Taylor Swift's 1989 Deluxe Edition Review
"These songs were once about my life. They are now about yours."
-Taylor Swift
Hello Lovlies. I'm Jordan Nicole :) If you are new here you may not know that Taylor Swift is my personal obsession. If you aren't new I apologize for yet again dedicating a post to her, but this is my little corner of the internet to talk about things I love and she happens to be one of them. I have been in love with Taylor Swift and her music since she released her first single, Tim McGraw. I bought her first album the week it was released and have yet to miss a release week since. Everything she does speaks to me on a personal level and as she has grown, so have I. I am so grateful to have had her music to help me along my way. I am sure that most of you have purchased or at least heard 1989 but I wanted to do a little review of the album anyways :)
Tracks
Welcome To New York
"Like any true love it drives you crazy but you know you wouldn't change anything."
This was the third and final song that Taylor released pre-album release date. I understand its place on the album and how it sets the ton for what is to come but it is certainly not my favorite. I rarely click on it. That being said, when it comes on shuffle I sing my heart out and dance around. I am going to New York for the first time in less than a month and I already know this will be the soundtrack of my trip (sorry I'm not sorry, daddy).
"Like any true love it drives you crazy but you know you wouldn't change anything."
This was the third and final song that Taylor released pre-album release date. I understand its place on the album and how it sets the ton for what is to come but it is certainly not my favorite. I rarely click on it. That being said, when it comes on shuffle I sing my heart out and dance around. I am going to New York for the first time in less than a month and I already know this will be the soundtrack of my trip (sorry I'm not sorry, daddy).
Blank Space
"Darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream."
I knew this song would be a hit the first time I heard it (meaning at midnight on the release night). The beginning played and I said "This will be her next number one." right away. Taylor recently made history with this one even. She was the first female artist, ever, to replace herself in the #1 stop on the Billboard Hot 100 (kicking Shake It Off out of the spot). There is no reason to question why this song is such a hit. The lyrics. The beat. The rhythm. Everything about it is catchy and it certainly deserves every bit of praise it is receiving. If you haven't seen the music video yet (where have you been?) then I would highly recommend heading over to Youtube right now to watch it. The video even had an app through American Express (just search American Express Unstaged Taylor Swift in the app store). It's super interactive and fun :)
I knew this song would be a hit the first time I heard it (meaning at midnight on the release night). The beginning played and I said "This will be her next number one." right away. Taylor recently made history with this one even. She was the first female artist, ever, to replace herself in the #1 stop on the Billboard Hot 100 (kicking Shake It Off out of the spot). There is no reason to question why this song is such a hit. The lyrics. The beat. The rhythm. Everything about it is catchy and it certainly deserves every bit of praise it is receiving. If you haven't seen the music video yet (where have you been?) then I would highly recommend heading over to Youtube right now to watch it. The video even had an app through American Express (just search American Express Unstaged Taylor Swift in the app store). It's super interactive and fun :)
Style
"You've got that James Dean daydream look in your eye and I got that red lip classic thing that you like."
I knew this would be one of my favorite tracks before the album even came out. This was the song playing in the background during the Target adverts for the exclusive deluxe edition of the album. The 30 seconds I heard was enough for me to be hooked. That really is how catchy this one is. Who doesn't have that one person that your relationship never seems to go out of style?
I knew this would be one of my favorite tracks before the album even came out. This was the song playing in the background during the Target adverts for the exclusive deluxe edition of the album. The 30 seconds I heard was enough for me to be hooked. That really is how catchy this one is. Who doesn't have that one person that your relationship never seems to go out of style?
Out Of The Woods
"But the monsters turned out to be just trees."
This was the second song Taylor released from the album pre album release date and let's just say that it was on constant repeat for weeks. I have had this feeling more than once and could never have put it into words as gracefully as Ms. Swift. Regardless of who this one is about it is a wonderful addition to the album and I still haven't grown tired of it.
"But the monsters turned out to be just trees."
