1989

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1989Studio album by Taylor Swift
Alternate covers
General information
Recorded	2012-2014
Released	October 27, 2014
Genre	Electropop, synth-pop
Length	00:48:41
Label	Big Machine Records
Producer(s)	Swift (executive producer) Jack Antonoff Nathan Chapman Imogen Heap Greg Kurstin Max Martin (executive producer) Ali Payami Ryan Tedder Noel Zancanella Mattman & Robin Shellback
Taylor Swift chronology
Previous	Red (2012)
Current	1989 (2014)
Next	Reputation (2017)
Singles from 1989
1. "Shake It Off" Released: August 18, 2014 2. "Blank Space" Released: November 10, 2014 3. "Style" Released: February 10, 2015 4. "Bad Blood" Released: May 17, 2015 5. "Wildest Dreams" Released: August 31, 2015 6. "Out of the Woods" Released: January 1, 2016 7. "New Romantics" Released: February 23, 2016
Promotional singles from 1989
1. "Out of the Woods" Released: October 14, 2014 2. "Welcome to New York" Released: October 20, 2014 3. "Wonderland" Released: February 17, 2015 4. "You Are In Love" Released: February 17, 2015

1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records.

Background

"The inspiration behind this record, I was listening to a lot of late 80s pop ... I really loved the chances they were taking, how bold it was. It was apparently a time of limitless potential, the idea you could do what you want be what you want ... the idea of endless possibility was kind of a theme in the last two years of my life."

Singles

"Shake It Off"
August 18, 2014

"Blank Space"
November 10, 2014

"Style"
February 10, 2015

"Bad Blood"
May 17, 2015

"Wildest Dreams"
August 31, 2015

"Out of the Woods"
January 1, 2016

"New Romantics"
February 23, 2016

Promotional singles

"Out of the Woods"
October 14, 2014

"Welcome to New York"
October 20, 2014

"Wonderland"
February 17, 2015

"You Are In Love"
February 17, 2015

Legacy

1989's commercial success transformed Swift's image from a country singer-songwriter to a worldwide pop phenomenon. The album was the second album to spawn five or more US top-10 singles in the 2010s decade, and made Swift the second woman to have two albums each score five US top-10 hits. Its singles received heavy rotation on US radio over a year and a half following its release, which Billboard described as "a kind of cultural omnipresence that's rare for a 2010s album". The academic Shaun Cullen specializing in the humanities described Swift as a figure "at the cutting edge of postmillennial pop". According to the BBC's Neil Smith, 1989 "[forged] a path for artists who no longer wish to be ghettoised into separated musical genres". The album's electronic-pop production expanded on Swift's next two studio albums, Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019), which solidified her status as a pop star.

Along with 1989's success, Swift's new image as a pop star became a subject of public scrutiny. While Swift supported feminism—her first time expressing her political opinions—her public appearances with singers and fashion models whom the media called her "squad" gave the impression that she did so just to keep her name afloat in news headlines. Kristy Fairclough, a professor in popular culture and film, commented, "Her shifting aesthetic and allegiances appear confusing in an overall narrative that presents Taylor Swift as the centre of the cultural universe." Swift's disputes with several celebrities, most notably rapper Kanye West, diminished her sense of authenticity that she had maintained. Their so-called feud emerged again when West released his 2016 single "Famous", in which West incorporates a lyric referencing Swift. West claimed that he had asked for Swift's approval, which she objected to. Swift announced a prolonged hiatus following the 1989 World Tour because "people might need a break from [her]". Her follow-up album Reputation (2017) was influenced in part by this tumultuous affair with the media.

Retrospective reviews from GQ's Jay Willis, New York's Sasha Geffen, and NME 's Hannah Mylrea lauded the album's avoidance of contemporaneous hip hop and R&B crossover trends, which made 1989 a timeless album representing the best of Swift's talents. Mylrea praised it as Swift's best record and described it as an influence for younger musicians to embrace "pure pop", contributing to a growing trend of nostalgic 1980s-styled sound. Geffen also attributed the album's success to its lyrics offering emotional engagement that is uncommon in pop. Contemporary artists who cited 1989 as an influence included American singer-songwriter Conan Gray and British pop band the Vamps, who took inspiration from 1989 while composing their album Wake Up (2015). Jennifer Kaytin Robinson cited 1989 as an inspiration for her 2019 directorial debut, Someone Great. American rock singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released his track-by-track cover album of 1989 in September 2015. Finding it a "joyful" record, he listened to the album frequently to cope with his broken marriage in late 2014. On his rendition, Adams incorporated acoustic instruments which contrast with the original's electronic production. Swift was delighted with Adams' cover, saying to him, "What you did with my album was like actors changing emphasis."

Track listing

1989 – Standard version
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Welcome to New York"	3:33
2.	"Blank Space"	3:52
3.	"Style"	3:51
4.	"Out of the Woods"	3:56
5.	"All You Had to Do Was Stay"	3:13
6.	"Shake It Off"	3:39
7.	"I Wish You Would"	3:27
8.	"Bad Blood"	3:32
9.	"Wildest Dreams"	3:40
10.	"How You Get the Girl"	4:08
11.	"This Love"	4:10
12.	"I Know Places"	3:16
13.	"Clean"	4:31
Total length:		48:43

Target deluxe edition
No.	Title	Length
14.	"Wonderland"	4:06
15.	"You Are In Love"	4:27
16.	"New Romantics"	3:50
17.	"I Know Places (Piano/Vocal)" (Voice Memo)	3:36
18.	"I Wish You Would (Track/Vocal)" (Voice Memo)	1:47
19.	"Blank Space (Guitar/Vocal)" (Voice Memo)	2:11
Total length:		68:37

Outtakes

• "Is It Over Now?"
• "Now That We Don't Talk"
• "Say Don't Go"
• "Slut!"
• "Suburban Legends"
• ”Unknown Harry Styles Outtakes”

Booklet

Photoshoot

Main article: 1989 photoshoot

Hidden messages

• "Welcome to New York": We begin our story in New York.
• "Blank Space": There once was a girl known by everyone and no one.
• "Style": Her heart belonged to someone who couldn’t stay.
• "Out of the Woods": They loved each other recklessly.
• "All You Had to Do Was Stay": They paid the price.
• "Shake It Off": She danced to forget him.
• "I Wish You Would": He drove past her street each night.
• "Bad Blood": She made friends and enemies.
• "Wildest Dreams": He only saw her in his dreams.
• "How You Get the Girl": Then one day he came back.
• "This Love": Timing is a funny thing.
• "I Know Places": And everyone was watching.
• "Clean": She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow, that was everything.

Trivia

• On certain international versions of the Deluxe CD, the 3 voice memos and "You Are In Love" are absent from the track list and the disc itself. It is unknown if this was intentional, or if it was a misprint.
• On the digital deluxe version that has been released internationally, the 3 voice memos are unavailable/blocked in some countries. The reason for this is unknown.
• For years, it has been rumored that 100-150 songs were written for the album, although this has never been confirmed and is very likely false.
• Due to a glitch that occurred on iTunes in Canada on October 21, 2014, "Track 3" (eventually revealed to be "Style") was released by accident. However, it didn't feature the actual song itself, but rather 8 seconds of static noise. So many fans bought the track that it hit number one on the Canadian iTunes chart.