In its first seven days, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) sold 1.65 million copies, surpassing Midnights to become Taylor Swift’s biggest album launch ever.

I love 1989 (the album that made me a Swiftie), but this shocks and impresses me immensely. It’s one of her most breathtaking achievements to date, I fear. I’m gagged.

With this, I have no choice but to fast-track the review for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) here in the Tea Circle.

This will be a track-by-track album review, where I will discuss my thoughts on each song specifically. As with my review of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), I will start with my least favorite song on the album, then work up to my favorite.

We got a long list of re-recorded songs, and the vault tracks are insane. But I got a blog post, baby, and I’ll rank their names.

Thanks for coming. Let’s get started.

22. “Welcome to New York”

I used a pretty straightforward method to rank this album–adding track 1 to an empty page, then putting track 2 above or below it, then ranking track 3 in relation to tracks 1 and 2, and so on.

As I made my way through the track list, I felt surprised but assured by this outcome: “Welcome To New York” is at the bottom of the page.

I don’t have any major complaints about this song. I think it sets the tone of the record just fine. The bright synths let you know exactly what you’re in for, and it’s clear this is truly, as Taylor sings, “a new soundtrack.”

It’s just that, on an album commonly called the “pop bible,” a basic pop song like this struggles to validate itself among iconic and showstopping hits.

As I compare “Welcome To New York” to all of Taylor Swift’s other opening tracks, I find it is perhaps my least favorite of them all (“I Forgot That You Existed” is the only other contender).

I have to appreciate Taylor for putting her first pro-LGBTQ statement in this song. But beyond that, “Welcome To New York” is a skip, I fear.

21. “How You Get The Girl”

“How You Get The Girl” was a skip on 1989. On 1989 (Taylor’s Version), however…

It’s also a skip.

I like the instrumentals here, but otherwise I’m just a little bored.

I can’t really summon a harsh critique for this song. It’s just a little denotative and basic for my taste. And if a song is going to be denotative and basic, it needs to at least have some attitude.

“How You Get The Girl” fails at that. I skip it almost every time.

20. “Bad Blood”

My relationship with this song is complicated….

This is the song that finally converted me to Swiftieism back in 2015.

But unfortunately, I just lied a little bit. The remix converted me to Swiftieism. The original, I’m afraid, is a bit simple. In a bad way.

If I were trying to prove Taylor’s lyrical capabilities to someone unfamiliar with her work, “Bad Blood” might be the last song I chose to make my point.

However, I do like the lyric “band-aids don’t fix bullet holes,” and I don’t mind the harmonies on the final chorus, either.

19. “Wonderland”

I’m going to make an embarrassing confession: I didn’t know this song existed until a couple of years ago. I fully believed the deluxe version of 1989 had one bonus track–“New Romantics”.

I come forward with this confession now to convey a simple point: “Wonderland” is the least nostalgic song on the album for me.

I like the drawn-out way blondie sings the word “Wonderland” in the chorus, and I like the rhythm of the pre-chorus, too.

I’m not a fan of the “eh, eh, eh, eh, eh” because, again, Taylor Swift is the greatest lyricist of our generation, and lyrics like that are exceptions to this reality.

But “Wonderland” is a perfectly fine pop song, and I’m happy to have it on 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

18. “Suburban Legends” [From The Vault]

This song oozes coming-of-age book-to-movie adaptation vibes. So there’s that.

Otherwise, though, “Suburban Legends” doesn’t do much for me. It’s probably the most meh song on the album. For me.

I like the title “Suburban Legends.” The instrumentals are alright. The lyrics are somewhat complex, if a little gauche.

But this one fails to rise above its sisters from the vault, and definitely doesn’t compare to the legends on the original album.

17. “‘Slut!'” [From The Vault]

I speak for all Swifties when I say “‘Slut!'” was our most anticipated song from the 1989 vault. Just imagine what that song could be about, we said. Certainly she was coming to clap back on the double standard of her dating life over the years.

