How Taylor Swift Created Pop Perfection: A 1989 (and Taylor’s Version) Retrospective

[@tayluvofficial]

I Wish You Would is one of her most underrated songs.😢❤ It deserves more recognition and streams! Even Taylor's Version is the least streamed from album.

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

We hope we were able to show it a little of the love it deserves!🩵

[@Juliesflowers]

Thank you so much for this video!🩵A HUGE Taylor Swift fan here since her Midnights Era although I've been listening to her on and off since 1989 era but of course didn't know much of this album's history and details. It's my top favorite Taylor's album along with 'reputation'. I stream it almost everyday now and of course the vault tracks are just cherry on the top! Loved your guys thorough and deep analysis on all the tracks and ultimately uncovering the unstoppable legacy this album built. Subscribed! And definitely will be watching all your guys videos! You really need to make a reputation analysis soon with rep TV coming soon?!😂🖤 🐍

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

Thank you so much for this comment! We are so glad you enjoyed all the stories and details🩵 We have plans for many deep dives and as soon as Taylor gives the signal we have a few really interesting episodes surrounding reputation to celebrate Taylor's Version!🐍🖤

[@Juliesflowers]

@SwiftlySpokenPodcast Love you guys!🤍

[@tayluvofficial]

10th years of this album! Still the BEST album. 🩵

[@ATWTMVTVFTVSGAVRALPS]

12:30 I think the reason why she finally chose a smiling photo for 1989tv is because it's no longer a mystery that this record ended up as one of the most historic and impactful music albums of the 21st century 🙌

[@oscarundevall2108]

What I fond interesting was how you talked about the purpose of the different versions of the albums (1989 and later the Taylor’s version) turned out to be. And it makes sense! It’s almost 10 years apart between them and I love that we now have both to enjoy. I find different things I enjoy in the different albums, different level of productions and emotions brought to us with her voice. Great episode! 🙌✨

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

Thank you so much!🥹🩵

[@monaural2.988]

1989 is winding up as one of those albums like “Led Zeppelin IV”, “Rumours” and “Pet Sounds”. There is a lot of love around it, though there could be some backlash against it growing within the fan base. “Tortured Poets” is going to need more time to go by before more fans warm to it, by contrast.

[@jennifersun2638]

Tortured poet is very mediocre.

[@monaural2.988]

@@jennifersun2638 it’s already been pretty clear it’s split as far as the fans go. A few even like it more than Midnights, others are saying it’s bloated and bitter. With what Taylor was writing about, that’s understandable.

[@imjakedeason]

52:17 I want to mention that Clean was performed on Rep Tour in New York but the speech about her 1 year anniversary of her winning the seq. as. case was in Tampa and the clips we see in Miss Americana are two different. Just look at he freaking microphone change in the middle of it. So.... She sang clean just because it was raining in New York and it doens't have anything to do with seq. a. I get so mad when people say it was sang on the same day...

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

Yes, you are right! Two different occasions that were joined together after, still linking the song to the feeling but, as you mention, not in real time! Thank you for mentioning that, what an eye for detail you have, nice catch!😊

[@imjakedeason]

@@SwiftlySpokenPodcast 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

[@LaurenLaass]

ME TOOOO. That has bothered me since I saw the documentary. She put the two clips together to have a specific moment in the doc.

[@imjakedeason]

@@LaurenLaass it wasn't even her, it was Lana, the director probably

[@Johnnohn]

1989 (taylor’s version) is pop bible . this album will be celebrated for decades to come 🩵

[@speaknowethansversion]

the rerecording is a MESSSS 😭

[@joshuepico75]

@@speaknowethansversion not the speak now Stan talking about the re-recording being a mess

[@speaknowethansversion]

@@joshuepico75 both were her worst rerecordings wbk

[@allenjesrickgonzales4592]

Bingi ka lang mhie. ​@@speaknowethansversion

[@HonestInsightsTarot]

