Reviews (page 5 of 11)
Conflicted on this. Genuinely a great album, but some of the lyrics are a bit bare, so that knocks it down for me.
Lots of great songs. I would definitley listen to the album again. So many recognizable hits along with other songs that could have been hits as well.
Absolutely slaps. Best Target music ever.
I've been meaning to listen to a Swift album for a while (vaguely know a few of her songs but haven't deliberately listened to her albums before). Quite enjoyed the 80s pop vibes; good for background and for listening to more closely. Will admit to shimmying to "Shake It Off" while feeding pigs today. Also: FINALLY some more female voices in this list. We're at #78 and there have been 4 bands with female vocals, and 3 solo female artists. Less than 10%... Although, to be thorough, I would also go through this list for other "minority" groups like non-white, non-cis. Also #2: I really respect how Taylor has reclaimed her music from the machine. No wonder she's such an icon for those trying to stand up for their rights and identity. Will keep exploring her catalogue.
the title of this album is apparently a reference to her “rebirth” as an artist (as in 1989 was the year she was born). as her career started as more of a pop country artist, this album helped elevate her into the stratosphere and the start of her becoming a household name. in this album, she is both timid and fierce, both longing for love and glad that it’s over, depending on the song. she is both fragile and über confident. this is a solid example of what modern pop music has become.
Pretty good but I’m not listening to this again
The formula works
This was always my favorite Taylor Swift album. I’m not a huge fan of this type of pop music but this was pretty good. I probably liked this a bit more because Ryan Adams did a cover of the total album in his style which brought a lot more out of the songs to me. I’ll never be a swiftie, but I do like 1989.
I can't deny, I spent years blindly hating on Swift. Over the last few years I've been trying to get rid of that mentality. In terms of her specifically, seeing the things going on at and around the eras tour is cool. This is the first time I've actually bothered to sit down and earnestly listen to her music. With all that said, I do think she's not for me, and that's ok. I will also say, this album is a ton of fun. That's ok too. Music can just be fun. Shake it Off is an undeniable banger. So while I don't see myself buying her albums any time soon, I will have fun whenever her music comes on.
This was my first time listening to a full T Swift album and damn can she write a pop song! There’s not a dud on this album. Lyrically it’s not super relatable to me personally but it doesn’t matter, the songs are just good. I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I knew the hits, but pretty much any song on here could’ve been a single.
- So ein kleiner Swifty bin ich ja! - Ich mag das Album ziemlich gern und es konkurriert mit Red bei mir um ihre beste Platte - Einfach ein super Pop Album mit mehreren Welthits, das ich mir vereinzelt durchaus immer mal wieder anmache - Es bleibt aber am Ende, dass es insgesamt nicht ganz meine Musik ist Rating: 3,75
- Natürlich ein heftiges Hit-Gewitter und man merkt, wie sehr Taylor Swift mit Schemas und einem bestimmten Konzept/Stil afbeitet. Denn muss man nicht mögen, kann aber nicht leugnen, dass es funktioniert. - Ich habe große Sympathien für die Person und das Phänomen Taylor Swift. Musikalisch ist und bleibt es am Ende generische Popmusik, die aber enorm ins Ohr geht und ziemlich gut geschrieben ist. Außerdem schafft sie es, das bspw. dieses Album, wie ich finde, eine sehr authentischs und persönliche Handschrift trägt, was die Platte von vielen anderen Pop-Scheiben unterscheidet. - ich weis nicht, ob noch folklore als album von ihr kommt, aber das mag ich etwas lieber als 1989 3,75/5
Listened to this while playing Set A Watch. I lost. Of course I've heard music before...but this was the first Taylor Swift album that I've ever listened to. Not gonna lie...I totally loved it. A few groan inducing moments...but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the vibe and poppiness of the listening experience.
An obvious banger, -1 star for not Taylor’s version
It's a good to great pop record with some smash hits. And with two daughters who are both Taylor Swift fans, there could be a whole lot worse to be subjected to.
Y’all don’t wanna know how close I was to rating this 5 stars 😈 I’m Swifty neutral, but I think this is the moment in time where I realized she was going to be around forever. This album felt like a seismic shift, a statement, a cultural moment. Over half of the songs on this album were major hits - when does that happen anymore?!? They were inescapable, and I was blasting them on the radio just like everyone else. I’m not invested in Swift like other people are, but I truly believe this is a pop masterpiece. It was a delight to listen to, and I listened to it like three times yesterday.
Fav T Swift album hands down.
Cracker of an album but not 5 stars for my taste
A couple of the album tracks are just okay, and a couple of the hits do get on my nerves, but otherwise this is pretty excellent pop music. If there’s one thing I always have to credit Taylor Swift for it’s her ability to move between styles and registers for each project, which goes back to her songwriting. Best song: Wildest Dreams
8/10
As an extremely casual T Swift fan, this feels like maybe her best front to back album? The production is very cool, the sequencing is strong, and the bops are bops. No smarm to post here, this is a very good album, and I'm having fun listening to it.
I was surprised to learn that TS maybe isn’t completely terrible. If I ignore the juvenile subject matter of the songs and the fact that vocals sound kind of the same on every track, this album sounds pretty good.
But samey after a while but loads of great songs individually. Made for singles
(Siiiiiigh)
Solid album, loved the transitions
I've been interested in sitting down and listening to this album for a while. It's one of the most highly regarded pop albums of this era, but this is not a particularly good era for pop (or perhaps this is just what all crusty old guys start to think when they get older and the world of music has passed them by). The production on the album is excellent. It sounds great without being too clean. Her voice is great, and the songs are really good overall. I started to feel a bit bored of it by the end, but that's also pretty par for the course on pop albums. 4/5 I was really torn on this one, but I think it's actually a good album
For all the Taylor Swift haters out there, sorry, this one slaps. Not a big Swift fan myself but this is the only of her albums I had listened to in its entirety previously. It’s a bouncy, dance picky me up on a slow day. Seriously crammed with hits and ear worms. Also I am a sucker for a good driving song and Style fits the mold for me. Good stuff.
Pivotal 2010s pop album. I think it might experience the Seinfeld effect where it was so important as to become the norm, and now does not sound distinct.
First change the album version to Taylor’s. Great pop songs mixed in with ballads.
Taylor Swift is a more effective pop singer than folk singer. That's not exactly a controversial take, but it's the first thing I'm thinking listening to this, as opposed to the first album I heard in this challenge, "evermore." I'm not saying she's a BAD singer, the songs pretty much stand well on their own as pop songs. I just don't think of her an "alt-folk" singer. Almost every song could have been hit; they're produced to sound like it. I like the synth-pop feel. I can hear the smidge of auto-tune (gah), but that's in everything now. All in all, this is one of her biggest albums, and it's Taylor doing Taylor. For what it is, the pop songs work and I imagine anyone could probably do these as well, as opposed to some songs you imagine only one person ever doing it ("Layla", "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman"). They're catchy, and they do work. It's just... each song is missing something, something that makes it go from a good pop song to a great song. There's no quirkiness, nothing that makes it go float above the rest. The album is not a classic, but it's a good pop album. And for that it gets a 4. Top songs: "Out Of The Woods," "Bad Blood," "Shake It Off"
Woo hoo! Taylor is a guilty pleasure. Listening to this should be fun. ;) So I guess I never heard this album before, which is a surprise. I certainly knew the many singles, but interspersed were a few new to me tracks I didn't expect. I'm more a fan of her early more Nashville roots, and this full shift to pop is hit or miss to me. I love some of her wittier and more self effacing tracks. And of course her signature tell a story songs. I'm not sure I really want this many images implanted in my head of her coital dalliances, however. Seemed like most tracks had some alusion to bumping nasties. I get it, she's all grown up now, message received, move on. Overall, a good album. Clearly a star maker with more than half the tracks being radio hits. Good on her, but only getting 4 stars. If I were being objective, it would probably have been 3. But what can I say, she's a guilty pleasure and I'm not that objective.