And the song title is in quotes! That definitely implies the song would be about others slut-shaming her.

With these expectations, I listened to “‘Slut!'” and confronted a surprising reality–it’s…a mid-tempo song about how being with a particular man might make the inevitable slut-shaming worth it.

I don’t mean to hate on this song too much, because I actually like some of its lyrics and production elements.

It just has a very misleading title.

16. “Shake It Off”

What, oh what, novel critique could I possibly offer here?

It’s the family-friendly bop to end all family-friendly bops, a song everyone and their mother and her mother can enjoy. It has broad, but not deep, appeal.

The re-recording does a serviceable job at recreating the original, but something about the audio mixing feels a little off. Her voice has taken a back seat to the beat. It sounds a little like “Shake It Off” (Karaoke Version) as a result.

Still, “Shake It Off” is an absolute essential on the album.

15. “This Love”

For those who read my review of the original 1989, you may recall that I ranked this song dead last.

I’m not sure I’ve ever written something so wrong.

“This Love” is slow, sure. It’s definitely not on the level of 1989‘s finest, and that remains true even on Taylor’s Version.

But this song is a welcome break from the high-energy bops on the rest of the album. It’s calm, atmospheric, and even better with a fresh coat of paint.

It’s like a heartfelt conversation in the backyard while a party rages inside the house.

I apologize for slandering this song. I vow to work harder in the future. I’m listening and learning.

14. “You Are In Love”

Remember my embarrassing confession about “Wonderland”? Copy and paste that here.

It took several years post-release for me to hear the original version of this song. My first conscious memory of it, in fact, came earlier this year when Taylor Swift performed it live at “The Eras Tour.”

The chorus’s call-and-response structure exists to be performed in a stadium, and that energy will always come to mind when I hear this song.

I like the lyrical structure of the verses, too. Simple, disjointed phrases, they play like a mosaic of memories that doesn’t articulate neatly from A to B. I can’t think of another song in her catalogue that does this quite the same way.

Then, to bring things home, she transitions to full sentences in the bridge:

You two are dancing in a snow globe, ’round and ’round.
And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown.
And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars.
And why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words.

“You Are In Love” (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift, 2023

It’s a cool and worthwhile addition to the record. The Swiftie Police are knocking on my door as I write this, here to collect my membership card for taking so long to familiarize myself with this song.

13. “Say Don’t Go” [From The Vault]

“Say Don’t Go” is a great vault track.

Let me clarify–I totally see why Taylor Swift left this song in the vault.

This song has good verses, balanced production, and a completely appropriate mood for the album.

But “Say Don’t Go” doesn’t accomplish much that other songs on the album haven’t already.

I enjoy the rhythm of the song. I like Taylor’s low vocals in the verses. But the chorus doesn’t do enough to pay off those verses, so I find myself losing interest.

12. “All You Had To Do Was Stay”

1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a bit of a mixed bag in how well it replicates the songs on the original album.

I am happy to report that “All You Had To Do Was Stay (Taylor’s Version)” stays very true to the original.

The lyrics aren’t terribly complex, but the “Stay!” backing vocal is unforgettable, and the song wastes no time getting to the point.

“All You Had To Do Was Stay” is an important piece of 1989, and I’m happy to revisit it in a new form here.

11. “Now That We Don’t Talk” [From The Vault]

This is the shortest Taylor Swift song of all time. Before I heard it, I feared its brevity would mean a lack of substance.

Instead, “Now That We Don’t Talk” is a fun, straightforward bop that uses its time wisely. I’m a big fan of the pacing throughout.

The production sounds great, and as a vault track, it doesn’t suffer any comparisons to previous versions. All in all, I’m glad we have this song.

(I frequently find myself humming “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock.”)

10. “I Know Places”

This song has made a big jump from the bottom tier of my 1989 ranking. Over time, it’s really grown on me! I’ve seen the light, and now I love it.

Taylor’s Version doesn’t drop the ball on this song’s recreation, either.

