Taylor Swift91裸聊视频檚 is here, the album that ushered in the first Peak Swift era 91裸聊视频� revisited at the height of her massive pop culture dominance.
Released in 2014 and named for her birth year, the original 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� signified a sonic rebirth. Swift had shed the Nashville country roots of her first four studio albums and announced herself a full-fledged pop superstar.
91裸聊视频�1989 (Taylor91裸聊视频檚 Version),91裸聊视频� out Friday, takes that version of Swift 91裸聊视频� then in her mid-20s, living in New York, prepared to take on the world with an arsenal of 91裸聊视频�80s synth sounds and a new producer named 91裸聊视频� and includes five unreleased 91裸聊视频渧ault91裸聊视频� tracks that deliver more clues about the artist she was then.
Previous have been more than conventional rerecordings, arriving with new music, Easter eggs and visuals that deepen understanding of her work. The project 91裸聊视频� the fourth of six rereleases 91裸聊视频� was instigated by music manager Scooter Braun91裸聊视频檚 purchase and sale of her early catalog and represents Swift91裸聊视频檚 effort to control her own songs and how they91裸聊视频檙e used.
Her return to 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� the album where she began to confront media portrayals of herself and in song 91裸聊视频� comes at another Swift popularity crescendo but also during a 2010s nostalgia (Yes, it91裸聊视频檚 only 2023. Yes, the nostalgia is real).
Here are some key things to consider as 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� propels the New Peak Swift era forward:
OPENING THE VAULT
Listeners will dive deep into the vault tracks for clues into Swift91裸聊视频檚 mind around 2014. 91裸聊视频淪lut!91裸聊视频� may recall her contentious relationship with the press, which fixated on her alleged romantic relationships and the songs she91裸聊视频檇 write once they ended.
They91裸聊视频檒l find connections to 91裸聊视频淥ut of the Woods91裸聊视频� on 91裸聊视频淚s It Over Now?91裸聊视频� in the lyrics 91裸聊视频渨hen you lost control / red blood, white snow.91裸聊视频� They91裸聊视频檒l wonder who made her pretend to like acid rock and mega yachts on 91裸聊视频淣ow That We Don91裸聊视频檛 Talk.91裸聊视频� But more insight will be found in thinking about where Swift was at the time, what came next, and how that mirrors the current moment.
Swift dominated headlines and award show crowd shots in 2014, reaching a point of oversaturation, and leading to her retreat from the public eye prior to the release of her undercelebrated revenge record, With on NFL broadcasts due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, could history repeat itself?
Brittany Spanos, senior writer at Rolling Stone, puts it simply: 91裸聊视频淧eople just get easily sick of anyone who91裸聊视频檚 super famous. And I think that we haven91裸聊视频檛 had a lot of monocultural kind of celeb moments like this in a minute,91裸聊视频� she says of Swift in 2023.
Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox covering social platforms and the creator economy, sees a connection between the 2014 eras as being 91裸聊视频減ost-recession91裸聊视频� and 2023 being 91裸聊视频減ost-COVID,91裸聊视频� a time where Swift succeeds because there91裸聊视频檚 a sort of cultural 91裸聊视频渂ouncing back vibe,91裸聊视频� a time where people want celebratory music.
In 2014, that was Swift finding her pop sound with 91裸聊视频�1989.91裸聊视频�
In 2023, it91裸聊视频檚 becoming the most successful version of herself, and rereleasing 91裸聊视频�1989 91裸聊视频� while on the top of her game.
FROM COUNTRY TO POP: A TRANSITIONAL ALBUM
91裸聊视频淚t was a huge risk for her to move completely outside of country 91裸聊视频� there91裸聊视频檚 no country elements on this album whatsoever,91裸聊视频� says Spanos, who also teaches a course on Swift at New York University91裸聊视频檚 Clive Davis Institute. She says Swift91裸聊视频檚 penchant for pop songwriting is evidenced all the way back on her 2008 sophomore release 91裸聊视频淔earless91裸聊视频� in tracks like 91裸聊视频淟ove Story,91裸聊视频� but 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� is 91裸聊视频渉er first official, full-length pop project.91裸聊视频�
However, more so than a declarative move into pop, Spanos views 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� as 91裸聊视频渕ore in the lineage of the kind of transitional albums teen stars tend to make when they move into adulthood,91裸聊视频� comparing it to Janet Jackson91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淐ontrol91裸聊视频� and Christina Aguilera91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淪tripped.91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� is the album where Swift91裸聊视频檚 divorced herself from adolescence. She91裸聊视频檚 moved to NYC; she91裸聊视频檚 working with new people; she91裸聊视频檚 making synth pop.
