Aug 16 2021
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5
Fuck it. I keep looking for reasons to not give this a five but I'm being an idiot. This is a great listen start to finish. Tons of hits and even when it slows down towards the end the songs still get to me. I unabashedly think this is a great album. In other words - I like a the juice.
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Nov 28 2021
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1
The album equivalent of the CW network- i can't fault anyone for enjoying it, but you'll never convince me it's good.
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Jun 26 2021
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5
Players gonna play and the haters gonna hate
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Jun 15 2021
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5
The quintessential pop album? Every other song is a damn hit, and even the ones that didn't dominate the radio and department store playlists are catchy as fuck. I would've had a rough time telling you when exactly these songs came out before I came back to this album, and that really just speaks to the timeless feel of this record. Hell yeah
Already Saved: Wildest Dreams
Saved After Listening: Blank Space, Style, Out Of The Woods
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Jan 13 2022
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5
Yup. I unapologetically love it. I didn’t realise it was a love letter to the new romantic movement of the 80s. I love it even more.
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Nov 09 2021
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1
This is pretty much everything I dislike about chart music and there was very little that could salvage it.
Also everything I've ever seen of her when she's not singing is that she's a bit of a cunt.
Shit music sung by a cunt, looks like a one way trip to one star-ville.
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Mar 01 2022
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5
Oh, so this is the Taylor Swift about whom I've heard so much from under the rock where I've been living.
I get it now!
Hella catchy but also sophisticated pop tunes. Good for the kids and their parents (and their parents' childless friends).
Love it!
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May 13 2021
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1
Seriously? I made it through 2/3 of the way. The lyrics are laughable and the music boring at best, and grating at worst.
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Mar 05 2022
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5
Bow down before your queen
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Nov 23 2021
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1
I've never knowingly listened to a Taylor Swift track, though I recognised a few from this. I found the whole experience utterly depressing. I will always champion something that's incompetent but ambitious versus competent mediocrity, and this falls squarely into the latter camp. I realise I'm not the target audience for this pabulum but someone thinks it's one of a thousand-odd albums I need to hear before croaking. I'm almost glad I did, because it'll make all the other colours brighter. Lyrics and production are terrible, but overall it's the fact that this just sounds so dead that makes me recoil. This feels like music that could be written, and performed, by AI. You could tell me that there wasn't a single trace of human endeavour to be found in 1989 and I would believe you.
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May 04 2021
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5
Awesome listen
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Oct 20 2021
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3
As far a contemporary pop goes, not bad. For pop, I’d rather look to artists like Grimes, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sophie, GFOTY, Charli XCX, and 100 Gecs, but I won’t complain if someone puts some T-Swizzle on.
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Sep 21 2021
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1
I don't know what it is about the sound of contemporary pop, but I just can't stand it. I fully realise I'm at the extreme minority corner, but that does not change my perceptions.
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May 12 2021
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5
I don’t care. It’s a damn good album.
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Jan 08 2023
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2
1980’s pop for people who weren’t alive or old enough to actually experience the 1980’s.
It’s reboot culture: “Hey, remember this thing from when we were kids, let’s remake it for the modern generation and squeeze a few more bucks out of it”. The United States is caught in a perpetual cycle of nostalgia and trend recycling, at least in mainstream culture. We’re constantly looking back, trying to relive the glory days, and who can blame us? Shit sucks right now.
But you know what?
The 1980’s kind of sucked, too. Politically, you can trace a lot of the problems we have today to the 80’s. Culturally, the 80’s was a decade of excess; all style and little substance in the mainstream. It’s an era superficiality, so it makes sense that pop music keeps getting sucked back to it.
Making a record that’s a throwback to a sound that’s already lacking depth makes for pretty thin soup, in my opinion.
I’m not saying that pop music and mainstream culture doesn’t have its merits, just that we put too much value on it. Were the 80’s great because of the films, tv and music we choose to remember or were they actually great? If you lived through them, you probably remember a lot stuff that really sucked - no one’s out there trying to make a Small Wonder reboot or Silver Spoons: The Movie and look how well trickle-down economics worked for the lower and middle classes.