I think lifetime “I Know Places” stans were caught off guard by the noticeably different intro. But with a different production team, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) takes some creative liberties to evoke the 80s even more than the original album. I think the intro’s cassette recording moment could be attributed to these redoubled efforts to evoke the 80s soundscape.

A small but important detail–the delivery of “And we run!” is five times as fierce in the re-recording. I mean, my god.

9. “Bad Blood (feat. Kendrick Lamar)”

The “Bad Blood” music video was the tipping point for me–the fall into Taylor Swift that I’ve never recovered from since. I was gagged beyond belief. I’ve never been the same since.

So when Taylor revealed the “Bad Blood” remix featuring Kendrick Lamar would be on the deluxe edition of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), I choked.

Imagine my delight.

“Bad Blood” is just so much better with bold percussion and rap verses. It’s like if you discovered the combination of peanut butter and jelly for the first time–peanut butter might be tasty on its own, but once you’ve had it in a PB&J, you’re unlikely to make a plain peanut butter sandwich ever again.

8. “I Wish You Would”

“I Wish You Would” is a bop, no jelly required.

I love the breakneck pace of this song. By the 1:30 mark, we’ve gone through two verses, two choruses, and the transition to the bridge. It’s a little crazy. It’s totally lively. It’s like “Come Back…Be Here” after 3 Red Bulls and a cigarette.

This track has never been an absolute favorite, but I think it does everything pretty well. It summons the 80s aesthetic throughout with a catchy little guitar riff, and the choruses are explosively fun.

The re-recording honors the original, too, with an almost identical resemblance.

READ: Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version) Album Review & Ranking

7. “New Romantics”

Speaking of resemblance, “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version)” would be difficult to distinguish from the original in a blind-listen test. It’s that similar.

Which is to say–it’s as incredible of a pop song as the original. Flawless, in many regards.

It’s glossy, shiny, and fun, with a verbal denouncement of feeling down and out–“We are too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet.”

“New Romantics” encapsulates the 1989 era more than any other song, and you can quote me on that.

6. “Is It Over Now?” [From The Vault]

Sometimes, even now, Taylor Swift surprises me.

“Is It Over Now?” becoming her 11th number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 is the latest example of this. Like, excuse me? It’s a vault track!

(Yes, I know “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) is a vault track too, but that was an extension of a fan-favorite song. This one’s brand new!)

Anyway.

This song has a more effortless flow than any of the other vault tracks. I particularly love the delivery of this section:

And did you think I didn’t see you?
There were flashing lights
At least I had the decency to keep my nights out of sight
Only rumors ’bout my hips and thighs, and my whispered sighs
Oh Lord, I think about jumping
Off of very tall somethings
Just to see you come running

“It It Over Now?” by Taylor Swift, 2023

I would be remiss not to mention the synthesized seagull call that punctuates the song. There’s a 0% chance that was an accident, right? The seagull is to 1989 as the snake is to Reputation, so I’m in love with this creative choice. It’s almost on the level of the “Wildest Dreams” heartbeat, for me.

“Is It Over Now?” rises not just to my #1 spot among the vault tracks, but even to the upper ranks of the album as a whole. Its lyrics feel rich but not pretentious; its production feels smooth but not forced.

I’m a fan.

5. “Clean”

1989 needed a few down-tempo beats to prevent itself from feeling too homogenous. On an album stocked with some of the best pop songs ever made, “Clean” rises this high by adding a unique, introspective moment to the album.

I love the 8-bit soundscape used as its backdrop. Even at the album’s slowest points, it refuses to release its grasp on 80s instrumentation. It’s a critical reason 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is such a cohesive record.

As I wrote in my review of 1989 (Stolen Version), “Clean” is “touching, bittersweet, and an overall high point in the album’s final moments.”

4. “Wildest Dreams”

Only Taylor Alison Swift would think to use her own heartbeat as the beat of a bittersweet love song. That choice alone elevates this track so much.

The music video, too, brings this song up for me.

