Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, Swift conceived 1989 to recalibrate her artistry to pop after critics disputed her status as a country musician when she released the cross-genre Red (2012) to country radio. What he was doing in the ‘80s was so ahead of its time, because he was playing with a lot of synth-pop sounds, but kind of creating sort of an atmosphere behind what he was singing, rather than a produced track. 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". On Red's follow-up album, Swift continued autobiographical songwriting inspired by her personal life, a cornerstone of her artistry.

This authenticity is what attracted me to Taylor's music in the first place - the songs here don't seem as personal since they were tainted by others' desires to make them more radio-friendly when they're doing the opposite. How You Get the Girl" is the most sunny, upbeat song on the album, and that's not saying much since there's nothing that's quite on the level of "You Belong with Me,""Mean," or "Picture to Burn. It became the best-selling album of 2014 in the country with total sales of 6 million as of 2016, while selling 10.

The songs expand on Swift's autobiographical songwriting and explore failed romance from a lighthearted perspective. On August 9, 2023, at the last Los Angeles show of the Eras Tour, Swift announced 1989 (Taylor's Version) and its release date on October 27, exactly nine years after the original release of 1989. American director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson cited 1989 as an inspiration for her feature film debut, Someone Great (2019). was Swift’s official entrance to the pop music scene, and it cemented her status as a musical titan. He produced “Out of the Woods,” “I Wish You Would,” and deluxe track “You Are In Love,” which Swift even wrote about his relationship with Lena Dunham.

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. Shane Kimberlin writing for musicOMH deemed Swift's transition to pop on 1989 "not completely successful", but praised her lyrics for incorporating "enough heart and personality", which he found rare in the mainstream pop scene. On his rendition, Adams incorporated acoustic instruments, which contrast with the original's electronic production.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), 1989 was the second-best-selling album of 2014 and third-best-selling of 2015.

She had written an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in July 2014, expressing her concerns over the decline of the album as an economic entity following the rise of free, on-demand streaming. Taylor Swift's 1989 Now One of Only Four Albums by Women to Spend 300 Weeks on Billboard 200 Chart". exceeded sales of five million copies in US sales by July 2015, the fastest-selling album since 2004 up to that point. Although she had been known as "America's Sweetheart" because of her wholesome and down-to-earth image, [10] her serial romantic relationships blemished her reputation, and a short-lived romance with English singer Harry Styles during promotion of Red generated much media gossip. Following a dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded 1989 and released it as 1989 (Taylor's Version) on October 27, 2023, on the ninth anniversary of the original album.There are no standouts here in the same catchy vein as some of her best songs, such as "You Belong with Me" and "Mean. The penultimate track of the standard edition is "I Know Places", which expresses Swift's desire to preserve an unstable relationship.

All three of those albums were pioneering efforts with multiple 5-star songs that we still hear everywhere today for a reason: They were intimate, personal, relatable, catchy, and different from the last one. She broke into the country music scene with her eponymous self-titled debut studio album, Taylor Swift in 2006, which included the singles " Teardrops on My Guitar" and " Our Song".It’s somewhat heavier than the standard black but Side C/D of the pink pressed slightly off center so I’ll just stick to my standard pressing to play. I Know Places" is another Ryan Tedder track that's so buried late in the album that it pretty much can't stand out, as it doesn't have a distinct sound the way "Starlight" did on Red. The Innocent and the Runaway: Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and the Cultural Politics of Racial Melodrama".