Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Grooving

There has been one question that we’ve been struggling with since we started planning Rabbit Høle: Would we write about 1989? We knew it was in the Vault, and we knew we wanted to tell the world how much we love it, but we also know how many other people have done the same. Eventually we decided that we just wanted everyone to know that we think 1989 is the perfect pop album. Ever.

First, some preamble. We’re going to be talking about the original version of 1989, because that’s the one we fell in love with, but we’re going to be linking to Taylor’s Version. It’s just the right thing to do. We’ve also written about the song that got us interested in Taylor Swift’s work in the Shots Fired mixtape, so we won’t be retelling that here. Going track by track is a daunting task, and what we are presenting here is our interpretation, which could be a million miles away from the actual intention, but hey, shake it off.

Finally, we have a soft spot for Ryan Adams’ version of 1989.

“Welcome To New York” is the overture for 1989, setting out the album’s themes and motifs. The vibe is so strong and the lyrics so sharp that you can almost see the neon lights and smoky streets of the metropolis as the music plays. It effortlessly segues into “Blank Space”, where Swift responds to the slings and arrows thrown at her by embracing them. This, for us, is Swift at her absolute best and shows off the intelligence that underpins her work.

In “Style” and “Out of the Woods” we have the story of crazy love and its sequel, where everything falls apart. On “All You Had To Do Was Stay” we look back at the wreckage and try to understand what we could have done differently.

“Shake It Off” is as close to the perfect pop song as we think it’s possible to come. It is an instant earworm, and once you’ve heard it you will always know what song it is when it comes on. “Shake It Off” brims with positivity. It’s about not caring what anyone else thinks and just going for it. The haters are going to hate, but who cares, just shake it off and get on with it. If Rabbit Høle were known for one message, we’d want it to be that.

By now we all know exactly what, or more accurately who, “Bad Blood” was about, and we know that those bridges have been mended. “Bad Blood” is an absolutely blistering attack that pulls no punches, either lyrically or musically, as the drum beat pounds all the way through.

“Wildest Dreams” strips everything back to basics and reminds us what it feels like to want reassurances even when we know they’re hollow. And then on “How You Get the Girl” Swift offers her advice to someone seeking to win back their ex-girlfriend. Despite the subject matter, it is one of the most upbeat, energetic songs on the album.

In “This Love” we feel like we have been plunged under water, letting the music carry us like an undertow. We are quickly pulled out of this feeling through “I Know Places”, before “Clean” brings this wild ride to a simple conclusion. It’s the quietest song on the album and has a reflective quality that seems a fitting way to bring proceedings to a close.

We love 1989. We know we said that at the top, but we want to make sure that it is clear. 1989 is everything we want from a pop album: catchy songs; intelligent lyrics; and a sense that the artist isn’t taking themselves too seriously.

1989 is reaffirming and reflective, positive and punchy, and it is absolutely Taped

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