Taylor Swift’s new álbum, 1989, fell on my lap last weekend and I’ll say it in the first paragraph of this article: it surprised me. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Swift, but this represented a new discovery for me. I arrived late to this party, or better said, I was at the party but I decided to leave momentarily and then come back.
1989 represents a whole new sound for Swift. Sure, it’s pop, but there’s something else behind it. It has this strange ethereal tone that I’m sure that, if I were running in the woods, my soundtrack would be a song from this album. Fortunately for me, most of my coworkers are obsessed with 1989 and we can talk about it for an extensive amount of time. Taylor Swift has always been too American goody, too girl next door, and I’ll confess that there are times that I can’t stand her.
This album. I heard 1989 in its entirety and the first thing I thought was “Wow, she really gets it”, and then I felt a bit ashamed, I won’t lie. I’ve been fighting the Taylor Swift madness for too long. But all that is gone to hell because she made music that I could connect with and I’m scared of what that could mean in the future. Maybe we’re all Taylor Swift. Maybe she’s the voice of our generation. I could be mistaken about it, but that’s the reality today. This girl knows what she wants and what she feels.
This release hasn’t avoided controversy, though. Days after 1989 was released, Swift and her label made the decision to remove all her music from Spotify, causing an Internet revolution. I refuse to use the expression “break the internet”, since now all I can imagine is Kim Kardashian’s Paper magazine cover and I don’t really like throwing up.
1989 makes me think that Taylor and I are in the same page, and that wasn’t something that happened very often before. I always fought with my best friend because of that. He’s always been a Swiftie. I can tell you frankly that he approves of my recent change of mind. If any other singer had made this album, I’m sure I’d like it just the same.
I’m 23 and I’m aware that nobody likes me when I’m 23. But I never imagined that there would be days where I would be happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time, and boy is it serious. If I’m having a bad day at work, or I’m melancholic, or I’m reminiscing about simpler times, she always has a song to help me get through whatever comes my way and it terrifies me that she knows me so well.
“You look like my next mistake”. Really, Taylor!? Is that how you’re going to play it? Well, fine. I think I can handle you.
Or not.
#HappyFreeConfusedAndLonely