CHANGE: Taylor Swift returns to music with her first pop record.
By Michelle Boulos, Staff Writer
We had it all wrong. Taylor Swift’s hit single “We Are Never Getting Back Together” wasn’t about another ex- boyfriend; it was a goodbye to the country genre.
While that song, as well as others like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” may have been considered pop, Swift never released a real pop album until her recent 1989, titled as a nod to the year she was born. Many people had their doubts about the pop record due to Swift’s roots as a country princess with previous albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now and Red.
The first single she released titled “Shake It Off” raised anticipation for her new album. Unfortunately, the next two singles released, “Out of the Woods” and “Welcome to New York,” were disappointing to some of her fans who found the songs to be extremely repetitive. “Swiftie” (the name given to Swift fans) Emily Carter (11) said, “Comparing these singles to Taylor’s old albums, the creative lyrics seemed to lack, and the repetitive nature of the song increased with each release.”
Even with some fans’ disappointment of the first singles, Taylor didn’t cease to amaze them with the rest of her album. After listening to the entire album, Carter said, “The sound of each song captured my attention, and I found myself turning the volume all the way up and grabbing my pup’s paws to dance around with me.”
Swift’s new single “Blank Space,” which trended on Twitter the day after its release, sums up the relationship statuses of the “young and reckless” in a seemingly innocent melody.
“Style,” one of my personal favorites, has an edgier tune in which Swift describes herself as having “that red lip classic/good girl fig and a tight little skirt.”
But not even a new music style could keep Swift from writing about her famous exes. In fact, it is rumored that “Blank Space,” “Out of the Woods,” “Style” and “All You Had to Do Was Stay” are all about former boyfriend and One Direction member, Harry Styles. Styles expressed his approval of the album in a fan’s Instagram video, and during an interview, he said, “She’s really good, so they’re good songs.”
“Bad Blood,” which starts off with a tune reminiscent of a marching band, was rumored to be about pop diva Katy Perry. Based off of Perry’s alleged tampering with Swift’s Red Tour, Swift disses Perry throughout the song in lines like “If you love like that, blood runs cold.” All bitterness aside, it was carried out wonderfully, giving fans a sense of empowerment with the chorus’ melody.
While initially there was disappointment in Swift’s transition from country to pop, fans were ultimately impressed with her new album, 1989.