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 9th, 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 10th, 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.
