1989

Middle School nostalgia aside, I didn't have as much fun with this album as I hoped. But I guess that sums up my relationship with many "childhood" pop songs, I tend to see them through rose-tinted glasses until I, you know, actually listen to them again, and notice all the little things that I never paid attention to. Granted, a few songs here like 'Style' and especially the clunky 'Shake it Off' I always hated. And I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to pop music, especially early 2010s style, I'm a sucker for it. But this got grating quickly, primarily with the subject matter and production. Like seriously what the hell is going on with the beat on 'I Wish You Would', it sounds so much worse than everything else here. It just proves that there's more to good pop music composition than a catchy chorus - something Swift has in spades. It's not all so bad though, the opener 'Welcome to New York' was pretty good - maybe even the best song here. It was a cute little pop tune with a pleasant synth melody - I feel similarly about 'How You Get the Girl', a song that sort of reminds me of Carly Rae. 'Bad Blood' I enjoyed also...I've been familiar with this one and I was expecting to hate it but of all the big songs off this album ("big" being a funny word to use, the least streamed song here has well over 100 million) it was the one I enjoyed the most. I don't hate Taylor Swift, but the pop hits off this one just aren't her best, that is to say, there is no 'Cruel Summer' or 'Love Story' here. And, yeah, I am happy she switched to folk-pop in the early 2020s, it suits her.

ever since i signed up this algorithm has been giving me rather bad albums but this has got to top it PLEASE NO 😫😫😫 i can imagine people enjoying this i guess but this is SO bland i cant deal with it anymore there’s nothing remotely interesting or different like why should i listen to this when i can just listen to something else that’s more authentic and actually interesting ?? as much as i want to like something about it it’s so boring i just can’t, it’s catchy but not in a way that’s even pleasant or enjoyable for me, maybe it’s just not my type of thing sorry

80s pop sound with the bass arpeggiator. More of a modern 1975 weeknd vibe though. I believe this album came around the same time as those other artists becoming popular. I like the 80s vibe. Not exactly what I was looking for from this website though. Probably not the whole album needs to be heard.

Heard this already, not my favorite Taylor album, but some really big anthems that are fun with a crowd and were great when when I saw them performed at the Era's tour

Not my go-to, however, had shared this in class last term as a 10 year album anniversary and had grown to appreciate it a little more than I would have at face value. Happy enough to listen to it again today.

While this sounds good initially as it moves forward it feels increasingly plastic. The Snthems sound like insincere slogans or declarations of very generic post-teen angst and en hi. Is this really smart pop or just poetry from your high school literary magazine.

8/10. Some classics and a fun album.

The first album I've ever heard with Taylor Swift. Better than expected but it also convinces me that her popularity is not through the music. It is ok, there are nice songs in there and I understand that a lot of people love her music. But it is not enough to explain her popularity. She must be a genius in creating some kind of group feeling that glues her fans to her. One can only say "well done" to that!

Oh boy, a Taylor Swift album... she's the one who made the album that has "Frontier Psychiatrist" on it, right? Yeah, as you can probably tell, I'm not particularly enthused to be getting a Taylor Swift album this early on (and I've in fact been putting off listening this - for context, I was given this album on January 5, 2025, and I'm finally listening to it on January 29, 2025, like I knew I was going to fall off of doing this little challenge but goddamn I was hoping it wouldn't be this early on). And it's not that I hate Taylor Swift - I don't particularly mind when her songs come on the radio, though I think most of her songs I've heard from her are just okay - it's just that she's so overexposed that I am absolutely tired of hearing about her and people talking about every little thing she does... the perks of being the biggest pop-star in the world, I guess. But going back in time to 2014, Taylor Swift was undoubtedly a popular artist though I don't think she might've been considered the biggest pop-star in the world then (to me, it might've been Katy Perry before she entered her Witness era), and her sound appealed more to fans of country than fans of mainstream pop. But with her 2012 album Red, she started to show signs of shifting away from her country pop roots in favor of a general pop sound. Songs like "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" were hits, but songs like "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" felt like they were much bigger hits. So why not embrace a sound like those two songs that appeals to more people? And that leads us to the album of the hour, 1989, where Taylor cements completely shifts her sound to mainstream pop and... well, I didn't totally hate it, so I'll give it that. If you've never heard a Taylor Swift song but have heard any of the majority of pop songs within the last 10 years or so, this is what this album sounds like. Catchy melodies and lyrics about romance and break-ups, both without much in terms of artistry and being interesting. There are some songs that range from decent to good like "Style" and "Wildest Dreams", both of which feel different enough for me to remember (though these were also radio hits, so...), but for every interesting songs, there are more songs that are either boring as hell or just plain not good. "Shake It Off" was the lead single off of this album, and the lyrics, especially the chorus, were already cringe-worthy in 2014, in 2025 they're just absolutely embarrassing. Who decided to let the white girl write the lyrics "players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate"? The least I can be glad for is that there wasn't any rapper guest appearances here. Then there's "Bad Blood", a song that on the surface seems to be just another breakup song, but interviews and speculation seem to suggest this song is about Katy Perry and how she and Swift were apparently feuding at the time. And the lyrics reek of pettiness and Swift tries to paint herself as a victim, and people seem to only care because it's Taylor Swift, and I couldn't give any single shit about this feud between two famous women. These lyrics have also just aged poorly since Swift pretty much won the feud, so to speak, becoming the biggest pop-star in the world, while Katy Perry fell off with Witness and has truly bottomed out with 143. This is easily the worst song on the album. The rest of the album is just pretty boring, generic pop. Just too many songs about her romantic exploits and breakups, it gets really tiring. And the production is clean, which isn't a bad thing itself, but it's also very generic-sounding and plays it too safe, in fact, this album might be the progenitor of the generic pop song that has dominated the genre for the past decade. Thank God for artists like Charli XCX and Chappell Roan for reminding me that mainstream pop music can be good. While this album is just overall okay, it might've done more damage to the integrity of pop music than good. Maybe I hate Taylor Swift actually. But, hey, I finally listened to this album, and that makes me want to get caught up with the other albums I've been assigned, and I can eventually get through the rest of the challenge so I can listen to such great albums as... Devil Without a Cause by Kid Rock why the FUCK Favorite Track: "Style" Least Favorite Track: "Bad Blood"

I would be denying my true self if I didn’t give this 5 stars: the album that defined pop music in the 2010’s, and massively shaped my listening taste. I remember my dad getting me the deluxe edition from HMV on release day, and being instantly obsessed on first listen. Clean, Style, and Out of the Woods are some of my all time Swift songs. Honestly it’s a shame the TV album fumbles some of the production so hard- I’ll always keep coming back to the OG. 10 out of fuckin 10

Highlights: Blank Space, Wildest Dreams. In a nutshell: ambitious Not putting this album on the list would be foolish. Taylor set herself up for success by working alongside production and songwriting guns such as Shellback, Jack Antoff (St Vincent's MASSEDUCTION and Daddy's Home, Lorde's Melodrama, Lana Del Rey's NFR!) and Max Martin (credited for making 27 number one hits in 26 years. What in the fresh hell? How?!?!!). The songwriters make lazy and weak lyric choices such as rhyming "love" with "done" and "we never go out of style"? But pen awesome lines like "I'm a nightmare dressed as a daydream". I hope Taylor expands thematically with songwriting after 1989, because she sings about dreams and love too much. Overall: 4/10

This is the first time I've knowingly listened to Taylor Swift and as far as pop albums go yeah it's a good pop album but it's just not music written for me. But i can'tdeny that its good.

didnt include vault tracks bc idk i feellike they werent on the original album wtny still reminds me of that animal pet movie

Solid bangers on there. Soft spot for “got nothing on my brain”. But still went with a 3 as there are some truly weak ones.

Admission- I’m okay with Taylor Swift. I expect it’s an ouroboros kind of thing, where she’s gone so far around the love-hater cycle that we’re back to (something less than, but something like) love. It’s confection, but I like me sweets, so ‘why not’ is my play here. 3.5 turns to 4

When I think of a pop album, this is exactly what I picture. Some catchy songs and well produced. A time and place for an album like this but I won’t be revisiting any time soon.

I hate those swifties who look to her lyrics as gospel. She's not a good lyricist, her lyrics are elementary. But what did I expect? Nothing. It's over-produced and over-hyped tripe. If you want good lyrics google Gareth Paisey. It's primary school disco music and if I'm honest I can vibe to it, there is a reason she is so popular. I've always despised over-produced music, when each beat is made by a computer, I know that she can actually play instruments which is why I prefer her later stuff. But the fact that all her songs are autobiographical, that they are all her just complaining about her terrible life, it makes my ears bleed. It feels like she has no opinions, she's so inoffensive it's offensive. Yet, Shake It Off is a great pop song and is the only reason this is two stars. And I have to say she is a good singer, though I don't like her voice and never have, I can appreciate that.

нууу... в принципе то нормально, понятно что поп, но уши вырвать не хочется. есть хуки. сделано качественно, качает, Макс Мартин молодец. вердикт: норм, но не для меня, пока что такую музыку слушать не готов)

Not bad, but not nearly at the peak of what Taylor can do. Her music isn't necessarily for me, but she has certainly found her audience.

Undeniable pop greatness whether you like it or not

Not my jam - but I like the economics of Taylor Swift. Caught in the middle of a technological change, she road the wave to glory. On this album - not sure if it came out before or after Lorde's Pure Heroin ?

I wanted to give this a chance and couldn’t get into it

Okay pop album. Do not get the hype at all.

A couple of catchy anthems, but it's all the same sound, and I'm suspicious of songs that require a lot of lyrical padding such as repetition of words and syllables.

Half way through this album I was ready to give it four stars; there's no denying that Shake It Off is catchy. But the album seems to drop off quite a bit in the second half and get fairly unmemorable. Still merits a three.

2.9 her best for sure, had it on my dad's ipod, is it great? no but it's a decent listen faves: style

Awful

I'm not the biggest fan of modern pop, especially overly produced stuff with auto tuned vocals. This isn't that though, production is great and her voice sounds natural. I've never listened to a Taylor album before, usually shy away because she is overly played on the radio, I actually found the songs I didn't know more enjoyable. Will never be a go to listen but appreciate the talent

This album should really end three songs sooner. But I still have to give it five stars.

Not bad

Good for what it is (pretty bland generic pop music)

Post 80's top 40 pop music absolutely sucks. "Take On Me" by Ah-Ha is better than anything Taylor Swift ever did. 2. (Feeling generous)

Look, I’m not a fan. The attitude and mystique are deeply irritating. On pure merit alone, however, this is a catchy, thoughtful, durned good pop album, far and away her best.

