Taylor Swift Week: 1989 and Reputation

1989 and Reputation are two of the biggest albums by Taylor Swift, 

having ground-breaking songs like Shake It Off and …Ready For It? While she’s on her journey to make all of her albums Taylor’s Version, she has only gotten to 1989.  Her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl, is coming out this Friday, October 3rd. Now, let’s break down the albums, shall we? 

1989 (Taylor’s Version)

Welcome To New York

Welcome To New York is a very lively song. The song is 3 minutes and 30 seconds of stimulating beats. The beats and hand claps give it a creative approach. The synth and electric piano are also a very amazing choice. It serves as a intro to her then new era, 1989. It talked about inclusiveness, and talked about New York being a place full of opportunity. 

Blank Space

Blank Space is one of the more known, popular songs on the album. The drumbeat at the start is just legendary. Blank Space became so popular that you would hear it everywhere, that time being one of the very many heights of her career. The catchy beat differs to the deep lyrics talking about playing with boys’ hearts and being the girlboss that she is. Overall, such a good song and a musical masterpiece. 

Style

Style has always been my favorite song in 1989. It’s such a beautiful song. It just is an overall catchy song. The synth and electric beat in the background combined with the reverb in her already strong vocals makes it even more of a powerful song. I feel that many Taylor fans like this song, and never really hate it unless they have some sort of past with it. As the lyrics say, this song never goes out of style. 

Out Of The Woods

The chanting at the start of this song is just genius. It grabs the listener’s attention, wanting them to hear more and hear the rest of the song and what Taylor has to say. She talks about her accident while on a snowmobile with one of her exes. She says,  “Last December, we were built to fall apart…” She talks about how her ex loved her, despite the accident, despite everything that happened. 

All You Had To Do Was Stay 

This song is not one of my favorites, but still a good song on the album. It talks about another of her ex doing many not-so-great things to her, but despite it all, she says that he could still stay and apologize. This shows the type of person she is, and shows how forgiving she is.

Shake It Off

One of the most famous songs, if not the most famous song, on the entire album. Almost everyone has probably heard this song, it still being relevant to this day. It talks about what people say, and how she feels. In response to all the negativity shot at her, she shakes it off. She says, “Heart breakers gonna break/break/break/break/break/And the fakers gonna fake/fake/fake/fake/fake/Baby, I’m just gonna shake/shake/shake/shake/shake” Showing that despite people being being, well, people, she’s gonna keep being herself. 

I Wish You Would

I don’t care for this song either. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it doesn’t capture my opinion much. I still like how she illustrates her ex thinking that she’s mad at him, but she truly wasn’t. In fact, she actually wanted him to come back and yearned for him. Overall, a good song. 

Bad Blood 

This song is just amazing. Her isolated vocals at the start, then the drumbeat coming in. Truly genius. She talks about her ex cheating on her and going behind her back, despite her thinking that she had a good relationship. She talks about how she wished that her ex hadn’t cheated, because what they had was good. 

Wildest Dreams

To me, Wildest Dreams gives weddings in the best way possible. To me, it would be a perfect first dance song. It’s just so beautiful. She talks about she and who she’s dating getting away from everyone else. It sort of sounds like a dream or fantasy, too. Like she’s hoping for it to happen. Reasonably so! Who wouldn’t want to get away with your loved one away from everyone else??? I know I would! 

How You Get The Girl 

In this song, she paints a narrative for guys who listen to this song on how to pick up girls, and paints a story between this guy and a girl. But instead of using names and talking in 3rd Person, she talks in 2nd Person, as if instructing a guy how to get a girl to date him. It’s one of the more creative songs that I’ve ever heard, not hearing many songs instruct a person to do something like that. 

This Love

In this song, she talks about how she meets a guy, but he ends up leaving and how that crushes her. She hints at Wildest Dreams, saying, “In silent screams/In wildest dreams/I never dreamed of this.” You’ve probably heard this song before if you’re on any social media platform, especially the “This love is good, this love is bad/This love is alive, back from the dead, oh-oh-oh” This song is a very iconic song, too. 