I guess my point is that, if you only remember the “greatest hits” of a period time and disregard the low points and flops, you aren’t getting the full picture. You’re getting a romanticized version, and you’ll end up making the same mistakes as the people that lived through that time.
“1989” is exactly that: A superficial homage to a superficial decade. So in that regard, it succeeds. It gives people enough to feel like they missed out on something incredible in 1980’s, but in reality, on a cultural level, the 80’s were no greater or shittier than every decade that’s followed, except for, you know, this one. This one sucks.
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Jun 29 2021
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5
I already have this album added to my library, and what a fantastic album it is! The entire record is filled with pop hits that were very popular when it came out, and rightfully so. The songs are catchy, Taylor’s vocals are amazing, and the overall production is great! This album is so much fun and with so many hits, and basically no duds, it’s very hard to pick a favorite! I know Taylor Swift can be somewhat polarizing, but I don’t understand how anyone can listen to this album open-mindedly and genuinely believe that it’s bad. In fact, I would venture as far as to say this is an almost perfect pop album! 5/5
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May 10 2021
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5
Non-stop bops
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Sep 29 2023
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4
Haters gunna hate hate hate.
Great pop album, there’s a couple of brilliant singles on here.
One star wankers stay mad.
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Jul 20 2021
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1
Definition of all right. Incredibly sterile, offensively inoffensive, catchy but uninteresting production that rarely is fun. It feels so safe, while listening to this i felt like i was listening to an album of songs made for the sole purpose of getting some hits, it felt so calculated. No idea what this is doing on this list.
The two tracks i liked are Shake it off, which is a great and fun song with a (for this album) unique instrumental, and Clean, which was a great emotional pop song.
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Nov 04 2021
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2
Overproduced. Formulaic. Vapid lyrics. Catchy melodies though. Bit far from those country roots when she was playing bars in places like Kuna, Idaho. Unfortunately, I did catch myself bobbing my head a number of times. That's the only reason it gets two stars.
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Mar 01 2022
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5
I felt a little ancient the first time I realized that Taylor Swift named this album 1989 not just because it pays homage to 80s pop, but that it was also the year she was born. It's also funny because I know that I would have loved this album in the 80s even if I pretended I didn't think it was cool. Which is pretty much exactly how I secretly felt about Taylor Swift in the 2010s (secret except for that time I nailed "Look What You Made Me Do" at karaoke).
Although I've never listened to this album through before, so many of these songs are burned in my brain from listening so much. I've gotten a whole lot of joy listening, dancing, singing along, and de-stressing to "Shake it Off" in the car. This is my own musical tonic. There isn't a song on here that I don't enjoy.
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Sep 22 2021
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5
Fricking pop magic.
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Sep 27 2021
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5
I love this album giving it a five probably because I know all the songs but I just think they’re really fun I know it’s not that advanced but I just really love the album
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May 14 2021
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5
Packed full of pop hits. Only 2/13 tracks that I don't like.
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Nov 04 2021
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5
superbly crafted pop music.
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Sep 01 2021
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5
A favorite album. My biased opinion finds this album sublime, joyous, perfect. Even better in the DLX version.
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May 15 2021
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5
I will never not rate Taylor Swift 5/5! The day of got this album, some clowns had been speculating she would rerelease (or announce the date for) 1989, so it felt like a casually cruel twist of fate to get it.
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Jul 29 2021
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5
beautiful
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Nov 23 2021
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2
Swedish super-producer pop. It's fine, but I couldn't find anything distinctive about it.
I'd never listened to Taylor Swift before, but was expecting better based on reputation. I'm not sure if the generic production style hides some good song writing, or serves to disguise a lack of quality songs.
2/5
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Apr 26 2023
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2
Boring and clichéd. Only managed half of it as it was irritating me.