Beyonce did in deed had one of the best music videos of all time. Ngl this album is way better than i thought. Didn't knew so many of her Bangers are on the same album stacked. Just Crazy and al the other songs holding to a certain LvL and i cant go under 4 Stars. Its not my jam and the lyrics are obviously simple but still effective. Many Throwbacks from Vine, Musical.ly etc. from this era... i feel old rn lmaooo

It's just too poppy.

I've never been a Taylor Swift fan but I have to admit that I enjoyed listening to this.

She is inarguably the present pop queen. That said, I don't care for this album or her music. It is built to have broad appeal and, while it is more technically apt than most, I won't let that elevate it for the sake of its sickly breed. It's fine.

can't go wrong with taylor

Aga's not a fan but I am.

I’m going to be diplomatic and just chalk this up as being most decidedly not for me. I’m not really in a position to opine on whether or not this is markedly better than other music of this ilk because I am pretty ignorant of modern pop and I am definitely not the target audience. My gut reaction was that these songs seemed very engineered to become anthems for teenagers and that’s fine. That’s what pop music is, music engineered to appeal to target audiences. When you compound that with Swift’s ubiquity, though, and the modern celebrity landscape in general, the sense I get is that I’m listening to a product far more than I am listening to a musician.

Not for me

1989 ends with the song Clean. I know another album that ends with a song called Clean, Depeche Mode's Violator (also on this list). Guess when Violator was released? You guessed it, 1989. Coincidence??? I know this was popular, but I don't think I've ever heard an album so devoid of any soul. Somebody tell Swift that basslines can consist of more than 8th note roots. Oy.

If I really cared for Swift's music, I would be absolutely over the moon with this album, but I see it for what it is, The perfect example of a carefully crafted, honed, and polished pop album sharpened to a razor's edge to surgically separate listeners from their money.

it was aight

243/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

I mean, it slaps

Alright but best so far

Good for her.

I admire Tay Tay as a businesswoman but wow is she a sad sack.

I’ve heard this but I still only remember the hits. I still hate Bad Blood. Enjoyed it more than I was expecting.

4.0

I'm not a swiftie but I think she has better albums.

The highs are pretty damn high, but the lows (mostly Welcome to New York) bring this down a bit

I’m sure Taylor started with humble beginnings and I don’t doubt her talent. It’s been great to see a female role model propelled to global stardom. I can’t doubt her influence or talent. I’m just not into it. PLUS with a $2 billion world tour just completed, it’s a shame she is not even sharing her talents with her paying audience. Don’t believe me? https://youtu.be/k8rMNMURShM?feature=shared

Over produced and not my thing at all. I get that hundreds of thousands of people in my demographic feel a strong emotional connection the Taylor Swifts music - but I just get nothing emotionally from her music or lyrics. I can certainly appreciate she is a stand out in her generation of musicians, an astute business woman and powerhouse performer, but this music feels so 'handled' that its lost its authenticity. I wonder if I’d enjoy it more if it was either a solo acoustic or band with her? This should be on the list - but I'm not interested personally - don’t come for me Swifties!

This was a good listen I suppose. Growing up these songs plagued the radio for months and while there were some hood classics on here (Blank Space, Style, and Wildest Dreams) that shit irked me because it was all I would hear man. Seems like it aged a little worse over the years but it was still a solid listen either way. Top 3 Favorites: Wildest Dreams, Style, and Blank Space Top 2 Worst: Shake It Off and This Love 3.25-3.50/5

Fav song: Clean I would have given this a 1 star but you can hear it's been composed and recorded by the best team money can buy - the hits are arranged immaculately, and there's no denying how dominating the singles were in the charts. The reason why I give it such a low score though is mainly down to the dated production sound, instrument choice and down right almost embarrassing lyrical content. I cannot stress how exhausting it is to listen to an album where the lyrics are about almost the exact same thing in every song. I don't care about the highschool drama lifestyle and dating life of teenage girls and I don't understand why Taylor seems intent on singing about it ALL THE TIME. That being said, if these songs were sung over Country instrumentals they'd probably sound MUCH better, although I know Country isn't what teenagers want, and this is a $$$$$$$ album. The toplines and chorus hooks of each song are amazing though melodically speaking.

This is a lot better than I expected, the production really carries it and it has some strong singles. Like Yeezus but different. C

First time consciously listening to Taylor Swift! Well, can't say this is really my thing. However I can definitely respect Taylor as an artist, she's pretty damn talented.

2- Stars (4/15)

Can’t argue with the ear wormy hits of this album. The filler doesn’t match and gets a little sluggish

My favorite era 🫶🏼

I really wanted to say I was too harsh on this album before. I really wanted to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, even finishing was a tremendous force of will :/.

Good pop album

Holy double clap batman!

"Never play to the gallery… Never work for other people in what you do. Always remember that the reason that you initially started working was that there was something inside yourself that you felt that, if you could manifest in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you co-exist with the rest of society… I think it's terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations." quoted above is David Bowie's advice to young artists, advice which he gives in the 1997 documentary Inspirations. it's probably the single most important piece of advice I hold onto in my own pursuits as an artist, other than "you have more time than you think." it's also something I thought a lot about while listening to 1989. undeniably, Taylor Swift and the creative team(s) she's surrounded herself with have mastered the art of "play[ing] to the gallery." the numbers don't lie, whether it's on the charts or in the bank! it would be uncharitable of me to say something to the effect of, "well, nobody ever went broke appealing to the lowest common denominator," because the last thing I want to do is insult the intelligence or taste of anyone who might genuinely get a lot out of Swift's music. her most rabid fans get a bad rap, sometimes for good reason, but I know plenty of people—including other artists—who love all kinds of music and Taylor Swift! unfortunately for me, I'm just not the type of listener for whom her broad-strokes style of songwriting holds much appeal, if any. I acknowledge that the simplicity of her music is part of the appeal. her lyrics are replete with pretty surface-level similes. "I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream" made my eyes roll a little bit, but it speaks to a pretty universal feeling: covering up the pain we carry through life with an exterior of pleasantries. but, in that moment on "Blank Space" and many others throughout this album, I wish she was able to speak to these feelings and experiences with a little more specificity. but of course, specificity isn't the priority with Swift, especially not on this, the album which marks the completion of her transformation from country girl to pop icon. the main priority? to craft simple, catchy, well-produced, commercially successful pop songs. to the credit of this album, it achieves that goal with flying colors! (Max Martin knows what he's doing? big shock.) these are songs designed to be sung by stadiums' worth of people. within each individual track, Swift stays within about an octave of her vocal range, usually a little more. her melodies often stick to just a couple pitches, and a lot of the choruses are a single pitch repeated. most of the chord progressions are stock four-chord loops (I think the musicological term is "Axis progressions"?), and there's not a key change to be found on any of them. instrumentally, the album is pretty standard, too. it's mostly basic mid-2010s synthpop fare, with the occasional acoustic cut and some strings here and there. all of this is a winning formula for creating songs that millions of people of varying musical ability and knowledge can sing along with and connect to. however, I think it's a losing formula for capturing my own personal attention. for 13 tracks I pleaded with this album to throw some sort of curveball at me, and it never came. the vast majority of my favorite music features an artist or artists with unique perspectives (whether in sound or words), but since Swift has to engineer every song for mass appeal, her perspective is a secondary concern. I feel like I somehow know less about her than I did before I listened to this! I'm far from an anti-pop person, but there needs to be some kind of left hook if it's really going to grab me. "Style" was pretty alright. I should really listen to that new Billie Eilish album again. decent 4/10.

So many hits - such good pop quality

Listening to Taylor's version. Honestly tried to go in open-minded, I liked Shake It Off back in 2014. But actively disliking a few of the songs

It is very good. However it cannot be a 5*, there is nothing to grab you emotionally. I am just not vested in it.

Another album I already own. I have complicated feelings about this one. Shake It Off is impressively annoying, and Bad Blood is one of the worst hit songs from an artist of her stature that I've ever heard. It's ugly, poorly mixed, and lyrically awkward. I hate its two biggest hits. It's got other misses for me, too, like How You Get the Girl and Welcome to New York. But even at its worst, it's not boring, and it has some good songs mixed in. Blank Space and Out of the Woods are fun, and Clean, Wonderland, and New Romantics are at least interesting. Style, however, is one of her best songs. It's hard to recommend, since it's got a lot of bad in there. Like I said, I have this album, but almost half the songs aren't on my playlist. I feel like I should give this a two, but I like the highs enough to ignore the lows.

Doom

Overtly poppy With solid song writing chops And eighties highlights

Catchy poppy

It has arguably the worst opening track of an album I've ever heard. And then goes on to be a decent pop album? It's full of hits. It's non offensive nice pop music. Not worth the cult. But perfectly enjoyable starting from track 2.

What a bland and inoffensive album. I don't hate everyone for liking it, but to me it felt like a bag of unsalted chips (or fries). You go through it, on the moment there's nothing that makes you particularly stop, but by the time you're done with it you feel at best ok and at worst wondering why you spent time on it. Maybe it needs a decade more in the fridge before it becomes charmingly cheesy and retro, but right now I really don't get why people would spend life savings to see her live.

As Taylor’s first full foray into pop music, this is surprisingly great. She’s always been a talented songwriter but the synth-pop aesthetics suit her more than the twangy guitars. “Bad Blood” is sorely missing Kendrick, though.

Not my favorite Taylor album, but it was what brought her into Pop stardom. I'm just going to leave a _________

Good pop music. Though a bit “Men suck because I don’t know how to pick ‘em” feel.

Nothing wrong with TayTay

Hilariously nepotistically terrible. The Mary sue of pop songs. Imagine having all these words and nothing to say.

I couldn't even last 1 song. Fucking awful person, even worse as an artist. No musical merit whatsoever. Her unbelievable popularity is one of the most damning indictments of her generation. One of the few times I have wished that this site allowed zero stars!!!!

I now understand why Swifties exist.

i dont do taylor swift.

Pop n nonsense

I appreciate her song writing ability. Like so many hook masters, her albums are very peak and valley. But, here, Shake it Off is bona fide. What I can't stand is the electronic backing tracks. All robo-musica sounds so sterile to me. Give me her first album, or the first side of Red.

I would like to give her a chance, but it leaves me disengaged. Overproduced, overdetermined, personality-vacated high school romance politics, no sense of time or place evident, joins the crowded Cher-inspired pantheon of pop emptiness. Some highly skilled people made this happen, not least of all Taylor herself. She may have a great personality--wish I could see some of it.

Don’t get me wrong, the girl can write a catchy tune. She has skills and has proven her longevity in the songwriting game. However, for me there is a total disconnect. Most of her songs just sound the same and I like my love songs a bit more Robert Smith than vanilla ice cream. It’s all a bit bland, but occasionally, there is something and I feel a slight engagement, like Shake It Off. That’s fun! But the rest I have absolutely no emotional connection to or excitement about. Her millions of fans would disagree with me but then I don’t think I’m the target audience.

