Taylor Swift’s most recent album, 1989, is a clear deviation from her past works. While her previous albums were country with a mainstream edge, 1989 is pure pop. This new sound, combined with her traditionally moving lyrics, proves that Swift has matured into a powerful artist who can captivate a mature audience.
As a whole, the album is mellow and smooth. Songs like “Wildest Dream” and “Bad Blood” start slow but are interspersed with high tempo beats, creating a dynamic and unique sound that works well with Swift’s lyricism. There is an airiness to her music. This is not cookie-cutter pop made only for the radio. The single “Shake It Off” is admittedly an exception, but it is an undeniably fun and light-hearted dance jam.
The material covered in 1989 is growing up with Swift while staying true to her typical themes of love and fame. This album stands out in that it covers sex and hook ups. This is an honest and refreshing break from the fairy-tale love stories present in her earlier work.
This album has particularly powerful moments. “Blank Space” has a resonant bridge that commands attention. She pauses her pulsating synth-pop beats to croon, “Boys only want love if it’s torture / Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn ya.”
Swift wrote or co-wrote each song on 1989, and it shows. She is the same brilliant storyteller she always has been, but with a different sound. Her lyrics are less melodramatic this time around, and she even pokes fun at her infamous dating history in “Blank Space” saying, “Got a long list of ex-lovers / They’ll tell you I’m insane.”
Swifts lyrical ability shines in songs like “Style” and “Clean,” which tell stories of love, lust and loss. “Style,” allegedly about Swift’s ex-beau Harry Styles, shows maturity and depth. Swift sings, “I say I heard that you been out and about with some other girl / Some other girl / He says, what you’ve heard it’s true but I / Can’t stop thinking about you and I / I said I’ve been there too a few times.” Rather than lashing out irrationally, Swift takes a mature point of view. In her previous albums, themes like cheating were met with complete scorn and disgust. For example, on Swift’s first self-titled album, “Picture to Burn” is a threat to a boy caught cheating, saying, “And if you come around saying sorry to me / My daddy’s gonna show you how sorry you’ll be.” But on 1989, the grown-up Taylor shines.
Swift utilizes her entire vocal range throughout the album, another indicator of her maturity. In songs like “Out of the Woods,” the tone is low and deep. The result is a song with body and dimension, but these low notes often feel forced and contrived. The chorus, a repetition of the question, “Are we out of the woods yet?” is very low and somewhat disconcerting. Swift is going for the power of an artists like Adele or Haim, but her real strength lies in a higher register. It’s nice to see that Swift is taking risks with her music. She is getting older and her sound is changing, as it should.
1989 is a major step for Taylor Swift, and her incredible record sales reflect the album’s high quality. 1.3 million copies of the album were sold in the first week, the highest record sales since 2002, according to time.com. In addition, she is the first artist in history to ever have three albums sell more than one million copies in the first week. Stepping out of the confines of country has not hurt her; instead, it has offered a fresh platform for Swift to continue developing her amazing lyrics.