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Dec 08 2021
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5
No Taylor's Version yet :(
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Dec 12 2021
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5
Trying to find a reason to not give this 5 stars, and I can’t. Loved what she did with Folklore/Evermore and felt this album was the “safe” one for her but she did the genre better than most others. Every song here is a hit. Even the non radio singles are catchy as hell
Fave tracks: “Blank Space” “Out of the Woods” “Style” “Bad Blood”
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Nov 23 2021
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5
Every single song on this album is an absolute pop banger......are words I never thought I'd say about a Taylor Swift album..... but this album is great in a genre that has spawned WAP, to have a collection of songs as catchy, light hearted and positive as this is a rare treat
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Nov 02 2021
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5
Banging
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Sep 29 2021
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5
It's not my favourite album of hers (Red) but I can't deny it's packed with smash after smash, including Clean, maybe her best song.
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Nov 02 2021
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5
Blank Space, Shake It Off
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Oct 07 2021
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5
Taylor it’s cool sounding pop! Like it
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Nov 10 2021
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5
Not Taylor's best- but definitely a 10/10 and classic.
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Nov 01 2021
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5
Loved it
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Nov 23 2021
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5
This is one of my favorite albums of hers, especially the deluxe edition that has the song "You Are In Love" but I'll stick with the regular. There are so many great songs on here, Blank Space, Out of the Woods, Shake It Off, Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, How You Get the Girl, This Love...this was also her first pop album which was probably why it stuck so much with me. I wasn't as big a fan of country Taylor and when this album came out I fell in love with her pop side. This album is an easy four star, but I'm giving it five because it is very difficult for artists to change genres and she pulled it off.
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Nov 30 2022
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2
the most mid taylor swift album. this love and wildest dreams are timeless bops tho
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Dec 06 2023
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5
This was the first Taylor Swift album I listened to - in fact, the first time I heard more than just parts of her songs. I found the album very upbeat and enjoyable. The vocals were front and center, the primary instrument and audio focal point. The band was wonderfully supportive, upbeat, and energetic and worked to highlight and support the vocal tracks. I’m not a “Shiftie” after listening to one album, but I will be listening to more of her music.
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Oct 03 2023
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5
Perfect pop album with a cool 80’s inspired theme. Y’all can hate all you want, but Taylor can make solid albums ranging from country to synth-pop to stripped down acoustic. There is no denying her talent and influence and this album is definitely exemplary of that.
Aside from everything above, I think we need to also spend more time celebrating the women who make art (primarily) for other women. It’s something that gets belittled far too much and there is such beauty and importance to girls and women feeling heard and represented through contemporary artists.
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Mar 01 2022
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5
I was skeptical first - as I though it's too recent to be added to a best of list (it's basically what my daughter is listening to!).
But this album got me - the songs are really really catchy, positive (which most of the albums on this lack) but also really creative. Really a masterpiece.
And the synths are top notch. I see how she was inspired by the 80s synth songs.
In the hope this album stands the test of time - gave it 5 stars.
Highlights: Out Of The Woods, Shake It Off, You Are In Love
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Dec 17 2021
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5
I will listen to this album in shame all the time.
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Jan 01 2022
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5
I hadn't listened to 1989 in full before, but so many of the songs are familiar, those cornerstones of mid 2010s pop. It's a good album. It feels like Tay-Tay has a solid concept and thoroughly runs through it, her life as a young woman navigating both the life of a celeb and just surviving the dating world. The opening track "Welcome to New York" feels a little out of place because 1989 is not a New York album. But everything works. The best track is "Wildest Dreams", especially the pre-chorus. There's something so heartbreaking about the melancholic "Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress / Staring at the sunset, babe".
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Jul 10 2022
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5
Better than expected on a start-finish basis
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Jul 02 2022
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5
Pop Perfection. From a country singer none the less.
She consistently defies expectations and refuses to stay in her box.
The songwriting is as exceptional as ever and the jump in genres is effortless.
Its fun, confident, playful and forward thinking. The girl is brilliant and one of the best songwriters of our her generations.