While tangentially familiar with her entire catalog (call it osmosis — I live with an avowed Swiftie), I'd say this is easily my favorite TS album, based on what I know. I like the fact that this is not trying to be anything more than a solid pop-anthem album, and from that perspective, it hits its mark. "Shake It Off" stands as the pinnacle in that regard, for me anyway, though I think my favorite tune might be "I Know Places," which I may not have ever actively heard before. I may never be a legitimate part of the Taylor Army, but I agree, we all needed to at least hear this one to get acquainted with the queen of the aughts.

Man, I wanted to love this. TS fans are... enthusiastic, and I was hoping to catch some of that passion. But sadly, that did not happen. I feel like I'm broken or something because people love this so much and to me it just seems so generic and lifeless. I guess I'm lacking the joy gene. This music is produced to within an inch of its life, and her singing is so utterly lacking in personality, it's hard to connect with. These songs feel like they were created by committee. Give me Lana del Rey or Weyes Blood or Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish or Boygenius. Shake it Off is fun, but the rest of it: meh. I'm sorry, Marianne. I tried.

This is the album that officially made me a Swiftie. I bought it on CD for Sylvia on a whim as I was leaving town for a work event. I ended up spinning it in the car and was captivated. All the things I love about pop but with a lyricism so lush I continue to find new meanings and rapture with each spin. For folks not in the know she's super clever and playful: Wildest Dreams - that background thump thump is actually her heartbeat that she recorded for this song. Clean - Tay Tay went over to Imogen's house in London to craft a song. They made tea and crafted one of my favorite tracks on the album. Imogen still keeps a copy of the polaroid they took on this day. Taylor included a bunch of polaroids in the album packaging as part of her branding extras. Is it Over Now? - last song from the vault tracks on TV..Taylor often writes songs she views as sisters. Is it Over Now is sisters with Out of the Woods and I Wish You Would Say Don't Go - When Taylor sings "you say nothin' back" and there is a pregnant pause of complete silence, she's creating an empty (blank?!) space that we actually feel the rejection..the..."man, you just don't fucking get me." Blank Space - Jen and Keith asked me if showed 8-year-old Sylvia the video for this song and I said "no" because I thought it was too rough for young Sylvia. By the time I showed Sylvia, he told me already saw it. I regret that statement to Jen & Keith. I Know Places - When Sylvia and I went to the 1989 tour and I saw two girls dressed up as foxes, I realized that his Swifterhood was something smart, special, and fun. (They are the hunters we are the foxes) On this listen, particularly with vault tracks like Suburban Legends, You Are in Love, and New Romantics, she masterfully hints at the lyrical brilliance that will later shine even brighter—leaving us in awe when The Tortured Poets Department inevitably finds its place in future iterations of this list.

1 might be slightly harsh, but also unfair to score this as high as others I have rated 2. The failings of an out-of-five rating system...

Wanted to hate it. I just don’t

Surpsingly catchy

As plan as porridge. Tell me what I'm missing, guys.

Maybe like 2 good songs otherwise meh not great

My daughter would give it 5/5 but I can't listen to this all day. 2/5

Fine, Shake It Off and Blank Space are fun.

I had mostly missed Taylor Swift until last year or so, and only got the early songs via unavoidable cultural osmosis. I'm really glad I had the weekend to listen to this a couple times.

My least favourite TS album but obviously still a 5* from me. Annoying that this isn’t Taylor’s version but still an absolute genre-defining classic modern pop album

Frankly, Taylor Swift is not an interesting artist. She makes radio pop, has more money than god, and employs an army of rabid fangirls to maim anyone who says a bad word about her. That being said, she cooked with this one. I have listened to all of her albums (so I could decide if I wanted to hate), and this one is by far one of the standouts. Taylor Swift has made some awful, awful music. She has also made some really fantastic, catchy, and (for someone of my young age) nostalgic music that really is fun to listen to. I am no Swiftie, but I do like good music, so I have to be objective and give her props on this one.

I mean I am not a huge Swift fan but this is all killer no filler

better than most albums on here

I got this for day 89. I just wanted to share how cool of a coincidence that is. Unfortunately, this absolutely blows and worse, this is the second Taylor Swift album I've gotten in 89 days. At its best it reminded me of Carly Rae Jepsen but with less personality. This didn't change my perception of Taylor Swift, I already knew she was a competent songwriter with not an ounce of personality to her. Musical chicken tendies, music for people who don't really like music.

Some really solid songs and overall a good pop album. Travis Kelce really let me down in the early going of this seasons fantasy football though so some marks are lost for that.

Solid pop album but not my favourite of hers

Fav: Style Least Fav: Bad Blood Nothing against Taylor Swift or her fans but this just bored me. Style was the only song I genuinely liked

A classic of course!

One can see how the Taylor Industrial Complex came to be after this one – which is high-gloss and precision-engineered, but a bit soulless and as cynical as necessary to achieve massive commercial scale. There's no denying a few of the first-rate cuts (and their mad-infectious hooks) – “Welcome to New York,” "Style," “Shake It Off." One generally prefers Ryan's version, if only showing how they might work in leaner, quieter settings. This is overdone, as with much of Taylor's world, but still ... rounding up if only from one's daughter's love.

3.5, good pop

The beginning of her ascent to superstardom not seen since Michael Jackson.

It’s really really nice music, but I dislike the feeling of my icy heart melting.

not for me but pop is catchy and she is good a pop 2.5

Pop, RnB, 2014 -> 3

I'm basic. This is probably the most enjoyable album suggested so far.

I find this album unbelievably dull. Each song feels like it's intended to be an anthem hit where the crowd can easily sing along, but there is no sauce in many of these songs. They're very safe and stereotypical pop lyrics, too, which doesn't feel too genuine. I wanted to give this a fair shot because I've had a hard time getting into pop, but this album falls into most of the pitfalls that keep me away. Perfectly listenable, offensively inoffensive. I won't get mad at hearing it on the radio, but I don't think I'd actively seek it out. Shake It Off and New Romantics are my favorite here, and I also liked "Slut!".

One of the few albums I've heard fully before reading this book. It's as mid as I remember, surprised to see it here, honestly. Then again it's Taylor Swift so as mid as she is it's hard to deny the influence and broad appeal

Excellent album. Very much enjoyed

Pop Bible

I do like this album... some earworms, and others have a great synthwave sound that I enjoy.

First listen. Well not entirely true, because these songs have been played on the radio about a million times a day. Dogshit.

I don’t want to be a hater, but I didn’t love this

Well it’s TS so the execution and production you know will be perfect. And she has a great voice!

It's a nice pop album with some good production. *Favorite tracks: Style All You Had to Do Was Stay Shake It Off Clean

This album is an anomaly for me. I’m not that much of a Taylor Swift fan. I find her lyrics far too over praised and her music lacks a dynamism that appears in stuff from her peers. And yet I think this is a solid pop record. There’s some good bangers on it. The only one of her albums I’d ever come back to and listen in full. 4/5

General impression: it’s good and I hate that Detailed review: I just don’t like Taylor Swift, and I like her less as time goes on. But this album came out at a particular time in my life - mid-20s - and I can’t help but feel nostalgic for that time when I listen to 1989. The production is perfectly clear and crisp, and some of the songs on here — “Welcome to New York,” “Out of the Woods,” “Wildest Dreams” — are total hits. I have to be fair. This album is pretty great. If only Taylor Swift would go back to paying this much attention to her songcraft, instead of her “lore” and fanbase… Oh and one more thing: I listened to “New Romantics” for the first time this listen. What a banger. Should’ve been on the main album. Deeper thoughts (context): There’s a “Taylor’s Version” of this that I don’t care to even check out. Score: 3.6 (4) Number of albums left to review: 964 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 21 (including this album) (and only because you can’t simply ignore Taylor Swift, and if you’re going to listen to her at all this is the album) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 16

Hell yeah dude. This is peak pop music and nobody is going to tell me otherwise.

Had never listened to a Taylor Swift album before this. I'm impressed...a master class in pop music.

Cotton Candy. It lures you in, using triggering multiple senses... sight, smell and taste. But even as you eat it, it collapses in your saliva. You receive the sensory response you thought you wanted, but it leaves you unsatiated. I worry that anyone who lives at the carnival doesn't receive the daily nourishment they need for healthy mind and body.

I really want to dislike Taylor Swift on principal, but damn it, I’m a slut for pop music.

This album has 3 international hits. Even I heard them countless times in the radio. They are pretty fun. But I'm afraid the rest of the songs, although brilliantly produced, doesn't hit it for me. Don't want to call them fillers or anything, but how many times I can hear Taylor describing some guy.

It’s a good album, but I just am not the biggest fan of Taylor Swift.

It surprised me at how good this turned out to be, even if it coasted toward the end. Very catchy tunes.

I gotta tell you- there’s nothing at all special or interesting about her music. Why the cult-like following? It’s cookie cutter, paint-by-numbers, bog standard, white girl pop music. And honestly, it’s just not that good.

1989 After enjoying Evermore I wanted to check out a few more of her albums but knew some were on here, so was waiting for them to come up. I’m glad this one did. Welcome to New York is a top drawer opener, that little synth motif is excellent and the whole thing’s atmospheric stompy catchiness is fantastic. Banger. Blank Space has that undeniable Max Martin feel to it, but is an above average electro-pop song. Style is what I call a Banger-Grower, a Grower-Banger, a Grow-Bang, a Granger, Bower. Anyway, a brilliant bit of modern synthpop. Out of the Woods is also superb, that spacey echoey feel, with a killer chorus and some nicely pitched woahs. All You Had To Do Was Stay has a hint of Call Me Maybe, and while not at the level of some of the other songs on here, it’s still a decent track. Shake it Off, rightly a modern pop classic, taking the Hey Mickey drums and bolting on an unstoppable chorus and a great horn part. Superb bit of pop music. Same goes for Bad Blood, an undeniably good track. I Wish You Would is also a bit of a low key banger, another great catchy, hooky track. It’s all good. Nice change of pace on Wildest Dreams, you can imagine this being a rather turgid piano ballad in other hands, but its catchiness and atmospheric production elevates it. How You Get The Girl feels like a mid 200os throwback, maybe not the strongest track, but a fun bit of catchy throwaway pop. This Love is a very nice ballad, you can kind of tell it predates the Max Martin production, and although it’s nice to break up the synth pop it feels vaguely out of place. Another bulletproof chorus on I Know Places, and the synth bass and guitar on the second verse is excellent. Christ she can write some catchy hooks. Love love the dreamy atmosphere on Clean with its soulful feel and typically idiosyncratic Imogen Heap production and sound. Great great track It's very hard not to enjoy this, it's a brilliantly well written, well made, well constructed and well thought out electronic pop album, designed to be expansive, fun and catchy, but with the added bonus of her own songwriting nouse and her skill as a lyricist, giving it an sense of substance and autheticity. I presume that songwriting skill and her background in country makes her version of 80s influenced synth pop much better, more interesting and much more durable than a lot of her contemporaries, that skill helping to give the songs a different edge and grounding. Reading back I’ve used banger a lot, there are at least 5 top drawer tracks, Welcome to New York, Style, Out of the Woods, Shake it Off, Bad Blood and Clean, and the rest are all well above average bits of pop music. For what it is, what it tries to do and for how much I enjoyed it I’ll ride high on the giddiness and give it the full 5. 🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡 Playlist submission: Welcome to New York

People love this and they’re not wrong

Really curious to see what the community reviews on this are. We took our kids to see her live last year, and I gotta say, she earned some serious respect from me when I saw her. It takes a lot to do what she does. This is definitely the album where I started to take her seriously. That said, this is pop music and I’m not really a fan of pop music. It’s pretty good pop music, but pop all the same.

