Screaming, crying, perfect surprise.
Taylor Swift announces the release of her re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Her career-defining album gave us many timeless pop gems like ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Blank Space’. As we anticipate the re-recorded version to come out, let’s relive the magic and revel in the best moments from the original ‘1989’ era that made us dance, sing, and feel like we never go out of style.
Bright Colors, Bold Chances, Rebellion
It’s 2014. Taylor is recovering from the high of ‘Red’ Tour and keeping a low profile that summer. It is the calm before the promotional storm of the fall that year. She decides to chop off her blonde locks and moves to New York City. In my opinion, these were her biggest clues she secretly conveyed to her fans about what the overall theme of her new album was going to be.
It turned out to be true when she announced 1989 later on August 18, 2014. Taylor later confirmed that this album was heavily influenced by 80s synth-pop. 80s music was a hallmark of individuality and free spirit. It was a time-period where people were encouraged to discover their potential, listen to their gut and decide to take those daring leaps. That’s exactly what Taylor did as she shifted from country to pop with 1989.
1989 Announcement x Shake It Off MV Release
In August, Taylor announced that her brand new Pop album called 1989 will hit the stores on Oct 27. She surprised everyone with this news on a Yahoo Live Stream and simultaneously released its first single and music video called ‘Shake it Off’.
The song became an immediate hit with its catchy chorus and pure pop upbeat. It was #1 from Billboard Hot 100 to iTunes. The song was everywhere, on TV, in nightclubs and on the radio. This was unusual because Taylor is notorious for writing emotional songs which you play at 2am in the night thinking about your once favorite person.
1989 Secret Sessions
I want you to think of any artist who invited you to their (mom’s) house to eat cookies, let you touch their Grammys award, their adorable cats and let you listen to their album one month early. If no one comes to your mind let me remind you that there is one artist who did that, and it is our queen Taylor Swift.
As part of her promotional campaign, Taylor kicked off a fan-fueled tradition known as the “Secret Sessions.” These exclusive sessions, reserved just for her devoted Swifties, offered an exclusive glimpse at her upcoming album well before its official release.
Basically, she would turn into Joe Goldberg and stalk(?) fans online before sending invitations. She opened the doors of her homes in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, and even Rhode Island, plus her hotel room in London, hosting the “1989 Secret Sessions.” Each of these gatherings welcomed 89 handpicked fans, giving them an unforgettable memory and an early dance to the beats of the much-anticipated album.
Polaroids, Out of the Woods & Others
Taylor’s original 1989 cover was a giant polaroid picture which became her dominant 1989 aesthetic. Around 3 weeks from the release, she began posting pictures with her friends, family and even fans (from the secret sessions) in polaroid snapshots.
2 weeks prior, she released the 4th track of the album called Out of the Woods as a promotional single.
The same day she started teasing one liner from each song on her social media. She knows how to build anticipation and brew a conversation.
Additionally, she released the dazzling opening track ‘Welcome to New York’ as the release date grew closer and revealed the full track list.
Best Music Video
Blank Space tops this category in a beat. This music video has that bejeweled manner that screams ‘expensive’ and ‘total badass.’ It’s the kind of video that makes you want to throw on your fanciest gown, strut out of your imaginary mansion and break a car’s bonnet in a fashionable rage.
The iconic lyric, “Darling I’m a nightmare, dressed like a daydream,” was practically every girl’s social media caption at that time. It was the fastest video to surpass a billion views.
Blank Space was Taylor’s sassy response to the media’s grand portrayal of her as the ultimate serial dater. They painted Taylor as someone who went from 0 to “let’s move in together on day 2”. Then there were those speculations of attachment issues, paranoia, and not-so-pretty fights when things didn’t go her way.
Taylor decided to take those wild perceptions, roll with them, and turn them into an epic song. She needed to get ahead of the joke, beat the naysayers at their own game. And boy, did she nail it! The song’s outrageous success proved that Taylor Swift can outwit the haters any day. This single is a timeless pop staple that still creates waves till date.
1 Million Copies and #1 on Billboard
On its first week of release, 1989 debuted into the pop world with jaw-dropping first-week sales of 1.287 million units. The album secures the No.1 spot in Billboard 200 albums chart. It did so with the mightiest sales week for an album since 2002. 2014 was undoubtedly Taylor’s year as she rewrote history with shattering records and a fresh coat of buzz.
Bonus Tracks on Deluxe Edition
The original edition of 1989 had 13 tracks but Taylor collaborated with Target to bring a Deluxe Edition with 3 bonus tracks. Those bonus tracks radiate pure pop perfection. She eventually released them on streaming platforms like iTunes later in 2015.
‘Wonderland’ delves into the dark reality of how two people can bring out the worst in each other in a relationship. In a graceful shift, “You Are in Love” emerges as a romantic ode, a loving dedication from Taylor to her music producer and his fiancée. ‘New Romantics’ is a perfect closing track that circles back to the core theme of 1989, effectively silencing the negativity that lingers around her.
It’s the pop anthem that encapsulates the journey she’s undertaken throughout “1989,” a journey of evolution, growth, and empowerment.
1989 US & World Tour
Taylor Swift’s “1989 World Tour” was officially announced, promising a year-long musical treat for her fans. Taylor shared the exciting news on Twitter, revealing the tour’s launch on May 20, 2015, in Louisiana. The tour would weave through North America and Europe, concluding in Australia on December 12. The 1989 World Tour stood as the highest-grossing tour of 2015, boasting an impressive sale of over 2.278 million tickets, and grossing an astounding $250.7 million.
Swifties may come for my neck, but I think the 1989 Tour was arguably her best tour done to date. The tour presented Taylor with a formidable challenge—embracing a complete rebranding from being country music darling to a fully-fledged pop star. Her connection with the audience was palpable, her stage presence riveting.
Her Joan Jett style performance of ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ is just one example of her tour shenanigans. She seamlessly integrated surprise elements, hosting a roster of special guests that comprised A-list models, media personalities, and renowned actors. From Gigi Hadid and Mick Jaggers to Julia Roberts and the ‘Friends’ cast, each guest was a manifestation to Taylor’s emerging prominence in mainstream pop culture. The costumes, choreography, performance energy, elaborate stage production and light engineering showcased her newfound artistic identity.
The Big Grammy Win
Taylor Swift was honored with the prestigious 2016 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, an accolade considered the highest of honors in the music industry. This marked her second Album of the Year victory as the only female artist, the first being in 2010 for her work “Fearless.” Adding to her list of achievements that evening, Taylor also secured a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
You can tell Taylor owned 2014 because of her 1989 era. It was her most commercially successful album to redefine pop culture. The momentum continued into 2015. She had an elite squad of model and actor friends, jet-setting around the world for tour and winning awards left and right as deserved. Things took a different turn by summer of 2016 as her empire started crumbling. Taylor vanished from the public eye [for a while] and wiped her social media clean. Why? That’s a tale for another day – perhaps when another rerecord announcement comes our way. Until then her favourite child is finally returning home with 5 new vault tracks so brace yourself to revive the Shake it Off nostalgia.