I’ve never been a big fan of country music, so I never paid much attention to Taylor Swift. I knew that this was her crossover album but didn’t know what to expect. The first song gave me a bad impression of a teeny bopper trying to be a hip hop artist. However, as the album continued I was impressed by the variety of grooves she established, sounding more rock and roll than hip hop. I also liked the harmonic progressions in the songs. Her voice can sound overly nasal at times, but she has good command of her voice. I would definitely listen to this again.
There are some absolute bangers on here (Blank Space, Style, Shake It Off). The rest of the tracks are all very solid and catchy. She's a very gifted songwriter.
I know the Swifties are all about Shake it Off but for my money Clean is the stand out track
As someone who only listens to her albums Folklore and Evermore, this was better than I thought. Besides the many title tracks I have heard over the years on the radio there are actually some nice songs within this. I can't say I'd listen to or enjoy this as much and Folklore and Evermore, but it's a strong pop album.
I was surprised by this album...in a good way.
4+
This is my first modern pop album from the list. I remember when this came out and it was a big hit! I am personally a fan of Taylors music going all the way back to her first few albums. Overall solid album. 4/5
First half was solid then really fell apart. Not a taylor fan but enjoyed it. 4
I guarantee the ratings on this are all either 1 or 5. I like the album a lot even though I don’t like much of Swift’s other stuff
I was prepared to hate this album. I didn't. Does Taylor Swift live up to the hype? Nobody does. Does she have talent? Absolutely. She'll never be my favorite, but there are spots for her on several of my playlists.
Just a solid tswift album. New Romantics is one of her best
Funny record
I think this is definitely Taylor Swift's best album in her poppy era. It takes me back to the end of my high school career and beginning of my college. I have fond memories of dancing to Shake it Off, jamming to Bad Blood, and badly singing along to Wildest Dreams. And Style is one of my favorite TSwift songs, if not my top. Some of the non-singles are a bit boring, which takes away a star for me, but still a very strong, well written/produced album that absolutely shows off how talented Taylor Swift is, as we all already know.
Awesome. I ordered it as a vinyl… <3
Ugh - I hate how not shitty this is. It’s a fun listen. I’m now a Swiftie.
I've never knowingly listened to Taylor but this album showed me that I do know her music. It's not my thing, but I'd be lying if I said some of these haven't been stuck in my head all day.
Auðvitað bara solid Pop ... ekki fyrir hversdag en ....
I don’t think anyone can dispute that this is a great pop album, even if you aren’t a Swiftie.
I really like Blank Space and Shake it Off. I kind of like Bad Blood. The rest of the album is ok. Altogether it's like a 3.5 album for me, but I'll round up.
Probably actually a 3.5 star. The first half is notably stronger (4-5 star songs) than the second half (2-3 star songs). But, I rounded up because it's ultimately totally listenable.
I loved this when it first came out and listened to it A LOT for a few years. Then I got tired of it and never really went back. For this challenge I decided to listen to Taylor's version. I don't think I'll ever get back to obsessing over it, but it was fun to listen again.
Welcome to NY: nah, just too, too pop Blank Space: my favorite on this album; it was the clever chorus that got me Style: one listen and done Out of the Woods: meh All You Had to Do Was...": didn't grab me Shake It Off: just north of meh I Wish You Would: no Bad Blood: just another anthem song, but a nice bass beat Wildest Dreams: second favorite on this album How You Get the Girl: same old, same old This Love: starts slow tempo--might this be a different cut? The tempo is different, but the pattern is the same. It's a nice song though. I Know Places: ok Clean: I like this one
can't deny her
Tay Tay is cute.
T dawg.
En fait, taylor swift ça passe partout. C'est bien, c'est basic white gurl qq meme.
Undeniable pop, I guess
Never listened to Taylor's music before, but I'm glad I did! I thought given how lukewarm I have been to some of her biggest songs into the past, I'd feel the same about 1989. But I am pleasantly surprised. It runs for 48 minutes and most songs make that time just breeze by. The production is super light and fluid. You can clearly tell most of these songs were engineered by some of the best people in the business, and Taylor's songwriting is (for the most part) very heartfelt. She has a great way of telling a story and painting a picture in your head of what she's feeling. Welcome to New York is one of the most glamerous openings I have heard to the opening of any modern pop album I've heard in a while. All You Had Do Was Stay is easily one of my favorite songs so far, and Shake It Off is as they say, my guilty pleasure. Far too catchy for me to dislike it. Although it annoyingly sparked so many insta girls with toxic personalities to write off their bad actions as "haters gonna hate". What this album has going for me is its consistency in production, which I feel a lot of albums I've been listening to from this generator do not have, so it is not only a breath of fresh air to get an album that has this quality about it, but it's also nice to hear something that isn't rock'n'roll from a 70's band 10 times in a row. Buttttt... that consistency that I just talked about is also across the sorts of songs that Taylor writes. I would've loved a little more from the lyrics than just the ups and downs of the men she's dated. Not to mention Bad Blood has got to be one of the most overplayed and grating songs I've heard in a long time, and I thought maybe I'd changed my mind about that. But nope definitely not. ANYWAYS! Great record, not perfect, but still great. Here's hoping I get a few more modern records along the way... Probably won't, but I can live in hope!
At least 6 absolute hits on one album. The second half of the album drops off heavily. Taylor’s songwriting is undeniable.
Muy buen álbum Buen sonido, buenos ritmos y acompañamiento de voz perfectos, no me importaría ir a un concierto de Taylor
Every song is a hit but not my top swift album
I am not a TS fan, quite far from it, but I must say that this album is one of the better truly pop albums of this century. She, unfortunately for me, cooked here.
Taylor's best? A collection of killer pop songs.
Front to back bangers. I don’t know if I actually don’t like Shake it Off or if it just exceeded its replay value by being SO popular?
Not even a Swifty but I still remember exactly where I was when I first heard this album
Damn, I was so enjoying being snooty and saying how boring I found her. Great! Fun! I didn't realise how many songs I already knew through osmosis.
i like this album a lot since i like taylor swift but since i have listened to it before im not going to give it 5 stars as i do think that she has better albums for example speak now, folklore, evermore etc so for that reason i am going to give it 4 stars! but yes, my favourite songs on this album are probably wonderland and how you get the girl!
Not my kind of music, but is a good singer.
Ok, if you like pop
favs: Style, Wildest Dreams, Clean, You Are In Love (deluxe edition) worst: Bad Blood
The moment I started paying attention to Ms. Swift (actually it was Ryan Adams' cover of this album). On top of fully embracing pop, she actually writes more about herself (instead of relationships) and seems to have more substance as a result.
Always wanted to listen to a Taylor Swift album. This was the one that brought her pop superstardom. Fine work all around. Maybe I’ll become a Swiftie.
it was non stop bops that have literally been entangled with my youth without even knowing, hearing them on the radio, stores, workplaces. A Charts pop music staple, even though some of it was bland and 1 dimensional I can’t fault the bops on this
this altered by brain chemistry when this first came out and it still smacks now
Nice for a cup of tea, but it's not my cup of tea. I think she is one of the pop artists out there.
I never give anything 5 stars but this came close. I know way more about Taylor swift than any other artist (and potentially my own life) so the meaning behind and impact of this album plays into my listening and I'm absolutely biased. Still, for an album which was entirely and seamlessly pop from a previously country artist, it's very impressive. This album was the first one which Jack Antonoff worked on too which adds to my love for it. Favourite tracks: out of the woods (she builds better b bridges than engineers), wildest dreams, clean (for Imogen Heap) and new romantics
I took the opportunity to relisten to TV instead. This is not my favorite TS album but it does have a very long list of solid songs.
This album is really up and down. I think there's 5 great songs on it (with Blank Space and Bad Blood being my personal favorites), but I also think there's a bunch of mediocre songs that prevent the album as a whole from getting a 5. The highs are high, though. I was very late to the Taylor Swift party (Folklore was the first album I heard in its entirety), but she turned out to be exactly like the Harry Potter books: everyone likes them because they're really fucking good. Sometimes popular stuff is legit good, and that definitely applies to Ms. Swift.