One day she'll do a grime album. and that'll be great as well.
5/5
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Mar 23 2022
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5
Why would I give this a 5? Modern pop music sucks, right? Taylor Swift sucks too, right?
So what if those modern-twisted '80s inspired hooks are catchy? Most of the tracks so overplayed listening to it again hurts right?
And the moving atmospheric tracks such as "Out of the Woods" and "Wildest Dreams"? Erm... Not that good right? I mean Taylor is probably not the first one who did that.
Oh, and the second half are pretty boring already, huh? So what if those soft tracks are so goood? It ultimately drags the album...
I'm only rating this album a very little bit too high because nostalgia. Yes. Those nights with my kid siblings. Watching MTV. The smell of fried potatoes. The way pasta compliments the taste of softdrinks. Father going home from work. It's only nostalgia right? This album is overrated, so I would not give this a 5.
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Feb 09 2022
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5
History will probably put this pop album in the top Tier of the 21st century.
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Feb 04 2022
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5
The girl can write some catchy pop songs
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Jan 28 2022
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5
This a pop album done right. It's fun from beginning to end, full of catchy songs and refreshingly positive songs. I realized I had listened to a lot of these songs as covers (which sometimes I enjoyed more) so it was nice to listen to the originals.
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Jul 18 2021
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4
My first exposure to 1989 was the Ryan Adams cover. That colors my experience of this listen, the most underwhelming one so far: The songwriting here is incredibly strong. The production is flawless as well, though it sometimes comes across as overproduction. Never stale, to be fair, and the magic of the album is when the vocals and production and songwriting perfectly overlay one another for a few transcendent seconds. Those intervals have been different for me over the years. This time I paid more attention to Taylor's vocals as well, which have a good amount of diversity while staying signature.
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Jul 13 2024
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4
she Swift on my Taylor till I 1989
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Nov 01 2023
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2
#25. I want to preface this with the statement that I have never once listened to more than a few seconds of a Taylor Swift song. I did watch a video when I was drunk the other whenever of her and Alison Krauss doing karaoke of a Keith Whitley song, but I don't know how even a single one of her actual songs go. Honestly, I probably couldn't pick Taylor Swift out of a lineup if it was just me and her in the lineup. That being said, I do know who she is. She is a force of fucking nature, and is surely the most famous pop star of the last decade or so. So reasonably, I think, I expected some form of greatness going into this. But maybe you'll be as shocked as I was to find that the guys over at Spotify fucked up and accidentally put something else by this album cover entirely. Because what I listened to was not greatness. Taylor Swift sells out arenas. I'd be suprised if this could sell out a dark stage at the back of a dive bar. People pay $3000 to go see Taylor Swift. You'd be hard pressed to get $30 out of me to listen to that. People wore adult diapers so they wouldn't have to miss a single second of Taylor Swift's show. Honestly I'd rather shit my pants as an excuse to not listen to this anymore. If this is the Taylor Swift album that made this list, then surely it is her best one, yeah? And if thats the case, then surely someone at Spotify fucked up and accidentally put some other crap in place of the expected greatness on the Taylor Swift page, yeah?
Sarcasm aside, I didn't expect that I would like this very much anyway, and I was still disappointed. Except the one song which seemed to be about Starbucks lovers or something, most of the songs seem to be about her complaining about other people complaining about her, and I can't figure out for the life of me why that is supposed to be interesting. All these songs seem like they were manufactured in a lab to get the most radio play with the least amount of effort and thought. At first I thought how could this get that popular? But that's stupid, it's pretty obvious how. The more important question is not how, but why? But we probably don't have enough time to answer that kind of question here.
Of the two modern pop albums I've listened to on this playlist so far, I think the Lorde one is way better.
