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You are currently reading the article dedicated to the album 1989. You may have been looking for the re-recorded version, or the 1989 World Tour.

1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records.

Background[]

The inspiration behind this record, I was listening to a lot of late 80s pop ... I really loved the chances they were taking, how bold it was. It was apparently a time of limitless potential, the idea you could do what you want be what you want ... the idea of endless possibility was kind of a theme in the last two years of my life.

Legacy[]

1989's commercial success transformed Swift's image from a country singer-songwriter to a worldwide pop phenomenon.[1][2] The album was the second album to spawn five or more US top-10 singles in the 2010s decade,[3] and made Swift the second woman to have two albums each score five US top-10 hits.[4] Its singles received heavy rotation on US radio over a year and a half following its release, which Billboard described as "a kind of cultural omnipresence that's rare for a 2010s album".[5] The academic Shaun Cullen specializing in the humanities described Swift as a figure "at the cutting edge of postmillennial pop". According to the BBC's Neil Smith, 1989 "[forged] a path for artists who no longer wish to be ghettoised into separated musical genres".[6] The album's electronic-pop production expanded on Swift's next two studio albums, Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019), which solidified her status as a pop star.

Along with 1989's success, Swift's new image as a pop star became a subject of public scrutiny. While Swift supported feminism—her first time expressing her political opinions[7]—her public appearances with singers and fashion models whom the media called her "squad" gave the impression that she did so just to keep her name afloat in news headlines. Kristy Fairclough, a professor in popular culture and film, commented, "Her shifting aesthetic and allegiances appear confusing in an overall narrative that presents Taylor Swift as the centre of the cultural universe." Swift's disputes with several celebrities, most notably rapper Kanye West, diminished her sense of authenticity that she had maintained. Their so-called feud emerged again when West released his 2016 single "Famous", in which West incorporates a lyric referencing Swift. West claimed that he had asked for Swift's approval, which she objected to.[8] Swift announced a prolonged hiatus following the 1989 World Tour because "people might need a break from [her]". Her follow-up album Reputation (2017) was influenced in part by this tumultuous affair with the media.[9]

Retrospective reviews from GQ's Jay Willis,[10] New York's Sasha Geffen,[11] and NME 's Hannah Mylrea lauded the album's avoidance of contemporaneous hip hop and R&B crossover trends, which made 1989 a timeless album representing the best of Swift's talents. Mylrea praised it as Swift's best record and described it as an influence for younger musicians to embrace "pure pop", contributing to a growing trend of nostalgic 1980s-styled sound.[12] Geffen also attributed the album's success to its lyrics offering emotional engagement that is uncommon in pop.[11] Contemporary artists who cited 1989 as an influence included American singer-songwriter Conan Gray[13] and British pop band the Vamps, who took inspiration from 1989 while composing their album Wake Up (2015).[14] Jennifer Kaytin Robinson cited 1989 as an inspiration for her 2019 directorial debut, Someone Great.[15] American rock singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released his track-by-track cover album of 1989 in September 2015. Finding it a "joyful" record, he listened to the album frequently to cope with his broken marriage in late 2014.[16] On his rendition, Adams incorporated acoustic instruments which contrast with the original's electronic production.[17][18] Swift was delighted with Adams' cover, saying to him, "What you did with my album was like actors changing emphasis."[19]

Prologue[]

The prologue was included in the album booklet.

"These songs were once about my life. They are now about yours."

I was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989.

In the world we live in, much is said about when we are born and when we die. Our birthday is celebrated every year to commemorate the very instant we came into the world. And a funeral is held to mark the day we leave it. But lately I've been wondering... what can be said of all the moments in between our birth and our death? The moments when we are reborn...

The debate over whether people change is an interesting one for me to observe because it seems like all I ever do is change. All I ever do is learn from my mistakes so I don't make the same ones again. Then I make new ones. I know people can change because it happens to me little by little every day. Every day I wake up as someone slightly new. Isn't it wild and intriguing and beautiful to think that every day we are new?

For the last few years, I've woken up every day not wanting, but needing to write a new style of music. I needed to change the way I told my stories and the way they sounded. I listened to a lot of music from the decade in which I was born and I listened to my intuition that it was a good thing to follow this gut feeling. I was also writing a different storyline than I'd ever told you before.

I wrote about moving to the loudest and brightest city in the world, the city I had always been overwhelmed by... until now. I think you have to know who you are and what you want in order to take on New York and all its blaring truth. I wrote about the thrill I got when I finally learned that love, to some extent, is just a game of cat and mouse. I wrote about looking back on a lost love and understanding that nothing good comes without loss and hardship and constant struggle. There is no "riding off into the sunset," like I used to imagine. We are never out of the woods, because we are always going to be fighting for something. I wrote about love that comes back to you just when you thought it was lost forever, and how some feelings never go out of style. I wrote about an important lesson I learned recently... that people can say whatever they want about me, but they can't make me lose my mind. I've learned how to shake things off.

I've told you my stories for years now. Some have been about coming of age. Some have been about coming undone. This is a story about coming into your own, and as a result... coming alive.

