Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album

Taylor Swift 1989 Album

Feature Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Our list looks at the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album. This is Taylor Swift’s fifth album. 1989 came out in 2014. She switched her style from country music to pop music. She teamed up with songwriter Max Martin on this project. She named this album after the year she was born. The project symbolized her rebirth. She wrote about things that happened in her personal life. She wasn’t as bitter on this album as she was on previous ones. The album spent 11 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. The album sold over nine million copies worldwide. She won Grammy Awards for this album.

The album features the singles “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Style,” “Bad Blood,” “Wildest Dreams” and “Out of the Woods.” Three of her singles “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood” reached number one on the charts. As you know, listening to Taylor Swift’s catalog is like hearing passages from her diary. We will take a look at the real meanings behind the songs on Taylor Swift’s 1989 album.

# 1 – Welcome to New York

The first song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album is “Welcome to New York.” The song has a pop and disco sound. The track is about her move to New York. She talked about what it was like for her to move to the state. She said that New York was important to her so she wanted to do a tribute song to the state. Taylor Swift had always dreamed about moving there. She was optimistic about moving to New York. She felt she had endless possibilities there. The state used to intimidate her when she first arrived, but she was able to embrace it. She didn’t think she was brave or bold enough to live in the state when she first arrived. She found a place where she belonged. She co-wrote this song with singer and songwriter Ryan Tedder. The single peaked at number 48 on the Top 100 Hot singles charts. The single sold over one million copies. She donated the proceeds to New York City public schools.

# 2 – Blank Space

The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album is “Blank Space.” The song has an electropop sound. This is the second single from the album. The song is about her image and how the media portrayed her. The media painted her up as a seductress who has had a lot of love interests. She was seen as the girl next door, but her reputation was damaged because of her relationships. The singer felt like the media was attacking her, but she decided to think it was funny. Taylor Swift pokes fun at herself by mentioning her long list of lovers.

Taylor Swift used this song to showcase her sense of humor. She mentions how the media believed she was emotionally unstable, but she was able to get boyfriends. She thought about how the media painted her up as opposed to how her life actually was. Her life was completely different from how they made it seem. She talks about her relationships. She talks about how guys with money think that impresses her. The songwriter said that he wasn’t a gentleman to her. He wanted the chase. Once the guys have the girl, they stop chasing them. She doesn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want a commitment. Her goal is to have a relationship that will last. The song peaked at number one on the charts. The single sold over eight million copies.

# 3 – Style

The song has a pop and rock beat. This is the third single from the 1989 album. The song is about an unstable relationship. She talks about an unstable relationship that was destined for failure. She knows she should tell the guy to leave, but she doesn’t do it. They tried to get back together before, but it didn’t work out. She couldn’t go through with it. They think they are perfect for each other no matter how bad the relationship gets. She talks about her insecurities about relationships. She confronts her boyfriend about cheating on her. She let him know that she heard he’s been out with other women. He tells her that she’s right, but he can’t stop thinking about her.

Taylor Swift and her partner have a serious talk about what’s going on in their relationship. Swifties believe this song is to singer Harry Styles. There are clues in the song that lead them to that conclusion. For starters, the name of the song is a take on the singer’s name. She talks about his wavy hair and Harry Styles had wavy hair. As always, she keeps the identity of the men in her songs hidden from her fans. The only thing she admits to is that it’s about someone in her life. You might have to keep your thinking cap on and listen to the lyrics to find out the true meaning of the song. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts and number one on the Adult Contemporary singles charts. The song sold over three million copies.

# 4 – Out of the Woods

The track has a pop and rock sound. “Out of the Woods” is the sixth single from the album. The track is about an unstable romance she experienced. She wants to make the relationship more stable. She thinks about the relationship coming to an end. The singer goes into detail about being there for him when he got hurt. She was dealing with anxiety during the relationship. She didn’t want to leave the relationship because she was afraid of what would happen if she left him. She felt that being alone was worse than being with him. Eventually, the singer realized that it was better to be alone than be in a relationship with him.