This was the second song Taylor released from the album pre album release date and let's just say that it was on constant repeat for weeks. I have had this feeling more than once and could never have put it into words as gracefully as Ms. Swift. Regardless of who this one is about it is a wonderful addition to the album and I still haven't grown tired of it.
All You Had To Do Was Stay
Taylor said this one came to her in a dream... she is literally a lyrical wizard. This is by far my most listened to song on the album. I love this song. Like, I love this song. Have I made it clear that I love this song? All jokes aside, I don't think I have as strong an emotional attachment to any other song on the album (a big statement to make). Even the ones that I could sing and cry about (which I do, frequently) don't translate into my life as much as this song. It may be because I recently went through a situation that was word for word these lyrics but I think regardless of who you are it is easy to connect to this one.
Shake It Off
"It's like I got this music in my mind saying it's gonna be alright."
The first single from the album, this song is definitely the anthem of 1989. My three year old cousin heard it once and walked around singing it for the rest of the day, that is how catchy it is. It is the perfect formula for a #1 song. It was indeed Taylor's second song to top the Billboard charts. You have all heard this one before (on the radio, on the tv, on your phone, in your thoughts, in your dreams...) so I won't say any more about it but you should definitely watch the video if you haven't. It is adorable and even features fans!
I Wish You Would
"I wish we could go back and remember what we were fighting for and I wish you knew that I miss you too much to be mad anymore."
When I heard this one I didn't want to like it. Something about it came across wrong and I instantly wanted to write it off. That would have been tragic because I now really like it. It is far from my favorite but it also isn't at the bottom of my list. The chorus of this one is just so relatable and the music all the way through just makes you want to keep listening.
"I wish we could go back and remember what we were fighting for and I wish you knew that I miss you too much to be mad anymore."
When I heard this one I didn't want to like it. Something about it came across wrong and I instantly wanted to write it off. That would have been tragic because I now really like it. It is far from my favorite but it also isn't at the bottom of my list. The chorus of this one is just so relatable and the music all the way through just makes you want to keep listening.
Bad Blood
"Bandaids don't fix bullet holes. You say sorry just for show."
This is the snarkiest we have seen Swift since Better Than Revenge and I love it. Everyone has had that friend that just burned them so bad that there was no going back. This is the song you are belting out and thinking of someone in your life. It just applies to everyone. Regardless of the controversy over this song it gets stuck in my head all day and I find myself singing it around campus and my apartment all of the time.
This is the snarkiest we have seen Swift since Better Than Revenge and I love it. Everyone has had that friend that just burned them so bad that there was no going back. This is the song you are belting out and thinking of someone in your life. It just applies to everyone. Regardless of the controversy over this song it gets stuck in my head all day and I find myself singing it around campus and my apartment all of the time.
Wildest Dreams
"Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset, babe."
The entire feeling of this song just shots it straight to the top of my list. I only had to hear the beginning to know that the vibes of this song were so up my ally. I know it has gotten a lot of comparisons to Lana (whom I adore) but I don't hear it as being similar to anyone else, so much as I see it being Swift in a softer light. This entire album just has such an original sound in my mind that I can't compare it to other artists. The lyrics in this song are a lot more mature then Swift's past material and I love that her music has never failed to age with her. I am 21 and have grown through her albums with her. This song fills a hole I needed to be filled with this album.
The entire feeling of this song just shots it straight to the top of my list. I only had to hear the beginning to know that the vibes of this song were so up my ally. I know it has gotten a lot of comparisons to Lana (whom I adore) but I don't hear it as being similar to anyone else, so much as I see it being Swift in a softer light. This entire album just has such an original sound in my mind that I can't compare it to other artists. The lyrics in this song are a lot more mature then Swift's past material and I love that her music has never failed to age with her. I am 21 and have grown through her albums with her. This song fills a hole I needed to be filled with this album.
How You Get The Girl
"Remind her how it used to be. Pictures in frames, of kisses on checks."
