1989 - A Retrospective Review and Rambling
Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989, came out in 2014 when the air tasted different. Lush Life by Zara Larsson was blasting in every department store known to man and fro-yo was abundant, Taylor Swift moved to the Big Apple and chopped her hair into an all timer bob cut. I’d personally say that this album was Taylor’s big jump into the pop genre and the first of one of my favourite 4 album runs - each one individually decorating the music landscape in their own unique way. The career-shifting 1989, the bold and audacious Reputation, the romantically glitter-infused Lover and thorny music critics darling, Folklore.
I figure since I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift since the ripe age of 8 years old, and have seen her live twice, it would only make sense for my first album review to be about the album that started it all for me.
“It’s a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat”
1989 opens with the magical track Welcome To New York - an anthemic banger about finding yourself in a big new city. I distinctly remember listening to this song on my flight to what would become my new home in Hobart, Tasmania and feeling comforted.
Lyrics like “Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats - everybody here wanted something more” serve as an anchor to the human experience and the canon event of moving to a big city with big dreams like so many others have before.
In the bridge Taylor compares New York to a great love that keeps you guessing and I can’t refute that. This is my best friend's favourite track and I completely understand why.
1989 is a feat of blending lyricism with a background of rich synth pop - Swift said herself that she was deeply influenced by Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox, amongst other legends of the time. When I listen to this album I feel like I'm being let into a secret world full of self-discovery, heartbreak and ‘screaming color’ (as described in Out of The Woods); every track contributes to a tantalizing sonic scrapbook of youth. I think the really wonderful thing about Taylor Swift’s production is how intricately it’s pieced together; you peel all of the layers back and you find a treasure trove. One of my favourite examples occurs in the outro of the song Out Of The Woods - there are these haunting backing vocals that feel like running towards the love of your life, it’s akin to the feeling of diving into a lake and sinking to the bottom. The third iconic track ‘Style’ cascades into this bridge of “Take me hoooome!”s - it’s the middle of the night and the rest of the world is asleep but you’re hanging by the phone waiting, knowing you shouldn’t be.
When people talk about Taylor Swift they will frequently refer to her lyricism. Whilst 1989 doesn’t possess the same kind of Grimm's fairytale storytelling as Folklore and Evermore it’s refreshingly confessional. It feels like reading someone’s diary which I always appreciate on the re-listen. How You Get The Girl details how the one that got away should right their wrongs - wiki tutorial style; Pictures in frames and kisses on cheeks - you say you want me. It feels like a John Hughes movie where a starry-eyed lover is holding a boombox over their head waiting outside someone’s window.
Nostalgia threads its way through most of the tracks on the album.
My personal favourite track on the album has got to be ‘You Are In Love’ - one of the additional tracks on the deluxe version of the album. In the second verse there’s a line that goes “One night he wakes, strange look on his face. Pauses, then says, ‘you’re my best friend’ and you knew what it was. He is in love’. The intro feels reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's ‘Secret Garden’. I think about the bridge most frequently
“You two are dancing in a snow globe round and round; and he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown. And 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”.
When I was 10 years old I got the insane opportunity to go to the 1989 Stadium tour as my first big concert. I distinctly remember my Mum cutting my bangs for the first time and painting red lipstick on my lips - it was a huge deal. I remember her coming out to the intro of Welcome To New York and tearing off her white sunglasses screaming “Hello Sydney!”
Every time I listen to 1989 it's like reuniting with an old friend. This album has a shard of my heart at its centre and means a lot to me.
Last year I sat with my best friend at the dining table as we pored over each track on my Taylor’s Version vinyl. She had never listened to the album in full and I'm so grateful I got to be there when she did. Every few tracks she kept saying “Oh I know this one!” - mostly from tiktok edits we’d send each other in the late hours of the night. I’d explain what I thought the meaning of each track was and she’d ask me questions. It’s a really special experience when you get to share your favourite music with the people you love; having the opportunity to watch them understand a significant part of you. I’ve always thought that one of the best ways to get to know someone is by listening to the music that they like. Every time I listen to Daft Punk or LCD Soundsystem I immediately associate it with my best friend. When I hear Gillian Welch and Neil Young I think of my Dad. It’s a beautiful thing.
With the release of 1989 Taylors Version came five new bonus tracks never previously heard or released to the public. My personal favourite has got to be the wistfully romantic ‘Slut!” with lyrics like “in a world of boys, he’s a gentleman”. Rumour has it the 1975’s Matty Healy was meant to be on the track but their brief romance closed the door. I mourn this version of the track everyday. This post might be about 1989 but best believe I will eventually write about Matty Healy and Taylor Swift’s extensive timeline and all of the heartbreaking lyrics that go with it. I am just a girl with a box tattoo after all.
Every new track is a callback to the past. It feels like finding a box of letters underneath your bed which you never sent.
When I listen to this album it’s like falling in love for the first time all over again. My 9 year old self used to sing the harmonies in the back of the car and stick my head out the window. Now at 21 years old I understand it in new ways. I open the window and light my incense like it’s a ritual, I dance around to the glittery pop songs and I cry to the sad ones - I mourn the young girl I used to be and simultaneously look forward to the woman I'm becoming and creating with each day. We are beautiful ever-changing time capsules and I think 1989 reminds us of that - it dares you to leap into the unknown but never forget who you used to be. It’s Orpheus turning back to look at Eurydice one last time.
I’ll see you next time,
xx
Ruby