When I hear ultra-pop music like this I feel compelled to question the artistic humanity of the end product. This has nothing to do with the artist and all to do with the conspiratorial nature of this listener. There are some really good tunes on side two of this album. The pop of the first half is enduring, but the super-produced pop doesn't work as well as the emotionality of some of the more sparse instrumentation of the slower more personal tracks. -1 point for saying this sick beat, without providing said beat. :)
A bit too saccharin for me, but it's obviously a classic
Summary: There aren't many albums from this era of music that I enjoy. That being said, this was great! Lyrical themes of lost love and a fresh new start, often involving said love. I think Taylor needs to learn to move on. The album's atmosphere is confident, positive, and fresh. It risks sounding austere or sterile at times, but Taylor's vocal is consistently very emotional (at least, compared to Midnights, the only other album of hers I've listened to) and this balances the feel out. Mostly poor electronic percussion, but the tracks that avoid this are fantastic, and the ones that don't are still pretty darn strong. A clean, modern tracklist that only Taylor could pull off. Welcome To New York: Very fresh-sounding. The percussion isn't great, but the vocals more than make up for it. Taylor's singing is the brightest I've heard it, although the lackluster melody detracts slightly from this. Simple and fairly effective. Blank Space: Whoo boy, now here's a good melody. Infectious. The moment when the instrumental disappears at the end of the chorus is a huge highlight - "... and I'll write your name." The percussion is distractingly electronic, much like the previous track. Hopefully at least one track will have either good percussion or none at all. "Getting bored of Walls 2, I should find a new minigame..." Style: the intro is great. This is the kind of atmosphere where I can forgive the lazy percussive instrumentation, because it creates a clean, goosebump-inducing synth feel that just clicks with me. One thing I notice about this album is that Taylor really likes hanging onto one melodic note for several words, or even entire lines. She also uses the 6th and 9th of chords VERY frequently in her melodies, which is a little difficult to swallow since most artists don't do this. All of that aside, this is a fantastic song. Out Of The Woods: a distinctive intro, for sure. The building-up atmosphere leading into the chorus is good, but the chorus itself is not. There's a release of tension at the beginning, but afterwards it feels like Taylor forgets both the lyrics and the melody and just repeats one line, hoping for the best. Breakdown at 2:50ish is solid. All You Had To Do Was Stay: Ugh. I guess I'm not getting Taylor's vision. Her choruses are just... not good (excluding Blank Space, which was kinda fire). The high-pitched "stay!!" hook is the strongest part of this song, and it seemed Taylor was aware of this. Shake It Off: Fantastic. Taylor's voice is positively bursting with excitement and enthusiasm, and the melody is the strongest one so far. The percussion is also significantly more human-sounding than previous tracks. Spoken vocal in the middle has a great lyric that really nails home song's atmosphere and message. The hooks are incredible, the backing vocals are sung to perfection... If this song isn't the winner, I'll eat my hat. I Wish You Would: The guitary-thing far back in the mix (except during breakdowns) is the best part of this song, although the wacky syncopation in the vocals is a close second. The repetition of the song title at the halfway mark is also a great moment. However, the percussion has relapsed (sad face). I won't comment on it anymore unless it's good. Bad Blood: This song feels like very generic Taylor Swift. There isn't much to go on. Choruses are energetic and fairly catchy. Wildest Dreams: Oh man, this one's good. The description of the man of interest does kind of combine all the traits of a perfect man (hence the song title), and I wish it weren't the standard I was competing against. The melody is subtly brilliant, the self-harmonising (especially towards the song's conclusion) is another goosebump-inducer, and the restrained percussion is fantastic. Another highlight. How You Get The Girl: Taylor has correctly identified that I need a lesson in this. Wait, she's telling me to... Break the girl's heart, then stand outside her house in the rain, attempting to make up? Kiss her on the cheek? Yeah, that'll get me reported for stalking and assault. Also, it absolutely only works if you follow rules 1 and 2 (be attractive; don't be unattractive). I'm good. Chorus is similar-sounding to Blank Space, but a bit worse. A Swift Standard, one might say. This Love: Dreamy, almost ethereal atmosphere. Lots of goosebumps during this one, though it could be because I'm wearing shorts. A good track with good percussion. I Know Places: The verses are a bit jittery and all over the place, but they hold their own. The choruses, on the other hand, are so much better than the verses that they're almost different songs - particularly the chorus at 2:15. Confident, positive, and fresh. Notably, a great song ending with the little VHS click. Clean: I wouldn't have chosen to end the album with this track, but go off, I guess. The contrast of bumpy, staccato synths with smoother overlaid ones creates a distinctive atmosphere that's really enjoyable, but more befitting of a track near the beginning of an album. This is me being really nitpicky though. The song's message is encouraging and speaks of Swift's journey with addiction and how she overcame it. Proud of you, Taylor. <3
This represents the peak of my enjoyment of Taylor. She's clearly got talent for putting out hit songs (some I find enjoyable, some not) but this one has a good blend of the pop-catchiness with some ties still to her roots.
Of course this'll have a lot of haters here, but screw it, this deserves to be here. Tay is *the* pop star of our generation, as evidenced by the reaction to her Eras Tour and Taylor's Versions. In fact, the new Taylor's Version of 1989 is how I consumed this album. And yes, this is pop in its purest form. Incredibly catchy songwriting in a snazzy, sparkly package. Every song here is an earworm. Am I biased, being in love with a Swiftie (meaning that I've heard every song here dozens of times)? Possibly. But maybe she's just opened my eyes to the magic of Taylor.
Ok for a pop album. I’m not a fan, but appreciate the craft in creating the hooks.
Pop royalty. Conteasting this with ABBA is night and day. Taylor is a boss story teller.
Album 242 of 1001 Taylor Swift - 1989 Rating : 4 / 5 Favorite Tracks: Out of the Woods, Shake it Off, New York I knew this day would come. I'd made it this far without listening to Taylor Swift and would probably go longer if I wasn't listening through this list of 1001 albums. Why? Not sure. Maybe my aversion to joining in on "popular" things. Same with Beyonce, Jay Z. etc. I've never been accused of being constantly rationale in all my actions. Sometimes I may take it too far and deprive myself of something I would enjoy. That may be the case here. I grew up on pop music. Always liked a lot of what now seems pretty cheesy. Taylor Swift could certainly be described as that. Well written simple tunes. Catchy lyrics...many very memorable and quotable. Have to give credit where credit is due. Maybe I knew I would like it but just wanted to be stuck in my ways. One could say that is theme of my existence, but that is for another day.
Fortuitous timing. I’m broken and I miss her everyday.
Fire.
Surprised by how enjoyable the entire track list was.
Listened Before? No Album Art: 3 / 5 (Departure from her other covers to this point, as is the music. Polaroid with cut off eyes and simple sharpie label.) Surprisingly, this is one album of TS that I have not actually listened to straight through. And yet I think it has more radio hits than any others that I have listened to. Welcome To New York opens on a bouncy and glitzy pop number. Not my favorite of hers. Hands over to drum and synth lead Blank Space. Say what you want, this is a great song (outside of the little "torture" interlude, which is pretty cringy). Kind of ridiculous. Basically from Blank Space to How You Get the Girl (8 songs) have gotten some degree of radio play. Of those, Out Of the Woods is a mega-Antoff anthem and a solid song. Shake it Off is a relentless dance number that is guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Bad Blood is a hip-hop inspired anthem that honestly rips -- the remix with Kendrick was one of very few (IMO) successful pop/hip-hop cash grabs. Clean is a super synthy and cool way to end the album. All said, Taylor is a really talented woman who has proven time and again she can put together a catchy pop album. Not only does she have hits, but this record flows front to back. I would not put it in my top 3 among her catalog (those are reserved for Folklore, Evermore, and Red); however, this is a fine entry. The hits are undeniable and I think it has aged fairly well for pop music of the early 2010s are concerned. I'm a soft 4 here. Added to Library? 4 Songs Added to Playlists: - Shake it Off (Sunny Vibes)
T Swizzz! Pretty great pop for what it is. Loads of bangers in this one especially Shake it Off and Welcome to New York. The songs themselves are pretty repetitive, but this is pop music so it's understandable. If you like singalongs, this is right up your alley. The last couple songs started to lose me, but it was so solidly a 4 before those songs that it didn't really move the needle for me. I enjoyed cooking dinner and listening to this one. I think I might listen to Taylor's version next.
