Full Album 1989
Sinikka Curz
Swift recorded 1989 at studios across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden with an ensemble including Martin, Shellback, Jack Antonoff, Ryan Tedder, Nathan Chapman, and Imogen Heap. The synth-pop production is characterized by pulsing synthesizers, programmed drum machines, and processed backing vocals with electronic elements, a stark contrast to the acoustic arrangements of Swift's past albums. The songs expand on Swift's autobiographical songwriting and explore failed romance from a lighthearted perspective.
Swift and Big Machine promoted 1989 extensively through tie-ins and media endorsements but withheld the album from free streaming services, which prompted an industry discourse on the impact of streaming.[note 1] To support the album, Swift embarked on the 1989 World Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour of 2015. Among seven singles released, three peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". 1989 spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and was certified nine-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has sold over 14 million copies worldwide and was certified multi-platinum in many countries.
Swift's personal life was another aspect that attracted media attention.[10] Her serial romantic relationships, including a short-lived romance with the English singer Harry Styles, generated much tabloid coverage and blemished her "America's Sweetheart" image.[11][12] In March 2014, Swift relocated from Nashville to New York City;[13] she recounted that moving geographically while being unattached romantically prompted her to embrace new creative ideas,[10][14] as did the media scrutiny of her public image.[15]
Swift enlisted Martin and Shellback as prime collaborators because she found "I Knew You Were Trouble" topping the US pop radio chart for seven weeks a motivation to fully embrace the electronic-pop sound that they produced.[4][9] She enjoyed working with them because they often took her ideas in a different direction, which challenged her as a songwriter.[17] Big Machine president Scott Borchetta initially was skeptical of Swift's decision and persuaded her to record a few country songs with instruments such as fiddle, but she rejected his request.[4] Borchetta ultimately agreed with her to not promote the album to country radio, which had been formative in driving Swift's career.[21][22] Martin and Shellback produced seven of the standard edition's thirteen tracks.[23] Swift credited Martin as co-executive producer because he also recorded and produced the vocals on tracks where he was uncredited, which she deemed important in producing a coherent album.[4]
Jack Antonoff was another key producer on 1989; he had worked with Swift on the 1980s new wave-influenced soundtrack single "Sweeter than Fiction" (2013).[24] Antonoff extensively used the Juno-6 synthesizer, which he thought to have "such a sadness and a glory all at once",[25] and co-wrote and co-produced three tracks, two for the standard edition and one for the deluxe edition.[20] "I Wish You Would" stemmed from his experimental sampling of the snare drums on Fine Young Cannibals' 1988 single "She Drives Me Crazy". He played his sample to Swift on an iPhone and sent it to her to re-record.[19] The final track is a remix that retains the distinctive snare drums.[26] For "Out of the Woods", Antonoff sent his finished instrumental track to Swift while she was on a plane.[27] She sent him a voice memo containing the lyrics roughly 30 minutes later.[18] The song was the first time Swift composed lyrics for an existing instrumental.[28]
For "Clean", Swift approached British producer Imogen Heap in London after writing the song's lyrics and melody. Heap helped to complete the track by playing instruments on it; the two finished recording after two takes in one day at Heap's studio.[20] Nathan Chapman, Swift's longtime collaborator, co-produced the track "This Love".[31] The album was mastered by Tom Coyne in two days at Sterling Sound Studio in New York City.[23][20] Swift finalized the record upon completing the Asian leg of the Red Tour in mid-2014.[32]
As with Swift's past albums, 1989 is primarily about the emotions and reflections resulting from past romantic relationships.[35][40][41] Swift's songwriting retained its storytelling which had been nurtured by her country-music background,[42][43] but it is more ambiguous and embraces pop-music songwriting prioritizing emotional intensity and general ideas over intricate details.[44] Swift's characters in the 1989 songs cease to vilify ex-lovers and failed relationships like those on her past songs did[45][46] and instead look at them through a wistful perspective.[18] She attributed this change of attitude to her realization of "more complex relationships", in which she was also responsible for the downfall instead of completely putting the blame on the other.[16] For USA Today's Brian Mansfield, even though the songs were inspired by Swift's personal life, they resonated with a wide audience who found themselves and their situations represented in her songs.[46] The album's liner notes, which include a one-sentence hidden message for each of the 13 songs, collectively tell a story of a girl's tangled relationship. Ultimately, she finds that, "She lost him but she found herself and somehow that was everything."[47]
