I am not a music expert. I am, however, a Taylor Swift expert. I'm a stan. A groupie. A solider in her army. I love her. To me, she can do no wrong. Seriously, she could punch an old lady in the face and I'd be like: "I'm sure that old lady is secretly an assassin and Taylor just saved all of us. You're welcome, America!"
So obviously I look forward to her new albums with the fervor people usually reserve for welcoming new babies into the world. Now I know it's early, but here is how I rank the songs from 1989, including the bonus tracks because I am no amateur.
And as for most albums, songs can grow on you ("growers," if you will), so this list isn't permanent. But here you go. I would love to debate about the order in the comments, because not everyone hears the same thing when they listen to songs, ya know?
16. "How You Get the Girl"
Seems like it should be the opening theme song for a Disney Channel show. It's cheesy. However, it always, always gets stuck in my head so there is something right about it.
Choice lyrics: "Tell her how you must have lost your mind/ And you left her all alone, and never told her why"
15. "Wonderland"
I get why it's a bonus track. It's not my jam.
Choice lyrics: "I felt your arms twisting 'round me/ I should have slept with one eye open at night"
14. "All You Had to Do Was Stay"
I don't hate this song, but I don't love it. It's kind of forgettable. "New Romantics" should have been on the regular album instead of this one, in my opinion.
Choice lyrics: "People like you always want back the love they pushed aside/ But people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye"
13. "Bad Blood"
The best part about this song is that it's not all like, "You hurt me!" It's the "now we got problems" part that makes it scathing. You didn't just hurt Taylor; you pissed her off. But I'm just not that into it.
Choice lyrics: "If you live like that you live with ghosts/ If you love like that blood runs old"
12. "This Love"
I like the lyrics more than I like the song. However, I have a feeling this one will be a "grower" for me. Seriously, as I'm writing this post I'm debating whether I should put this higher because I'm listening to it right now and I like it more and more every time I put it on. I'll leave it for now.
Choice lyrics: "This love left a permanent mark/This love is growing in the dark"
11. "Shake It Off"
This might be ranked low-ish simply because I've listened to it approximately 19 fa-zillion times. That's what happens when you get a brand new Taylor Swift song after months and months of waiting. I still adore it, though. The volume cannot get loud enough when I hear this in my car on the drive home from work.
Choice lyrics: "You could've been getting down to this sick beat"
10. "I Wish You Would"
This song is the complete opposite of "This Love" in that I like the beat more than I like the actual song. But I love that beat wholeheartedly. Probably way too much.
Choice lyrics: "You give me everything and nothing/ This mad, mad love makes you come running"
9. "I Know Places"
I love the drums in the background and the idea of Taylor running from the paps with her boyfriend. Could also be a metaphor for running from people who hate on your relationship. Mostly, I love the dark sense of foreboding that the song brings, like eventually these two will be caught.
Choice lyrics: "Loose lips sink ships all the damn time/ Not this time"
8. "Welcome to New York"
I've been to New York many times, but I've never lived there. So for me, her wide-eyed, wonderstruck view of the Big Apple is how I'll always see it and how I'll always want to see it. And I love the anthem-vibe, which is helpful when I'm at the gym in the morning trying not to fall asleep on a yoga mat.
Choice lyrics: "The lights are so bright/ But they never blind me"
7. "Out of the Woods"
I loved it when she released it last week, and I love it still after the 200th playback. I am still not out of the woods with this one, guys.
Choice lyrics: "The rest of the world was black and white/ But we were in screaming color"
6. "New Romantics"
Like I said previously, I think this one should have been on her album instead of just a bonus track. To me, this one is about her friends and how they keep battling together even though everyone has had their heart smashed to pieces in some form or another.
Choice lyrics: "We are too busy dancing/ To get knocked off our feet"
5. "Wildest Dreams"
This song kills me. Is it weird that the only word I can think of to adequately describe this song is "ethereal?" How very Lana Del Rey of Swift.
Choice lyrics: "He's so tall, and handsome as hell/ He's so bad but he does it so well"
4. "Clean"
A beautiful song with a beautiful "I'm moving on and over it" theme. There's not much else to say besides: I just love the hell out of this track. Her hidden message in the lyrics is: "She lost him but she found herself and somehow that was everything." Girls, you don't need boys to define you.
Choice lyrics: "You're still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore/ Hung my head, as I lost the war, and the sky turn black like a perfect storm"
3. "Style"
I loved this song the moment I heard five seconds of it in that Target commercial. And then when I heard the whole thing from beginning to end? I was a goner.
Choice lyrics: "You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt. And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt"
2. "You Are In Love"
Full disclosure: I love this track so, so, so much because it reminds me of my boyfriend (especially the lyrics I picked below), so my judgment on this one might be is definitely skewed. I'm not sorry, though, because I don't think I'm alone in thinking that this song is just stunning, both in the lyrics and melody. It's got a "Secret Garden" thing going for it and I really dig it.
Choice lyrics: "You keep his shirt/ he keeps his word"
1. "Blank Space"
This song is just so badass. It pokes fun/mocks the public image of her as a serial dater and both the lyrics and beat are so on point. It's addictive, sexy and oh-so-sassy. We love Sassy Swift.
Choice lyrics: ALL OF THEM! But also "I can make the bad guys good for a weekend"
Agree with my ranking? Disagree? What's your favorite track off 1989? Least favorite?! Let's talk about her new album together for at least nine hours!