Annemarie said she would divorce me if I didn't give this a 5 and I want to show her my review so this is going to be very in depth. Welcome to New York starts off the album with a pretty standard pop song with the clapping and repeating chorus that is most of the song. Blank Space didn't take long before singing completely about one of her many ex-boyfriends. Another song of mostly repeating catchy chorus where when shows her vocal range. Style comes in hot with some nice synthy rhythm going in which I really like. She then uses really choppy diction intentionally to create an ultra hooky chorus. This has been my favorite song so far. I like the use of the heavy drums in Out of the Woods it sounds a bit like Odesza how it is mixed in with the synth. I wonder if she ever made it out of the woods? Did she make it into the clear? All You Had to Do Was Stay is a pretty generic song that was kind of just filler. Not much to say about it. Cool little horn section in Shake it Off. This is really upbeat can really get my booty moving to this song. Sound like this would be a perfect marching band song with the horns and snares and cymbals. Ah kind of lost me with that talking section but I guess it was a nice build up for one final chorus. I Wish you Would is another pretty standard song but the little guitar riff on the background is pretty cool. Bad Blood is all anger with a bunch of heavy bass drum. Wildest dreams brings the energy back down again which was needed. It is probably her best singing song so far. The last 3 songs are all nothing special just some more super catchy pop songs. Clean ends things on a lower tempo which I was not expecting I thought this album was going to go out on one of her singles. I can see why this album had 7 singles. Taylor really knows how to bring the energy and use really catchy beats and singing style. Much more electronic than I was expecting. Overall I really liked this album more than I thought I was going to. I knew 3 of the songs pretty well going in, but a few more surprised me. Favorite songs: Style, Out of the Woods, Shake it Off
Theres a few not so good moments on this record (the bridge of shake it off and the everything of bad blood come to mind), but for the rest this album is a masterclass in tight pop songwriting thats very enjoyable to listen to.
Ég skil alveg af hverju Taylor er svona stór í dag. Þetta er alveg gott stöff hjá henni. Ég get alltaf hlustað á hana þótt ég muni líklegast ekki oft muna eftir að setja hana á sjálfur.
Ég er algjör sökker fyrir Taylor. Bara fínasta plata.
The woman is one of the top singing attractions in the world for a reason. A couple well known bangers and the supporting tracks are more than listenable. A really good pop album. Mid 4
This was the true ascension of Taylor Swift into the next great American pop SUPERSTAR. Catchy, full of memorable moments and a record that also has some genuine brilliant section of writing, and some not so fantastic. An overall enjoyable listen and perhaps Taylor’s finest POP moment.
Never listened to it! Wonder if her music will stand the test of time. Enjoyed it.
I listened to Taylor's Version of course because she deserves the royalties. Undeniably catchy songs. There may be some filler with all the extra songs vs. the original.
tight, sonically cohesive, pop album that doesn't get old! a few pts off for the lyrically uncreative earworms of shake it off and bad blood, we know she can do better than that...
Good pop! Really liked the first 80s electro-ish songs, liked the later ones a bit less
Have to admit that even at the age of 55 years I still love a bit of cheesy pop!!
Tay Tay's best album, weak ending. Very good singles.
She didn't get money from me listening to this album so all and all a win
First time sitting through the full album. Opener was a surprise good song, but a lot of the other songs that aren’t classic hits weren’t that good. Kinda just worse versions of the really good songs.
Shake it off and bad blood.
Blank Space has been my go to TSwift song for years and this album has that + multiple other bangers. Shake It Off, Bad Blood, Style, Out of the Woods, Wildest Dreams are all fantastic. It does slow a bit towards the end but I had a fun time revisiting this.
Not my favourite Taylor album, but still fun.
A perfect pop album. I prefer the deluxe version as I truly think the best songs of the album were left off the standard 13 song version.
Dammit. I want to make fun of this album because it is Taylor Swift attempting to be a full-blown popstar, but I like synth-pop/rock so I'm partial to this sound. Really good songs, even if the vocals are a little too Antonoff'd for my tastes and I prefer her folkier albums. Still, this is a good album and one that deserves to be in this book.
Ignore the snobs. Pop greatness.
Definitely a genre I’ve arrogantly avoided, but this is undeniably great pop. Every song offered something unique.
It's Taylor swift, while you can't deny the heavily produced and procured style of pop music, you can't deny you'd be singing along to any song from this album.
Banger. every single track. what a song writer.
Quality album. Need to listen to the depth of the lyrics to really appreciate
Solid t swift album. Her sound is growing on me, or maybe it's just my girlfriend has played so much Taylor that's I've been incepted into liking her. For the hits, I hate shake it off so much. Blank space is ok and brings me back to college where 1 year everyone would play that song. The deeper cuts are good though
There’s a lot of good songs on this album. some of the really popular singles are really dog meat (which shows why no one should listen to the radio bc the popular music is meat). having said that, wildest dreams? banger. style? banger. it’s a pretty easy 4 tbh
Nothing I disliked about this. In fact, it’s quite plus pleasant. I listened to it twice in a row. I like Taylor when she’s making pop this pure and I’m especially soft for pop music of this era because I was in college then. Solid three. Could be a four. Screw it. I’ll add a whole star for the enjoyable second listen. Four.
Pop hooks and electronic accents make it exciting mainstream, Highlight "Bad Blood". Nice and easy listening.
Taylor Swift goes down easy. Wow, I wish! Good Album...though 4/5
Nostalgic for hearing a lot of these during the short span of years where I was actually listening to the radio quite a bit. I'd gotten sick of these songs back then, but with some distance & listening as an album experience, they've grown on me
I like this one, lots of bangers. Second half of the album was definitely weaker than the first but overall this was a good time.
Highlights are good but the rest blends a bit together. still pretty great, Taylor's voice is amazing and the production is amazingly clean. strange I got this the same day 1989tv got announced.
Enjoyed
The powerhouse juggernaut that is Taylor Swift! Whilst I have never listened to 1989 in its entirety, I am familiar with over half of it due to the singles she has released from it. It is hard to deny the influence she has had on the music scene in the last 15 years or so (coming from a mid 2023 review), full of ups and downs, countless boyfriends helping to spawn the success of her career. This album is her first real foray into the "true" pop genre, Shaking Off (eyy see what I did there? haha) the hard country music tag and really growing to what she is today. Best: Bad Blood Worst: Clean
Couple of big hits that we all heard before. I remember listening to this album in 2014 and I really liked it, nine years later and I think it won't stand the test of time. I'm afraid that twenty plus years in time this would be consider as equal as other albums from this decade.
# 32 : What a super star. Catchy pop tunes, with some hits and others that should have been hits. You've got to admire everything she's achieved. Shake It Off
listened to again top 10 pop records
flowed sehr gut, aber paar von die hits nerven mittlerweile leider. ebenso ka wann i des hören würd
I have now listened to a Taylor Swift album. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. She tapped into my 80’s / 90’s brain.
it's no surprise that max martin's name is all over this album, especially when you consider how big 1989 is. all of taylor swift's albums are huge, but she hit something special on 1989. it's pure fun pop and definitely a departure from her early country sound. considering the heavy pop presence, of course martin was heavily involved in its creation. while swift does not hold herself to one genre, 1989 was definitely a springboard to her current sound. the pop music has synth and electronic backing, and gosh it just makes so many songs unbelievably catchy. in fact, many of swift's staples are on this album! hit after hit after hit. unsurprisingly, swift's songwriting remains strong. but it's still worth a mention. "band-aids don't fit bullet holes", "'cause, darling, i'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream", "pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks". just a handful of examples but her songwriting can be so evocative, simple, emotional, powerful. 4.5
This album definitely marks a transformative moment, both for Taylor and in music. Taylor's previous album, Red, saw her diving unapologetically into pop music while still maintaining some of the country aspects she had been known for. 1989, however, was the moment where she left country music behind in favor of a full-fledged pop sound. It's also around the time that she took off as an international sensation after already being a noteworthy country-pop musician. Many other country musicians, especially throughout the 90s and 2000s, dabbled successfully in pop sounds. But nobody committed to it so fully and with such extreme success as Taylor Swift. The Taylor Swift movement and listener influence that dominates today definitely took off here, making this quite a noteworthy album from that perspective. The pop music found here isn't really anything different from or groundbreaking when compared to the typical pop music of the time, but Taylor just gets the formula right and has maintained that status quo. In addition, she does a great job here of playing with a lot of different sounds; each song has its own distinct catchiness. While this is what I would call her full unadulterated debut into the pop world, I also feel like it's still her best to date. She clearly had a knack for pop music that was waiting to burst out.