This is my least favorite song on the album. It is catchy and I listen to it when it comes on but I do not ever select this song to start of my 1989 playlist jam session. It supposedly isn't a song about her personal experiences. Maybe thats why I don't connect? I always seem to connect most with the songs about HER experience with love. I don't know. It is catchy. I like it enough, it just isn't my favorite.
"Remind her how it used to be. Pictures in frames, of kisses on checks."
This is my least favorite song on the album. It is catchy and I listen to it when it comes on but I do not ever select this song to start of my 1989 playlist jam session. It supposedly isn't a song about her personal experiences. Maybe thats why I don't connect? I always seem to connect most with the songs about HER experience with love. I don't know. It is catchy. I like it enough, it just isn't my favorite.
This Love
"When you're young, you just run but you come back... to what you need."
I have listened to this song in the shower and as I lay in bed countless times. It is the ballad of the album and the concept of "if you love someone let them go and if they love you they will come back to you" built into this song is so moving. I would love to hear her sing this live, alone on stage. Just her and her voice (okay and maybe a piano, I'm always a sucker for Swift and a piano). I know that this song doesn't have the driving beat that some of the other tracks have but I find it even easier to listen to than the "hits" on the album. I simply adore it.
I have listened to this song in the shower and as I lay in bed countless times. It is the ballad of the album and the concept of "if you love someone let them go and if they love you they will come back to you" built into this song is so moving. I would love to hear her sing this live, alone on stage. Just her and her voice (okay and maybe a piano, I'm always a sucker for Swift and a piano). I know that this song doesn't have the driving beat that some of the other tracks have but I find it even easier to listen to than the "hits" on the album. I simply adore it.
I Know Places
"Loose lips sink ships all the damn time, not this time."
From that first note on the piano you know that this dark and edgy sound is going to lead to an amazing song. The writing in this is so clever and the music complements the lyrics perfectly. The storyline here is something so many people experience. There is always that relationship you are trying to make successful while people on the outside are trying to make it fail. I have faith that Taylor truly does know places to hide from those people and all of their harmful words (even if it is just in this song).
"Loose lips sink ships all the damn time, not this time."
From that first note on the piano you know that this dark and edgy sound is going to lead to an amazing song. The writing in this is so clever and the music complements the lyrics perfectly. The storyline here is something so many people experience. There is always that relationship you are trying to make successful while people on the outside are trying to make it fail. I have faith that Taylor truly does know places to hide from those people and all of their harmful words (even if it is just in this song).
Clean
"The water filled me lungs, I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing."
In an interview Taylor said that if her fans could only remember one song off this album that it would be Clean. I completely agree. This songs makes me so emotional. It is just so universal and you can hear how personal it was to her. I love it and it is the ultimate "break up acceptance" song. She really does have a song for ever emotion doesn't she?? This one was definitely a wonderful addition to the spectrum of emotions that her albums cover. The lyrics have to be one of the most gorgeous ever written (not just by Swift but in music period).
Bonus Tracks
Wonderland
"You search the world for something else to make you feel like what we had and in the end in wonderland we both went mad."
This is my favorite bonus track. If I think any of them should have been a part of the main album then this would be it (maybe replacing, say, How You Get The Girl?) hands down. I play this song so much and have actually spent a 45 minute drive only listening to it. It seems like a song Swift should have had on an album long before this and the concept is so true to love.
You Are In Love
"You can hear it in the silence. You can feel it on the way home. You can see it with the lights out."
This is widely known as Lena Dunham's future wedding song. Swift wrote it with Lena's boyfriend Jack Antonoff (whom also wrote Out Of The Woods with Swift). I love hearing this song late at night, driving under the stars. It is such a soothing ballad and the specific details in it make it feel so relatable (its funny how songs always feel more personal to you when they are personal to the artist). This one isn't at the top or bottom of my list. I have nothing bad to say about it.
New Romantics
"Cause baby I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me."
