Content
Background
1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. Released on October 27, 2014 by Big Machine Records. The album was a commercial success selling over one million copies in its first week, making Swift the first artist to have three consecutive albums do so. It also became Swift third consecutive album to open at number 1 on the Billboard 200.
Inspired by the 1980s synth-pop this album became Swift’s first album to consist of nothing but pup music, while her previous albums consisted of a mix of country and pop. She named the album after her birth year to symbolize the rebirth of her artistry. Swift enlisted the help of Max Martin, who Swift had previously worked with on Red, as co-executive producer on the album. Like her previous albums, Swift drew inspiration from artists she admired, particularly Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox. The album would also be Swift’s first collaboration with Jack Antonoff who would continue to work with Swift on her next five albums and her re-recordings of Fearless and Red.
To promote the album, like her previous three albums, two promotional singles were released, “Out of the Woods” on October 14, 2014 and “Welcome to New York”, the album’s opening track, on October 20, 2014.
Upon the album’s release a deluxe edition was released exclusively to Target stores in the US and contained three bonus songs as well as three voice memos of three songs on the album. On December 15, 2014 a karaoke edition of the album was released digitally while the physical copy with a CD+G and DVD karaoke version of the standard version was released on April 14, 2015. A karaoke of the deluxe edition was released the next day internationally.
In a publicized dispute over the ownership of Swift’s master recordings to her first six albums being sold off twice without her being allowed to purchase them and Scooter Braun still being able to make money off her original work after Braun purchased Big Machine Records and later sold her back catalogue to Shamrock Holdings, on October 27, 2023, Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) to regain control of her original work and subsequently diminish the value of the original masters.
Singles
To promote the album, Swift released seven singles to radio stations between the years 2014 and 2016. The first single, “Shake It Off”, was released on August 19, 2014. The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. The song would also top the Billboard Top 40, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Top 40 charts. “Blank Space”, the album’s second single, was released on November 10, 2014. The song would peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in its third week on the chart, taking the spot from “Shake It Off”, making Swift the first female in the history of the chart to succeed herself at the top spot, and staying there for seven consecutive weeks, becoming Swift’s longest reign at number one. Like its predecessor, the song also topped the Billboard Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts. On February 9, 2015, “Style” was released as the album’s third single. While the single topped the Billboard Top 40 and Adult Contemporary as well as the Mainstream Top 40 charts but unlike the previous two singles, the song only peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Three months later on May 17, 2015, Swift released “Bad Blood” as a remix featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar as the fourth single from the album. The song would top the Billboard Hot 100 on May 24, 2015, it also topped the Mainstream Top 40.
On August 31, 2015, “Wildest Dreams” was released as the fifth single from the album. While the song topped the Adult Top 40 and the Mainstream Top 40, as well as the Dance/Mix Show Airplay, the song only peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. “Out of the Woods” was released on January 19, 2016 as the album’s sixth single and did not peak in the top ten on any charts. The seventh and final single, “New Romantics”, one of the bonus songs on the deluxe edition of the album, was released on February 23, 2016 and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Adult Top 40.
Track listing
| Standard | |||
| Track Name | Writers | Producers | Length |
| 1. “Welcome to New York” | Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift | Noel Zancanella, Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift | 3:32 |
| 2. “Blank Space” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:51 |
| 3.”Style” | Ali Payani, Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Ali Payani, Max Martin, Shellback | 3:50 |
| 4. “Out of the Woods” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:55 |
| 5. “All You Had to Do Was Stay” | Max Martin, Taylor Swift | Mattman & Robin, Max Martin, Shellback | 3:12 |
| 6. “Shake It Off” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:38 |
| 7. “I Wish You Would” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Greg Kurstin, Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 3:26 |
| 8. “Bad Blood” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:31 |
| 9. “Wildest Dreams” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:39 |
| 10. “How You Get the Girl” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 4:06 |
| 11. “This Love” | Taylor Swift | Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift | 4:09 |
| 12. “I Know Places” | Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift | Noel Zancanella, Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift | 3:15 |
| 13. “Clean” | Imogen Heap, Taylor Swift | Imogen Heap, Taylor Swift | 4:30 |
| Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks | |||
| 14. “Wonderland” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 4:04 |
| 15. “You Are In Love” | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 4:26 |
| 16. “New Romantic” | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | Max Martin, Shellback | 3:49 |
| Deluxe Edition Voice Memos | |||
| 17. ” I Know Places” (piano/vocal voice memo) | Ryan Tedder, Taylor Swift | 3:35 | |
| 18. “I Wish You Would” (track/vocal voice memo) | Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift | 1:46 | |
| 19. “Blank Space” (guitar/vocal voice memo) | Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift | 2:10 |
Hidden messages
- Welcome to New York – We begin our story in New York
- Blank Space – There once was a girl known by everyone and noone
- 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 To 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
Notes
- The voice memos on the physical deluxe edition of the album were not released digitally in the US, however internationally they were.
- International versions of the deluxe edition in karaoke format include a CD+G and DVD consisting of all 16 songs from the deluxe edition minus the voice memos, Canada versions do not include a DVD version and in the US only the standard version was released in karaoke format both digitally and with the CD+G/DVD combo.
- This was Swift’s last album to contain hidden messages in the lyric booklets, from reputation onward there are no hidden messages in the lyric booklets.