Swift's feelings when she first moved to New York City inspired the opening track, "Welcome to New York", a synthesizer-laden song finding Swift embracing her newfound freedom.[31][48] "Blank Space", set over a minimal hip hop-influenced beat, satirizes the media's perception of Swift as a promiscuous woman who dates male celebrities only to gather songwriting material.[38][49] The production of "Style", a funk-flavored track, was inspired by "funky electronic music" artists such as Daft Punk;[20][50] its lyrics detail an unhealthy relationship.[51] "Out of the Woods" is an indietronica-flavored synth-pop song featuring heavy synthesizers, layered percussions and looping background vocals, resulting in a chaotic sound.[28][52] Swift said that the song, which was inspired by a relationship that evoked constant anxiety because of its fragility, "best represents" 1989.[53][54] "All You Had to Do Was Stay" laments a past relationship and originated from Swift's dream of desperately shouting "Stay" to an ex-lover against her will.[55]
The dance-pop track "Shake It Off", sharing a loosely similar sentiment with "Blank Space", sees Swift expressing disinterest in her detractors and their negative remarks on her image.[56][57] The bubblegum pop song "I Wish You Would", which uses pulsing snare drums and sizzling guitars, finds Swift longing for the return of a past relationship.[58][59][60] Swift said that "Bad Blood", a track that incorporates heavy, stomping drums,[49] is about betrayal by an unnamed female peer, alleged to be Katy Perry, with whom Swift was involved in a feud that received widespread media coverage.[18][61] "Wildest Dreams" speaks of a dangerous affair with an apparently untrustworthy man and incorporates a sultry, dramatic atmosphere accompanied by string instruments.[20][50][62] On "How You Get the Girl", a bubblegum pop track featuring guitar strums over a heavy disco-styled beat, Swift hints at her desire to reunite with an ex-lover.[50][59][63] "This Love" is a soft rock-flavored electropop ballad.[48][49]
The penultimate track of the standard edition is "I Know Places", which expresses Swift's desire to preserve an unstable relationship. Swift stated that it serves as a loose sequel to "Out of the Woods".[53] Accompanied by dark, intense drum and bass-influenced beats, the song uses a metaphor of foxes running away from hunters to convey hiding from scrutiny.[62][64] The final track on the standard edition, "Clean", is an understated soft rock and synth-folk song talking about the struggles to escape from a toxic yet addictive relationship; the protagonist is "finally clean" after a destructive yet cleansing torrential storm.[48][65][66] "Wonderland", the first of the three bonus songs on the deluxe edition, alludes to the fantasy book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to describe a relationship tumbling down a "rabbit hole".[26] Inspired by Antonoff and Lena Dunham's relationship, the ballad "You Are in Love" is about an ideal relationship from another woman's perspective.[67][68] The final song's title, "New Romantics", refers to the cultural movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[26] With a strong 1980s synth-pop sound, the song sees Swift reigniting her hopes and energy after the heartbreaks she had endured.[45][69]
Each CD copy of 1989 includes a packet, one of five available sets, of 13 random Polaroid pictures, made up from 65 different pictures.[76] The pictures portray Swift in different settings such as backdrops of New York City and recording sessions with the producers.[77] The photos are out-of-focus, off-framed, with a sepia-tinged treatment, and feature the 1989 songs' lyrics written with black marker on the bottom.[72] Polaroid Corporation chief executive Scott Hardy reported that the 1989 Polaroid concept propelled a revival in instant film, especially among the hipster subculture who valued the "nostalgia and retro element of what [their] company stands for".[78] Billboard in 2022 ranked the cover of 1989 as one of the 50 greatest album covers of all time.[79]
Swift marketed 1989 as her first "official pop" album.[80] To bolster sales, Swift and Big Machine implemented an extensive marketing plan.[81] As observed by Maryn Wilkinson, an academic specialized in media studies, Swift adopted a "zany" aspect for her 1989 persona.[note 2] As Swift had been associated with a hardworking and authentic persona through her country songs, her venture to "artificial, manufactured" pop required intricate maneuvering to retain her sense of authenticity.[83] She used social media extensively to communicate with her fan base. To attract a younger audience, she had promoted her country songs online previously.[84] Her social media posts showcased her personal life, making fans feel engaged with her authentic self and thus cemented their support while attracting a new fan base besides her already large one.[82][80]