This song is about questioning what’s going on in a relationship. She wasn’t sure if the relationship was headed anywhere. She wondered if they were going to make it or if it was going to end immediately. The relationship was exciting but it triggered her anxiety. She had a lot of questions that made her feel like she was over thinking about their relationship. This is another track that is rumored to be about Harry Styles. She talked about their relationship and she didn’t think they would last until next week. She thought that people knew what was going on in her private life, but they didn’t really know anything about it. Taylor Swift was inspired to write this song because she was riding with her ex and they got into an accident. The track peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts The single sold over one million copies.

# 5 – All You Had to Do Was Stay

The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album is “All You Had to Do Was Stay.” The track has a pop sound. The song is about a man who begged a woman to take him back. They didn’t work out the first time, but he wanted another chance with her. She lets her ex know that people usually want things back after they throw them away. He threw their relationship away because he was scared to commit and then he wanted her back in his life. He drove them off the road and they had to get stitches. She lets him know that he was the one who wanted to end the relationship.

She wanted to be with him and enjoy their time together, but he wanted to break up. She has no plans of getting back together with him. If he wanted to be with her, all he had to so say. This song is another track that is possibly dedicated to Harry Styles. It has a similar theme to “Out of the Woods.” He ended their relationship the first time around, but he wanted her back in his life. The song was inspired by a dream that she had about her ex-boyfriend. In her dream, he came back to her place to beg her to take him back.

# 6 – Shake It Off

The track has a dance and pop beat. The song is about how she feels about the haters. She wanted to write this song because of the way the media treated her on her way up to fame. She lived her life under a microscope once she became famous. She had to figure out a way to deal with the scrutiny. You either let it break you or you can “shake it off.” She chose to “shake it off.” She refused to be a victim so she took control of the narrative. Taylor Swift chose not to let the naysayers get under her skin.

Anyone who is familiar with Taylor Swift’s career knows that she’s been in the news because of her personal life. People love to talk about who she’s dating. She wants to shake off the negativity. She wants to brush it off and move on with her life. She doesn’t hesitate to get a dig in on an ex-lover. She mentions how one of her ex-boyfriends was a player. She called him out for bringing his new girlfriend around. The artist wants the song to resonate with people who are dealing with haters. She doesn’t want it to just be about what the critics are saying about her. She wants her fans to know they can shake things off too. The single peaked at number one on the Hot 100 singles chart and sold over 10 million copies in the United States.

# 7 – I Wish You Would

The song has a pop beat. The song is about a man that she wants to come back in her life. He bought a house that was only two blocks away from her. She wishes he would get back together with her. There’s a part of her that wishes her man would come back so they could get back together. This song is a departure from “All You Had to Do Was Stay.” She opens the song talking about him driving past her place. She hoped he was thinking about her. This isn’t a personal song for the singer. Taylor Swift wrote this song about a fictional couple who want to get back together. The guy in the relationship believes she hates him, but he’s wrong. She’s actually still in love with him. She regrets that she didn’t tell him how she felt about him.

# 8 – Bad Blood

The song has a pop sound. This track is the fourth single from the album. This song is about a friendship that has gone sour. She talks about a female celebrity who went behind her back. She thought the female was a friend of hers. She thought she was trying to ruin one of her concerts by hiring the people who worked for her. Taylor Swift said the feud wasn’t over a guy. The feud was over a business arrangement. A lot of people thought this song was written about her feud with singer Katy Perry. They had a public feud because Katy Perry tried to use Taylor Swift’s dancers for her concert.

She was upset about what Katy Perry did to her. She wasn’t sure if they were friends or not until she took her dancers from her. She and Katy Perry also dated the same man. They both dated John Mayer at a point. Taylor Swift hoped social media didn’t turn her lyrics into gossip. She wanted to say what people wished they could say to their enemies. Taylor Swift didn’t admit that this song was about Katy Perry, but her fans had fun trying to decipher who she was talking about on this track. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard 100 singles charts. The single sold over six million copies.