I hope you know that you've given me the courage to change. I hope you know that who you are is who you choose to be, and that whispers behind your back don't define you. You are the only person who gets to decide what you will be remembered for.

From the girl who said she would never cut her hair or move to New York or find happiness in a world where she is not in love...

Love, Taylor

Singles[]

Promotional singles[]

Track listing[]

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Welcome To New York"Taylor Swift • Ryan TedderSwift • Tedder • Noel Zancanella3:32
2."Blank Space"Swift • Max Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback3:51
3."Style"Swift • Martin • Shellback • Ali PayamiMartin • Shellback • Payami3:51
4."Out Of The Woods"Swift • Jack AntonoffSwift • Antonoff • Martin3:55
5."All You Had To Do Was Stay"Swift • MartinMartin • Shellback • Mattman & Robin3:13
6."Shake It Off"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback3:39
7."I Wish You Would"Swift • AntonoffSwift • Antonoff • Martin • Greg Kurstin3:27
8."Bad Blood"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback3:31
9."Wildest Dreams"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback3:40
10."How You Get The Girl"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback4:07
11."This Love"SwiftSwift • Nathan Chapman4:10
12."I Know Places"Swift • TedderSwift • Tedder • Zancanella3:15
13."Clean"Swift • Imogen HeapSwift • Heap4:30
Total length:48:41
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Wonderland"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback4:05
15."You Are In Love"Swift • AntonoffSwift • Antonoff4:27
16."New Romantics"Swift • Martin • ShellbackMartin • Shellback3:50
17."I Know Places" (voice memo)Swift • TedderSwift3:36
18."I Wish You Would" (voice memo)Swift • AntonoffSwift1:47
19."Blank Space" (voice memo)Swift • Martin • ShellbackSwift2:11
Total length:1:08:37

Outtakes[]

Spotify streams[]

Standard edition
No. Song Streams
1. Welcome To New York 257,188,668
2. Blank Space 1,941,059,331
3. Style 1,297,524,055
4. Out Of The Woods 332,232,824
5. All You Had To Do Was Stay 223,871,949
6. Shake It Off 1,507,090,865
7. I Wish You Would 155,214,184
8. Bad Blood 633,313,666
9. Wildest Dreams 1,011,470,748
10. How You Get The Girl 174,433,281
11. This Love 110,539,782
12. I Know Places 136,605,417
13. Clean 199,562,676
Deluxe edition
No. Song Streams
14. Wonderland 153,028,898
15. You Are In Love 146,297,251
16. New Romantics 290,055,347
17. I Know Places - Voice Memo 6,038,914
18. I Wish You Would - Voice Memo 4,618,925
19. Blank Space - Voice Memo 4,909,086
* Total streams 8,585,055,867

No. Song Streams
1. Blank Space 1,941,059,331
2. Shake It Off 1,507,090,865
3. Style 1,297,524,055
4. Wildest Dreams 1,011,470,748
5. Bad Blood 633,313,666
6. Out Of The Woods 332,232,824
7. New Romantics 290,055,347
8. Welcome To New York 257,188,668
9. All You Had To Do Was Stay 223,871,949
10. Clean 199,562,676
11. How You Get The Girl 174,433,281
12. I Wish You Would 155,214,184
13. Wonderland 153,028,898
14. You Are In Love 146,297,251
15. I Know Places 136,605,417
16. This Love 110,539,782
17. I Know Places - Voice Memo 6,038,914
18. Blank Space - Voice Memo 4,909,086
19. I Wish You Would - Voice Memo 4,618,925

Last Update: November 4, 2024

Booklet[]

Physical booklet[]

Digital booklet[]

Photoshoot[]

Main article: 1989 photoshoot

Hidden messages[]

  • "Welcome To New York": We begin our story in New York.
  • "Blank Space": There once was a girl known by everyone and no one.
  • "Style": Her heart belonged to someone who couldn’t stay.
  • "Out Of The Woods": They loved each other recklessly.
  • "All You Had To Do Was Stay": They paid the price.
  • "Shake It Off": She danced to forget him.
  • "I Wish You Would": He drove past her street each night.
  • "Bad Blood": She made friends and enemies.
  • "Wildest Dreams": He only saw her in his dreams.
  • "How You Get The Girl": Then one day he came back.
  • "This Love": Timing is a funny thing.
  • "I Know Places": And everyone was watching.
  • "Clean": She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow, that was everything.

Trivia[]

  • On certain international versions of the Deluxe CD, the 3 voice memos and "You Are In Love" are absent from the track list and the disc itself. It is unknown if this was intentional, or if it was a misprint.
  • On the digital deluxe version that has been released internationally, the 3 voice memos are unavailable/blocked in some countries. The reason for this is unknown.
  • For years, it has been rumored that 100-150 songs were written for the album, although this has never been confirmed and is very likely false.
  • Due to a glitch that occurred on iTunes in Canada on October 21, 2014, "Track 3" (eventually revealed to be "Style") was released by accident. However, it didn't feature the actual song itself, but rather 8 seconds of static noise. So many fans bought the track that it hit number one on the Canadian iTunes chart.[20]
  • If you add up the numbers of Swift's birth date (12/13/1989), you get 2014, which is the year the album was released.