Started off fairly pleasantly, Welcome to New York is catchy enough. Blank Space was groan inducing, though. A lot of the album was a pop slog inspired by the synthwave/electronica of the late 2000s. It wouldn't shock me that someone who never heard production like this would find it groundbreaking, but there's nothing here that's innovative. It's simply marketed to a large and musically ignorant audience. This music was designed to be catchy and it delivers here. I just wish there was something more substantial. This is by no means an original thought, but these vapid lyrics really bring it down for me. I also recognize just by virtue of being a man in my 30s, this album isn't really for me. It's not meant to be consumed as an album. This is a huge bag of jellybeans, not a full prepared and balanced meal.

Bland, monotonous, overproduced, indistinguishable from her competitors. Why all the fuss?

Consistently catchy across the album set.

I remember hating on Taylor Swift when I was younger, but I don't think I heard anything beyond "Shake it off" (still don't like that one) and a couple other hits. It turns out that beyond the radio/TJ Maxx tracks there are actually some catchy songs in her discography.

A pretty solid pop album. Still don't know how this beat To Pimp a Butterfly at the 2016 grammys

This is a top tier album no doubt. Taylor Swift is a phenomena and this is arguably her single best album, jam packed full of hits. Every song hits a chord, but the album never feels stale or repetitive, showing rather mastery over a wide range of styles. Do I think Taylor is overhyped? Certainly. But this album is her GOAT and Shake it Off is such a bop that it's impossible not to love.

Bro it’s 1989

I would never

I'll admit it—Taylor Swift is one of my guilty pleasures. Say what you want about her being overexposed or polarizing, but the woman’s got talent. She writes her own songs, sings them, plays instruments, produces the tracks, and actually performs. That alone sets her apart in a pop scene where half the charts are just features and samples. 1989 was a big shift for her, and looking back, it still holds up surprisingly well. It’s polished but personal, catchy without feeling hollow. Hard to believe it's already been a decade since this one dropped, but it doesn’t sound dated. Solid album from a legit artist.

A talented musician producing catchy tunes. Is it my cup of tea, not really, but I can see why it is so popular. On the one hand, a powerful female role model: successful and talented, however the subject matter of many of the songs paints her as the victim and kinda glamourises emotional pain. that's not so good. Anyway, Shake it Off is a banger. Mmm mmm.

Yeah. Whatever.

It's fine for a modern pop album, a genre which I am not a fan of. Backing music is pretty basic and uninteresting and people clearly are drawn to Taylor's poetry, which doesn't do too much for me personally but I can respect it. Shake It Off is undeniably a banger.

I have to dress up as a Swiftie next week for Halloween. She sounds so outrageously polished, I may as well dunk myself in lacquer.

I will admit, I came into this album wanting to hate it but by the end I kind of loved it. It is pop. But it’s good.

PERFECTION!

In 2014 Taylor Swift was already a hugely popular musician, with prior crossover hits ("I knew you were trouble"), but this album launched her into the stratosphere. It was inescapable at the time, proven out by the 6 huge singles released from the album (almost 50% of the standard edition). This was the album that really solidified T Swift as a pop culture icon (for better or worse). Personally, I like several of the tracks, but my opinion of Taylor Swift has soured in recent years so I'm unlikely to revisit this album outside of a project like this. For reference, listened to the original, standard version of the album instead of "Taylor's version"

This doesn’t talk to me but it does talk to younger generations and they love it.

They say that hate engages. Here I am doing a negative review of this album. Hearing this only brought me bad feelings. I've never seen anything more generic about this in all of pop music. Nothing rings true in these songs. Everything sounds like a sure formula for success. The only thing true about this is the feeling of heartbreak. Easy music for little girls suffering for love. This singer uses the music market at her pleasure. It's not for nothing that she became who she is in this field.

This is so far from “Folklore.’ ‘Welcome to New York’ is a banger though.

Was originally listening to Taylor’s Version because that’s what the artist wants, but realized I think “Style” is better on the original. So I switched over to the original. Hate to give money to Scooter Braun, but I doubt Taylor is lacking in funds. I find Swift albums are perfect for song by song write ups, even the bad ones (like Lover) Welcome to New York: is Taylor known as an NYC artist? Sounds like a “Party in the USA” ripoff if I’m being honest Blank Space: this has held up better than I would have thought. Some of the lyrical quirks are maybe a bit too quirky, but on average one of her better big hits from this period. Style: that bubbling synth bass with the scratchy guitars on top! Taylor doing early The 1975 better than Healey and the boys. I think she projects just a bit too much on the chorus, but what a chorus it is to get lost in. This never topped the charts, which make it massively underrated in my eyes. Out of the Woods: Honestly a bit annoying, far from the worst Swift song I’ve heard though. All You Had to Do Was Stay: really hate the falsetto “Stay!” in the chorus. Rest of the song isn’t great enough to distract me from it. Shake It Off: I still don’t love the bridge but as a constructed mainstream pop song this may otherwise be perfect I Wish You Would: too many bells and whistles in the production, makes the whole experience too overwhelming for what’s supposed to be such a personal song Bad Blood: YEESH Wildest Dreams: Would legitimately kill to hear Beach House take a crack at this, great song How You Get the Girl: Firmly ok This Love: See above I Know Places: “In the End” pianos and a drum line beat while Taylor digital stutters a backing vocal hook. That chord change from verse to hook should have gotten someone sent to jail. Clean: Like the instrumental here, and Taylor’s vocal feels slightly less pushed up in the mix. Dig this one. Overall not my favorite Swift album (that’s still Folklore), but a solid record and a firm declaration away from country, which is what she needed at the time. The big hits still hit (except for Bad Blood, which always missed), and none of the deep cuts are offensively bad. Good pop album!

cracking pop album

Conventional, competent, catchy 3.65

go AWAYYYYYYYYYYYY. if this has shake it off on it im gonna vomit welcome to new york- 1 blank space- 1 style- 2. target ad music out of the woods- 2 all you had to do was stay- 1 or 2 shake it off- -1000 aura. im gonna throw up i wish you would- 2 or 3 bad blood- -1000 wildest dreams- 2 or 3 how you get the girl- please get this away from me. 1 or 2 this love- 2 i know places- me too bitch. i know all sorts of places. 1 or 2 clean- 2 or 3 because i like drugs. otherwise this is a sonically terrible song wonderland- 1 or 2 you are in love- 2 new romantics- 1 id give her and whoever allowed this to happen the electric chair

In this home, we only listen to Taylor's Version. Please update the site accordingly

Taylor is the undisputed reigning "Princess of Pop." No matter what everyone says, she makes her music on her terms and fills stadiums with crazed fans who pay hundreds or thousands to see her. I like several of the songs on this album, but they are pop songs, not my favorite genre. There is no dispute that they are good pop music, but generally, I would go for something less pop-oriented.

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.

Definitely one of the best pop albums of this century. Almost every song on this album was a hit and inescapable and for a reason. The synth orchestra is very epic and the production quality is incredible

Really enjoyed her take on synthpop-esque music. I bought this one.

It’s ok sounded fine good production but not for me

I'm more of a Folklore/Evermore fan, but 1989 is a very strong pop album. It has some great bops on it - Style, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics. Taylor's voice was still developing on this album though, and hadn't reached some of the depth she has later.

There are some good songs here and there, but the majority is just sufferable. Very generic pop. The good songs save it from being 1*.

I really tried. I tried so hard to not let other's reviews of this album influence my own. But I just can't ignore Taylor Swift's own remarks, and the rabid musical ignorance of fans of this album. Saying that this music is 80s inspired could be technically true, but anyone who has given an even cursory listen to 80s pop, especially synth pop, would know that comparing this album to it is frankly offensive. Just using synths doesn't suddenly make this 80s music. This is the most safe pop garbage I've had the misfortune of listening to. Without looking at the history at all, I guessed this album's release year within a year because it has such a hyper specific, dated sound that really only existed from 2011 to 2014. This doesn't sound like 80s pop, anyone saying so is frankly extremely ignorant and confidently incorrect. And that sound of 2011-2014 is so extremely fucking irritating, it's ridiculous. Only Blank Space saves this album from a 1. At least it's not Bjork.

got weaker towards the end and i still think shake it off is a miserably annoying song but this REALLY surprised me tbh

I am not am fan and don't understand the hype but have to admit that this is a good album.

Yeah, there are some quality pop tunes on here for sure. Some are pretty middle-of-the-road though. Favourite tracks: the singles; I'm shallow.

As much as I dislike her overexposed and cringey persona I cannot take away that she can write some catchy and easily digestable tunes. Corny lyrics, sure - but some great melodies honestly.

One of the better albums by Taylor Swift that I’ve heard. You have to admire the ability to write essentially an albums worth of singles. But there is some quite uninspired instrumentals and cringy lyrics in there too.

lowkey had some bangers. Hard to argue with the influence of this album regardless if its to your taste. Last 3/4 songs were purely filler though

1989 marked a full-on shift for Swift as she ditched her country roots for a strictly modernized pop sound. Largely inspired by the synths and dancepop of the '80s, 1989 embodies a successfully catchy and retro style of music that has been updated for modern audiences with contemporary production. For all that it is, 1989 is a landmark album not just in Swift's career as a rising star (now arguably at the peak), but also a landmark album for pop music as whole by defining the sound that dominated the radio waves. And the songs are good. I am not a Taylor Swift fan by any stretch but her songs are really not that bad. They are well-produced, catchy, and occasionally have good writing. Songs like Style and Out of the Woods are easily her best in her entire back catalogue, showcasing her ability to leverage a song's atmosphere and tone to elevate her vocals. The last track, Clean, does this to great affect. The rest are fairly consistent in quality with maybe a few lulls. For the megastar that she is and the qualities that her (and her fans) embody, I can't bring myself to hate this album. It actually has some decent artistic merit and it has some genuinely good songs. Within a broader context, 1989 reflects the cultural landscape of pop music at a time when everything seemed to be approaching a crossroads.