2/5: meh
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Apr 29 2023
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2
Trallvänligt men tråkigt
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Mar 05 2024
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2
Oh boy. I don’t think it really matters what I say about this. Because for some, it won’t be enough, and for others it will be too much. I can think of people I know personally who would not appreciate what I’m about to say. Even having this album still on the list is wild, considering the climate regarding her in the industry right now. You could maybe make the argument for this being the most polarizing album on the list altogether. People either absolutely love it, or can’t stand it. I honestly dreaded having to listen to this all the way through. I don’t want to force myself to listen to anything I’m not going to enjoy. But I pride myself in listening to every album all the way through. This album is massive. Straight up. There was at least five songs on here that I have heard multiple times in my life, almost always involuntarily though. And I’ll start by saying that Blank Space and Style are decent songs. More so the latter. But they are two of the many big hits this produced, so I would hope they are good. But truthfully everything else sort of blurs together for me. This is not a record I ever see myself putting back on. There is like a 0.5 percent chance of that ever happening, and I can’t even imagine what mood I would be in for that to happen. The way I see it is that when you have all of these amazing albums that exist in the same space as this, there isn’t any reason for me to give this my time. This divulges too much into modernized pop tropes that I am not a fan of, and I can’t force myself to like this. I fully respect Taylor’s hustle, because she has done her thing and I can’t bring her down considering the monumental and record breaking numbers she has achieved with her music. She’s bigger than I’ll ever be, but I do not consider myself a fan of her music. It’s nice to have this experience at least, because now no one can tell me I’m missing something.
Rating: 4/10
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Nov 27 2021
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1
6/10 for production
minus 2 for the laziest lyrics i’ve ever heard, you have to be a walking red flag (and a legitimate bad person) to have THAT many exes you need to shit on in every song
minus another 2 for every song sounding the same, oh wow THIS song has trumpets! and THIS song has acoustic guitar, how creative!
and minus another 2 for pure pettiness, I’ve had to listen to each and every one of these songs ad nauseam when this POS album was new
hearing this album put my body into a fight-or-flight response, I still get fucking PTSD flashbacks to that Norm of the North trailer
I would rather eat a literal dick the way Armin Meiwes would, than listen to this god forsaken album one more gd time
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Nov 12 2021
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1
I hate Taylor Swift. This did not change that. In fact, all it did was make me hate myself more for listening to it.
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Mar 05 2024
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1
Look, its inoffesnsive. Musically it has a drive, is formulaic and has a hook at the right time in the right place in each song. Lyrically, Swift articulates positivity and mut be doing something right to be the biggest selling artist in this day and age. She has caught the zeitgeist and I see her, culturally, as the ressurection of girl power in the way the Spice Girls originally were.
Do I get why she is a billionaire on the back of music like this? Not at all. The music is predictable and has no interest to me. Will I remember any of these songs in an hour? Absolutely not. In fact, I'm surprised I've no recollection of any of these songs even though - a few years back - I played a few times the Ryan Adams cover version of this whole album.
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Mar 05 2024
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1
not listening to this. I do not like taylor swift not giving her any of my time.
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Nov 09 2021
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1
Like Fearne Fotton screaming into pillow.
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Jul 02 2024
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5
song reco: style, wildest dreams, clean ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1989 is my favorite Taylor Swift album. One of her best albums.
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Jan 23 2024
View Author
5
Banger
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Jul 12 2023
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5
This album sorta raised me so i am biassed but i do know for a fact that this is one of the most influential and the best pop albums of the 2010s and my favourite album from Taylor swift new romantics is just to much of a banger to not give it 5 stars on its own let alone how u get the girl or out of the woods i love taylor swift so much and i knew prety much all of the words from this album whilst re-listening to it
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Dec 06 2023
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5
Listened to Taylors Version, it was honestly great.
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Aug 18 2022
View Author
5
sim, pop queen 2
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Jul 30 2022
View Author
5
Banger after banger
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Jan 22 2024
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5
I now understand Taylor Swift’s appeal to her fans, especially young women. She is easy to listen to and upbeat. I am a fan now.
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Jul 30 2022
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5
I've been a Swiftie for more than a decade now and have loved her evolution as an artist. 1989 represented a shift away from the country sounds from her earlier albums and was hinted at in Red. This is a direction I've absolutely loved as she matured as a songwriter.