# 9 – Wildest Dreams

The track has a pop and rock sound. The song was the fifth single from the album. “Wildest Dreams” is about a relationship that is destined to fail. She doesn’t want to let him go. She thinks he’s attractive, masculine and assertive. She considers him to be the perfect guy for her. She talks about how they’re still together, but she sees their relationship ending. She hopes he doesn’t forget her. She knows the relationship is going to end, but she’s going to enjoy it while it lasts. She’s going to enjoy the relationship with the bad boy while she can then she will be ready for him to leave. If things don’t work out, she wants him to remember her and to enjoy the relationship. Her goal wasn’t to play him. She wants him to admit that he loved her and wasn’t trying to play her.

She wants him to tell her that he’ll see her again even if it’s just in her “wildest dreams.” She was willing to keep the physical part of their relationship between them. She wouldn’t tell anyone about their relationship or what they do together. She wants him to long for her and remember the days they had together. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard 100 singles charts. The song sold over four million copies.

# 10 – How You Get The Girl

The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album is “How You Get the Girl.” The song has a pop dance beat. The song is about a man who goes to her for advice on how to get his girlfriend back. He tries to reach out to her by doing it his way, but he isn’t successful. Her way is the way that will work best. She let the guy know that his ex-girlfriend is probably mad at him. It may take a lot to get her back. He would have to do more than just a simple text in order to get her back in his life. She wants him to follow her advice if he wants to get her back in his life. The song is like a tutorial on how to get someone back.

# 11 – This Love

The song has a synthpop beat. The song is a story about a couple who get back together. She talks about a relationship that ends. The singer uses metaphors to describe how it feels when they lose each other and want to try again. The singer briefly talks about how the couple got together before they ended things. They broke up, but they weren’t as happy apart as they thought they would be. They were heartbroken when it ended. She tries to move on with someone new, but she ends up feeling worse than she did when she left the man she loves.

She is engulfed by memories of her former lover so she can’t move on with someone new. She tries her best, but the love she has for him won’t stop. She feels like she’s ready to give up, but her past love comes back into her life. The song reads like a fairy tale or a story from a romance novel. This is one of Taylor Swift’s favorite songs on the album. She likes to listen to the song because it has a hopeful ending.

# 12 – I Know Places

The song has a pop beat. The song is about people who ruin relationships. This song is about the paparazzi interfering in her personal life. She tries her best to live her life, but the media goes after her. She talks about the media following her every move. She talks about the media violating her privacy. She talks about how it’s better to keep your relationship private if you don’t want anyone to find a way to end it. She talks about how fragile her relationship is so she wants to protect it from outsiders who want to find a way to ruin it.

Taylor Swift wanted to write this song in a way to make it relatable to her fans. She wanted to create a scenario similar to telling your friends that you like someone and they express their opinions about it. Your friends tell you everything to keep you from being with the person you like. She wanted people to understand what she goes through when she likes a guy. She knew she wasn’t alone when it concerned liking someone so she wanted to write the situation in a way that people who aren’t in the public eye can understand.

# 13 – Clean

The last song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album is “Clean.” “Clean” has a soft rock and folk beat. The ballad is about her having trouble getting out of a toxic relationship. The problem is she is addicted to the relationship. Taylor Swift uses metaphors to compare her toxic relationship to sobriety. When she is finally free of the relationship, she compares it to getting clean. She compares moving on from her relationship to getting over an addiction. Don’t worry, Swifities! She’s not hooked on drugs. She uses addiction as a comparison to her situation. She feels addicted to her relationship.

Taylor Swift talks about trying to recover from a breakup. She wrote this song because she had to get the pain of the breakup out. She was inspired to write the song when she realized she was completely done with a man she was seeing. She saw him recently and hoped he was doing okay. She didn’t feel anything else towards him. She got used to not hearing from him anymore. She was able to be in the same place as him and she was okay with it. She knew she was “clean” from the relationship.

Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s 1989 Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022

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