I Know Places

Apparently, Taylor wrote this song after fantazing about a relationship with someone whom she met who she thought was awesome. The person said that they were worried about the attention that she gets, especially with all the paparazzi and all. That’s why Taylor says, “I know places.” According to the interview, she said, “Hey, I know places we can hide. We could outrun them.” Them, of course, being the paparazzi and her crazy fans! Also, apparently, this song was about Harry Styles! I’m sure they got noticed a bunch while dating! 

Clean

Taylor Swift considers this to be one of her most meaningful songs. She had this realization while in London, causing her to write this song. It uses metaphors of addiction to talk about getting over a break up. Addictions are hard to get over, and seemingly, so was this break up, to her.  It’s a very poetic song, which is what I love about it.

Wonderland

Wonderland is based of Alice in Wonderland, one of Lewis Carroll’s famous originals. It’s a metaphor for falling into a chaotic, crazy love affair.  The lyrics describe a relationship that draws the singer in, driven by curiosity. It slowly becomes out of control, and both partners feel that they have gone mad. Overall, I love this song. I love Alice in Wonderland, and this song just made me happy to see. 

You Are In Love

Taylor Swift wrote this song about her two friends, actress Lena Dunham and musician Jack Antonoff. She co-wrote the song aside Jack Antonoff, commentating on their love story, capturing how simple and authentic it is, and how natural they hit it off. Because of how beautiful it is, Dunham said that she may even use it for her future wedding. The song overall is just a sweet song, and is a good song.

New Romantics

New Romantics is about finding beauty and strength in heartbreak and imperfections. The song embraces youth and references the 1980s New Romantic Pop Movement. The whole album features 80s synth pop and group vocals, highlighting why it’s called 1989– because that was the era she was born in. I love New Romantics, it’s such a unique song. Uniquely Taylor, shall I say. 

Rundown of Reputation

Taylor starts the album with the vengeful, hard-sounding song …Ready For It? This album declares her old self dead, and that she is reborn. In …Ready For It? she talks about loving a guy, just talking about what she dreams about, and how she sees a future with him. End Game, which features Ed Sheeran and Future, talks about finding love, even after gossip is spread about who you are going for. In Ed Sheeran’s verse, he subtly hints at his proposal to Cherry Seaborn. In I Did Something Bad, Taylor adopts her villianous persona, expresses defiance, and lack of remorse for all of her actions. Delicate is about the vulnerable and uncertain stage of a new romance, particularly struggling with a “bad reputation” and the anxiety of of blossoming relationships. Look What You Made Me Do is about vengeance, betrayal, and her transformation in response to public media attacks and the feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashin. So It Goes… is about a powerful relationship with mutual attraction and shared vulnerability. It talks about where intense moments can be immediately followed by emotional distance and fear, creating a complex connection. Gorgeous describes the intoxicating feeling of falling for someone new when you’re already in a relationship. Getaway Car is a metaphor of a getaway car describing a relationship that serves as a temporary escape from a previous relationship, that eventually fails. King of My Heart is about a narrator finding a profound, stabilizing love that transforms from a “perfectly fine”, detached individual into a devoted “American queen” whose heart, body, and soul belong to her new lover. Dancing With Our Hands Tied is about the joy and sadness of a romantic relationship that is facing external pressure. Dress is about a sensual exploration of romantic and physical intimacy with a partner, expressing emotional connection, and desire, rather than just friendship. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things is about Taylor’s detractors and people who have tried to undermine her career, referencing her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Call It What You Want is about Taylor finding solace and joy in her relationship with Joe Alwyn admist drama and negative attention she faced in 2016. New Year’s Day is about cherishing quiet, intimate moments of enduring love and loyalty, focusing on the aftermath of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s party, rather than the celebration itself.