This is the first Taylor Swift album I listen to from beginning to end. I was impressed, she is a really good story teller and uses very good imagery in her lyrics. I can understand her appeal. I am glad I listened to this album and can see why she is a star. Even though it's not my typical choice of music I enjoyed the listen.

Wusste gar nicht das die so gute Lieder macht. Bin jetzt Swifty!

Sehr gute songs auf dem Album. Highlights: Welcome to New York, Bad Blood, Blank Space, Wonderland, New Romantics 5/5 Ich HASSE shake it off. 1/5 4 Sterne.

Where do I even begin? To be honest, I never really paid much attention to Taylor Swift, so I didn’t have much of an opinion about her in the past. But recently, she’s started embodying everything I can’t stand about superstardom. The grandstanding and arrogance of massive celebrities, who suddenly think they have all the answers to the world’s problems, really turns me off. When public figures like her start making political statements, I just feel like they’re overstepping. It’s like they reach a certain level of fame and suddenly believe they have to tell everyone what to think and do. On that alone, I’d love to give this album a low rating. Now, musically, this album was way too commercial, polished, and glitzy for my liking. But I will say, it was interesting to hear such a strong ’80s synthpop influence, especially compared to her more country-oriented albums. As a 43-year-old man, this feels like music aimed at suburban teenage cheerleaders, but I have to admit, she worked with some top-notch producers who clearly knew what they were doing. While it’s too commercial and manufactured for my taste, that’s exactly what they were going for, and they nailed it. So, while it falls short of the middle ground for me, I still have to give credit where it’s due.

Name a better pop artist in the last 15-20 years. You can't. Yes, her fans can be annoying. And the instrumentation on this album could be better (less drum machines and synths please), but the tunes themselves are great. They're catchy, and they're fun -- just what great pop music should be! On a scale of 1-10, I would give this a 9, so converting to a 5-star scale, I have to choose to round up or down. I don't think this belongs with the likes of Thriller (though both albums are very good pop), so I'm rounding down. (For the record, some of my favorite artists are Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, and The Cure, so I'm no Swiftie.)

could i write poetry to this? n and yet somehow it is still a 5

A landmark Modern Pop album. I think its her very best.

Not as awful of a listening experience as I thought it was going to be. By no means am I becoming a Swifty.

When Shake it Off came out one of my friends was complaining that it was horrible. I said, "but it's so catchy" to which he replied "like that's what makes music good." Sometimes, yes, that what makes music good.

I was eight in 2014- prime Taylor Swift age- so obviously I had the CD. I still think the album sounds better and more textured with the sound of the CD spinning behind everything and between songs. I guess it’s pretty good, and I do like this kind of synth pop but really the production is the best thing about it. Lyrics aren’t amazing but there is some personality coming through and some of the songs tell pretty vivid stories, particularly Style and New Romantics. I still think for this kind of thing I’ll turn to Carly Rae Jepsen first.

Got some massive bangers on it like Blank Space, Shake it off,Bad blood and Wildest Dreams 3/5 tho bc even tho her songs are alright i don't really care for her

I listened through three versions of 1989 today: the original 2014 version; the 2023 Taylor's Version; and Ryan Adams' whole-album 1989 cover from 2015. I'm sure Swift will be remembered as the most significant recording artist of the current century, and she almost certainly deserves another slot or two in the 1,001 at next publication. I don't connect with everything she does - her last few albums have been misses for me, and she shouldn't agreed to do Cats - but overall I like her. 1989 is my second favorite Swift album overall (behind Reputation) and kicks off my favorite period of hers. It's an outstanding, catchy pop album. "Shake It Off" is a banger. "Blank Space," "Style," "Out of the Woods," and "Wildest Dreams" all get lodged in my head from time to time. While I like the refreshed sound on Taylor's Version, I think I prefer the album without the bonus "vault" tracks at the end. 1989 by Ryan Adams: This whole-album cover of 1989 was also available; since I already knew 1989, I thought I'd work Adams' version into today's listening so I could hear something new. Glad I did - it's a really interesting reinterpretation of the album that changes up the mood and makes it into something somber and dejected. I especially like his take on "Out of the Woods." I think this will stay the rotation for a bit. Fun "I get that reference" thing: Wikipedia says, "When recording the album, Adams said he found a sound somewhere between Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and the Smiths' Meat Is Murder (1985)." I've been exposed to both those albums in the last 2 months through this site, so that feels like a neat little reward for doing this project. Feels like I am learning!

Impressive number of songs on this album made it to charts and radio. But too shallow and basic pop for me.

Poppy and fresh. Fun album and totally see why she is so popular. A change up album from my normal go to and happily listened to it.

Yeah, no This is more of a product than art, for me The lyrics are okay, as I like the expressiveness of Taylor, but since almost all songs are about her relationships, it gets stale Not a big fan of the pop sound, it's artificial and is made for charts and radio play Nothing wrong with that, but it's not for me. Wildest Dreams is a good shakeup, like the subtle production. Not something that I'm gonna go back to probably, but it's a standout for sure Favorite track: Blank Space

much prefer "synth taylor" to "guitar taylor" so there's a lot to appreciate here even if it gets a little slow for me in the third act. style remains a top 5 pop song of the decade

I'm not really into pop music, but I get the popularity of Taylor Swift. These were catchy, fun tunes with a singer you can understand.

Oh, no. It’s unbearable

It’s a pop record. I am not the intended audience for this album, nor will I ever be. It’s clearly a good album from a production standpoint. It’s also fun, I guess. That’s about all the nice things I have to say about this album. Its lyrics are unapologetically self obsessed and strike me as being taken straight from the diary of a high school girl, which I guess is half the point? There’s not a single profound idea spoken, but clearly swifties aren’t on the hunt for anything novel. I wasn’t looking forward to the album, but I listened to it with open ears. If I never hear it again, it will be too soon. 1 star. Yawn.

“Welcome to New York” sounds like an AI generated song for a cheap promotional video for the city and is a baffling choice as an album opener. This turns out to be a recurring theme - the instrumental track on “Style” sounds like the royalty-free music that would play over a hastily assembled slideshow of services offered at a bougie suburban strip mall salon. “This Love” makes me feel like I’m watching a toxic couple’s reunion on a trashy reality TV show. There are moments of “Out of the Woods” where Jack Antonoff’s production almost shines through but it ultimately loses its battle against the many things working against this track’s favor. The same can be said for “I Wish You Would” - Antonoff’s fingerprints are immediately recognizable but even his pop genius can’t redeem Swift’s extremely grating vocal phrasing and unimpressive “pipes”. I was alive during 2014 so “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” were already familiar to me and are the songs I dislike least on this album. They exhibit Swift at what she excels at: catchy, vapid, annoyingly self-effacing pop music, which is arguably less tiresome than everything she has done since. But this is about 1989. Sadly “Shake it Off” was also already familiar to me and it’s as terrible as it’s ever been. That spoken word interlude is truly laughably bad. “I Know Places” best exemplifies her style that I can only describe as ‘phrasing’ that is possibly my least favorite thing about her music. The timing with which she delivers the lyrics on this track in particular hit me like a shot of room-temperature bottom-shelf tequila. Actually made my face contort. Something that stands out to me listening to this album is how truly meh TSwizzle’s voice is compared to her worldwide megapopularity. Her range is exceptionally narrow and attempts to work on the upper or lower ends sound very breathy and effortful. Her lyrics epitomize “I’m 14 and this is deep” memes. How many times does she mention wearing red lipstick in the span of 45 minutes? Overall, Swift offers some of the strongest evidence for the idea that our society rewards mediocrity in white folk. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever listened to but it’s very grating vocally and lyrically and most of the production feels lazy. 3/10

Taylor Swift is a genuinely evil and unbelievably greedy person that represents everything wrong with the music industry nowadays. From having one of the largest carbon footprints of any single person in recorded history, to re-releasing her "Tortured Poets Department" album 18(!!!) times just to squeeze every single extra cent from her rabid fanbase and screw over upcoming artists from the #1 chart position; I can't believe people consider her to be the "only ethical billionaire". Rant aside, I kind of enjoy the music itself. I get why people listen to this. It feels like it was engineered in an evil alchemist's lab to appeal to as many people as possible. It's catchy, makes you feel good, the lyrics are the perfect amount of fake-deep to make teenage girls feel like they're consuming high art, Taylor's voice is pleasant to the ears. Whatever, man. 3/5. One point for each 3000 tonnes of carbon emissions Taylor Swift produces in a year. Yass queen, so cottage-core, autumn vibes ✩°｡🧸𓏲⋆.🧺𖦹

I'm not a big Taylor Swift fan in general. I enjoyed her two mostly acoustic albums released during COVID lockdown. But, this album is solid. Her last decent pop-based album, IMO.

never cared for Taylor Swift, this shit is overhyped at best and annoying at worst

4

Nagyon szívesen _leráznám_ magamról ennek az albumnak a létezésének a tudatának az írmagvát is, de tartok tőle, hogy ez nem ilyen egyszerű. Ez a csaj egy buborék. Egy kurrrrrrvanagyra felfújt buborék, azzal a fajta posztmodern blöffel, ahol a marketinggépezet elhitette a rajongókkal, hogy ennek az egésznek van értelme, pedig nincs. Csillivilli szappanmáz + nagy büdös semmi, patikamérlegen kimért arányokkal. És ez FRUSZTRÁL.

nem fogok hazudni és azt mondani, hogy nem üvöltöttem az egészet rendrakás közben. :D az egészet a bad blood-ig, that is. ha ott vége van, lehet hogy kap egy négyest, de ami utána jött, az olyan unalmas, hogy uhh. és továbbra is fárasztóan egydimenziósak a szövegek sajnos. also ugye hogy starbucks loverst énekel a blank space-ben? :D

It's got some banners and is a solid album. Some great turns of phrase, too. I really don't like this style of music, not a fan of singer-songwriter confessional tunes, but it's still a 4 out of 5.

Lots of pop.

My first thought when seeing this album: what's this doing on this list? My thoughts after listening: what's this doing this on this list?

First Taylor Swift album I've ever listened too and I was impressed. She obviously has great musical talent and this album is a good listen for start to finish.

