Taylor Swift含羞草研究社檚 is here, the album that ushered in the first Peak Swift era 含羞草研究社� revisited at the height of her massive pop culture dominance.
Released in 2014 and named for her birth year, the original 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� signified a sonic rebirth. Swift had shed the Nashville country roots of her first four studio albums and announced herself a full-fledged pop superstar.
含羞草研究社�1989 (Taylor含羞草研究社檚 Version),含羞草研究社� out Friday, takes that version of Swift 含羞草研究社� then in her mid-20s, living in New York, prepared to take on the world with an arsenal of 含羞草研究社�80s synth sounds and a new producer named 含羞草研究社� and includes five unreleased 含羞草研究社渧ault含羞草研究社� tracks that deliver more clues about the artist she was then.
Previous have been more than conventional rerecordings, arriving with new music, Easter eggs and visuals that deepen understanding of her work. The project 含羞草研究社� the fourth of six rereleases 含羞草研究社� was instigated by music manager Scooter Braun含羞草研究社檚 purchase and sale of her early catalog and represents Swift含羞草研究社檚 effort to control her own songs and how they含羞草研究社檙e used.
Her return to 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� the album where she began to confront media portrayals of herself and in song 含羞草研究社� comes at another Swift popularity crescendo but also during a 2010s nostalgia (Yes, it含羞草研究社檚 only 2023. Yes, the nostalgia is real).
Here are some key things to consider as 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� propels the New Peak Swift era forward:
OPENING THE VAULT
Listeners will dive deep into the vault tracks for clues into Swift含羞草研究社檚 mind around 2014. 含羞草研究社淪lut!含羞草研究社� may recall her contentious relationship with the press, which fixated on her alleged romantic relationships and the songs she含羞草研究社檇 write once they ended.
They含羞草研究社檒l find connections to 含羞草研究社淥ut of the Woods含羞草研究社� on 含羞草研究社淚s It Over Now?含羞草研究社� in the lyrics 含羞草研究社渨hen you lost control / red blood, white snow.含羞草研究社� They含羞草研究社檒l wonder who made her pretend to like acid rock and mega yachts on 含羞草研究社淣ow That We Don含羞草研究社檛 Talk.含羞草研究社� But more insight will be found in thinking about where Swift was at the time, what came next, and how that mirrors the current moment.
Swift dominated headlines and award show crowd shots in 2014, reaching a point of oversaturation, and leading to her retreat from the public eye prior to the release of her undercelebrated revenge record, With on NFL broadcasts due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, could history repeat itself?
Brittany Spanos, senior writer at Rolling Stone, puts it simply: 含羞草研究社淧eople just get easily sick of anyone who含羞草研究社檚 super famous. And I think that we haven含羞草研究社檛 had a lot of monocultural kind of celeb moments like this in a minute,含羞草研究社� she says of Swift in 2023.
Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox covering social platforms and the creator economy, sees a connection between the 2014 eras as being 含羞草研究社減ost-recession含羞草研究社� and 2023 being 含羞草研究社減ost-COVID,含羞草研究社� a time where Swift succeeds because there含羞草研究社檚 a sort of cultural 含羞草研究社渂ouncing back vibe,含羞草研究社� a time where people want celebratory music.
In 2014, that was Swift finding her pop sound with 含羞草研究社�1989.含羞草研究社�
In 2023, it含羞草研究社檚 becoming the most successful version of herself, and rereleasing 含羞草研究社�1989 含羞草研究社� while on the top of her game.
FROM COUNTRY TO POP: A TRANSITIONAL ALBUM
含羞草研究社淚t was a huge risk for her to move completely outside of country 含羞草研究社� there含羞草研究社檚 no country elements on this album whatsoever,含羞草研究社� says Spanos, who also teaches a course on Swift at New York University含羞草研究社檚 Clive Davis Institute. She says Swift含羞草研究社檚 penchant for pop songwriting is evidenced all the way back on her 2008 sophomore release 含羞草研究社淔earless含羞草研究社� in tracks like 含羞草研究社淟ove Story,含羞草研究社� but 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� is 含羞草研究社渉er first official, full-length pop project.含羞草研究社�
However, more so than a declarative move into pop, Spanos views 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� as 含羞草研究社渕ore in the lineage of the kind of transitional albums teen stars tend to make when they move into adulthood,含羞草研究社� comparing it to Janet Jackson含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淐ontrol含羞草研究社� and Christina Aguilera含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淪tripped.含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� is the album where Swift含羞草研究社檚 divorced herself from adolescence. She含羞草研究社檚 moved to NYC; she含羞草研究社檚 working with new people; she含羞草研究社檚 making synth pop.