I love this album. The songs are absolute bangers and Style is a top 5 maybe top 3 favourite song of mine from her work. Yeah Shake It Off is silly and stupid, but she always has a few of those on her albums. Every time I relisten to songs from this album I discover some small new thing.
Also, perhaps most important, I am the same age as Taylor so I really identify with her themes and topics that she explores in her songwriting. When this album came out, I could feel what she was going through in her life since I was going through similar things in my own life. I've always felt a very strong connection to her themes as she captures what it's like to be at that age.
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Jul 02 2024
View Author
5
STANDOUTS:
Blank Space
Style
Out of the Woods
All You Had To Do Was Stay
I Wish You Would
Wildest Dreams
How You Get The Girl
This Love
Clean
New Romantics
Is It Over Now?
OVERALL 5/5—my first 5!
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Jan 22 2024
View Author
5
Love it!
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Mar 01 2022
View Author
5
Has it been nearly 8 years since this was released? Amazing how time flies. Back then I was worried about Taylor Swift going full-on pop because I really loved her country songs. One listen to 1989 and my reservations were swept aside. Every song on this album won me over with infectious hooks galore!
I know people who are dismissive of Taylor Swift - but even if you don’t like her music you can’t deny her incredible talent. Transitioning from country to pop is a very challenging feat that a very small number of artists were ever able to pull off. Taylor did this while continuing to write most of her songs, kept her fans in the process, and dominated the music charts the whole time.
My love for this album is already obvious since I have had it in regular rotation for the last 8 years. I know haters gonna hate but there’s a special place in my life for Taylor and I’m very happy to see her on this list.
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Jul 25 2022
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5
Although I've been told this is a banger by numerous sources, I can now confirm that it is indeed a banger.
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Jul 13 2022
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5
This is the first album from this project that I've already listened to! I've been leaving notes to myself about each album just so I remember them better, but no need to do that for this album because I've already listened to it 100 times. This is an easy 5 stars. Part of me feels like I should give it 4 because there are definitely a few songs I listened to once and basically never again, and I actually hate the song Bad Blood lol. But there are so many highs on this album, and when it's good, it's so good, so I can't help but give it a 5. My favorite songs on this album are New Romantics, Shake it Off, and All You Had to Do Was Stay.
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Jul 08 2022
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5
How am I *not* giving this 5 stars?
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Jul 22 2022
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5
As insane as it sounds, I don’t think I’ve ever heard an entire song by Taylor Swift. I’m not of the demographic that usually likes her music, so I’ve never felt a need to try it. I know she has country influences, which also has put me off it. I’m cautiously optimistic for this album. It certainly has a upbeat start with the first track. It’s a very well put together pop album and I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. I also recognized the beginnings of a couple of songs. I also think how the album flows from uptempo to slower is very well done. And to top it all off, the homage to 80s pop is great and hits well with me, as I love 80s pop in particular. Fav Track: Blank Space
5/5
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Jul 20 2022
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5
The epitome of pop. That album that makes me want to go on a fun montage with my friends and not look back.
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Jun 16 2022
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5
Not my favorite Taylor album, but this is still full of good hits and quality cuts that don't get radio play. This feels like a 4 or 4.5 musically for me, and I didn't want to over rate it...but the songs I wasn't familiar with were so good, and that plus the importance of this shift in her sound and how she was percieved gives me enough reason to bring it to a 5.
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This album specifically makes me wish you would get certain connected albums in order...or at least within a semi-close timeframe so that listeners could better compare the evolution in an artist's sound. That would make me much more willing to get excited about some of the artists that have frequently appearances (looking at you bowie and costello).