There is a large following of fans who believe that this song should have been on the actual album. I really enjoy this song and it is definitely an anthem made for belting out with the windows down while you drive. The problem with this is that 1989 already had an anthem in Shake It Off. You can only have one anthem. I think she chose right with SIO because it is much more relatable to all ages. This song is perfect for those people in their early twenties who are having to find a new way to experience dating and finding love.
Voice Memos
These were a great idea on Taylor's part. Everyone always wants to know how she writes songs and these provide such a great "behind the scenes" look at her process. She included three different methods of her song writing and introduces each clip depicting how the writing took place.
I Know Places. I Wish You Would. Blank Space.
Every physical copy also came with one of five packs of polaroids. Each pack contained 13 (DUH) personal polaroids from Swift (I pictured a handful above) with lyrics from the 1989 songs. It is such a sweet touch and a great marketing strategy to get more people out to buy the physical album. I personally purchased the digital version on iTunes (well preordered it) and downloaded it at midnight but I also went to Target later that day and purchased a physical copy. If you are going to buy the physical cd then I think it is definitely worth getting the deluxe version, which is only available at Target.
Have you purchased Taylor's newest album? What is your favorite song from 1989? What's your favorite Taylor song of all time? Let me know in the comments :)
***Polaroid pictures are all taken from Tumblr. The only pictures that I took in this post were of the album itself.
"The water filled me lungs, I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing."
In an interview Taylor said that if her fans could only remember one song off this album that it would be Clean. I completely agree. This songs makes me so emotional. It is just so universal and you can hear how personal it was to her. I love it and it is the ultimate "break up acceptance" song. She really does have a song for ever emotion doesn't she?? This one was definitely a wonderful addition to the spectrum of emotions that her albums cover. The lyrics have to be one of the most gorgeous ever written (not just by Swift but in music period).
Bonus Tracks
Wonderland
"You search the world for something else to make you feel like what we had and in the end in wonderland we both went mad."
This is my favorite bonus track. If I think any of them should have been a part of the main album then this would be it (maybe replacing, say, How You Get The Girl?) hands down. I play this song so much and have actually spent a 45 minute drive only listening to it. It seems like a song Swift should have had on an album long before this and the concept is so true to love.
You Are In Love
"You can hear it in the silence. You can feel it on the way home. You can see it with the lights out."
This is widely known as Lena Dunham's future wedding song. Swift wrote it with Lena's boyfriend Jack Antonoff (whom also wrote Out Of The Woods with Swift). I love hearing this song late at night, driving under the stars. It is such a soothing ballad and the specific details in it make it feel so relatable (its funny how songs always feel more personal to you when they are personal to the artist). This one isn't at the top or bottom of my list. I have nothing bad to say about it.
New Romantics
"Cause baby I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me."
There is a large following of fans who believe that this song should have been on the actual album. I really enjoy this song and it is definitely an anthem made for belting out with the windows down while you drive. The problem with this is that 1989 already had an anthem in Shake It Off. You can only have one anthem. I think she chose right with SIO because it is much more relatable to all ages. This song is perfect for those people in their early twenties who are having to find a new way to experience dating and finding love.
Voice Memos
These were a great idea on Taylor's part. Everyone always wants to know how she writes songs and these provide such a great "behind the scenes" look at her process. She included three different methods of her song writing and introduces each clip depicting how the writing took place.
I Know Places. I Wish You Would. Blank Space.
Every physical copy also came with one of five packs of polaroids. Each pack contained 13 (DUH) personal polaroids from Swift (I pictured a handful above) with lyrics from the 1989 songs. It is such a sweet touch and a great marketing strategy to get more people out to buy the physical album. I personally purchased the digital version on iTunes (well preordered it) and downloaded it at midnight but I also went to Target later that day and purchased a physical copy. If you are going to buy the physical cd then I think it is definitely worth getting the deluxe version, which is only available at Target.
Have you purchased Taylor's newest album? What is your favorite song from 1989? What's your favorite Taylor song of all time? Let me know in the comments :)
***Polaroid pictures are all taken from Tumblr. The only pictures that I took in this post were of the album itself.
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