1989 by Taylor Swift

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Bibliographic Information:

1989 by Taylor Swift

ASIN: B00MRHANNI

2014 Big Machine Records, Nashville, TN

Plot Summary:

This is Taylor Swifts first official pop-crossover album. Her previous albums were released in the country category. The songs on here are written by Taylor to chronicle feelings of being talked about and teased, isolated, and discovering oneself. The top single is "Shake It Off", which is an uptempo song about how to enjoy life when people will say bad things about you.

Critical Evaluation:

This album is quite popular, even almost a year after it's release. That can be attributed to the catchy tunes Swift included. "Shake It Off" includes repetitive lyrics ("players gonna play, play, play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. I just wanna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake...shake it off"). This along with a backing of lively music, including horns, and a bridge where Taylor raps, makes the song memorable, while still easy to listen to. Taylor's combination of simple lyrics and pleasant tunes makes the whole album pleasant.

Reader’s Annotation:

Shake it Off!

Author Information:

Taylor Swift is a seven-time GRAMMY winner, and the youngest recipient in history of the music industry’s highest honor, the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. She is the only artist in history to have an album hit the 1 million first-week sales figure three times (2010’s Speak Now, 2012’s RED and 2014’s 1989). She’s a household name whose insanely catchy yet deeply personal self-penned songs transcend music genres, and a savvy businesswoman who has built a childhood dream into an empire.

As Billboard Magazine’s Woman of the Year (only artist to receive this nod twice, and youngest-ever honoree) released her critically acclaimed fifth album, 1989, she astounded the world by selling almost 1.3 million albums in its debut week. A fete that had been called impossible in 2014, Taylor proved it was possible. She calls 1989 her most sonically cohesive collection, it is a touchstone; Taylor's songwriting and sonic evolution surprises us more than ever before. Heavily keyboard and beat driven, the pop sensibilities that have always been the hallmark of Taylor’s music now move front and center. On 1989 she finds herself, as always, in the glare of a blinding spotlight – but if you think that scares her, you haven’t been paying attention. She’s ready to blaze into the next phase of her still-young career, where she’ll continue to dance like no one’s watching, write like she stole our collective diary, and inevitably soar to ever-greater heights. All that’s left to wonder is how many more lives she’ll lift in the process.

retrieved from http://taylorswift.com/about  on 8/4/2015

Genre(s):

Music, Pop

Curriculum Ties:

Possible inclusion in units on bullying

Interest age: All Ages

Challenge Issues: Not Applicable

Why I chose this album: This album is a wildly popular example of pop music. Taylor Swift has won several Grammy's, is a bestselling artist, and remains on the Billboard Top 100 for months at a time. She is a great example of popular music for our collection.