Rachel Brodsky, a music and culture writer who has been covering Swift for well over a decade, points out that Swift91裸聊视频檚 sonic experimentations were earned 91裸聊视频� and that she very well might be one of the final pop superstars who couldn91裸聊视频檛 come out of the gate playing with genre the way listeners are accustomed to now.
91裸聊视频淪he came up in the shadow of the Chicks, where she was told under certain circumstances by her team, like, 91裸聊视频橸ou don91裸聊视频檛 want to be the Chicks,91裸聊视频� Brodsky says of the country music group who were of their audience.
The Chicks, acts like Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes cracked open the door for Swift to burst open on 91裸聊视频�1989,91裸聊视频� she says. And not just as a pop musician, but as someone bucking convention 91裸聊视频� something Brodsky says artists like Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and even Olivia Rodrigo have followed.
ENGAGING WITH HER OWN CELEBRITY
By the time 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� rolled around, Swift was no longer writing high school romances and fairytale narratives.
She91裸聊视频檇 begun engaging with her celebrity reality 91裸聊视频� inviting Beyonc茅 and Jay-Z to her birthday party, hanging out with models and other very famous people in a group labeled 91裸聊视频渢he Squad91裸聊视频� in the media.
She was also writing songs like 91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频橞ad Blood,91裸聊视频� which is about her feud with Katy Perry,91裸聊视频� says Spanos, a decisive move away from the kind of humility and 91裸聊视频渉ometown girl91裸聊视频� image associated with 91裸聊视频渃ountry Taylor.91裸聊视频� That meant occupying more space in the pop landscape: reconciling with Kanye West after the infamous 2009 VMAs moment, starring alongside Drake in a commercial, getting Kendrick Lamar on a remix, so on and so forth.
In 2023, Swift is more famous now than she was then, and she91裸聊视频檚 still engaging with her celebrity in a very public way.
91裸聊视频�1989 (TAYLOR91裸聊视频橲 VERSION)91裸聊视频� PLAYS INTO FONDNESS FOR 2014
Jennings believes people are nostalgic for the year 2014 and always will be 91裸聊视频� because it was one of the last online periods before the hyper-commodification of social media 91裸聊视频� which makes 2023 the ideal time for revisiting 91裸聊视频�1989.91裸聊视频�
There were blogs, and Tumblr, and our internet lives were less defined by algorithms. 91裸聊视频淚t is looked at as this Edenic time of innocence and purity,91裸聊视频� she says. At the time, there was a kind of monoculture that leans itself to nostalgia in 2023, she says 91裸聊视频� everyone receiving the same information on the same topics at the same time, Taylor Swift91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频�198991裸聊视频� era included 91裸聊视频� as opposed to the current influencer-based model.
(It91裸聊视频檚 worth noting that Swift herself was very active on Tumblr, using the social media platform to find fans to invite to private listening sessions held in her home.)
Additionally, in the last few months, Swift has been seen dining with very famous friends like Blake Lively, Sophie Turner and Selena Gomez, a return to the language of her 91裸聊视频淪quad.91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淏y parading out many of the same friends she had during that era that she was also parading about, she91裸聊视频檚 playing into this nostalgia element,91裸聊视频� argues Jennings.
At the time, theories swirled around Swift91裸聊视频檚 assumed romantic relationships 91裸聊视频� many believe the song 91裸聊视频淪tyle91裸聊视频� is about her short relationship with Harry Styles 91裸聊视频� and in 2023, her latest assumed romance has become a top story again.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 almost like she91裸聊视频檚 method promoting,91裸聊视频� Spanos jokes. 91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 leaning into it again.91裸聊视频� But there91裸聊视频檚 a huge difference in the kind of treatment she91裸聊视频檚 receiving from the public this time around. The press appears to be rooting for her relationship, she says, instead of thinking about the breakup songs it might inspire, warning her male partners and turning Swift into the butt of the joke 91裸聊视频� as the media was doing in 2014.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a little bit less of that level of misogyny,91裸聊视频� Spanos says.
So what91裸聊视频檚 next for Swift?
The continuation of her Eras tour, which is set to resume on November 9th in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And, of course, two more 91裸聊视频淭aylor91裸聊视频檚 Version91裸聊视频� albums.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