Scott Eastwood is mouth-watering as Taylor’s love interest; Taylor herself looks stunning with black hair; her long yellow dress flows ethereally in the wind of an African savanna between shots of her serving Amelia Earhart in the passenger seat of Scott’s biplane.

It’s perfection.

And Joseph Kahn deserves all the praise in the world for setting this video on an old-Hollywood movie shoot. I can think of no better way to convey the song’s message. “Say you’ll see me again, even if it’s just pretend,” Taylor sings as the soundstage lights turn off and she’s left alone with her desires.

This isn’t the most lyrically complex song on the album, but I find myself unable to rank it any lower. I simply love it.

(And once again, this song sounds great with a Taylor’s Version facelift.)

3. “Out Of The Woods”

When 1989 (Taylor’s Version) released, “Out Of The Woods” made me more nervous than most the other tracks.

That’s because it features the best bridge on the album. And I just needed it to hit as hard in the re-recording.

There must be a cat purring in my lap ’cause it loves me, because karma came through on this one:

“Out Of The Woods (Taylor’s Version)” sounds identical to “Out Of The Woods.”

Every time I hear that Tarzan call in the intro (how did they get that to sound exactly the same?), my body knows instinctively that it’s go time.

“Out Of The Woods” lures you in with an unassuming first verse. But everything after “I remember thinking” bursts with vibrant energy, and an infectious flow dresses up a lyrically simple chorus to the point where I don’t care that I’m hearing the same 2 sentences repeated 8 times each.

And, yes, that bridge is as legendary as ever. Remember when we hit the brakes too soon?

2. “Style”

A song about Harry Styles called “Style” would be iconic even if it were lyrically poor or sonically simple.

So now, relish in the absolute pop excellence of this rumbling bassline and seductive guitar riff. Give in to the unforgettable rhythm of the chorus that invites you to strut the streets of New York in the pouring rain.

“Style” is one of the best pop songs ever made, and the re-recording does complete justice to the original. Christopher Rowe makes a few questionable choices in his production of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), but dialing up the bass in “Style” isn’t one of them.

As I wrote in my 1989 review, this song “shows a level of maturity Taylor has been accused of lacking, with an ashamed admission of unfaithfulness (“I said ‘I’ve been there, too, a few times’”).”

At the same time, though, it understands the 1989 assignment of being straight-up fun.

“Style” is the song even non-Swifties love. It will always be an essential fixture of the 1989 era, and of Taylor Swift’s career as a whole.

1. “Blank Space”

Remember those questionable production choices I mentioned before? Making the percussion shallower and more crackly in “Blank Space” is one of them. I’m not quite sold on the beat yet, especially when the original hits so hard.

However, despite that complaint, “Blank Space” remains the best pop song ever made, and easily the best song on 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Everything about this song screams excellence to me. Let’s tally up the wins:

  • A distinctive synth melody that rings in the track’s background from start to end.
  • A pair of simple satirical verses about the insanity of dating her, culminating in iconic spoken lines.
  • A trio of impossibly catchy choruses, each split into two different melodies that ensnare your interest. Just when you get comfortable, she switches directions. And once all is sung, you get a pen click cap-off–a brilliantly memorable detail.
  • A bridge that maintains the bit–warning us all that men are always the ones to blame.

This song is just it.

Taylor Swift could have delivered this song’s message so defensively. Instead, she chose to fully embody the unfounded criticisms thrown at her and become the crazy man-eating psycho the world claimed her to be.

And, miraculously, it doesn’t come off as cringey or forced for one second. Once you get the song’s subtext, it just comes off as f***ing brilliant.

“Blank Space” is everything I could possibly want from a pop song. It’s infectious, bold, catchy, and clever.

I can’t imagine Taylor Swift’s discography without it.

Thank you so much for reading my 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album review and track ranking. Come back soon for more album reviews, and subscribe to Tyler’s Tea Time to be first in the Tea Circle next time!

Thanks again,

– Tyler