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May 14 2022
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5
Sorry in advance you guys, but this album deserves a 5 in my eyes. As far as pop goes this is likely one of the least annoying or repetitive ones of the bunch and many of these songs were ones I grew up hearing during the peak of my childhood. Yes T Swizzle wrote them all about her exes, but they are catchy and not as bad as most pop songs. Also I hate her country vibe albums and this one is not that
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Apr 04 2022
View Author
5
I did get down to that sick beat
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Apr 13 2022
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5
Listened to on 4/12/22 5/5
Favorite song: This Love, Style
I knew all of this and loved every minute of it - absolute bangers
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Apr 04 2022
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5
Modern classic. Can’t deny t-swizzle’s a legend
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Mar 01 2022
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5
This album has quite a few singles, and I was familiar with them, but I had never listened to a T.Swift album before. The album marks the shift to full on pop, and it definitely does fit right into that genre. It is a good album.
I wasn't really awed by the album, because there wasn't anything there that I didn't expect, I guess. But it was very likable and easy to listen to.
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Jun 07 2022
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5
The key here is the nonsingles, as I think is the case with Taylor generally. Huge ups to Clean in this regard, interesting instruments on that one. Of course the singles themselves indicate a sonic shift for Taylor that is much more pop-centered, and a wide spread there. Probably a 4.5, but still deserving of a 5 for how prominent this album was during its release.
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Jul 03 2024
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5
1989 is an excellent album. It continued her shift from her country roots to pop music in its broadest sense. And she did it with tremendous success.
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Jan 21 2024
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5
Pure pop perfection. Even on songs I don't like (Bad Blood) I can really appreciate all the little production tricks that are hidden in the mix that add a lot to the song (also I just now noticed how empty sounding the first 2 choruses are on that song, so cool). Wildest Dream and I Wish You Would were big favorites, very well done catchy songs. Out of the Woods finally clicked with me after my 3rd listen and damn that song is good. So yeah, I think the 1 stars here are too harsh, this is a rare album to witness coming out
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Jun 13 2022
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5
Pure pop perfection. Every song is catchy and the production is spot on. I tried to fault it but found myself foot tapping and singing along to every track.
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Apr 13 2022
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5
An album with so many certifiable bangers. It’s so strong all the way through I just had to give it a 5
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Apr 16 2024
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5
I'm convinced that men who dislike Taylor Swift either have no music taste or are trying to overcompensate for something. Swift is indisputably a phenomenal singer, songwriter, and performer and while her music might not be everyone's favorite it's hard to deny the sheer number of bangers on this album. Out of curiosity I ran some numbers, and compared to The Beatles' own Abbey Road - the highest rated album on this website, Swift's 1989 pulls over FOUR BILLION more impressions (yes with a B). That is almost two and a half times the number of listens as Abbey Road, with five less songs, and an average 550 *million* listens per song. Hell, the least listened to song, This Love, has more impressions than 70% of Abbey Road.
I like the Beatles. I would say I like them more than T Swift on a regular day. That being said, this album is still a 5 due to the sheer number of bangers that permeate today's modern culture.
tl;dr Swift is good. She might not be your favorite, but you can't deny the good vibes.
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Mar 20 2024
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5
Not giving Scooter the streams. I've heard it a hundred times. Our girl doesn't miss.
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Feb 14 2024
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5
perfect POP record. If you check global reviews it’s either 5 or 1 . It’s clear that 1 are haters. So it proves that it’s a perfect pop album
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Jan 18 2024
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5
One of the first Taylor Swift albums that I thought “some of these songs are pretty good”
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Feb 14 2022
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5
One of my favourite Taylor Swift albums. I like the high tempo start and the slower finish.
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Feb 19 2022
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5
I’m a fan!
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Oct 22 2024
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5
First off, anyone rejecting this album outright, or arguing with its inclusion on a list of ONE THOUSAND AND ONE albums throughout popular music history, is being absurd. Taylor Swift has been the biggest pop star on the planet throughout the 2010’s and now 2020’s, to a point where she now transcends the industry itself (for better and for worse). If we’re talking about the last few years, she’s almost unmatched for cultural relevance… and “1989” helps to show us why.
