It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore
Taylor Swift, Welcome To New York
I have always said that 1989 is an album with no skips. None. I can listen to it on repeat for days and still not get tired of the music. Taylor used this album to completely launch herself out of the country genre and into pop, which is why this playlist is full of upbeat, exciting songs that make you want to jump out of your seat and sing at the top of your lungs. This album rocked the world with its initial release in 2014, and won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album in 2016. This album was HUGE, with seven singles that topped the charts for weeks, record breaking sales, and an incredible world tour. Now, with Swift finally reclaiming the album on October 27th 2023, exactly 9 years after its initial release, I wanted to go through and rank the songs based on their lyricism, musicality, dance-ability, and iconic-ness and find the BEST song from 1989.
As a disclaimer, these rankings are based solely on my opinion and I know a lot of people (including my roommate who said she will “hate me forever”) will disagree with this ranking. I love a LOT of the songs on 1989 TV and think that they all deserve so much appreciation and love. That being said, here’s my top 5:
- New ROmantics
-
This song is the epitome of 1989. It encompasses the feeling of the whole album so well; the feeling of being young and full of potential. The age of making terrible mistakes and learning wonderful lessons. New romantics sounds like what living life to the fullest feels like. The beautiful lyrics couple with a brilliantly pop beat, and it all combines together to be a perfect representation of what 1989 is all about: freedom, friendship, fun, and love.
- WOnderland
-
I ADORE this song simply because it transports me to a whole new world when I listen to it. I feel surrounded by magic and suspense, as if I’m being chased through a forest with creatures and gremlins following me wondering if the one I love will have my back or stab it. Taylor is often praised for her storytelling skills, and this song is a perfect example of her skills. The song is jam-packed with references to Alice in Wonderland, and really makes the listener feel like they are also navigating an unfamiliar land and slowly going mad.
- Clean
-
The song has been one of my favorites for a long time, but it became even more dear when I watched Taylor perform the acoustic version live as one of her surprise songs in Dallas. It’s an incredibly emotional piece, and breaks my heart every time I hear the acoustic. I choose this song as one of my top five because it is one of Taylor’s most powerful songs that so accurately describes the pain and longing of heartbreak.
- Say DOnt Go
-
This song is a vault track, which means our first time hearing it was October 27th. While all the vault songs were incredibly fun to listen to (I haven’t stopped listening to them for a week), this one made a strong impression right off the bat. It tells the story that everyone in a one-sided situationship understands too well. It’s about holding on to hope that they will take that last chance you offer them and choose you over it all, but in the end, you’re all alone. This song is incredibly 1989 with how it puts the most painful lyrics on a beat that makes you want to dance and scream.
- Wildest Dreams
-
Wildest Dreams is one of the most popular songs on 1989, and this is a well deserved position. It’s the perfect karaoke song with all its drama and flair. Wildest Dreams describes the kind of girl I want to be: always ready to drive a man insane. The song may have started as a representation of how the media was portraying Taylor at the time, it turned into one of her most iconic songs, with the lyric “Cuz darling I’m nightmare dressed like a daydream” burned in everyone’s head for the rest of time.
We are too busy dancing
Taylor Swift, New Romantics
To get knocked off our feet
This album is one of Taylor’s most iconic albums of all time, with so many of the songs down in history as iconic pop culture moments. It was a defining moment of her career, proving she could do what few had sone before and dominate multiple genres, Pop and Country, and she could switch between them flawlessly. The new vault tracks only contribute to the albums success as they have been topping charts since their release. Now that this album has been reclaimed by Taylor, I hope it gets to bring a new generation a wave of joy and celebration, and let old time listeners reminisce on good times.