I love this album. Consistently in my top 5 Taylor swift albums but certainly not number 1. She does some weird things with her pronunciation and voice, and it’s not her best writing work - her previous albums had some even better writing overall. However, every single song could have been a radio hit, and while they all follow relatively the same crescendo 3 verse formula, there is a really good amount of diversity. This album hits a length, both song and album, sweet spot. My issue with her writing is that her theme worked and she won’t ever change it.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Blank space, All you had to do was stay, Shake it off, Bad blood
1989 — Taylor Swift’s self-acclaimed first foray into pop (though the synths and bass on her previous record, Red, beg to differ) — is a manifest confection; a flamboyantly anthemic collection of 80s-influenced synth-heavy thumpers that scream of a certain hedonistic self-assuredness that Swift’s prior work would’ve been jealous of. she briefly trades her diaristic tales of heartbreak and lost love for big city extravagance and cheeky jabs at voyeuristic haters who’ve refused to see the talent beyond Swift’s personal life. she’s funny and scathing in ways that were borderline taboo in her music before (she’d always sung about being the underdog, sidelined for the kind of girl who “wears short skirts [and is] cheer captain.” on 1989, she doesn’t envy that girl, she becomes her) — she wears sarcasm well on “Blank Space”, tongue-in-cheek as she prepares her next lover for the slaughter; and on “Style”, she’s flagrant about her desire, shedding away her sanitized persona for something more confident and unwavering. sure, some of the songs are sanded down to the point of near fatuity as many a radio hit is constructed to be (“Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” being particularly egregious), but underneath the stadium-ready escapism, Swift’s signature lyricism and potent storytelling still exist, waiting to be excavated after the bulbous energy has tired you out. there’s love and doubt and regret and sorrow still lurking here, but Swift’s mission is to shake it off for now, dance the night away, and let the fantasy wash over you for even just a moment.
1989 is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. This album cemented a shift from Swift's previous albums' genre being country to a synth-pop sound. Her previous album - Red - was a pop/rock album that began this genre shift. Swift made a point with this album that she could cross over to another genre and still be a successful music artist. And successful it was, as 1989 had three number 1 singles in the US, spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart, has been certified multi-platinum in many countries (9 times platinum in the US), and won Grammy's for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album in 2016. I enjoyed this Taylor Swift album and loved most of the songs on it. I thought it was a beautiful album that showcased upbeat synth-pop songs while focusing on Swift's amazing lyrics. This is probably one of her most popular albums (IMO), but now I'm excited to give some of her newer music a listen.
Salty cheerleader pop. But, yannow, GOOD salty cheerleader pop.
enjoyed it
Fyndið að lesa dómana um þessa plötu, þar skiptast á ein stjarna og fimm stjörnur út í hið óendanlega. Ég ætla hins vegar að henda fjórum á þessa, því hún er skemmtileg.
Mostly slides directly out of my brain like pleasant generic pop music, except for "Shake It off" which is probably the best pop song of the last decade
Oh wow, at last an album I was alive to hear when it came out😆 many great songs and I'm totally still digging Shake it Off
Surprisingly not bad at all!
My daughter has made this a presence in my life. Solid songwriter. Even if I don’t always like the final product musically.
Ok, I'm a dude in my 40's and this gave me real teenage girl longing. It's a goddamn magic trick Every track is a banger. I don't want to like this album, but fuck it, I really do..
- Good vocals, lyrics, instrumentals - enjoyed more than I thought - decent replay value
You’ve got to admit, Taylor Swift puts together one heck of an album.
A very catchy pop album. Does exactly what it's supposed to do.
In the middle of a great album run
The hits are fantastic on this one, but the rest of the album doesn’t quite earn the five.
Huh. When this came up I wasn't really looking forward to it - this is an album that released when I was still a teenager, at a time when this couldn't have really been further from the kind of thing I was listening to. It was that kind of young and dumb age where I could dismiss something like this for being "girl's music", which is a concept that I find absurd now that I've grown up and thrown away my insecurities. It also didn't help that this was overplayed to shit when this first came out. But despite all that, I thought this was pretty good! Dedicating the time to listen to this whole album, in a much higher quality format than over the radio, I saw just how well-produced this was, and I think enough time has gone by to not have any resentment for any of the more overplayed songs back in the mid-to-late 10s. Don't get me wrong, not every song here was that interesting to me, but damn this has some catchy synthpop bangers. Favourite: Shake It Off
Certainly a really catchy album, but I think the lyrics are it’s downfall. They are mostly just very surface level and nonspecific that the songs don’t have much unique feel. The beats are really spot on for a lot of stuff from the early 2010s (reminded me of stuff like The Naked and Famous). Overall pretty good! 7/10
Great, catchy, cheese af, very man hating, but fun
- Undeniably catchy pop - Banger after banger - Sometimes really corny - A queen at what she does
Catchy. Listened to some tracks twice, which is characteristic of a four star rating from me.
I really didn't want to like it but I really liked it. SO many hits, really fun album. WAY TOO catchy, I can't get a few of the songs out of my head.
This long list of overplayed radio songs sounds pretty damn good after being allowed to fallow a few years. Bad Blood is kind of a stinker. But if that’s the worst on a pop album you’re in elevated territory.
Some of the big singles are kind of grating now, but I had this album on repeat for so long after it came out that I still have to give it a 4 even if I don't feel like listening to it on repeat anymore. I can't help but compare 1989 to Lorde's Pure Heroine from the year before and CRJ's Emotion from the year after, which have both held up better imo.
Good pop album with a lot of new modern classics, like Blank Space, Style and Wildest Dreams. Unfortunately not all of it is great. Shake It Off is annoying and some songs, like This Love and I Know Places are not really memorable. The great production throughout keeps this album cohesive and fun. 7,5/10
Well good pure power pop. Lyrics are poor but the hooks make up for it A great record.
Synthy bubble bum pop that's about as catchy as you think sugar is to 5 year-olds, As the tracks roll on you just hear catchy hits like they were going full tilt on a cash printing machine , Though the lyrics are mostly notably about breakups and yah girl boss themes ,you wouldn't expect much else from the genre I guess. A great album filled with hits- Favourite tracks - Blank Space, Wildest Dreams
Quintessential pop. I liked it.
All the hits but Clean was the best song on the album
Not as good as Fearless but pretty damn good.
Comincia molto bene devo dire. Magari i testi non sono nulla di ricercato, ma le canzoni sono molto orecchiabili. Da "Blank Space" a "Shake it off" (non comprese) sono dimenticabili. Non mi convince al 100%, ma è molto bello.
Olinkin odottanut kunnon poppia! Eiks Taylor Swift oo ihan katu-uskottava nykyään? Ei tää nyt oikeasti oo ihan nelosen arvoinen, mutta kun tykkäsin tästä enemmän kuin hetki sitten arvostelemastani Billy Braggistä.
Here we see Taylor Swift emerge completely as a pop star. This album is such a turning point in her career though it was obvious to anyone paying attention that he sights were turned to pop. The electro synth sound of the early 2010's is strong here of course, wrapping the listener in a gauzy array of sounds with strong echoey 80s beats. Swift borrows freely from the sounds of her pop contemporaries (who had been in the pop scene longer) including Katy Perry and Carlie Rae Jepsen. Amazingly, despite her genre shifting, Swift always sounds like herself. Her sense of melody including the intervals she uses are unique to her for the most part, or at least she's employed them persistently enough that they are squarely hers. The back half of the album is weaker than the first, but it's such an easy listen that I'm not sure it matters.
