After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars a few years ago, my favorite quote came courtesy of Daniel Radcliffe when he was asked about the incident: "I'm just so already dramatically bored of hearing people's opinions about it that I just don't want to be another opinion adding to it."
That is kind of how I feel about Taylor Swift; I respect that (and understand why) her music means so much to so many people, and I equally respect that (and understand why) so many are annoyed by her constant presence in the mainstream. But what about people like me, who are kind of just in the middle of it all? Why must I be forced to have an opinion on someone who I don't particularly care about?!
Truth be told, I don't blame Taylor. Perhaps it's her "fault" that she's gained such cultural significance in the fact that she's written a multitude of hit songs and has had an incredible marketing team around her for nearly two decades now, but it's not her fault that our pop culture-obsessed society operates the way it does in lifting certain celebrities up on a pedestal and/or shoving them down our throats. At the end of the day, I suppose it goes both ways: we love the players, and she loves the game.
Anyway, I digress. I'm just so dramatically bored of feeling the need to either love or hate Taylor Swift. And truth be told, I don't love or hate this album. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm not the biggest pop girlie in the world; the poppiest moments on this record - "I Wish You Would" and "How You Get the Girl" in particular - grate on me quite a bit, and yes, the overall style of 1989 is not one that I would normally gravitate toward. However, I find I tend to like modern, 80's inspired pop slightly more than actual 80's pop because, even if I don't love the production, I still find the sounds more palatable than the ones from 40+ years ago.
To that end, this isn't the hardest album for me to listen to, and there are moments/songs I genuinely enjoy, particularly on Side A. "Welcome to New York" has some really fascinating production elements, and I really like some of the dissonant vocal harmonies. Additionally, I might have told you 10 years ago that I was sick and tired of "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space", but these days, I find the former to be extremely fun and the latter to be a melodic tour-de-force. I think they're almost perfect songs...
...almost, because I think they both have pretty lousy bridges. Although I stand by the fact that I don't hate Taylor and never have, I have definitely always grimaced whenever she's broken out her particular brand of hip-hop inspired vocal delivery, so the bridge to "Shake It Off" always leaves me freezing cold. As far as "Blank Space", I'm a huge proponent of a well-utilized direct lyrical approach, but the "boys only want love if it's torture" bit sounds so drastically out of place and underwritten compared to the rest of the song. That juxtaposition kind of sums of my feelings on her writing as a whole: I think she clearly has a lot of talent, and every now and then, she'll break out a lyric that really impresses me. Other times, though, I find her writing extremely clunky, and not even just in a "I don't think I relate to this" way. "Bad Blood" is the worst offender for me on this record, but it's certainly not the only culprit. Then again, that melody is pretty damn solid...see, this is why I can't commit to love or hatred!
I don't think I'll ever reach for this album on a regular basis, but I also don't see how anyone could deny it of all merit. And for those of you who love it, I salute you.
2.5/5