Because secondly, this album is really, really great. While I respect-but-don’t-love Swift’s earlier country work, and her offerings from “Midnights” onwards have more-or-less lost me, to me “1989” will always be her ultimate statement. It helps that a cornerstone of its sound is 80’s synthpop, which I’ll always have time for: it’s Swift passing the point of no return from country, delivering a pop bible/manifesto/whatever you want to call it. She still had so much to prove, and as a result “1989” sounds hungry, rather than tired or bloated. It’s a crystalline snapshot of her life as a 24-year-old right as she reached a new pinnacle: jam-packed with drama, romance, and fun.
There are so many inescapable hits here, which should put paid to anyone who says Swift has “no classic songs”. If you aren’t convinced by the moment the beat crashes in during “Welcome to New York”, then try and argue with the singalong masterstroke of “Blank Space”, the fizzing euphoria of “Style”, or the wistful wonderland of “Wildest Dreams”. Even “Shake It Off” or “Bad Blood”, perhaps the most divisive songs here, still have the power to bring the coldest of feet to the dance floor, or the mildest of temperaments to revenge-fantasies.
So let’s unpack it: what makes these songs such seismic hits, and what makes them beloved by Swifties? A common answer is the diaristic lyrics, paired with the “I’m-your-best-friend-and-the-person-you-want-to-be-all-at-once” vocal performance. Every throwaway giggle, casual aside, audible eye-roll and verbalised pen-click is perfectly judged, bringing the listener inescapably into Swift’s inner sanctum. Her vocals are notoriously imperfect amongst her peers, and there’s a whole lotta belting here, but it really helps to sell the passion of the songs. Notice how many of these hooks emphasise a single note, pleading the cult of listeners to yell along in unison (see “Welcome to New York”, “Style”, “Out of the Woods”, “All You Had to Do Was Stay”). I’d normally criticise something for this, but here I accept it… because in truth, it just WORKS.
Then there’s the structure of the songs: as well as those all-important choruses, fans are known to make a huge deal over the bridges Swift adds to her music. I can totally buy into the hype in the case of “Out of the Woods” (picture-perfect lyrical detail, elevating the song to stratospheric heights) and the mounting tension through the middle of “Wildest Dreams”, like the crest of a wave.
And finally, the songs are dynamically, immaculately produced (thanks to pop wunderkind Max Martin and mainstay Jack Antonoff, who gets his first credits with Swift on “Out of the Woods” and “I Wish You Would”).
Even the songs that weren’t hits are essential parts of the album, not dragging it down but lifting it higher. I’ve always been partial to “How You Get the Girl” in particular, but “I Know Places” and “I Wish You Would” are also triumphant miniature-movies. And the ballads, far from being a snooze-fest, are some of my favourites on the album: “Wildest Dreams” is obviously a masterstroke, but praise also to “This Love” for subtly and airily asserting itself over multiple listens. The album ends with the very tasteful, cathartic, palate cleansing “Clean” (not the excellent bonus track “New Romantics”, or vault track #982 “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version)”). Bravo.
When “1989” came out, it’s fair to say I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. But ten years later, I was dancing to “Shake It Off” and bellowing all the words to “Style” at the Eras Tour. I finally realised that Taylor Swift is an unstoppable, undeniable cultural force: sooner or later, you’re going to see it too.
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Jan 21 2022
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5
bangers only
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Jan 19 2022
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5
I have to admit I will never stop loving this album...is anyone surprised? I have probably listened to it 100 times and it never gets old. This was when Taylor Swift fully transitioned from the pop-country style to just plain pop. Welcome to NY is the most uplifting declaration of that change and from there the whole album is so nostalgic to the mid-2010s.
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Apr 13 2022
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5
4/12/22
I’m so freaking excited!! I love this album and have already listened to it all the way through many times before. Personally I think it’s one of Taylor’s bests with so many great hits that I can listen to over and over again! Fun lyrics and high energy this album is AMAZING! I literally know every word to every song on the album!!
Favorite song: Bad Blood maybe but literally I cannot pick a favorite I love them all!!
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Jan 22 2022
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5
5555
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