1989

Remember when ‘Fearless’ came out all the way back in 2008 and suddenly everything made sense. Taylor Swift – your soul sister – just understood you. Exploring the trials associated with growing up and unrequited love, the strength in Taylor’s music was that she was always so relatable. I have always been a huge fan of Taylor’s music, there’s something so honest and sweet in her lyrics that just make you feel all warm inside like a batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. With the release of her new album ‘1989’ however, it seems the days of the girl left on the bleachers, pining away for the boy next door are long gone.  

Taylor has often said that her albums are like her diaries, recording her experiences and emotions over the past eight years, and while her new sound is distinctly different from her previous work, this remains to be true. There is a clear progression from her earliest album ‘Taylor Swift’ to ‘1989’, and I feel as if her transition away from a solely country sound into the pop genre has been in the works for a long time.

I won’t lie, when I first heard ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Out of the Woods’ I was skeptical of her new sound. I’m not sure what it was exactly but I just couldn’t connect with the tracks. Where were the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ metaphors? Where were the teardrops on her guitar? Or even just her guitar? After hearing the deluxe album in its entirety however, my opinion has completely changed. While her original albums will always hold a special place in my heart as the defining albums of my early teenage years, Swift has managed to translate the lyrical styling her fans know and love into something fresh that reflects how she has evolved as an individual, and of course, her turbulent relationships.

The songs throughout the album are slightly contradictory as she explores finding contentment within herself following a break up while simultaneously loving the “players” - albeit in a song that's self parodical - and wishing an ex-boyfriend would come back. But there’s honesty behind them, and if I try to draw out any analytical ability from the days gone by of year 12 literature, her lyrics seem to reflect a time in your late teens to early twenties when you don’t necessarily know what you want but embracing life and staying true to yourself is ultimately what’s most important. So throw yourself a little dance party and enjoy her funky beats.

-   M

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