It was alright. Just not my genre

PLEASE USE TAYLOR'S VERSION

7/10 Favourite songs: Style, Out of the Woods idk, not a fan of pop but I can see the appeal for this sound. There seems to be a layer of pretentious 'objectivity' to music these days, people generally talk less about 'favourite' and 'least favourite' and instead 'good music' and 'bad music'.l, which can make pop music become a target of the 'wrong' opinion. I'll probably not revisit this anytime soon but I'm still glad I had to listen to this. I personally think the album is quite good, however getting fed up of swiftmania did create a feeling of dread going in. - Have to give it extra because standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset with rosy cheeks is transition goals

Wrong demographic

Bops all the way through Everything is just pretty enjoyable

I have never listened to this album and don’t listen to swift regularly at all but I knew about half of the songs on this album… I think that says enough?? All the hits on here with some good songs covered up by those hits. Wouldn’t listen much again personally but can’t deny the musical & lyrical talent

There's a lot of great and interesting pop right now, so quite how Taylor Swift is the biggest artist in the world when her songs are just so aggressively bland, I'll never know. The production's admittedly very clean but it's just so unrelentingly boring, and I found myself begging the arrangement to do something even remotely exciting. There are a couple of good tracks on here, I find Blank Space and Shake It Off to be the best, but neither of them are really that great, and I almost found myself bored to tears during the worst parts, like How You Get the Girl and Clean. And I swear if I hear another I–V–vi–IV I'm going to go insane.

Good album, prefer Reputation, but this was the sound of the Harry Styles era for me. Beautiful pop. But nothing edgy

3.8

Hard to rate when this isn't something you would normally listen to. I lean towards the songs here that are simpler without the big production sound. Had to listen a second time(which I don't often do!) to dive more into the lyrics. I can definitely see why so many people can relate to her writing and feel she is the voice of a generation. Wildest Dreams was probably my favorite because it made me think of someone or something that would be meaningful to experience and love.

Perfectly penned pop album. I question the emotional intelligence of people who trash Taylor Swift. Pop may not be something you enjoy, but even a glance shows her immense talent. She is the most prolific songwriter of her generation, an outstanding role model, business woman, philanthropist, and storyteller who also writes, produces and directs her own music videos. She is an exceptional human being who quietly does the right thing every chance she gets. She’s also so damn humble, real, dorky and relatable. Long live the Swifties and all they stand for - they are our past, present, and future.

Lyrically vapid poison eating away at the fabric of society. But it’s damn catchy.

This would be a flawless pop album if not for the two missteps. I'll let you guys argue about what two tracks they are.

A very classic Taylor album. Hard to critique but I'd say it could be shorter. Just give us the bangers and leave the other songs for other albums.

nostalgic but mid

My first full Taylor Swift album. There were songs I actually enjoyed, like Welcome to New York, while others I felt that her age of 24/25 when the album came out were pretty apparent. The angsty, bad relationship songs just aren't as relatable anymore. But, I can see why people like her and I would be open to listening to her newer stuff. It was all very catchy.

I’ve never really minded Taylor Swift. It’s completely inoffensive bubblegum for the ears. You’ll be hard pressed to find any thought provoking poetry here, but I can’t deny I did find myself tapping my feet and generally thinking the music was fun. I think I already knew around 4 tracks here through general day to day life. The other tracks weren’t much different. This is a fine album if you just want to turn your brain off and shake your butt. It’s not revolutionary (at least for me) but I guess it does its job.

Another Taylor Swift..hell yeah, using a private spotify session on this one. Not for me, it's somehow too sweet and bland at the same time. This is the second Swift album I have had to listen to for this undertaking. This first one had me desperately desiring the end of the album. This one made me eager for the album but I didn't hate the experience,so there was an improvement.

Yeah okay, this is the first TS album ive listened to all the way through, sue me. Im just not a swiftie! not that this album is bad in any way, just not really for me. a ton of these songs brought up good memories from highschool middle school era, this album was kinda the IT album for like 2 years after it came out. Fav Song: idk probably blank space, its the one i remember the most for sure ( bad blood is good too, especially the kendrick version) 3

Probably time to put aside my dislike for this person due all the over the top media attention. There are some pretty solid tunes of this album and yes, I found myself grooving in my seat a little bit. First 3-4 songs were pretty good. Shake It Off is annoying as all shit, same for Bad Blood, but for the most part, nothing too terrible to listen a couple times. After each listen, The 1975 was first to pop up with songs of similar genre on my Spotify. I'm finding myself enjoying more and more of their music. But this is about Taylor. She's OK. Her music is not nearly as bad as I make it out to be. I'm never going to be a fan, but she's got some solid music. Yes, I'm feeling OK , Luke. 3

3 Holy high school, Batman. For as big as this album was, it’s crazy to think that sitting here ten years later, she’s somehow even bigger. In fact, at this point, she’s probably the biggest musician to have ever walked this Earth. I was nowhere near a state of being alive during the height of Beatlemania, but I have to imagine Swiftiemania is comparable, if not bigger - though probably just as insufferable. I’m very much over the cult of Taylor (as as I’m sure many others are as well), but I’d be lying if I said I don’t have a respect for her because of it - for as much trash as the vocal minority likes to pile on, she admittedly built her empire largely on her own with self-written hit tunes and acclaimed, re-recorded albums, proving no part of her success was ever a fluke. While I don’t personally care for some of her more recent actions, I do think Taylor is responsible for making singer-songwriters into pop stars, and I think both pop music and the listening world owe so much to her for it - Lord knows I’d rather listen to this than the mainstream hits of the 00s. It may not be a fair comparison given that this album is still relatively recent in the grand scheme of things, but as the years continue to pass, I really think that it will hold up much better than pop albums from the decade before (I mean, the world is already turning on Katy Perry). Anyway, 1989. I don’t claim to be a Swiftie or any sort of expert on Taylor’s music for that matter, but if memory serves correctly, this is the album that pretty much erased any notion of her as a country starlet and cemented her as a certified pop icon - and it’s a pretty damn good pop album at that. I wouldn’t have ever admitted that when this album dropped my Senior year of high school, but sitting here now, I can’t deny that the production is incredibly solid and the songs are catchy - in many ways, I could see this as having set the benchmark for pop albums in the years that followed, even into today. Granted, it’s still not likely the kind of thing you’re about to see my cranking on my own volition anytime soon, but the first few tracks in particular are all great, to the point I almost wish I had a wedding coming up just so I could get drunk and jump around to them. Style in particular is a song I recognize as having heard many times before, but I quite enjoyed it here - if I had to name a favorite TSwift song going forward, it would probably be that one. That to say, there are definitely songs here that I remember hating hearing ten years ago, and I can confidently say my feelings haven't changed much on them now - chief among them being Bad Blood and Shake It Off. I’ve always found the latter to be particularly annoying, to the point where I would probably be fine never hearing it again in my life. Also, I can never help but cringe at the lyric: “Just think, while you've been gettin' down and out about the liars And the dirty, dirty cheats of the world You could've been gettin' down to this sick beat” I do think Taylor’s a good songwriter, but that line wasn’t it. Things do pick back up a bit after those two tracks, but you also start reaching a point where the production starts to blend together and Taylor’s whole “ex-girlfriend” schtick starts to wear a bit thin - though Clean at least is a solid conclusion. It has a nice variance to it musically from the rest of the album, and lyrically, it reminded me of one of my favorite album closers of all time, God of Wine by Third Eye Blind. That all to say, this still really isn’t my kind of thing, but I’m capable of admiring what it is - that being just a really good pop album, one arguably definitive of the era (no pun intended). There aren’t a lot of artists who stick the landing when genre-jumping, but Taylor landed it with both feet flat and hands held high in the air. Gotta end my review with a shoutout to my friend and Swiftie, Sarah - yes, I gave another decent review to Taylor!!

not for me

It was totally fine! It had a few really memorable ones, like Style and All You Had To Do Was Stay, but I find the lyrcis very difficult to listen to. Feels like arrested development honestly.

This is a great album. I remember when it was coming out she would release videos for each song. One per day. They were great then and are great now. I am not sure it's 5 stars worthy yet just from a "timeless" standpoint, but all of these songs are hits in my opinion.

So many great songs on this album.

- classic taylor swift album - lots of familiar and catchy songs from hs - my music taste is a lot more aligned w/ these types of pop-y songs

Je wendt je één keer tot god, en de bitch komt met deze reactie. Hij laat even zien wie baas is. Maar deze eindbaas van een plaat moest toch doorstaan worden, als een sprong onder een koude douche. De plastic pop diva, die recentelijk folk muziek omarmt. Maar dit was echt prime Taylor Swift. Met nummers als 'Blank Space' en 'Shake It Off', die elke muzieksnob - die z'n uiterste best doet om haar te ontlopen - gewoon wel van A tot Z kent. En toegegeven, ze is een ster in wat ze doet. De muziek reflecteert geen serieuze maatschappelijke thema's, breekt niet met een patroon waardoor muziek kan door evolueren, en er valt geen instrumentele of vocale virtuositeit te bespeuren. Maar een gros van de songs zijn wel echt earworms. De twee reedsgenoemde liedjes zijn generieke pop-heaven. Maar ik kwam moeilijk door m'n post-'Shake It Off' dip heen, die zo vervelend infectious is dat Pharrell Williams er wel iets mee te maken moet hebben. Dat tweede deel begon het me wel echt te irriteren en te vervelen dat werkelijk waar elke song dezelfde opbouw heeft naar een refrein - met vaak het zelfde melodietje - en Taylor die de songtitel een keer of 10 herhaalt. Bij 'Out of the Woods' trapte ik er nog in, en vermaakte ik me prima, daarna kwam het al snel m'n strot uit. But we gotta pay respect to our legends: 6,5/10 Highlights: Blank Space Out of the Woods Shake It Off

Oh, god. Hoe gaan we dit doe Wanneer zet je dit als zelf-respecterend-muzieksnob nu aan? In de volle spits-trein? Tijdens het werk? Met het risico dat mede kantoor gangers je betrappen? Op een weekendje weg met de familie? Dan moet dat vergelijkbaar zijn met een coming-out. Of gewoon thuis dan? Terwijl vriendin lief staat te koken? Gewoon even lekker Taylor op je oortjes. "Want ik moet deze van een recensie voorzien." Ik voel teveel ongemak hierbij. Taylor Swift is de meest zoete popmuziek waar je als 'liefhebber' verre van wil blijven. Dus hoe voorkom je nou die gêne als je hier naar luistert? Of is is dit volledig te wijden aan alle vooroordelen die bepalen dat ik het ongemakkelijk vind om dit 'gewoon even lekker aan te zetten'. Taylor Swift beoordelen puur op kwaliteit van de muziek is onmogelijk. Natuurlijk is dat ook zeker niet de reden van haar populariteit. Er zijn veel betere zangeressen. Pop, folk of country. Er zijn knappere vrouwen, er zijn inspirerendere voorbeelden, er zijn betere teksten te bedenken. En de muzikale omlijsting is wel het laatste wat uniek is aan Swift. Zij is zo pop, zo mainstream, zo 'normaal', dat dáár de aantrekkingskracht voor de Swiftie in zit. Ze doet précies wat je verwacht. Plaat na plaat, show na show. Na 3x checken of mn oortjes goed waren aangesloten dan toch maar 1989 in de trein opgezet. Beetje stress-zweterig stiekem zodat niemand mij bezig ziet of kan liplezen welke zoete pop-tune ik stiekem meezing. Want 1989 staat boordevol pop-bangers waar je onmogelijk aan hebt kunnen ontsnappen het afgelopen decennium. En die dan !dus toch! voor een stukje nostalgie zorgen... Op 1989 staat veels te veel, 61 minuten aan pop-hits is echt niet nodig en in mijn ongemakkelijke toestand een hele opgave. Toch kan ook ik niet ontkennen dat de plaat volstaat met earworms en er weinig voeding is om de plaat helemaal de grond in te schrijven. Omdat snob-Youri het ook aandurfde, durf ik mijn ongemak ook maar onder ogen te komen. 2 sterren voor de dame die voor altijd aan ons muziek-tijdperk, onze generatie, zal kleven. We hebben het met haar te doen, laten we het dan toch maar (stiekem, een beetje) omarmen. 5,5/10 Highlights Blank Space Bad Blood

Bangers bangers bangers some great tunes throughout, some absolute classics, some not so much and not so stand-out but still a lot of talent packed into one album.

