Country artist Taylor Swift has completely shifted genres with her newest pop album, 1989. Although Swift has changed her music and her sound, her lyrics have remained consistent. Boys, the main topic of her five albums, continue to be her inspiration. In this album specifically, Harry Styles, One Direction singer and noted teen heart-throb, seems to be the topic of interest or, as some might say, the topic of absolute obsession. I mean when a guy pulls a fast one, there’s no better way to call him out on his antics than to write a whole album about him. Swift has the power to put the feelings of almost every teenage girl into any song, and 1989 has added to the long list of Swift songs girls can relate to. Here’s some of the highlights that are extremely catchy and pretty relatable to the entire female population. Touching on topics such as heartbreak, bad relationships and players, Swift covers it all. 1989 gives fans a wide variety of songs to listen and jam out to.
“Blank Space”-
In this upbeat tune, Swift tells the story of most girls who have relationships that come to a rocky end. She talks about her long list of exes and how a boy she just broke up with is just another name to add to her list; he is no longer relevant in her life and she plans to just move onto the next “jerk”. Swift also pokes fun of herself, playing off the joke that people think she is crazy. This makes “Blank Space” not only the perfect breakup song but also an amusing track to listen to. Most girls know the feeling of insanity and obsessiveness after ending things with a guy. Swift makes it seem acceptable to breakdown and she always outdoes the level of crazy that any girl experiences. Swift stands up for the fellow female population singing an anthem about not putting up with boys’ garbage. This song encaptures the “girl power” ideal making it a strong track on the album.
Standout lyric- “Gotta long list of ex-lovers, they’ll tell you I’m insane. But I got a blank space, baby, and I’ll write your name.”
“Style”-
Another catchy song on 1989, Style is rumored to be about Harry Styles. Describing a boy with long hair and a white T-shirt, which is Harry’s goto outfit, Swift tells a story about her and a boy who aren’t working out. Not only does she describe the physical characteristics of this boy, but also practically named the song after Styles. Giving the most obvious hint of all time, Swift clearly wants Styles to know the song is about him. Swift describes the two trying to fix their problems and continuing to live in a cycle of going back to one another. Clearly this cycle needs to come to an end, but Swift is too ignorant to realize it. Even though these two aren’t good for each other, she still knows they will always be hot and “in style” together.
Standout lyric- “And when we come crashing down, we come back every time.”
“All You Had To Do Was Stay”-
Confusion and disappointment color the lyrics of this song. She sings about a boy who only wants her back after it’s way too late. Swift wishes he would have stayed with her but now, after being so naive for far too long, knows he’s not going to change. Swift realizes she is so much better than this boy and even though she still cares about him, there is no way she will ever go back to him. She sings about how right after she opens up to someone, he completely shuts her out of his life. Swift suggests that most guys are too scared to commit, and that they would rather just get up and leave than try to make it work when things gets tough. Teenage boys can be naive and never know what they have until it is gone which makes this catchy tune a relatable favorite for many girls.
Standout lyric- “Had me in the palm of your hand, man why’d you have to go and lock me out when I let you in.”
“Bad Blood”-
As the ultimate feminist track, “Bad Blood” describes a boy who has hurt Swift so badly that nothing could ever fix what they had. Swift takes the time in this song to scold the boy who hurt her, ultimately trying to make him feel horrible for what he did. In the song, you can imagine her confronting him for being such a horrible person. Swift suggests that boys clearly have no clue how their actions can affect girls. Extremely angry, she threatens this boy to stay far away from her.
Standout lyric- “Time can heal but this won’t, so if you’re coming my way, just don’t.”
“Clean”-
As the last track on Swift’s album 1989, Clean is one of the calmer songs she wrote. Here, she sings about her experience with who she thought was a good guy. Once they break up, she realizes the best way to get over the boy is to free herself from him. Swift sings about how boys can’t define who you are, and that in the middle of all the pain is where you can find yourself. Swift believes that although her life may feel like it’s ending, she knows that she needs to love herself before she can love any boy who tries to bring her down. This song is for any girl who can’t seem to find herself after a tough breakup.
Standout Lyric- “When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe.”
