This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter.

As you all probably know, Taylor Swift will be releasing her fifth studio album, 1989, this month. Back in August, Taylor premiered the album’s first single on a Yahoo! live stream. The song, “Shake It Off”, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Regardless of whether or not you like “Shake It Off”, Taylor’s new album will include 13 other songs (with an additional 3 if you buy the deluxe version) for you to explore. This album marks a big transition for Swift, who claims that 1989 is her first all-pop album. Those of us who loved Swift’s early days will certainly miss the occasional touch of country in her music, but it’s hard to imagine that Taylor could disappoint us after spending nearly two years creating this album. For all you hardcore Taylor fans out there, I know these last few days before the 1989 release will be excruciating. That’s why I’ve come up with a list of seven things to do in preparation for 1989.

1) Listen to Red Again

I’m sure you’ve all listened to “Red” more times than you can count, but now is a wonderful time to go back and relive the album in its entirety. Try to listen to the songs that may not have been your favorite the first time around; you may find that you’ve missed a real gem.

2) Creep on Taylor’s Instagram

Enjoy the adorable snapshots of Meredith and Olivia (Taylor’s cats), drool over her baked goods, and ooze with jealousy over the cute polaroids of Taylor with fans at her secret 1989 listening sessions.

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3) Listen to Taylor’s Other New Song

“Out of the Woods,” released this week, is supposedly about one of Taylor’s most famous ex-boyfriends, Harry Styles of One Direction. The song is about a “frantic” relationship and even details a secret trip to the emergency room after a snowmobiling accident with an ex. Don’t you love how Taylor keeps us guessing?!

4) Give 80’s Pop A Try

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift explains that a lot of her inspiration for 1989 came from a newfound love for late-Eighties pop. The same article lists 20 songs from 1989 (yes, the YEAR 1989) for you to give a try.

5) Bake Cookies

Any true Taylor fan knows that she absolutely loves baking. Pay homage to Taylor by attempting to make some of her fabulous creations yourself. You can find the recipe for her Instagram-famous chai sugar cookies with cinnamon eggnog icing here.

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6) Watch the “Shake It Off” Video

No matter what you think of the video, it’s hard to argue that this song isn’t catchy. If you’re having a bad day, blast the video and try to mimic all of Taylor’s crazy dance moves. It’s entertaining and will most definitely remind you to shake off any of the day’s troubles.

7) Preorder 1989 on iTunes

If you want to be able to listen to 1989 the second it drops, you definitely want to go to iTunes and preorder it now. In my opinion, however, preordering the album at Target might be a better deal— for $1.00 more, you’ll get Swift’s deluxe album with 3 extra songs.

So don’t worry, Taylor fans…. October 27 will be here sooner than you know it!

SOURCES:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6229439/taylor-swift-shake-it-off-no-1-hot-100-nicki-minaj-anaconda

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/08/18/taylor-swift-yahoo-live-stream/14242387/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8JyaNIMiSE

http://instagram.com/taylorswift

http://www.eonline.com/news/586928/taylor-swift-is-releasing-a-harry-styles-inspired-single-next-week-and-fans-are-going-bananas

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/taylor-swift-guide-to-1989-20140908

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/bake-it-off-bake-it-off#uigb8g

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1989/id907242701

http://www.target.com/p/taylor-swift-1989-deluxe-edition-target-exclusive/-/A-16365103