I said to James I'd go into this with an open heart and mind, I did, and I'm sorry but I remain unmoved about Taylor Swift. I just DON'T GET IT. I like certain songs, the catchy ones, but on the whole I just find it so beige bland and boring. I feel nothing about about a majority of the music. To compare to recent pop that absolutely SLAPS - have you heard Chappelle Roan? The clever lyricism and musicality are just miles ahead of Swity, in MY opinion. I so get what Chappelle Roan is about from her music, I don't at all from Taylor Swift. What I'm saying is I can love and appreciate pop music - I don't at all think I'm above it, I'm not being snob it's just not for me.

Well it's an absolute tour-de-force. This was the album that really got me into Taylor Swift and although she was big she's now MASSIVE. There some fantastic song writing on this album and absolute bangers. Personally don't think there's any duffs.

I’m sure if you like this sort of thing it’s great - not for me though

Taylor Swift is a huge artist, but I honestly think it shows the state of the music industry these days that she is so huge. If she was around in the 80s she (and this album) would be fairly run of the mill. She's a female Ed Sheeran!

Pop perfection - there’s not a song on this that couldn’t be released as a chart single. You may not be a fan of Taylor Swift but you can’t deny that she’s a massive talent and stands head and shoulders above the multitude of copycat artists that have appeared since this album.

Album for the young and inexperienced when it comes to love and relationships. Growing up while navigating each other and the feelings that at some point will fuck us up.

Some really good and fun singles on this one. The production has some really great moments along with the lyrics. The overall album experience isn't fully rewarding.

Honestly, the only song of hers that I know is Shake it Off. First song is the gentrifier’s anthem. Go away. Native New Yorkers don’t want you. This is very much not my thing. Way too pop. Like, sanitized pop. Made to be piped into the background of shopping centers kinda pop. It’s all very well made. But, it’s over-polished. I think that’s the thing that doesn’t totally click for me. Feels like I’m listening to Disney Radio. There’s nothing wrong here, really. It’s cute for modern pop music. It’s better than expected. But I feel absolutely ancient listening to this.

it’s a pretty good album and i listened to it a lot when i was younger. don’t get me wrong. but some of the pop hits are just so repetitive and generic, i do think this is the origin point of taylor making uninspired music chasing hits. some songs are great, it’s polished, but there is better taylor swift music. i give it a 2 for my personal feelings about her discography, i think this is more of a 3

Sorry Taylor… I just really really don’t like your music. Best of luck though.

I've never heard of this artist, it's nice that this list occasionally features obscure artists and gives them a new audience. I'm kidding, of course. I have a 6 year old daughter who is already a big fan of the most famous person in the world. She can largely thank 1989 for that, which launched Taylor from superstardom to super-duper-pooper-stuper-stardom. Swift was already a household name when it was released, and Red certainly tipped the country-pop balance way in the pop direction, but 1989 is when she became inescapable and a full-fledged pop megastar. Taken at surface level, 1989 is a pretty good pop record. There are hooks after hooks and earworms after earworms: it's catchy. Even though I've heard it front to back many times, I still was surprised by a couple of tracks that I've never paid much attention to, especially Wildest Dreams which is a really good song. It has it's massive hits of course. At the time of this writing Blank Space, Style, and Shake It Off all have over 1 billion plays on Spotify; for context there are only 477 songs that have crossed this milestone on Spotify, which features over 100 million songs in its catalog. Wildest Dreams sits at 995 million at this moment, so it will join this club soon too. The scale of her appeal is unbelievable: she's probably the biggest songwriter of all time in terms of sheer popularity. Is it good though? I think it's a solid record, certainly not perfect. Some moments are, well, annoying to me (the chorus of Out Of The Woods, the chuckle after "I go on too many dates", the entirety of I Know Places). I'm far from sold on Jack Antonoff as a producer - he's wildly successful but there's something about his records that feels off to me, and I'm not technically educated enough in music production to know exactly what it is. I know that I greatly prefer Swift's more recent work with Aaron Dessner from The National. Her songs produced by him sound fuller and more natural to me. That said, as a pop songwriter Taylor is pretty fantastic. She's not writing cryptic Dylanesque ballads or Springsteenian rompers, she writes direct insights into the joys, hardships, and emotions that result from romantic relationships. It's not everyone's cup of tea (what is??) but her writing is incredibly effective at this and obviously resonates with millions (billions?) of people. Taylor is a world class arranger of her songs and plays well. If her singing voice isn't technically the best in the world, it doesn't have to be and it is very effective at delivering these songs. If Swift fatigue is hitting you hard, I get it. But there could be worse role models for my 6 year old and Taylor has her interested in music at a young age, and I'm here for anyone who demonstrates to my daughter that anything is possible.

I never understood the fanaticism of the Swifties. I just didn't get it. To be fair there are some pretty good pop songs on this album. As I listen I can certainly see why you get thousnads of young girls screaming along to every word. Not that it resonated so stongly with this middle aged man.

A classic for the ages

It's fine. 3/5

Fantastic.

Shit. Taylor Swift music is a joke. She's smart and successful and killing me slowly.

Kind of average pop music. She has a nice voice, but almost the entire first half of the album had quite large parts that were just monotone. Disappointing. I hope for the swifties that she had better synths on Taylor's Version. I felt they didn't fit with her voice. The best songs were Blank Space and Clean.

This is the other side of the coin of guys listening to heavy music and fantasizing about saving someone. This is so purposefully built to be successful it isn't even music anymore but it makes sense to include something like this on the list. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep there's a device that people can select emotions on and then for the duration they fell them. It's to show how hollow the world became and how even the strive to experience was taken as a dosage vs something organic. Listening to these tracks feels like each song is a button on that machine.

It's pop at It's highest pop. It's fructose. Obviously catchy stuff on here. A product of the machine. It's not for me but as a product there is nothing really wrong with this. I would say I won't listen to this again but you can't avoid hearing most of it in this day and age.

still comes off like the most impersonal of Swift's records and thus a lesser favorite but also peak imperial pop era and probably the most compellingly loveable album ever made...i angry drove to "Bad Blood" today 10/10

I’ve never listened to her music. It’s not my genre. It’s hard to avoid, but I’ve never actually sat and listened to it before this project. One earlier album didn’t impress me, but this one is different. I get it. I get the hype. I was surprised to know, and like, most of these songs; and the ones I didn’t know I liked equally well. She’s done well for herself and it’s not just because she puts on a good show. The music here is quality and the lyrics are great. I debated long and hard on the score, even listening to the album all the way through three times, but I think it is worthy of the four stars.

I get the talent, but it all sounds empty. Guess I’m not a Swiftie.

People saying most average album ever and then giving it 1 star is amusing... I just feel like this is a run-of-the-mill pop album, but it seems to be worshipped as an all time great. The Fame by Lady Gaga is better. Side note: Zane Lowe ranking this as greater than Revolver by The Beatles is absolutely wild.

I think middle aged men like me are not supposed to like Taylor Swift, but honestly, this album was awesome! There are some real bangers (mostly her well known songs such as Bad Blood, Shake It Off and Blank Space), which are super catchy, have great harmonies, and I enjoy the lyrics. A few of the non-single songs were a little forgettable, but overall still a fantastic album I’ll come back to and listen to again.

Just been too much TS lately

Closet swiftie…

made me white again

4/5

Disturbing. I can't quite point to what I don't like about it and I really tried to be positive and listen without prejudice. But something about the perfect pop sensibility, the crystal clear vocals, and most of all the inoffensiveness really bugged me and I hate every note of it. But so many people love it. It makes me think about some 60's sci-fi horror film where the world has gone slightly mad about the latest demagogue and only our hero can see through them. 'Can't you all see? There's nothing there! There's nothing there!'

General thoughts: Weird, the popular songs (the ones I already knew) were good, the rest where 3/5 or lower, I was really expecting more. Favorite song(s): I Know Places, Blank Space Worst song(s): Welcome to New York, All you had to do was stay Cover: The covers online are either messed up in brightness or contrast. Even then, the polaroid concept has been used plenty times before. Taylor's version cover is infinitely better. Real rating: 3.11

I understand that she's a bit of a divisive artist, but I don't really know why. That aside, i think this is the epitome of 2010's pop, atleast the female led side. Does it work for me? The upbeat songs I definitely like, to a point. But the others fail to hit me. Lyrics are sometimes a bit cringy, but it's (ultra-)mainstream pop so it comes with the territory. I'm floating between a 3 and a 4 but it being a cultural behemoth, I'll grant it a 4.

Been waiting on this one so I could see what all the fuss is about. It's VERY 2014 isn't it? for better or worse, that's my main take away Also, holy smokes Shake It Off is glorious. a perfect pop song.

One of her best, but also in my top 100 albums ever. This album was everywhere, not just in 2014, but when I was growing up. Proof that she could switch genres easily, as she did again on ‘folklore‘ (although ‘Red’ did precipitate a change to some sort of pop, and ‘folklore’ contained plenty of pop aspects). 10/10

Used to own it. Lots of good tracks. Really do I have to listen to it before I die?

Nah. Catchy sure but so is row row row your boat.

It's solid but very conventional, especially the production. How you get the girl goes hard.

Taylor Swift's best pure pop album. This is just packed to the brim with bangers. Max Martin/Shellback production on most of the tracks provide that larger than life sound.

A bit of talk-singing. Otherwise great.

