1989: Taylor Swift (Music)

1989: Taylor Swift

1989, by Taylor Swift. Big Machine Records, Nashville. ASIN: B00MRHANNI

Track Listing:

1: Welcome to New York

2: Blank Space

3: Style

4: Out of the Woods

5: All you had to do was Stay

6: Shake it Off

7: I wish you would

8: Bad Blood

9: Wildest Dreams

10: How you get the Girl

11: This Love

12: I know Places

13: Clean

Summary

1989 is the fifth album from  singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Her first attempt at a pure pop album, 1989 sold over one million copies during its first week alone. (Caulfield, K, “Taylor Swift’s 1989 Heading For 1 Million Sales Debut.” Retrieved November 9^th, 2014 from http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6296916/taylor-swift-1989-sales-1-million) As in previous albums, several songs on 1989 are co-written by other artists: “Out of the Woods,” with  Fun’s guitarist Jack Antonoff, “Clean,” with English singer Imogen Heap, and “I Know Places” and “Welcome to New York” with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.

In usual Swift fashion, the songs on 1989 are about relationships, love lost, and finding oneself. “Welcome to New York” talks about finding oneself in the Big Apple, and “Shake It Off,” (her first single off the album) is a fun track about not caring what others have to say.   “Out of the Woods” remembers a relationship that wasn’t meant to last, while “Style" talks about a ‘bad boy’ that Swift can’t stay away from.

Critical Evaluation

1989 is different from Swift’s other albums, but is still fun to listen to.   Her sound and style may have changed but Swift still writes all her songs and creates memorable lyrics such as “The rest of the world was in black and white, but we were in screaming color.” (Swift, Out of the Woods, 2014) The same feelings and memories from Swift’s life are still an important part of her songs: this time, they’re just to a different sound.

Another thing that hasn’t changed is Swift’s likeability with teens through her lyrics of love and loss.  While her fans and critics like to match Swift’s ex boyfriends with certain songs, the songs on 1989 could really be about anyone: another reason why teens can relate to the album so much.

Swift could have written “Style” about any bad boy in Hollywood, but to teens listening to the track will most likely think of their own bad boy crush. While many have said that 1989 is too far of a departure from Swift’s country music, she continues to impress with her throwback 80’s sound and emotional lyrics.

Reader’s Annotation

1989 is another look into the life and emotions of country turned pop superstar Taylor Swift.

About the Artist

“She is, quite simply, a global superstar. Taylor Swift is a seven-time GRAMMY winner, and the youngest recipient in history of the music industry’s highest honor, the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. She is the best-selling digital music artist of all time, and the only female artist in music history (and just the fourth artist ever) to twice have an album hit the 1 million first-week sales figure (2010’s Speak Now and 2012’s RED). She’s a household name whose insanely catchy yet deeply personal self-penned songs transcend music genres, and a savvy businesswoman who has built a childhood dream into an empire.

But the numbers don’t tell Taylor's story half as well as she could. After all, it’s the intangibles that elevate Swift into the stratosphere of our pop culture planet, allowing the 24-year old singer-songwriter to orbit in a more rarified air. Her large-scale charitable contributions are one thing, but it’s in the small gestures – the notes of compassion she posts on the Instagram photos of lovelorn fans, the genuine hugs she distributes without discretion – where Swift proves time and time again that platinum-selling, record-setting success has not changed her inherent nature. She is awkwardly honest and powerfully empathetic; a brazen superfan, loyal friend, fierce protector of hearts; and one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for the power of just being yourself.”

(Pastorek, Whitney. “Taylor Swift biography.” Retrieved October 10^th,  2014 from http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Swift/e/B0017PE36O/ref=ac_dtp_sa_bio)

Genres

Music

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Booktalking Ideas

N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age

13+

Grades 8+

Challenge Issues

Brief sexual lyrics.

Defense File

1—Ensure that policies such as “Freedom to Read,” “Collection Development,” and “Challenged Materials” are available for patrons and staff to read and research. Have list of awards and reviews for titles, as well as a “Reconsideration Form” on hand at all branches.

2—Listen to challenges and complaints openly and without judgment. Allow the patron to express their thoughts without inputting your own.

3—Have patron fill out reconsideration form. Provide information and background on challenge material’s author and title.  Forward reconsideration form to appropriate supervisors.

PPLD’s Challenge Materials Policy: http://ppld.org/challenged-materials-policy

PPLD’s Collection Development Policy: http://ppld.org/collection-development-policy

Why Included?

I included 1989 because it’s a bestseller on iTunes and a popular request with our teen patrons.  I also included it because the album had great songs and memorable lyrics.