Rachel Brodsky, a music and culture writer who has been covering Swift for well over a decade, points out that Swift含羞草研究社檚 sonic experimentations were earned 含羞草研究社� and that she very well might be one of the final pop superstars who couldn含羞草研究社檛 come out of the gate playing with genre the way listeners are accustomed to now.
含羞草研究社淪he came up in the shadow of the Chicks, where she was told under certain circumstances by her team, like, 含羞草研究社橸ou don含羞草研究社檛 want to be the Chicks,含羞草研究社� Brodsky says of the country music group who were of their audience.
The Chicks, acts like Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes cracked open the door for Swift to burst open on 含羞草研究社�1989,含羞草研究社� she says. And not just as a pop musician, but as someone bucking convention 含羞草研究社� something Brodsky says artists like Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and even Olivia Rodrigo have followed.
ENGAGING WITH HER OWN CELEBRITY
By the time 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� rolled around, Swift was no longer writing high school romances and fairytale narratives.
She含羞草研究社檇 begun engaging with her celebrity reality 含羞草研究社� inviting Beyonc茅 and Jay-Z to her birthday party, hanging out with models and other very famous people in a group labeled 含羞草研究社渢he Squad含羞草研究社� in the media.
She was also writing songs like 含羞草研究社満卟菅芯可鐧Bad Blood,含羞草研究社� which is about her feud with Katy Perry,含羞草研究社� says Spanos, a decisive move away from the kind of humility and 含羞草研究社渉ometown girl含羞草研究社� image associated with 含羞草研究社渃ountry Taylor.含羞草研究社� That meant occupying more space in the pop landscape: reconciling with Kanye West after the infamous 2009 VMAs moment, starring alongside Drake in a commercial, getting Kendrick Lamar on a remix, so on and so forth.
In 2023, Swift is more famous now than she was then, and she含羞草研究社檚 still engaging with her celebrity in a very public way.
含羞草研究社�1989 (TAYLOR含羞草研究社橲 VERSION)含羞草研究社� PLAYS INTO FONDNESS FOR 2014
Jennings believes people are nostalgic for the year 2014 and always will be 含羞草研究社� because it was one of the last online periods before the hyper-commodification of social media 含羞草研究社� which makes 2023 the ideal time for revisiting 含羞草研究社�1989.含羞草研究社�
There were blogs, and Tumblr, and our internet lives were less defined by algorithms. 含羞草研究社淚t is looked at as this Edenic time of innocence and purity,含羞草研究社� she says. At the time, there was a kind of monoculture that leans itself to nostalgia in 2023, she says 含羞草研究社� everyone receiving the same information on the same topics at the same time, Taylor Swift含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社�1989含羞草研究社� era included 含羞草研究社� as opposed to the current influencer-based model.
(It含羞草研究社檚 worth noting that Swift herself was very active on Tumblr, using the social media platform to find fans to invite to private listening sessions held in her home.)
Additionally, in the last few months, Swift has been seen dining with very famous friends like Blake Lively, Sophie Turner and Selena Gomez, a return to the language of her 含羞草研究社淪quad.含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淏y parading out many of the same friends she had during that era that she was also parading about, she含羞草研究社檚 playing into this nostalgia element,含羞草研究社� argues Jennings.
At the time, theories swirled around Swift含羞草研究社檚 assumed romantic relationships 含羞草研究社� many believe the song 含羞草研究社淪tyle含羞草研究社� is about her short relationship with Harry Styles 含羞草研究社� and in 2023, her latest assumed romance has become a top story again.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 almost like she含羞草研究社檚 method promoting,含羞草研究社� Spanos jokes. 含羞草研究社淪he含羞草研究社檚 leaning into it again.含羞草研究社� But there含羞草研究社檚 a huge difference in the kind of treatment she含羞草研究社檚 receiving from the public this time around. The press appears to be rooting for her relationship, she says, instead of thinking about the breakup songs it might inspire, warning her male partners and turning Swift into the butt of the joke 含羞草研究社� as the media was doing in 2014.
含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 a little bit less of that level of misogyny,含羞草研究社� Spanos says.
So what含羞草研究社檚 next for Swift?
The continuation of her Eras tour, which is set to resume on November 9th in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And, of course, two more 含羞草研究社淭aylor含羞草研究社檚 Version含羞草研究社� albums.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
