Since I was one of many who preordered Taylor Swift’s new album, 1989, I am currently lying in bed obsessing over her more-than-your-average-pop-song style. Swift’s unique renditions continue to offer lyrics that are truly mind-blowing. They’re quirky, honest and are likely to hit close to home. (I can guarantee they’ll be featured as your next tweet!)
Here’s what I made out of some lyrics on Swift’s new album:
Track One: “Welcome to New York”
“When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors, took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer. Everybody here was someone else before.”
Can you say “my future life”? I’m patiently waiting for the day I turn the key into the door of my NYC apartment, take a step into my living room and take it all in. It will be a promise of new beginnings I’m sure Taylor has experienced herself. This song goes out to any one who plans to move, especially after graduation, a most exciting/exhilarating/nerve-wracking time of your life.
Track Two: “Blank Space” (my favorite!)
“Saw you there and I thought, ‘Oh my god, look at that face. You look like my next mistake. Love’s a game, want to play?’”
This applies to a majority of girls in so many ways; we’ve all had that boy that we knew was just a bad idea from the start. It’s so wrong, but it feels so right… right? Sometimes, knowing they’ll be a mistake is tempting. But if you’re not looking for a serious relationship, I’m sure you’ve come to the realization that “love’s a game,” just like Taylor did.
This is a different side of Taylor we’re seeing; we’re used to that “love me, don’t leave me” slow song, but this is a portrayal of her blank space on her list of lovers. She wants to have fun, knowing it may not end up all glitter and butterflies. Love is always a game you find yourself shaking the die for, flipping the next card and accepting the unpredictability of it all. And that’s okay.
Track Three: “Style”
“You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt. And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt.”
Me-owww. How risqué, Taylor. She’s right, though; it’s hard not to fall for a longhaired, casual-fitted-tee kind of guy. And in return, guys find it hard to resist a good girl who is only bad for them. Just some simple observations Taylor decided to put into an honest melody for us all.
Track Four: “Out of the Woods”
“Are we out of the woods yet?”
I chose the simplest lyric because it sums up this song perfectly. Every relationship you’ll form in life is likely to have some sort of rough patch, or in this case, the woods you have to wait to get out of. After all, no one is perfect. Taylor reminds us there is always something we’ll be fighting for, and it will all be worth it in the end.
Track Five: “All You Had to do Was Stay”
“People like you always want back the love they pushed aside. But people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye.”
This is pure genius. And I really think some girls should abide by this advice Taylor is offering us all. It’s simple, really: Taylor is saying all you had to do was stay, and our love could have blossomed. But now, since you went and ruined it (and came crawling back, because they always do), it’s time for me to shut the door on your face. You said your goodbyes, so Taylor did, too. It’s useless to wait around for a love when you could have easily stayed.
Track Six: “Shake it Off”
“My ex man brought his new girlfriend. She’s like, ‘Oh, my god!’ but I’m just gonna shake.”
Do I even need to analyze this song? It’s a jam. It’s a take on the haters. Shake ‘em off.
Track Seven: “I Wish You Would”
“I wish you knew that I miss you too much to be mad anymore.”
This is a sad song gone pop. I think of this song as an answer to “I Almost Do” from her last album, Red. Taylor first sings, “Every time I don’t, I almost do,” and in return, she has answered with: “I wish you would.” It’s a reminder that sometimes you need to push through your grudges and just feel the feels. It’s okay to let your heart win some battles.
Track Eight: “Bad Blood”
“Still got scars on my back from your knife so, don’t think it’s in the past. These kinds of wounds, they last and they last.”
Retweet. This song is apparently about Katy Perry and a small tiff the two had. Taylor puts it plain and simple: don’t be fake nice or expect everyone to take your sh*t. You’ll take your time to get over it, thank you very much. Just remember, don’t be mad forever because an eye for an eye makes everyone blind. (Thanks, Gandhi!)
Track Nine: “Wildest Dreams”
“He’s so tall and handsome as hell. He’s so bad, but he does it so well. I can see the end as it begins.”
Taylor’s style in this song resembles something so Lana Del Ray. And I’m not complaining. She sings of another bad boy. How could anyone resist? It’s risqué, sensual and intense—everything you want in a bad boy wrapped in one.
Track Ten: “How You Get the Girl”
“Tell her how you must have lost your mind, when you left her all alone and never told her why.”
Taylor is literally laying out a map of how a boy gets—and sometimes loses—the girl. Really, she’s telling them all what and what not to say. Boys, start taking notes. We’re serious.
Track Eleven: “This Love”
“When you’re young, you just run. But you come back…to what you need.”
This song is on the darker side of Taylor’s new album. It’s nice to hear a slow song in the midst of all this funky pop. Taylor tells a story about a burning love that faded away, but eventually came back.
Taylor hits the nail right on the head: when you’re young and in love, it’s likelier you run….Ya know, the old “I wanna do my own thing” excuse. But eventually, if it’s meant to be, they’ll come back. It’s confusing, good, bad, ugly, happy, but worth it if you two are willing to work together.
Track Twelve: “I Know Places”
“Loose lips sink ships all the damn time. Not this time.”
What. A. Line. We all know Taylor’s past history with guys. It hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies. When someone finds out about a scandalous relationship starting to flame, sometimes sabotage occurs. Or you tell a friend you kissed a guy…and, well, that guy isn’t interested anymore. Taylor is taking a stand; she’ll fight to go places only she knows to keep her flame alive.
Track Thirteen: “Clean”
“You’re still all over me like a wine stained dress I can’t wear anymore.”
Ughhhh. This song is definitely a tearjerker. Taylor starts off by describing dead flowers, a wine stained dress, and a black storm. They’re dark and dirty, all synonymous with a breakup. Then, Taylor speaks of a rain that washed away memories of him. She’s finally clean, but she admits, “Just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it.” Ain’t that the truth? She proposes the importance of moving on and the reality that sometimes, missing someone overpowers all of that.
Taylor has done it yet again. She lets her audience relate entirely to every track on her album. Do you agree with my thoughts or do you have your own? Share ‘em in the comment section below or tweet us at @hercampusqu! Happy listening, collegiettes!