2.5

I was honestly quite interested to listen to this one. She’s the biggest pop star in the world and I’d never sat down and listened to a full album of hers before. I was really disappointed. It just sounded like such lazy songwriting. The unimpressive synths and computer drumbeats were so boring. Very safe music which didn’t do anything for me

Bon p'tit taylor. Je l'aime, même si elle polue avec son avion.

multiple tracks that i liked

“1989” is the fifth studio album by the world's most famous singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift. I think there is no doubt that it is the album that has generated the most discussion in her professional career. This is because of everything that has been generated around the album from the moment of its release. The change she has to pop, the historical change in the streaming platforms that it generates and the new audience that listens to this sound related to Synthpop are some of these things that came into discussion. In the last few years the non-synthpop community had a rather uncontrolled hatred for this album, but why this hatred? It's simple, it broke records. Everything that breaks records in art related fields usually comes into discussion in questions of if it deserved it, if it is really good or simply from the side that they don't share at all. “1989” crushed all of its competition that year, even one of the most important albums in history such as Kendrick Lamar's ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. But here I am not questioning if it deserved these awards or records, I am questioning if it is really a good project. Because it is a before and after in the modern era is undeniable, but its quality is relative to its influence? I don't think so. Musically, this Taylor's album leaves much to be desired. I consider her to be a pretty neat artist when it comes to delivering albums. I don't consider her a bad artist by any means, but I do feel that this is a project “to seize the moment”. I mean she took advantage of the Synthpop boom and her already large audience and released this album that was made for the commercial masses. You can see it in his production, a production in some cases quite boring and monotonous. I have already said it, Jack Antonoff seems to me a very mediocre producer and this is one of his projects where you can see the lack of ideas. Although he has some very well produced tracks, most of them are not. But it is not only to blame him, Taylor's performances are not the most lucid either vocally or lyrically. There are some outstanding songs like “Style” or “Wildest Dreams”, but there are some songs where her performance is too characteristic and basic. In short, a project that is both over-hyped and over-rated. Over-hyped by the more hip hop affiliated community and over-rated by the performing media. I say this even though these terms seem really stupid to me.

Ah the stench of madeleines..

After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars a few years ago, my favorite quote came courtesy of Daniel Radcliffe when he was asked about the incident: "I'm just so already dramatically bored of hearing people's opinions about it that I just don't want to be another opinion adding to it." That is kind of how I feel about Taylor Swift; I respect that (and understand why) her music means so much to so many people, and I equally respect that (and understand why) so many are annoyed by her constant presence in the mainstream. But what about people like me, who are kind of just in the middle of it all? Why must I be forced to have an opinion on someone who I don't particularly care about?! Truth be told, I don't blame Taylor. Perhaps it's her "fault" that she's gained such cultural significance in the fact that she's written a multitude of hit songs and has had an incredible marketing team around her for nearly two decades now, but it's not her fault that our pop culture-obsessed society operates the way it does in lifting certain celebrities up on a pedestal and/or shoving them down our throats. At the end of the day, I suppose it goes both ways: we love the players, and she loves the game. Anyway, I digress. I'm just so dramatically bored of feeling the need to either love or hate Taylor Swift. And truth be told, I don't love or hate this album. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm not the biggest pop girlie in the world; the poppiest moments on this record - "I Wish You Would" and "How You Get the Girl" in particular - grate on me quite a bit, and yes, the overall style of 1989 is not one that I would normally gravitate toward. However, I find I tend to like modern, 80's inspired pop slightly more than actual 80's pop because, even if I don't love the production, I still find the sounds more palatable than the ones from 40+ years ago. To that end, this isn't the hardest album for me to listen to, and there are moments/songs I genuinely enjoy, particularly on Side A. "Welcome to New York" has some really fascinating production elements, and I really like some of the dissonant vocal harmonies. Additionally, I might have told you 10 years ago that I was sick and tired of "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space", but these days, I find the former to be extremely fun and the latter to be a melodic tour-de-force. I think they're almost perfect songs... ...almost, because I think they both have pretty lousy bridges. Although I stand by the fact that I don't hate Taylor and never have, I have definitely always grimaced whenever she's broken out her particular brand of hip-hop inspired vocal delivery, so the bridge to "Shake It Off" always leaves me freezing cold. As far as "Blank Space", I'm a huge proponent of a well-utilized direct lyrical approach, but the "boys only want love if it's torture" bit sounds so drastically out of place and underwritten compared to the rest of the song. That juxtaposition kind of sums of my feelings on her writing as a whole: I think she clearly has a lot of talent, and every now and then, she'll break out a lyric that really impresses me. Other times, though, I find her writing extremely clunky, and not even just in a "I don't think I relate to this" way. "Bad Blood" is the worst offender for me on this record, but it's certainly not the only culprit. Then again, that melody is pretty damn solid...see, this is why I can't commit to love or hatred! I don't think I'll ever reach for this album on a regular basis, but I also don't see how anyone could deny it of all merit. And for those of you who love it, I salute you. 2.5/5

I don't hate Taylor Swift, hate is a strong word. I do however think her music is simplistic and only interesting to children. She can write a catchy pop song, but her success is disproportionate to her talent in my humble opinion

Just 2 songs, thats it

I interrupted my Tech N9ne listening to listen to this album. I’m not bothered, it’s at least one star because Taylor’s looks get her somewhere in my books. I won’t lie, I’m a bit of a swifty even though I’m male, straight and a Republican. Ok, let’s see what we’ve got here: Well, Talent is hard to deny. This was a very pleasing album with almost every song worth being listened to again. There’s no reason not to consider it a 5 star album. For the genre it fits in and the people it’s geared towards, what’s to hate. Lyrically it’s written with thought and skill. The music fits with the words. Catchy choruses. Act like a girl who has had their heart broken when listening to it and see how you feel Choice cut: Style

I gave it a fair shake, but this just ain’t for me

Ok

I’d give this one a 3.5, there are quite of few big hits here that I was familiar with and the rest of the album was decent!

Fantastic pop album. Not much else to it but damn there’s so many catchy moments on here

1989 is the fifth studio album by Taylor Swift, originally released in 2014. When people think of the greatest pop records, they might think of Sgt Pepper, or Thriller. I'd put this record up there with the best pop records based off of pure hit potential. Every song on here is a hit. Sure it's kinda bland at times. I'm definitely not the target audience as a mid-20s male but if I can find substance out of it than so can you. This basically set the scene for the synth pop revival of the 2010s, which is not my favorite era of pop, but it produced some great hits. Speaking of produced, that's where I think this album is drawn back... by its production. It's pretty overproduced, like a lot of 2010s pop records. It's mixed extremely loud for some reason, I had to turn the volume in my headphones down multiple notches from where I typically listen from.

Bland boring fluff indistinguishable from any other industry female shoved down our top 40 throats. The tone of her screeching really grates on my ears!!

I was honestly so excited to see this one pop up today because it's my favourite era!! Or as I like to call it - Taylor in her ❄️ era This is where she peaked for me, and was the last album I properly listened to. I was about 18 when this came out - which was probably her target audience. I get it's not for everyone! If cheesy pop bangers are your thing you will love this one. What a track list! A lot of big hits on this album! 2 of my all time fave Taylor songs are on this album - Style and Wildest Dreams Relistening to this album filled me with nostalgia and took me right back to 2014 Fast forward to 2024 and I still listen to these songs - majority of this album very very often. 2 months ago me and my sister went to the eras tour with these songs being the best part of the evening! Putting my personal feelings about Taylor aside - this album is so so good I can't deny it. I see a lot of negative reviews here purely because of her and not the music. I will forever sing along to these songs as loud as I can and it truly deserves full marks 5 ⭐️

Well..it’s Taylor. What else can I say? 🫶🏽

I LOVE me some Taylor…but I ain’t nearly a Swiftie. With modern fandom, the distinction is important, as young folks with some prodding from social media have nearly weaponized being a superfan. Just look at the 15+ vinyl versions she’s released of her latest, and (some) fans will buy Every. Single. Version, bless their broke and easily manipulated selves. To clarify; I’m not hating; I’ll buy damn near everything for a few of my fav artists; it’s part of the fan journey. Wifey and I were part of that infamous Ticketmaster debacle trying to get original, list price tickets to the Eras tour, but after a full day of trying to make the website work we struck out, only getting lucky on the revised “2nd chance” sale months later. The show was stunning; she’s an amazing entertainer and I think an under appreciated songwriter. And don’t get me started on the obvious music industry misogyny that is sadly a well-deserved legacy she’s suffered through. But I like to think of myself as a music fan not a Swiftie, though I’m married to one. Here’s where I disagree with modern (young?) Tay-Tay fans as she’s ridden the wave of her Eras success to global domination, easily the biggest star of today. But she’s not NEARLY as famous as Michael Jackson or The Beatles were back in their primes, no matter how many Swifties making YouTube videos claiming she’s now the biggest artist of all time. Just saying, so don’t kill the messenger (Swifties can get feral), but a Redditor distilled it well: “They were playing MJ in the hood… they ain’t doing that on a large scale with Taylor.” I tend to agree: African Pygmies with no exposure to the outside world STILL somehow know some of MJ’s music (it’s true; check YouTube). To me (and let’s face it, albums sales has little to do with power of music (but hey, it’s FUN to have these lighthearted debates in good faith), but the list of mega famous artists in my mind is deliciously short: Elvis, The Beatles, MJ… and that’s it for multiracial, multicultural, multigenerational, multi-EVERYTHING worldwide global fame. Taylor’s clearly the biggest star of today, but she ain’t floating at the stratospheric level of her named predecessors. Lots of reasons for that, mostly cultural and technical, but there’s no hate in that perspective Swifties…❤️❤️❤️ Having said all of that, I love this rush to pop princess superstardom from the ashes of her country roots; it’s a solid release! I give it a solid four. But it ain’t my fav of hers. That story is for another day and involves woodsy terrain, fireplaces, intimate interpersonal conversations, lots of self-reflection, and a worldwide pandemic sprinkled on top…

Comparing this to her latest albums (TPD, Midnights), this is some of her best pop. However despite the catchy choruses and melodies, it lacks depth and originality.

Came in with a positive attitude, but quickly worn down. What was going on with the production in pop in the 2010s? It's really overproduced, and the sound - that slight autotuning - is mostly bland and often awful. Interesting to hear the 80s touches, but it pales in comparison to the best of that decade. Some obvious talent, and a couple brighter tracks - Shake It Off, Bad Blood etc, but otherwise pretty disappointing. Now the wait to find out if my nieces forgive me...

No. Can’t do it.

I’ve heard a good chunk of these before but this is my first Taylor album. Sorry to say but I’ll remain firmly in the hate train. I get the appeal but she is just not for me, and I really struggle with pinpointing my lack of enjoyment. Maybe because she’s so overexposed, but it just feels like the most lifeless and corporate pop music you could create. As an outsider it just feels like her entire identity is her brand, and there’s no real person being expressed in these songs. Maybe I’m just a hater but lord knows she doesn’t need my listens to continue her success

Chart music. Formulatico pero con algunos temas bastante catchy. Eso si la mejor manera de escuchar es brainroting y no leer las lyrics

Un clásico la versión "robada", y su mejor álbum

Awful pop

First swift album. Contagious pop

Ja, nette Nebenbeimusik.