1989

The original cover.

The Taylor's Version cover.

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Play on Spotify

## Songs Ranking

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Wildest Dreams

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Blank Space

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Bad Blood

***1989*** is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. 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. She titled *1989* after her birth year as a symbolic artistic rebirth and enlisted Max Martin, who produced *Red*'s electronic-influenced pop tracks, as co-executive producer.

Swift recorded *1989* at studios across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden with an ensemble including Martin, Shellback, Jack Antonoff, Ryan Tedder, Nathan Chapman, and Imogen Heap. The synth-pop production is characterized by pulsing synthesizers, programmed drum machines, and processed backing vocals with electronic elements, a stark contrast to the acoustic arrangements of Swift's past albums. The songs expand on Swift's autobiographical songwriting and explore failed romance from a lighthearted perspective.

Swift and Big Machine promoted *1989* extensively through tie-ins and media endorsements but withheld the album from free streaming services, which prompted an industry discourse on the impact of streaming. To support the album, Swift embarked on the 1989 World Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour of 2015. Among seven singles released, three peaked atop the US *Billboard* Hot 100: "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". *1989* spent 11 weeks atop the *Billboard* 200 and was certified nine-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and was certified multi-platinum in many countries.

When *1989* was first released, music critics generally complimented its production as catchy; they found an emotional engagement in its songwriting but some felt the synth-pop production eroded Swift's artistic integrity—a criticism that journalists and academics retrospectively regarded as rockist. *1989* won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards, and it was listed in all-time album rankings by *Rolling Stone* and *Consequence*. Critics and academics have considered *1989* an album that transformed Swift's status to a pop icon and promoted poptimism, but they also highlighted the media scrutiny that ensued.

### 1989 (Taylor's Version)

***1989 (Taylor's Version)*** is the fourth re-recorded album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is a re-recording of Swift's fifth studio album, *1989* (2014), and was released on October 27, 2023, by Republic Records. The album is part of Swift's ongoing response to a 2019 dispute regarding the masters of her back catalog. It was announced at the final Los Angeles show of the Eras Tour on August 9, 2023.

A 1980s-inspired synth-pop album, *1989 (Taylor's Version)* is characterized by upbeat arrangements of synthesizers and percussion. It contains re-recorded versions of the 16 songs from *1989*'s deluxe edition and five previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks. Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Christopher Rowe produced the majority of the album; Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella, Shellback, and Imogen Heap reprised their production roles. Extended editions of the album additionally feature the re-recorded versions of the *One Chance* soundtrack song "Sweeter than Fiction" (2013) and the Kendrick Lamar remix of "Bad Blood" (2015).

Music critics praised *1989 (Taylor's Version)*, with emphasis on the production, Swift's vocals, and the vault tracks. Commercially, it earned the biggest streaming day for an album in 2023 on Spotify and of all time on Amazon Music. The album topped record charts in Australia, Canada, and European territories including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, *1989 (Taylor's Version)* marked Swift's 13th number-one album on the *Billboard* 200, the biggest sales week of her career, her record-extending sixth album to sell over one million first-week copies, and the highest vinyl sales week of the 21st century. Seven of its songs concurrently became top-10 entries on the *Billboard* Hot 100, with the vault tracks "Is It Over Now?", "Now That We Don't Talk", and "'Slut!'" occupying the top three spots.