"Shake It Off" is the sixth track and lead single from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, released on August 18, 2014, through Big Machine Records. It is also the sixth track from Swift's fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), released on October 27, 2023, through Republic Records.
Background[]
The songs lyrics are in response to Swift's haters. Swift said on her official Youtube channel that, "I've learned a pretty tough lesson that people can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that. The only thing we can control is our reaction to that."
During a Rolling Stone interview Swift said "I've had every part of my life dissected — my choices, my actions, my words, my body, my style, my music. When you live your life under that kind of scrutiny, you can either let it break you, or you can get really good at dodging punches. And when one lands, you know how to deal with it. And I guess the way that I deal with it is to shake it off."[1]
Music video[]
The music video for "Shake It Off" has over 3 billion views, and features Taylor looking out of place during different types of dance performances. The moral of the video is to show that everyone should be happy in their own individual ways, and embrace their differences.
On August 18, 2014, the music video was uploaded to Taylor Swift's official YouTube channel. "Shake It Off" also became available for digital download since then.
Summary[]
The video opens up with ballerinas warming up on a beam, and Taylor seen out of place from the professionals. She is next seen with a group of breakdancers, posing with a boombox. The following scene is during a ballet performance, where in comparison to the professionals, Taylor is just having fun dancing. Taylor after is in a group with modern dancers. She looks extremely confused during the scene. She then messes around when dancing with animators, another type of dancer. She tries to finger tut with the professionals, but cannot figure out how. She is then in a group of twerkers. After this, she is singing with a band, having a great time. During the rap, Taylor is a cheerleader, being thrown in a basket toss in the air, and not being as coordinated as the others. The end of the video is a combination of the dancers from each scene and fans that Taylor invited to be a part of the music video. Everyone is dancing and having a great time, for a perfect ending!
Behind the scenes[]
Hidden message[]
Hidden message: She danced to forget him.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I stay out too late, got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, that's what people say
I go on too many dates, but I can't make them stay
At least that's what people say, that's what people say
[Pre-Chorus 1]
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright"
[Chorus]
'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
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers 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
I shake it off, I shake it off
[Verse 2]
I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don't see, that's what they don't see
I'm dancing on my own, I make the moves up as I go
And that's what they don't know, that's what they don't know
[Pre-Chorus 2]
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop grooving
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright"
[Chorus]
'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
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers 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
I shake it off, I shake it off
[Post-Chorus]
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
[Interlude]
Hey, hey, hey
Just think, while you've been getting down and out about the liars
And the dirty, dirty cheats of the world
You could've been getting down
To this sick beat
[Rap]
My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like, “Oh, my God”, but I'm just gonna shake
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over, baby?
We can shake, shake, shake
Yeah, oh, oh, oh
[Chorus]
'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
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers 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
I shake it off, I shake it off
[Post-Chorus]
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
[Spoken intro]
Haha, you want me to go?
[Verse 1]
I stay out too late, got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, that's what people say
I go on too many dates, but I can't make them stay
At least that's what people say, that's what people say
[Pre-Chorus 1]
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright"
[Chorus]
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, play
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, I shake it off
[Verse 2]
I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don't see, that's what they don't see
I'm dancing on my own, I make the rules up as I go
And that's what they don't know, that's what they don't know
[Pre-Chorus 2]
But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop grooving
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright"
[Chorus]
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, play
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
Fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, I shake it off
[Post-Chorus]
Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I, I, I, I, I
[Interlude]
So, while you've been getting all down about the liars
And the dirty, dirty cheats of the world
Just think, you could've been getting down
To this sick beat
[Rap]
My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like, "Oh, my God", but I'm just gonna shake, shake
To the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over, baby?
We can shake, shake, shake, shake
Yeah, oh, oh, oh
[Chorus: spoken]
Haters gonna hate
Heartbreakers gonna break
Fakers gonna fake, haha
And I'm just gonna shake
I shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break
Fake, fake, fake
I shake it off, I shake it off, I shake it off
I shake it off, I shake it off, yeah
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
The fake, the fake, and fake
Hey, hey, hey, I, I, I
I shake it off, I
Lyric video[]
Taymoji pack[]
 A-OK!  Toot your own horn.  Taylor is always cheering for you!  The first World Championship for individual rhythmic gymnastics was held in 1963 in Budapest.  These ancient musical devices played magnetized tapes called cassettes!  Picture perfect.  The highest rank for a female ballerina is Prima ballerina assoluta.  Go Team Swift!  Box |
Awards and nominations[]
"Shake It Off" received 9 awards from 18 nominations.
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | American Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Song | Nominated |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Hot 100 Song | Nominated | |
| Top Digital Song | Nominated | ||
| Top Streaming Song (Video) | Won | ||
| BMI Pop Awards | Award Winning Songs | Won | |
| Publisher of the Year | Won | ||
| Grammy Awards | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Pop Solo Performance | Nominated | ||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | Song of the Year | Won | |
| Los Premios 40 Principales | Best International Video | Nominated | |
| Myx Music Awards | Favorite International Video | Won | |
| Nashville Songwriters Association International Awards | "Ten Songs I Wish I'd Written" | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Song | Won | |
| Radio Disney Music Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Song to Dance To | Won | ||
| Rockbjörnen | Årets utländska låt (The year's foreign tune) | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Single by a Female Artist | Nominated |
Taylor's Version[]
A "Taylor's Version" of this song was hampered, along with the entire 1989 album due to a copyright lawsuit which was scheduled for a trial on January 17, 2023. However, on December 12, 2022, the lawsuit was dropped as both sides agreed to end the case without a final verdict, opening the possibilities of a Taylor's Version of this song, and the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version).
Trivia[]
- Taylor Swift recorded this song to ignore rumors, such as ones she had mentioned in the song's lyrics.
- Many people have misheard lyrics from this song, instead of "fakers gonna fake," people thought she sang, "bakers gonna bake."
- There was a Limited CD and DVD for the song.
- The lyric video for "Shake It Off (Taylor's Version)" uses the same visuals used for the song on the 1989 World Tour.
- In the 2016 film Sing, two pigs named Rosita and Gunther (played by Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll, respectively) sang Shake It Off.
- Some fans joke that Swift "stole" their outfits for the Reputation Stadium Tour[2].
References[]
| 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" | ||
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