! In the chorus gives me life. I was skeptical about this song because critics were comparing it to Hollaback Girl…enough said. However, it’s one of my favorite songs on the album. I think it gave Taylor a chance to really SANG.  Music is supposed to lift you up and make you feel better, and this is the biggest FU to anyone who’s messed with you.

Favorite line: “You say sorry just for show, if you live like that, you live with ghosts”

9. Wildest Dreams: HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE SONG ON THE ENTIRE ALBUM. HENCE THE CAPS. This song is so Lana Del Rey, but better. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this song.  I think it’s one of her best ever. Love the beat in the background. The lyrics are perfect. The production is awesome. I’m absolutely obsessed with this song. I cannot get over how good it is.  I just need a music video this song. I personally enjoy when she sings in her lower register, and that’s really evident in each verse of this song. UGH. BRAVO.

Favorite line: “Someday when you leave me, I bet these memories follow you around”

10. How You Get The Girl: I love everything about TayTay, but I absolutely hate this song. I can’t even get myself to listen to the entire song while writing this. All I think of is a Disney Channel Movie, primarily “Stuck in the Suburbs.”  I can handle the chorus…until it goes “And that’s how you get the girl” I shudder. 

Favorite line: I don’t listen to the song often enough to have one

11. This Love: My second favorite on the album. I hear Taylor’s signature style in this song. I really like the acoustics. I want to float in a pretty dress in water while listening to this song. I love when she sings with a breathy tone, and the “oooh” in the chorus. This song is utterly beautiful.  The bridge is my favorite part of the song. It’s so hauntingly gorgeous. I love it!

Favorite line: “When you’re young, you just run, but you come back to what you need”

12. I Know Places: I really love the edginess in this song. It sounds like it should be on the Mockingjay soundtrack! It’s really unique to the rest of the album and I applaud her for that. I like her pronunciation throughout the song; I think she’s gotten better at that on this album, probably because she’s singing at faster paces. I like at the bridge there’s a solid beat in the background like something CRAZY is coming! It’s so fierce.

Favorite line: “Loose lips sink ships all the damn time” 

13. Clean: First of all, I was so unbelievably excited to hear this song because of Imogen Heap. I love her. This song is so so sad, but it’s so good. I think it would get a lot of people through hard times. You can really hear Imogen’s style in it, and I think their collaboration was a perfect way to end the album. Even though Taylor experimented with a lot of new sounds for this album, I think this song is an example of why so many people fell in love with Taylor as an artist when she was just sixteen. You believe what she is saying. 

Favorite line: “When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe” 

BONUS TRACKS:

1. Wonderland: Again, one of my favorites on the album, and quite possibly one of my favorites she’s ever written. I love the contrast between the verses and the chorus; it’s so quiet and sweet, then becomes so aggressive and confident. I can’t get over how much I love this song. I wish it wasn’t a bonus song because many people tend to buy the normal versions without realizing there’s a deluxe edition! (Find it at Target). This song is so unique to her style that it’s hard for me to even describe it. I hope you listen and enjoy it as much as I do!

Favorite line: “Didn’t it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twist around me. It’s all fun and games until somebody loses their mind” 

2. You Are In Love: This song is so ridiculously cute. Like, so cute you feel sick. I like how she’s writing it about two other people, not herself. Lyrically, you can definitely here Taylor in it. I love that about it. It’s the kind of song that puts you to sleep (in a good way). I originally really liked it the first time I heard it, but I definitely prefer the other two bonus songs over it, but I still like it!

Favorite line:  “You understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars, and why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words” 

3. New Romantics: This song makes me SO happy!! It’s so fun and upbeat and catchy. I think it could really be a hit on the radio. The beginning of the chorus sounds SO much like Foster the People to me! My dream is to have a dance party with Taylor to this song. I wish this song was on the original album! To me, this song is the “22” of 1989. Favorite line: “I could built a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me”Overall, I give this album a 4/5 stars. There are a few songs that aren’t my favorite, but there are more than a few that are definitely some of Swift’s best work. She took big risks with this album, and I think it paid off!

Favorite song(s): “Wildest Dreams,” “Blank Space,” and “This Love”

Favorite tear jerker: “Clean”

Best song to jam out to: “Blank Space” or “New Romantics”

Best lyrics: “Out of the Woods”

Best production: “Style”

Best “awww” moment: “This Love” or “You Are in Love”

Luv u Tay.

- Kristin