Country-turned-pop songwriter Taylor Swift unleashed another chart-topping album last week, following the success of single “Shake it Off” released this past August. “1989” is predicted to sell more than 1.25 million records in its first week, dethroning “Red” (2012), which sold around 1.2 million copies in its first week. The launch may well give Swift the title of most successful debuter in music history, with three albums debuting at more than a million sales.
And throughout it all, ever-savvy Swift proved she still knows how to sell an album, hosting listening parties for her fans in her own apartment and making the talk show circuit.
Unlike Swift’s previous albums, “1989” marked a notable turn away from country toward pop. Overall, the album feels very retro, inspired by Swift’s admiration of artists from her early years who favored less guitar and more synths and drum beats. This tone was set early, evident in “Shake it Off,” which is trumpet-heavy, and drum-heavy and definitely catchy.
And as a whole, the album is more sonically cohesive than “Red,” which would jump from the acoustic “Begin Again” to the dubstep-esque “I Knew You Were Trouble.” This may be due to the help of Swedish-producers Max Martin and Shellback, who previously collaborated with Swift on successful “Red” hits “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “22.” They returned to work with Swift for most her newest effort, along with producers Ryan Tedder, of One Republic, along with Jack Antonoff, of fun. and Bleachers.
Though Swift has changed her sound, her lyrics remain thematically consistent, still focusing on romantic relationships and personal life. Songs are in no particular order, however, intended to display not a narrative but changes in sound.
“Welcome to New York” — one of the promotional singles for the album and its opening track — was written about Swift’s move to the Big Apple, marking a major change in the Nashville-native’s lifestyle. This song is one of the weakest on the album — purely because the chorus is repetitive in a way which detracts from the song’s general message. Nevertheless, the tune is catchy, and lines like, “It’s a new soundtrack/ I could dance to this beat forever,” exemplify Swift’s new style.
Elements of the “old Taylor” — the one who ruthlessly wrote cryptic lyrics about past boyfriends — remain visible in track “Blank Space,” which is acoustically characterized by drum beats similar to music by Swift’s pal Lorde but replete with the typically sarcastic retorts against challengers of her previous relationships (“Got a long list of ex-lovers/ They’ll tell you I’m insane,” Swift sings). “Blank Space” is the “Better Than Revenge” of “1989,” delivering a witty but direct message: don’t mess with me.
Familiar elements are less common than experimentation, though. “Wildest Dreams,” for instance, has a vibe similar to Lana Del Rey, with a rare echoing texture not often heard in today’s music. Most notably, this track layers Swift’s own heartbeat in the background of the song. It doesn’t get much more personal than that.
The guitar-heavy intro and hypnotic chorus of “How You Get the Girl” makes it the obvious “22” of “1989.” However, this track is one of the weakest on the album lyrically — offering no real advice on how to “get the girl,” and lacking any characteristic insight.
Swift redeems herself with “Clean,” the last track on the regular “1989” album, produced by singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. This track is lyrically-sound, describing Swift’s therapeutic release from the pains and stresses of the world — relationships, rumors, critics — and provides an apt conclusion for the album: “I think I am finally clean.”
The deluxe version of the album includes three bonus tracks and three songwriting voice memos, unique to Swift’s process. These tracks show the early stages of songwriting, from creating a tune or lyrics to one of the tracks that ended up on the album. These additions offer a unique perspective from Swift herself on how she crafts the catchy, defined tracks of “1989.”
Overall, the album pushes Swift’s limits — fully immersing her into the world of pop of which she had formerly only tested the waters. And even though her musical sound has changed, Swift’s down-to-earth lyrics and love of romance once again create one of the year’s fastest-selling albums.
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