The Do’s and Don’ts of 1989

Two weeks ago Taylor Swift dropped her fifth studio album, 1989, and in just one week, the album sold 1.287 million copies. For the past two weeks on the hill I’ve heard non-stop Taylor Swift; whether it’s a constant loop of 1989 at a pregame or Shake it Off blaring from someone’s shower radio. My Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram newsfeed inevitably praised Taylor as a goddess of music, and even the critics had to admit the album was annoyingly catchy. After 14 or so days of hearing the same 13 songs on repeat while studying in Dinand or getting ready to go out with my friends, I have come up with a definitive list, in my humble opinion, of the Do’s and Don’ts of 1989. 

Do’s:

1. Blank Space – “Got a long list of ex-lovers / They’ll tell you I’m insane / Cause you know I love the players / And you love the game.” Arguably the best song on the entire album, Taylor addresses the complicated, messy love lives of young adult’s in a practical manner. With a catchy Lorde inspired beat and realistic lyrics she proves she’s come a long way from her once over-romanticized, unrealistic view of relationships (see Love Story).
2. All You Had to Do Was Stay – “People like you always want back the love they pushed aside / But people like me are gone forever / When you say goodbye.” Hidden behind the sugary, stuck-in-your-head-for-days chorus, is a universally relatable tale of a wrong time, wrong place romance. All You had to Do Was Stay narrates the confusing internal struggle of reluctantly moving on from an unhealthy relationship instead of waiting around. While the repeated line “All you had to do was stay” makes it seem as if the good girl is waiting on the bad boy to come back and admit he’s changed his ways, the upbeat and almost mocking tone Taylor chants it in instead says, “You’ve missed your chance, I’m long gone.”
3. Style – “And when we go crashing down, we come back every time / Cause we never go out of style / We never go out of style.” Cleverly titled after rumored ex Harry Styles, Taylor croons about a frustrating, intoxicating on again, off again relationship. Taylor alternates the verses, which are sung in a skeptical, guard up type tone, with the blissful, flirty, and fun chorus, accurately reflecting the confusing nature of these types of ultimately toxic relationships that everyone finds themselves in at some point or another.

Don’ts: 

1. Wildest Dreams – “Red lips and rosy cheeks / Say you’ll see me again even if it’s just in your wildest dreams.’ This song completely misses the mark of the rest of Taylor’s album. While it was a respectable attempt at the sultry, longing, breathy tone that only Lana Del Rey can pull off flawlessly, it simply does not fit Taylor’s persona and instead feels like she is trying to be something she isn’t. Skip.
2. How You Get the Girl – “Remind her how it used to be / With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks.” Despite the insanely captivating beat, Taylor takes one giant step forward with All You Had to do Was Stay and two steps back with this song. Instead of empowering females to walk away from unhealthy relationships, Taylor encourages them to take back someone who left them alone in the cold with no explanation as to why. Sweet words and reminders of past happiness are not grounds to take back someone who left for no reason. Break the vicious cycle. Skip.
3. Welcome to New York – “Everybody here wanted something more / Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before.” An attempt to describe an adolescent’s longing to discover themselves in a new and mysterious city, the lyrics to this song unfortunately hold little meaning. While most of the album is sugary pop with Taylor’s own personal spin, this song falls flat. It feels as if any female pop star around Taylor’s age could spew out these meaningless lyrics and achieve the same effect. We get it, we’ve reached NYC, thanks. Skip.

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