This album surprised me by giving me way more energy and enjoyment than I thought
Sounds like if a supercomputer in a lab was tasked with making pop music, but still, kinda slaps
I have done my best to avoid Taylor Swift until this day. The only Taylor Swift song I had previously heard was Shake It Off, which was repeatedly played during a vacation to Disney World. I don't know why, but she just always rubbed me the wrong way, so I never actually gave her a chance. I hate to admit it, but this is a really fun album.
One of T-Swift's best, busting with pop bangers
Taylor Swift knows her way around a pop song. There are some real gems on this album and even her missteps land in the territory of okay. That said, there are some who might immediately dismiss this album based on genre alone. I can understand.
I enjoyed this, despite my initial reluctance.
4/5. It’s almost perfect but a few songs do feel a little lackluster. All the other songs are straight bangers though.
You just can't really hate on T-Swizzle. The amount of time she's been in the public scene and hasn't gone absolutely crazy is just impressive. "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off" captured the cultural zeitgeist for long enough that even the most adamant "Taylor sucks" fans will find themselves humming along. And while I wouldn't say I'm a Taylor fan, or even that this is her best album, I found myself knowing all the words to "Style", "Bad Blood", and "Wildest Dreams" This album is a solid 4 star for me. As much as I will shit on Taylor for co-opting the Indie Folk genre, I know I will likely give her a 5 star for Evermore. She is just a great artist that gets a lot of hate because she's popular, though she deserves the hate for her private jet usage.
Solid
Belter, I rinsed this when it first came out, hasn't got a bad song on it!! Great pop melodies
Mint tunes but fuck me are we out of the woods is the worst tune ever
One of t swifts best, banger after banger
Honestly a pretty fun album. Listened through twice.
Incredibly catchy. Didn’t realize that so many of the hits I happen to know without even trying are all in this album! What a juggernaut
Some songs off this album have an insane and addictive energy. It's difficult to not bob your head up and down to the hits. However, some songs feel like pop filler that's more generic than memorable or unique. The whole is mixed super well and feels produced in a complete way. This shouldn't be brushed off as many albums on this list tend to get it wrong. Overall it's a great album to stick in the background to set a fun mood with an occasional "volume-max-singalong" song set in there, but the somewhat generic pop feeling may get old after playing some songs. Favorite: Style
PREFS : Welcome to New-York, Blank Space, Style, Out of the Woods, Shake it Off (despite its awful awful bridge), I Wish I Would, Wildest Dreams, Clean MOINS PREF : Bad Blood
great
Catchy pop songs. It's no wonder she's so popular.
Perfection
Taylor Swift? Never heard of her before. Ha! Joke. I really like her and the album. She is pretty talented. 4/5
The lyrics don’t really mean anything, but it’s a hype album. It’s just fun to listen to, definitely peak T Swift.
Includes one of my favs "I Know Places" Last few songs drag a bit, but overall good album
This album is so basic that if you dropped it in a pool of industrial grade acid it would balance the pH But sometimes basic is good. Sometimes even great. I give Taylor more criticism than she deserves becouse her fans might be the most annoying maniacs in existence. But her music is consistantly solid or good, you know what you get from her and she is a really talented song writer even if i dont like all of it This album tho is a banger
Pretty good. I'm realizing taylor is very repetitive, but this album is full of the singles I liked so that's always a plus. The last song actually impacted me slightly.
Great pop
Wouldn’t normally listen to Taylor swift but you really can’t fault this as a brilliant pop album. Just misses out on five stars due to my personal taste im not rushing to listen to this again , and maybe unfairly feels it’s To fresh to pass the all time classics tests to put it at the same level as say Thriller.
I 100% expected to just endure having to listen to this. I actually kind of enjoyed it, which I'm rather conflicted about, TBH. Had a nice poppy synthwave vibe to it.
Pop perfection. Not what I generally listen to but I warmed to Taylor Swift through my daughter loving her.
Heard it before?: Yes, just the once Enjoy it?: YES!!! It’s just absolutely fantastic from start to finish, lyrically not many come close to Swift. it’s cruel but I can’t give this a perfect score because ‘shake it off’ is just one of few of her songs I truly detest Favourite song: Track 10 - How You Get The Girl
actually good
Not a fan, but is a very easy to listen album
I’am surprised how much i’am looking forward to this… And it’s great, maybe a little overproduced but anything after 2010 will be. 4/5
favourite song: blank space pop banger after pop banger, no notes.
Easy listening synth pop that, after 45 minutes, is catchy but just a bit too monotonous to secure 5 stars
Solid pop
Got this coincidentally two days after Midnights release. Honestly I love this album. It's all catchy and a hard right turn from her country albums. It's produced very well and the lyrical content matches the Top 40/ Pop genre matches the sound.
More my kids speed, but okay.
This is just a fantastic pop album. Loved it
Margir gullmolar
As a Swiftie, this was a fun day! I think it’s not one of her best albums, but there are some amazing classics like Style and Wildest Dreams!
A pretty incredible album at the time. It was so damned played everywhere, somehow I've heard every single song before. Good stuff tho
4 stars. Although it’s loaded with hits and is a pop masterpiece, it doesn’t satisfy anything for me outside of that appetite. Still, TS will endure the test of time
Its pretty effing good
Had really only listened to the Ryan Adams version, but this is great. Out of the Woods, Shake it Off, Blank Space -- lots of good stuff.
brought so much memories back a pop sensation. cover art: 8.5/10 album: 4.5/5 rounded down
This was damn good. I guess I'm a Swiftie now
Surprisingly got better as the albulm progressed.
3.8/5 oder so, "mach halt..."
Liked this album far more than I anticipated. Was pretty familiar with the songs from listening to Ryan Adams' cover version for a long time, but the originals were all bangers. 4/5
This is a funny album for me. Back when it came out I remember the sentiment was this was the end for Taylor. She went pop and people weren't happy. But I've always liked the singles and radio tracks. This album hit at a spot in my life where it was ever present and I liked that. I was on a road trip blasting shake it off barreling down the highway and singing along. At the time idk of I listened to much more than metal. Out of the woods is the only real dud in the track list. That one gets an instant skip from now on but everything else is wonderful. I like singer songwriter Taylor more but pop Taylor has a place in my heart
I am embarrassed to say that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It had some pretty good melodies and wasn't terrible to listen to.
As you become older the world becomes more beautiful. I really enjoyed this album today.
I'm a sucker for a bit of Tay Tay. Some kick arse pop right here.
Synthetic manufactured pop. I hatred myself for singing along and doing my little dancer in the kitchen.
não é muito meu estilo mas bem agradável
Pretty solid TayTay
It's catchy, but doesn't have nearly the depth of her more recent albums which I find excellent. She's developed a ton since this was dropped in 2014-- and I think for the better.
My kids played this to death, with no objections from me. As good as, or better than, the pop albums from my youth e.g. Madonna, Nik Kershaw. WIldest Dreams in particular is a banger
An example of pop talent that's good whether you're a fan or not.
Really good. Catchy and fun, mellow in spots, but I dunno, I dug it.
Solid!
Incel
Nearly perfect
This was very unexpected for me, but I liked it very much. It's still a commercial pop sound, but it has some roots that differentiate the songs from what I was expecting to listen to it.
Full of catchy, well written and well produced pop songs, 1989 need be nothing more or nothing less than just that, a great pop album. There's stuff lurking in the lyrics but I'm not enough of a Tay fan to get most of the references. I really like it though.
Surprised me how good this was, plenty of great tunes to warrant a 4*
Really good and fully deserving of 4 stars
Pretty catchy synth-pop, and a fun direction for T swizzle, if a pretty damn safe one. But my god, I wasn't expecting this to be the nostalgia bomb it was for me this morning. I haven't listened to any of this record aside from Blank Space since 2014. Suddenly I'm back in my freshman dorm, with all the excitement and stress of the first semester of college. Absolutely wild. The pure flashback it gave me tips this up from a very high 3 to a 4.
Classic pop. Just when you think a song is a differ, back it comes with a massive chorus.
This is one really excellent pop music album. Who knew? 4 🌟
All three singles are genuinely brilliant. What is most surprising is how much more of the album could have been! One track sounds like New Order. It's a really good pop album.
taytay gogo popop
Not good enough for a 5 but not far off. Easy pop, catchy, there’s a reason she has stayed the test of time.
