Shake It Off: Taylor Swift reveals 1989 album and first single.

Get ready to party like it’s 1989, Taylor Nation.

Here at the Swift Agency, just a guy who wants to thank you for nearly five years of reading, we’re always glad you check out what we write. However, I must warn you as usual that this is not an official site. My opinions do not reflect those of Taylor Swift or her management. I’m literally just a guy. That being said, welcome to the new era of 1989!

Wait, it’s 2014. Old Man Swift is off his rocker. All that ninja talk is starting to make sense now. Wait, let me explain…

The big reveal on Taylor Swift’s Yahoo! Livestream event was threefold:

It started with a bit of a dance party as the first surprise was unveiled. The Sparkly Dressed, who deserves a new nickname yet to be announced, is releasing a new song. Produced along with Max Martin and Shellback, the new song “Shake It Off” is supposed to be a departure for both her and her collaborators. It is and it isn’t. It’s a full-on pop dance song. The lyrics will remind you of “Mean” but the beat is more akin to “22”.  T-Swizzle doesn’t have a lot of dance songs, but at the same time it’s still not completely unrecognizable from Taylor’s previous collaboration with the Swedish producers.

The second big reveal was the upcoming fifth studio album. Titled 1989, and already available for pre-sale on iTunes and through TaylorSwift.com, the album contains 13 tracks in its standard version. It will also include a set of 13 prints of polaroid pictures, with a potential different mix in every album, the idea is these will become like trading cards. It would be useful to know how many unique ones exist in total. Update: There are 5 unique sets of the 13 cards. The Enchantress also mentioned the fact that this will be a completely pop album. The Deluxe version will include three additional tracks revealing voice memos from Taylor herself of three songs from the album in their raw beginning form.

The third and possible the most visual reveal of the evening was the unveiling of the music video. It’s one of Taylor’s funniest music videos with the Blonde With The Sparkly Guitar revealing her awesome (and some not so awesome) dancing skills. The result of having Taylor dancing is always amazing but this one’s hilarious. Giving us a range from classic ballet to hip hop, T-Swizzle demonstrates her chameleon-like skills as she channels J-Lo and Lady Gaga without batting an eyelash.

Let’s go to the video:

Watch on YouTube

So here’s my take on all of this…

“Shake It Off” is a pop single for radio play and for the dance floor. I’m aware Taylor Swift said that this would be her most sonically cohesive album ever, but I actually like her previous albums were the norm were songs that didn’t sound anything like each other. “Speak Now” was the best for that. However, with “Red” and her hit “We Are Never Ever Gonna Get Back Together”, sales and popularity taught the Princess in Red what kind of pop sells and gets plays more often.This first offering is a pure pop dance song. I’m not sold on it yet, but I’ll give it a chance to grow on me. I don’t hate it, but calling it a favorite is a bit of a stretch.

The statement that this is her first fully documented pop album, might scare some of her fans who still yearn for that single that shows her roots. It’s a little sad that there won’t even be a nod to Country Music here, or at least some attempt at Folk or Americana. Going pop may be essentially risk free, but I prefer my Taylor Swift genre with a little more risk – and would rather have zero crowd-pleasing. However, I know that crowd pleasing means sales. All that being said, we don’t know how the full album will sound. If the album has late 80s inspired tracks, chances are I will find a lot to like.

The video is one of the funniest I’ve seen from Taylor, showcasing her chameleon-like ability to transform into different characters and at the same time showing off her true passion for dancing. Her dancing is all heart and technique optional. Based on the dancing that happened during the livestream and in the video, I’ll say she’s actually received some training on the technique part without losing her heart. That’s Taylor for you 🙂

Here’s a little known factoid for you: I don’t enter contests. Ever. I’ve met Taylor Swift, there is no greater prize. It’s time for someone else to do that. Speaking of which, you should really enter the 1989 Swiftstakes to win stuff including meet and greets and concert tickets!

Coming up on the Calendar!

• August 19: Taylor Swift appears on Good Morning America.
• August 24: Taylor Swift performs at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards (via E! Online).
• September 19: Taylor Swift performs at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• October 27: Taylor Swift’s 1989 is released.

(Sources: Taylor Swift)