References[]

  1. Dickey, Jack (November 13, 2014). "The Power of Taylor Swift". Time. https://time.com/3583129/power-of-taylor-swift-cover/.
  2. Hertweck, Nate (January 18, 2018). "Taylor Swift, '1989': For The Record". The Recording Academy. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/taylor-swift-1989-record-1.
  3. Anderson, Trevor (October 30, 2015). "From Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to Taylor Swift's '1989': Albums with Five Top 10 Hot 100 Hits". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/photos/6746003/albums-with-five-top-10-hot-100-hits-taylor-swift-michael-jackson-madonna-whitney-houston-more.
  4. Anderson, Trevor (August 18, 2020). "Juice WRLD's 'Legends Never Die' & The 27 Other Albums With Five or More Top 10 Hot 100 Hits". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/photos/6738611/albums-five-top-10-hot-100-hits.
  5. Unterberger, Andrew (July 6, 2018). "While You Weren't Looking, Taylor Swift Scored Her Biggest 'Reputation' Radio Hit". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8464159/taylor-swift-delicate-reputation-biggest-radio-hit.
  6. Smith, Neil (2015-06-22). "Five ways Taylor Swift is changing the world". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33222489.
  7. Hoby, Hermione (August 23, 2014). "Taylor Swift: 'Sexy? Not on my radar'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/23/taylor-swift-shake-it-off.
  8. Snapes, Laura (August 24, 2019). "Taylor Swift: 'I was literally about to break'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-pop-music-hunger-games-gladiators.
  9. Hiatt, Brian (2019-09-30). "9 Taylor Swift Moments That Didn't Fit in Our Cover Story". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-moments-that-couldnt-fit-in-our-cover-story-890700/.
  10. Willis, Jay (October 25, 2019). "Taylor Swift's 1989 Perfected the Pop Crossover Album". https://www.gq.com/story/taylor-swift-1989-perfected-the-pop-crossover-album.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Geffen, Sasha (November 10, 2017). "Revisiting Taylor Swift's '1989' Album". New York Magazine. https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/revisiting-taylor-swifts-album-1989.html.
  12. Mylrea, Hannah (July 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift: every single album ranked and rated". NME. https://www.nme.com/features/taylor-swift-best-albums-ranked-in-order-2712330.
  13. Welby, Augustus (April 14, 2020). "Conan Gray: 'I always write about things that make me feel uncomfortable'". https://dontboreus.thebrag.com/conan-gray-kid-krow-interview/.
  14. Akingbade, Tobi (March 2, 2019). "The Vamps reveal they really want to work with Taylor Swift again: 'She revolutionised music'" (in en). https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/02/vamps-reveal-really-want-work-taylor-swift-revolutionised-music-8794540/.
  15. Hughes, Hilary (August 25, 2019). "Taylor Swift Calls Rom-Com Inspiration Behind 'Lover' Song the 'Most Meta Thing That's Ever Happened to Me'". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8528260/taylor-swift-Death-By-a-Thousand-Cuts-Netflix-movie-Someone-Great.
  16. O'Donnell, Kevin (September 21, 2015). "Ryan Adams 1989 interview: Indie icon opens up about covering Taylor Swift's smash album". Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/article/2015/09/21/ryan-adams-1989-interview/.
  17. Zaleski, Annie (September 21, 2015). "Ryan Adams transforms Taylor Swift's 1989 into a melancholy masterpiece". The A.V. Club. https://music.avclub.com/ryan-adams-transforms-taylor-swift-s-1989-into-a-melanc-1798184927.
  18. Winograd, Jeremy (October 21, 2015). "Review: Ryan Adams, 1989". Slant Magazine. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/ryan-adams-1989/.
  19. Hendicott, James (October 19, 2015). "Taylor Swift tells Ryan Adams 'what you did with my album was like actors changing emphasis' – watch". NME. https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-80-1206852.
  20. O'Neil, Lorena (October 22, 2014). "Taylor Swift Tops Canadian iTunes Chart With Eight Seconds of White Noise". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-tops-canadian-itunes-chart-eight-seconds-white-noise-6289411/.
1989
"Welcome To New York" • "Blank Space" • "Style" • "Out Of The Woods" • "All You Had To Do Was Stay" • "Shake It Off" • "I Wish You Would" • "Bad Blood" • "Wildest Dreams" • "How You Get The Girl" • "This Love" • "I Know Places" • "Clean"
Deluxe Edition
"Wonderland" • "You Are In Love" • "New Romantics" • "I Know Places - Voice Memo" • "I Wish You Would - Voice Memo" • "Blank Space - Voice Memo"
Taylor's Version
"Slut!" • "Say Don't Go" • "Now That We Don't Talk" • "Suburban Legends" • "Is It Over Now?"
Taylor's Version Deluxe Edition
"Bad Blood" (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Taylor's Version Deluxe+ Edition
"Slut!" (acoustic version)
Tangerine Edition
"Sweeter Than Fiction"
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