So back when I was a youngin and didn't really understand how much control major labels had over their artists and whatnot, I remember being really frustrated that Taylor would label Red as country because I never felt like it was country. It had some country elements in certain instrumentals and storytelling, but the majority of the album to me felt like pop actually until the vault was released as well, and then we got "I Bet You Think About Me" and "Nothing New" and "Babe" properly, which give more of that country energy and folk sound in "Nothing New." But, obviously I know in hindsight that "genre label" of country wasn't a Taylor decision. I also didn't really feel like Speak Now was super country. "Mean" was country, but the majority of the rest of Speak Now felt more like pop-rockish to me. I LOVE Speak Now, but I definitely feel like labels just need to make more room for genre bending, especially now since traditional genre-based radio is kind of fading more, and there's room within digital spaces for more variety per album. Cohesion used to matter to me a lot more than it does now, so I definitely understand Taylor wanting 1989 to be very cohesive, which I think it is. I do also think folkore, Midnights, Fearless, and Debut have a similar quality of sonic cohesion. But, does that matter to me when it comes to how I value an album, especially Taylor's work? No, it does not. I LOVE Red Taylor's Version. I LOVE TTPD, which is similar to Red in that it's not the most sonically cohesive, yet some of her best writing (I think THE best of her writing) is on there, and I still think Taylor just ages like fine wine, and everything she puts out grows and ages with her, so she really has established herself as an artist skilled in their crafts - I say crafts because Taylor has many - writing, composition, instrumentals, vocals - all of which I feel have gotten stronger over time. If "Is It Over Now?" had been on the OG 1989 instead of "Out of The Woods," I think would've liked that album more when it first came out. Now, Taylor's Version really gave me a new appreciation for 1989. It is very poppy, which as I age becomes less the kind of music I'm interested in, but because Taylor is Taylor and every song is tethered together with love and thought and talent, there's always SOMEthing I can find to love about her work. For 1989 OG, my favorites were always "I Know Places," "Clean," "Wildest Dreams," and "Wonderland," and "Shake It Off." Over time, I've gained an appreciation of "Style" actually. I also wanted to say a bit of about the "Shake It Off" stuff. I always loved "Shake It Off." Every time I listen to it, it improves my mood. If I'm down, it brings me up, and if I'm already happy, it makes me happier. It has more depth than a lot of people give it credit for. I was also a fan of 3LW growing up. I had both of the 3LW albums, and I then followed Adrienne and Kiely over to The Cheetah Girls because that was part of my adolescence. "Playas Gon Play" was the relevant 3LW song, and yes I see the lyrical similarities. However, I never viewed Taylor as copying that song whatsoever. I think "haters gonna hate" is more of a saying or expression than any one writer's property. I didn't think that the legal things would go on nearly as long as they did. The only thing I ever found suspicious is the idea that Taylor didn't know who 3LW was because they were enough of a radio staple in the late 90s/early 2000s that someone as well versed in music as Taylor not knowing who they were seems somewhat unrealistic. Even if she didn't know their names or their band name, I do think she has probably heard at least one or two of their songs that were on the radio at the time. Regardless of that, I'm glad Taylor was able to properly give all of us Taylor's Version of 1989 as intended. It is objectively a beautiful album even if it's not my personal favorite.

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

As always, thank you for your run down of 1989! We totally agree, the strict genre labels were detrimental to the growth of Taylor’s music for a minute there, but in the end didn’t hold her back. Even now, tagging Red just as pop still feels strange due to its multifaceted nature. Still, as you say, the important thing that ties all of Taylor’s music together is certainly her unique craftsmanship. Oh the Shake It Off lawsuit is such a rabbit hole we would LOVE to revisit! 3LW may have been big enough to be known, but understandably it would seem Taylor’s team didn’t want to leave any loose ends, alleging at that age she would only be allowed to watch/listen to certain things😂 Beyond all of that, as you mention, haters gonna hate appears to have been an established saying far before those times and had made its way into internet culture over time. We’re also very glad 1989 had its moment, both in 2014 and then last year!🩵

[@banana_rad]

I watched the entire thing and I thought the both of you were AI voices of extremely professional speakers but you weren't!! Your voices are so clear, crisp, and crystalline like the taylor's versions but above that, the way each conversation brought up every corner of 1989's lore is like you guys scratching every corner of my brain as well. This was so satisfying to read and be brought back to all the history of what made our Tay a Taymegastar and 2023's POTY. I CANNOT believe this still has 1k views, deserves more than some half-baked messy youtubers out there. I wish you could've gotten into more detail of the differences of sound of the tv and original as it was the biggest discourse of the reclamation of 1989 but the rest of the topics talked about scratched the best parts of my brain that feed on tea &gossip. Well done!

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

We cannot thank you enough for this comment! Yes, it's all 100% us, and these kind words make it all worth it🥹🩵 if you're looking for more commentary on the Taylor's Version of 1989 we have an episode dedicated solely to that from last year but fair warning - we were VERY excited about it😂 Thank you once again!!!!

[@gattogateaux7852]

Im gonna be honest. Blank Space was the first time i heard a Taylor song and actually Liked It. I watched the music video so many times. Happy 10th birthday 1989 (stolen version)!

