1. Welcome To New York
Taylor said on getting her friend Lorde to listen to the album this one was her favourite. Rumoured to be about the cancelled HBO TV show The Carrie Diaries, the song is upbeat and repetitive. A good first song, but definitely not up there for one of my favourite and I doubt I will remember it when I look back on the album.
The song embodies the excitement and bright lights of a buzzing city and the lives that occur there.
Took our broken hearts
Put them in a drawer
Everybody here was someone else before
2. Blank Space.
The second single from the album, and from the first listen it clicked with me that this was a catchy beat that would be lip sync worthy. The song is very tongue-in-cheek and illustrates the life that the media think Taylor has. She writes as if she looks at men knowing they are a mere pawn in her complicated love life, and how she turns into a crazy ex and smashes up their cars wearing couture.
This is a great track, and the video is on point and demonstrates Taytay’s angle perfectly.
'Cause darling I'm a nightmare
Dressed like a daydream
3. Style.
You’ve one guess who this song is about… Yup probably the ‘long hair slicked back’ one direction boy with ‘the white tee shirt on’ (actual lyrics in the song). Not what you might think think though - it’s not whiny, sad or longing. It’s well.. stylish?
She talks about their romance through black and white lenses instead of rose tinted ones and tells their story almost as if it was set 50 years earlier. Describing his looks as ‘like James Dean’ and hers as ‘red lipped, classic’ and saying that despite the romance not being everlasting, or necessarily love it is stylish - and it always will be.
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
Co-written with Jack Antonoff. Another song, presumably written about the stars tumultuous relationship with 1 Direction’s Harry Styles. This was the countdown Itunes single before the album’s release.
This song is great, full of hope for a romance which was doomed to fail.
Remember when we couldn’t take the heat
I walked out, I said “I’m setting you free”
But the monsters turned out to be just trees
When the sun came up
You were looking at me.
5. All You Had To Do Was Stay
So I have to say this again - another one about Harry. This, as the title suggests focuses the the fact he was never really ready to commit. She throughout the album references a snowmobile accident back in September, she sings in this one ‘All I know is that you drove us off the road’
She says after harry broke it off (‘This is what you wanted - you ended it’) he calls, asks for her back etc but she doesn’t believe he’ll ever commit. The song for me is forgettable, but it’s Taylor so I love it.
Why’d you have to go and lock me out when I let you in
6. Shake It Off
This was obviously the first release of the album. A song making fun of her inability to dance firstly, but secondly her response to media constantly criticising… well everything about her. Taylor tell us that instead getting upset about what people say we should ‘Shake it off’, because it’s better to be happy and confident in yourself than pick yourself apart and listen to the ‘liars and the dirty dirty cheats of the world’
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
7. I Wish You Would
This is a great song. Detailed in the end voice memo Taylor thought of a scenario (possibly Jake G) who bought a house close to Taylor’s house. She pictured him driving past her house and wrote what she wished happened, what she wished he would do now.
The song sounds like a drive home, the drum beat mainly in the corner gives the song a sense of nostalgia and longing. I love it. It’s great, you should listen to it.
You always knew how to push my buttons
You give me everything and nothing
8. Bad Blood
This is a powerful song about a rift with a former friend - heavily rumoured to be Katy Perry after she told Time magazine that it was about somebody “basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour” and then some people noted that KP had hired many of T Swizzle’s dancers for her own tour back in 2013.
Ed Sheeran picked this out as his favourite song on the album - I sadly have to disagree. This would be the track on the album I am mostly likely to skip past - Sorry Taytay.
Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes
You say sorry just for show
If you live like that, you live with ghosts
9. Wildest Dreams
Hate to say it, this is probably about Harry. It’s about Taylor asking an ex to remember her despite the fact that they are not together anymore.
I actually love the verses of this song - they almost sounds like Taylor is whispering to somebody she isn’t really meant to be talking to. Like a dirty secret that she wants to indulge in - the chorus for me is less memorable.
It also hints that her and Harry may have been together after the very public break-up. With the line ‘No-one has to know what we do, his hands are in my hair - his clothes are in my room.’
Nothing lasts forever
But this is gonna take me down
He’s so tall, and handsome as hell
He’s so bad but he does it so well
10. How You Get The Girl
Allegedly about Justin and Selena’s break up. And how he wants her after a 6 month break up. This is another one I am likely to skip, definitely my least favourite on the album.
11. This Love
A slower song - probably about Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff, this song is full of echos and soft notes.
it tells the story of two people who were pushed apart and then pushed right back together.
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me
12. I Know Places
This song has a dark sound to it of Taylor wanting to escape the cage of the spotlight inside the media - especially when she is trying to have a light-hearted romance. She uses the analogy of foxhunting, with the hunter constantly trying to track her down.
I can hear them whisper as we pass by
It’s a bad sign, bad sign
Something happens when everybody finds out
See the vultures circling in dark cloud
Love’s a fragile little flame, it could burn out
14. Clean
Forgive the obvious pun but this song is refreshing. When the chorus creeps up on you it bursts out of the sky and makes you feel like the drought is over.
This song is about a break-up (classic Taylor) and how after 10 months she is finally clean from her addictive boyfriend. She tells of her pain and her stifling attachment to someone of her past. This song is fantastic.
The drought was the very worst
When the flowers that we’d grown together died of thirst
It was months, and months of back and forth
You’re still all over me like I wine-stained dress I can’t wear anymore
*Bonus Track*
14. Wonderland
14. Wonderland
Very very good track, especially the end. It speaks of a confusing relationship with is interesting but hard to pin down, causing drama and eventually separation.
Didn’t it all seem new and exciting
I felt your arms twisting around me
I should’ve slept with one eye opened at night
*Bonus Track*
15. You Are In Love.
15. You Are In Love.
This was written for Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff, and it is a better version of ‘This Love’, imo. It’s soft and poignant and soothing to listen to. The song tells the story of the romance between the pair and showcases how much Taylor and admires their relationship.
This is one of the best tracks, and it always gives me goosebumps. Lena Dunham states she will use this as her wedding song - but has vowed to not get married until her gay sister Grace is allowed the same right to do so.
You two are dancing in a snow globe, round and round
And he keeps the picture of you in his office downtown
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
16. New Romantics
This sounds like a throwback to the Speak Now era. Also a similar sound to ‘Shake It Off’ It sounds like Taylor is expressing herself as a single woman, and the fact she has no interest in dating shown in the line ‘we are to busy dancing’.
The lyrics give the impression she wants to have fun with men, but nothing serious or anything she has to commit to. She also speaks of the constant spotlight on this aspect of her life - and how in order to stay happy she has to disregard this altogether.
The rumours, are terrible and cruel
Buy honey most of them are true
Overall Review; A great album, a completely different Taylor from previous albums. Admittedly I would of liked a Dear John/All Too Well type heartbreak song which is what Taylor does best (imo) and consequently what she gets criticised most for. This album is Taylor’s first FULL Pop album, coming away from her country roots - which to be honest I did miss.
Is it her best album yet? Probably not. However, it is more positive and upbeat. I do miss her country/heartbreak/whiny stuff. I just really wish she was bringing out another album next year.
My favourite tracks; Blank Space, I Wish You Would, You are In Love.
My least favourite; How You Get The Girl, Bad Blood.
Historically Taylor releases an album every 2 years, so I await 2016 when we will hear the new album.
What did you think of 1989? Do miss country Taylor? I would LOVE to know!
Love love. x
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