1989 (CD)

I have been a fan of Taylor Swift approximately since 2007, after I heard her debut LP that was released in the year 2006. Since then, I have listened to all of her records and I was able to witness her changes throughout the years. I always wanted to write a review about Taylor Swift’s 1989 album, but I thought it would be best to do it after that “era” was over. Now, after almost a year and a half after its release, I decided to write a track-by-track review.First of all, 1989 is Taylor Swift’s first documented pop album. She always flirted with the concept of pop songs but she never went full-out with it. When you listen to 1989, you notice that it is a pop album, but it is far from bubblegum-pop meaningless songs that make no sense at all. As the album title suggests, she was inspired by the music and ideas that were flowing in the decade she was born in, and you can notice that in some songs. Every song on the album is perfectly crafted, they all have her signature heart-on-her-sleeve-open-diary songwriting but you can notice that she has grown as a person by reading the lyrics, something I highly recommend.This album includes the following songs:-Welcome To New York: it is the perfect song to start the album with. Right from the start you can tell that it is a pop song and it sets the tone of 1989. Taylor sings about how moving to the magical and eclectic city of New York changed her and her perspective.-Blank Space: it is one of the best lyrically-written songs on the album. This song is about the man-eating image the media has created of her. Instead of sitting in a corner and cry, she decides to take on that idea and create a catchy song about that fictional character that was created of her.-Style: if there is one song in 1989 that definitely sounds like the 80’s, this is it. In this one she sings about that kind of relationship that always comes back around (“they never go out of style”) and you can hear a Miami Vice vibe hear that is perfect for this song.-Out Of The Woods: this is one of the many highlights of the album. It has a chorus that really makes you feel what she was feeling (“are we out of the woods yet?”) and it is written so perfectly it will be hard to get it out of your head.-All You Had To Do Was Stay: in this song, Taylor does something she has never done before: she incorporated a high-pitched “Stay” in the chorus. The song tells the story of how her lover broke all of his promises and she tells him that the only thing he had to do was stay, but it is too late for him to return.-Shake It Off: probably the most up-beat song on the album, “Shake It Off” is an ode to her independence from everybody else's opinion. In this instant hit, Taylor declares that she is aware of all the things that she is criticized for, but she is not going to change who she is in order to be more liked, she is just going to “shake off” the haters.-I Wish You Would: this is a very innovative song from the point of view of the narrative: it constantly goes between the point of view of two people that were in a relationship and how they wish the other one knew how they really feel.-Bad Blood: This song is about betrayal, and how Taylor was affected by the other person’s actions. It has some strong beats that really makes this song stand out. It would be great if the album also had the version with Kendrick Lamar.-Wildest Dreams: a slow-paced song in which she sings about a relationship that she knows she is going to end sometime soon, so she wishes that her partner remembers her in the best way possible (“standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset”). It is a great song that starts with a minimalistic sound then develops into a larger-than-life song and then goes back again to that intimate sound.-How You Get The Girl: a funny, upbeat song about how a man has to win her heart back. It almost feels like a step-by-step guide met a fairytale, and that is awesome. It is one of the most full-out pop songs and she nails it perfectly.-This Love: this slow song feels like it could be sung by millions of people in a stadium while still feeling intimate. It paints the situation of how she felt her lover had gone but he reappeared out of the blue.-I Know Places: when you listen to this song for the first time, you might say that it is different from what she has done before: and it is exactly that. You can feel that this song is almost like a movie (it even has the sound of a movie starting and stopping at the beginning and at the end of the song, respectively). It is a great song about the fragility of a relationship at the beginning and how she wishes to keep the media away from them given how publicly known she is.-Clean: the song that closes the standard edition of the album, Clean is a masterpiece. In this song, Taylor refers to her relationship as something not healthy for her. She has grown out of it and she wishes to get “clean”, just like an addiction. It really makes you stand in her shoes and it is beautifully written.All in all, 1989 is an amazing album that rightfully won “Album Of The Year” at the Grammy's. I completely recommend it because it shows that Taylor Swift knows who she is and you can see it reflect on her music. Now, all there is left to do is to eagerly wait for her new music and smashing hits.

Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Vinyl):The 1989 vinyl pressing truly brings the album’s pop brilliance to life. The sound is crisp, full, and dynamic — from the bright synths to Taylor’s vocals. The packaging is clean and classic, making it a standout piece in any collection. A must-have for fans of her pop era.

It is hard to deny a well crafted put together album when you hear it and that is exactly what Taylor Swift has made. I used to just think of her as basic country artist with a few poppy tunes. You could tell by her earlier albums that she is a talented young singer songwriter but 1989 is where those talents truly shine. I think the album is outstanding and I usually despise pop music. But Taylor’s stories are moving and many of the songs I would rate 10 out of 10 which is rare for any album. The album flows extremely well from one song to the next and it would get my vote for album of the year if it hasn’t already.My 4 year old daughter loves tracks 1 and 10. Every time I take her somewhere in the car she wants to hear Welcome to New York which sounds like New Yurk to her. No profanity or vulgarity on the album, wonderful dance tunes along with a few chilling heartfelt ballads. For those of us sick of the hip hop dominated pop charts the album is a breath of fresh air. I can easily see why she is so popular with the teenage crowd and she seems to be growing up before our eyes making better songs.Style is the best pop tune I have heard in years and the best song on the album in my opinion but you can’t really go wrong with any of the tunes. I bought the album for my wife’s birthday and my daughter and I are the ones always listening to it. I liked how the back end of the album had so many strong tunes as well. I can’t wait to see what the next album will be like but this one is definitely a winner. I would rate it 5 stars

This is a great album, I never thought in my WILDEST DREAMS that this album would make me feel like I was young again, this music is definitely my STYLE . I love signing "Wildest Dreams" out loud while driving my car. In fact, the other day I was singing this song while at a red light and several other people noticed me. I continued singing "Standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset" A church choir van was beside me, everyone in the van busted out in tune with me, we started clapping, the convertible on the other side of me did the same, pretty soon people in the cross walk stopped to watch and film with their phones, shortly after the phones were put away and they too were clapping and singing "Wildest Dreams" with me, the choir van and the convertible. The police officer behind me started in on the singing thru is megaphone, pretty soon people were dancing in the intersection, clapping and singing and the green light no longer mattered. In a wave of excitement all people from all different backgrounds, color, and creeds came together in this giant, spur of the moment intersection Taylor Swift sing along street party, there was not a single person with BAD BLOOD in this street party. Confetti fell from the sky, the sun glistening off the windshields of the cars, a fire hydrant sprayed water with people running and cheering as if they were OUT OF THE WOODS. It truly was remarkable... Once the song ended I heard a loud blaring noise to WELCOME ME TO NEW YORK.. I then realized it was a car horn telling me to proceed thru the green light and I thought to myself "ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY", reality came back as I realized the entire Taylor Swift intersection street party was merely a hallucination, a mirage or day dream of some sort and I was the only one singing, I simply couldn't SHAKE IT OFF. Either way, the album still rocks, I can still feel the enigmatic pulse of my mystical intersection street concert, my soul never felt so CLEAN. I haven't felt THIS LOVE since I purchased Lorde's album in 2013 and I am a 31 year old father of 2 and I KNOW PLACES. After listening to this album I knew HOW TO GET THE GIRL. Taylor I WISH YOU WOULD write my name in your BLANK SPACE!!!