I quite liked this. Surprised myself! I think what adds to be liking it more is the fact that I know the Ryan Adam cover album version pretty well.
Al ponerme al corriente escuché primero el albúm de Lana del Rey y luego éste de Taylo Swift y quizá el contraste termine favoreciendo esta reseña. Synth pop, pop, electro-pop y 25 variantes más, no se siente pesado y las canciones fluyen sin mayor problema. Las letras hablan en su mayoría de relaciones, como lo hace el pop en general, pero no se siente demasiado meloso ni soso. Variado en ritmos e intensidad, se puede escuchar de cabo a rabo y disfrutarse sin problema. Sólido 4. Songs: Blank Space, Out of the Woods, I know places
To my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought what a talent she is. 4*
Love this album, probably my favorite of Taylor’s
Wow! Didn't expect to see this. Wife and all 3 daughters like her and this album is full of hits all of which she's written herself and has 19 tracks running over an hour too so what more can you say? On the flip side it could be argued some songs are insipid and poppy but then the same thing could be levelled at the many of the 1000 albums. I think it comes down to a question of taste and percieved integrity in what people listen to. I'd rather listen to Joy Division and that's just my taste but I really like a lot of these songs and think she's immensely talented.
Drullugóð plata.
In hindsight I can see why this was necessary step in Taylor Swift’s journey. At the time it was released I thought that this “pop” disc was different from many of the pop releases at the time because of the presence of more observational lyrics. However, the focus on synthesizers didn’t always work for me. Also, the hodge-podge of producers (which has become, and still are, a trend) coupled with multiple songwriting partners results in a lack of cohesiveness.
Really good pop music. Interesting to hear this in its original form as I only know the Ryan Adams cover of this entire album. Now I have to listen to that so I can hear what he was hearing. Her more recent albums are much more mature sounding, but this is fun stuff.
I liked this album more each time I heard it. These melodies are just so goddamn catchy and the production was really fantastic. I know its one of the more recent albums but everything soudned so crisp and clean which was nice on my ears. The songwriting was very good too. It felt sincere and was very accessible. "Blank Space" and "Shake it Off" were clever self-referential tracks where Taylor Swift acknowledges and mocks what others say about her. "Style" had some funky guitar parts and built its groove in a way that I really liked. I do think the album starts to wilt towards the end and a different tracklist might have fixed this.
Ah so that’s why this album is so insanely popular
I'm being held hostage as I write this review, so criticisms are limited in scope. Without choice, I've actually listened to all of Swift's albums dozens of times each, and honestly, this one is not only her best, but is a landmark album that deserves to be on this list. I love 80s synthpop, so it's only natural for me to appreciate what this album has to offer. The hooks are in every track... each track could be its own single. The production is top of the notch; Swift's style compliments the synthy overlays and echoey effects that make each track sound very clean. With modern pop music over the past couple decades that have placed a particular emphasis on the singer's voice, you can hear in "Style" how well the music stands on its own but brings out the best in her vocals, avoiding the pitfalls of generic pop music. It's a coherent experience from start to finish. The mood is optimistic and often goofy, used perfectly for a fun dance experience. I do agree that there isn't much room for breathers on the album. Sure, in the first half, "Out of the Woods" has more wistful vibe, and "All You Had To Do Was Stay" has calmer verses reminiscent of Red, but the choruses are still loud and overwhelming. "I Wish You Would" probably comes closest, which is necessary between the cinematic dance craze "Shake It Off" and the heavy beat hip-hop "Bad Blood" (followed by the grand romance "Wildest Dreams"). Last three tracks are what we needed, a really quiet and prolonged finish. A less artsy Kate Bush. Even "I Know Places" doesn't get too wild to make the audience uncomfortable. "Clean" is a satisfying ending that reminds me of the closer "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" of the synthpop classic Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
Genre: Synthpop 4/5 As much as Taylor Swift’s career has become a meme, and as much as Taylor Swift herself has had to be the female figurehead for “crappy pop music”, there is no denying that 1989 is a real triumph. From the Wall-of-Sound style production from Max Martin on the album’s biggest tracks, to some big vocal performances from Taylor, to the surprising sonic variety throughout the tracklist, this album is really well done. Blank Space-Style-Out of the Woods is a tremendous 3-song run to start the album off, and the album is still a hit machine after that, with songs like Bad Blood and Shake It Off being absolute mega hits for Taylor. This is one that I’m sure a large portion of the listeners on this website will have some sort of problem with, unfortunately rooted in misogyny and reactionary behavior, but for what it is, 1989 is one of the best pop albums to come out in the 2010s. Songs from this album, whether some people would like it or not, will stick around for quite some time. Personally, I recommend the deluxe edition, as the 3 tracks added on after Clean are real gems.
Oh yeh. Having seen her at Wembley despite not thinking I knew any of her toons, can rightly said Taylor is a legend. Album.
Take out "Bad Blood" and this would be 5 stars.
góð plata fullt af bangers en eitt og eitt lala lag (bad blood er ekki skemmtilegt imo), svo nær þetta ekki á sama level og folklore til dæmis sem er 5 stjörnur all the way, þannig fyrir mer er þessi plata 4 stjörnur
Oh man this was close to a five stars album. Blank Space and Bad Blood alone are five stars. But the filler tracks are really bad-basic (I Wish You Would—I’m looking at you). Love this pop.
Every song is fun and catchy, but the whole album is a bit over produced for me. Clean is a fantastic song though imo. Shame there isn't yet a taylor version so felt bad listening to this.
Welcome To New York was a questionable intro track Blank Space, Out of The Woods, I Wish You Would, All You Had To Do Was Stay, How You Get The Girl, I Know Places, Wonderland and Clean are excellent songs with beautiful lyricism Best songs on the album: Style (the backing vocals and the additional production was INSANE), Wildest Dreams (I thoroughly enjoyed the heartbeat, the strings and the production), This Love, You Are In Love, New Romantics like she put such amazing effort into the synth programming. The BRIDGE on Wildest Dreams and OOTW are like no other, such amazing work truly I love the guitars and droning sounds on Style, I Know Places and other tracks. If Shake it Off and Bad Blood weren't on it, it'd be a 10/10 but it can only be an 8.5. Lmao I'm listening to Style as we speak.
Pretty much as good as "standard" pop-music gets.
This pop version of Taylor Swift is better than one could realistically imagine given her usual fare up until this album. Taylor Swift pays significant homage to the electronic elements of the late 80s, dabbling in the ambient rock sentiments that would give the 80s sound that much needed layer to be taken seriously. The thing about this album that stands out is Taylor Swift's energy, and her range in matching that. Prior to this, Taylor Swift's popularity was as a country artist. Her talent and relative youth helped to grow the country fanbase as well as being a wholesome darling of that genre. The real miracle of "1989" is that her crossover from country to pop was flawless, even if considered risky. The darling persona of country vs. the mischievous pop star persona is apparently not easy. Where some of her contemporaries flat out divorced their "innocent" portrayals/alter-egos by doing controversial things, Taylor Swift managed instead to grow up right in front of us while keeping her dignity in the process. To conclude this, "1989" does not suffer from an identity crisis as listeners are very much aware that this is Taylor Swift "the girl who sings country". The welcome surprise is that this is Taylor Swift "the girl who sings country" now singing a pop album, and absolutely nailing it in the process. The album is fun, has some snark, and includes some anthemic elements that will likely remain in your head involuntarily.
Really catchy pop music. Surprisingly fun to listen to, half the songs are definitely single worthy.
4/5
Listened Before? Y Oh Taylor! You were "better" as a country artist, but I have to admit, this album is pretty dang good. Pros: Lets see, there's about 6 absolute certified bangers on this album, and there's only 13 songs! Well done vocals and decent wordplay. It's a solid pop album. Cons: "Out of the Woods" almost makes me stop listening the album on its own. Repetition of subject matter, and feels a little bit dated. I added this one to the library, then removed Out of the Woods. Added to Library? Y Songs added to Playlist: Wildest Dreams, Style
Good pop album. Great songs but slightly let down by the overly slick production elements. A generous 4 for the fun factor!