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

🥳🩵

[@tayluvofficial]

Omg I'd love for you guys to do this type of deep analysis for all her albums!😭🩷🩷

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

Thank you so much!! That's the plan in the long run, for now we do already have folklore and evermore retrospectives with facts and track by track breakdowns as well as vault track deep dives which are similar! 🥰🫶

[@xLitaFan4Everx]

First of all, massive well done on this episode. You had a lot of ground to cover and I believe you totally did this entire album and era retrospective justice. So appreciative of your hard work and research. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 The 1989 album and era is a bittersweet topic for me because back when 1989 came out I didn't like Taylor Swift. You could even say I hated her. Back then, I was angry at the world and was in a deep I hate Pop music and I only listen to Metal music phase (although I was and still am a massive Ariana Grande and Christina Aguilera fan so they were exceptions and I listened to them) and with Taylor being everywhere and the darling of the Pop music world, I was not rocking with her at all. I didn't understand her and wrote her off for being a sell out (because I actually liked a few of her Country songs and was at the time angry that she switched genres). So the part in this episode where you talked about all the shit she had to put up with during the era and the hate train she got online made me feel so sad and ashamed of myself. I didn't talk about her online all that much so I didn't contribute to the awful #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty hashtag or anything but I did talk shit about her to my friends if we talked about music. I also HATED Shake It Off because when it was everywhere on the radio, I was at a job that I hated and was making me miserable and that song was always playing on the work radio so that song sadly became the soundtrack to that rough patch in my life. Fast forward to the Lover era in 2020, I, like many others, had a lot of free time and I was no longer in an angry phase and I was listening to more Pop along with the Metal I still liked so I was broadening my horizons. With this, I gave Taylor a proper chance and Reputation is the album that made me become a huge fan and that meant I could listen to and fall in love with the rest of her discography and 1989 became one of my fave Taylor albums. I'm so glad that the Taylor's Version gave me a chance to experience the 1989 hype that I didn't get to have during the initial stolen version's era because I was going through issues that made me not wanna give Taylor a chance. I don't even know why I'm typing out all this but Taylor inspired me to be more vulnerable so I thought I'd share my story on how I became a Taylor fan and what the 1989 era means to me. Sorry if this all looks a rambling mess. 😅😭🩵 1989 is such an incredible body of work. I'm much more of a Reputation person tbh, that is my fave Taylor album, but 1989 is Pop perfection. It deserves the love and praise it gets. My fave songs from this album are Style, Welcome To New York, Blank Space, This Love, Out Of The Woods, Wildest Dreams, Clean, You Are In Love and the vault tracks Slut!, Say Don't Go and Is It Over Now? are all just so beautiful. I love the 80's and its music so the fact Taylor brought that sound into the modern day music landscape is everything to me. It's so timeless. I love this album and Taylor so much. I'm so happy I am now at a point where I can enjoy this album, even Shake It Off (Taylor's Version) lol! 🩵💿🎶

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and tell us all about your journey!! We are so glad you gave Taylor a chance and in the end that encouraged you to share your story and join the fandom🩵🥹 Thanks again for the kind words!🫶

[@xLitaFan4Everx]

@@SwiftlySpokenPodcast No worries. I love this podcast so much. Y'all always provide a fun, cosy and comforting atmosphere and I always look forward to new episodes. Can't wait for what's next. 🥰🫶🏻🩵

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

​@@xLitaFan4EverxThis means so much to us! 🫶🥰 We have a lot of exciting episodes in mind for the rest of the year!!

[@94mp99]

Sometimes I think, "What will happen after if Red did win that GRAMMY?", "Will she still make 1989 as it is if she won that AOTY?". Like, 1989 is definitely a masterpiece art that birth from Red losing the GRAMMY, it's like a fate that she had to lose a significant award for one great album to later won it for another great one.

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

That loss set her up for one of the biggest moments of her career, but she was the one that made it all happen! Half invisible string, half mastermind 😂🩵

[@gattogateaux7852]

Where are these Red era country versions of the singles 👀?

[@HonestInsightsTarot]

I remember there being a country version of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together specifically for radio play. When I looked it up, that version is on Swift Leaks 2 . 0. I don't want to post a link because I think that does something to the algorithm, but you should be able to find it if just search the title with country version. That's how I found it. :)

[@gattogateaux7852]

@HonestInsightsTarot it seems like there's probably not a I knew you were trouble country version that I was curious about. Lol

[@HonestInsightsTarot]

@@gattogateaux7852 Oooooh I'd be interested to hear that version too. Alas, I don't think that exists officially. Maybe someone has a cover version in country style.

[@SwiftlySpokenPodcast]

No! Sorry about that one, no IKYWT *country* remix😅 WANEGBT did get the treatment, we may have spoken a bit too generally for that one! Don't forget the demo versions of Red songs and the EHC remix!❤️