'1989' is a well-engineered pop album, despite its glaring musical predictability. The artistic direction works in favor of it though, a varied mix of tempo and spaciousness - 'Blank Space' in particular has all the right components to be a successful pop record (which it did), demonstrating best Swift's songwriting ability in both repeatable cadences and melodic tunes. A delightful record overall, while thematically commonplace, doesn't tire you immediately.
8/10
Pretty good music, I don't really like Taylor Swift as a concept / person but that can be separated from this album
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This album features a lot of firsts for me on this list: this is the first album I remember coming out and being a huge deal, the first album with multiple hit songs that I already knew before listening (I had already heard 7 (!) out of the 13 tracks), and the first artist that I have actually seen live (Arrowhead Stadium 2018). This was a very successful turn from country to pop for Taylor Swift, and she has continued to evolve ever since then. This may or may not be an exaggeration, but I think 1989 could be considered my generation's Thriller in that every single song could have easily made it on the charts at the time. They are also similar in that they came from an artist already at the top of their genre but pushed them even further into the mainstream; there's a reason why she went from playing arenas to playing stadiums after this album. Overall, this is a very fun record with no real duds. I would lean towards Blank Space and Shake It Off being the stand-out tracks here, but I was pleasantly surprised by This Love and Clean as they were nice calm songs to end out the album. After hearing this fully, this is peak pop Taylor, and I can understand the folk direction she has taken since then as it will be hard to reach these heights again in this genre. 4/5. NOTE: The inclusion of Kendrick Lamar in Bad Blood was a major positive for the single version of this track. The album version felt a little empty, but I'm guessing it's because I am so used to hearing the even more bombastic version instead.
Honestly a really stellar album
This was actually very quite good. And leads me to believe that being a few years younger than Taylor, and a few years behind the curve means I should be getting into all this shit right now
Every song is an absolute banger
I listened to this album the first time under duress, assuming I would hate it, but the only really bad track on here is Bad Blood. Is this my favorite music ever? No. But I think the best part about it is that it absolutely nails what it's going for and for that reason I like listening to it. It makes me feel like a heartbroken teenage girl all over again. And I only mean that half-jokingly.
Here's a familiar face. The so-called Album of the Year in 2015, over To Pimp A Butterfly in case you forgot. Fun as it is to poke fun at Taylor Swift, I do think this is a great pop album, even if it wears influence on its sleeves. Remember, she used to be a country singer-songwriter. The irony of this album opening with Taylor Swift of all people welcoming us to New York over an '80s beat will never be lost on me. Still a number of tracks on here that I enjoy, but honestly I remembered it being a bit better than it is today. I guess I'm just annoyed with a lot of the songs I don't like, which were (and are) overplayed to death. Taylor has a line on one of her newer songs, "I always felt I must look better in the rear view." For this album, and for a lot of pop music, that might be the case. Nevertheless, it's a solid project, and I will continue to carry the hits (as I see them) with me. Favorite tracks: All You Had to Do Was Stay, Wildest Dreams, I Know Places, New Romantics, Bad Blood. Album art: I mean I guess it's iconic as far as Swift covers go, not really her strong suit if we're being honest. Coming from the country background, it's all cheesy senior picture-type portraits. But this one tries to club you over the head with nostalgia, if that's not obvious from the title. 4/5
This is, uh, kinda a masterpiece, right? I mean, the singles are exemplary, but the whole thing is warm, sweet, delicious pop goodness. Taylor Swift is at her best here, Max Martin and Jack Antonoff snapped, and I really wish I would have appreciated this more when it came out. Stand-outs: I Wish You Would, Blank Space, Style, Out of the Woods, Bad Blood, New Romantics
There's a reason why so many of these songs were/ are huge hits. Pop production at its finest
Very thoughtful of the generator to remind me of my age on my birthday. It's wall-to-wall pop bangers, innit? Over time I have come to first accept, and then welcome, the reign of our new all-powerful country/pop/indie-folk overlord. Some of her other albums lack consistency but most of these tracks sound like hit singles.
I actually liked this a lot more than I was expecting...
Tswizzle, Tay Tay is something my wife plays a lot and I dont mind. Very catchy pop songs I'll enjoy if played but wont seek out. Nothing inspiring or ground breaking. Just toe tappy. 3.8/5.
Just dead good pop music innit, and there's nothing wrong with that. The best all out pop album we've had on this list. Could do without her vocals though, she's very bland.
Kiedy moim oczom ukazał się ten album, natychmiast pomyślałem: szatańskie bełty, których nie da się słuchać. Tymczasem jednak zaprezentowana jest całkiem spójna, dopracowana całość. Gdyby wczoraj ktoś zwierzył mi się, że słucha Taylor Swift, natychmiast w powietrzu wykonałbym znak krzyża celem odpędzania złych duchów. Dziś również wykonałbym znak krzyża, ale jako błogosławieństwo.
I was surprised to really enjoy this. It's pure pop and very well done. All the songs blend into one happy sound and it's not something I would ever normally listen to (and probably never will again) but apart from clubs (obviously) it would make great factory/shop background music. No good for just sitting and listening to, it's music for doing things to.
4/5 actually it was a nice album!
Cannot argue with the success. So many popular songs on that album. And even the ones I did not know are clearly Taylor. Can be a bit boring to listen to too many similar songs but hey who said it need to be all in one sitting?
Great pop record…
Popsynth album with a lot of radio hits on it. Well executed, although some of the songs on this are not as stellar as I would like. The general feel of the album is great however, but it does end up feeling more like a compilation then an album to me
7/10. This is a pretty solid album.
I actually hated the "Welcome to New York". Just came off incredibly lazy/meaningless song (and I'm from just outside of NYC) and shouldn't have opened the album with it but Swift really flexes her songwriting ability on this album. Tons of songs and hit after hit. Not my kind of music but I respect it. 8/10.
Upbeat pop princess fun. Some good hooks and would listen again. Pop done well.
As a father to a teen-ager, I recognized many songs on this and enjoy them. TS is America's Pop-Queen.
Slick. Shiny.
Solid pop album, only thing letting it down is ‘Welcome To New York’.
Overall some of that good catchy pop stuff in here that bothers me less when it isn’t the 1000th time I’ve heard it that week. I still cringe every time she says haters or players or ‘fa sho’
I'm not above enjoying a pop album, and this is one of the defining pop albums of the last few years. So many of these tracks still SLAP. I love Bad Blood so much. I'm not going to give this 5 stars. It's too new. It lacks proper historical context. But it's such a perfect example of what it is, both in time and place.
I didn’t want to like this, but I did. It’s a wonderful album. Her voice gets a little tiresome by the end.
Yeah... It's not my genre of music, but the pure poppiness of it is very enjoyable. Reminds me a bit of the anthems for a generation from Jagged Little Pill.
An Album that solidified the transition from country to pop. Many great songs and hits on this album.
I could write up a bunch about this album honestly. It came out when I had just started going to college. So it got a lot of play time in the car and when I used to go on runs. It reminds me of many good memories, it was like a musical backdrop for that year. But even aside from that, It's really insane that like more than 70% of this album were huge hits. For me, It's probably my favorite Taylor Swift Project. I love the way she went with the sound and sort of left the more country stylings behind. Definitely in favor of the more poppy sound for sure. I actually recommend this album to people when they don't really like much of her work. Especially when they didn't enjoy fearless or Red.
A disclaimer of sorts: I am the father of three girls with the youngest born the year before this album came out. I've heard the singles and a couple other tracks MANY times (and it's been a generally enjoyable experience). There are some tracks that automatically call back to hearing a two-year old singing along from her car seat. "Style" and "Clean" are two tracks that I would recommend a listen to, if you want to hear a track that might be new to you. This was my first listen to the entire album, but this is one that definitely has a place at our house. I'd probably listen to it again. Here's another tangent - My oldest was surprised and a little confused when I played Ryan Adams' version of "Blank Space" - that was fun.
Taylor is a guilty pleasure of mine. She’s a fantastic songwriter and has proven she can write hits. This may be her best album. 4.5/5.