#85 1989 by Taylor Swift
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 85
- Total Points
- 767
- Year Released
- 2014
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 1
- Weeks at #1
- 11
- RIAA Sales Certification
- 9,000,000 (Multi Platinum)
- Buy Album
- Apple Music Amazon
1989 Album Details
1989 is Taylor Swift's fifth studio album and a complete pivot from country-pop to synth-driven pop, released on October 27, 2014. Named after her birth year, the album embraces 1980s-inspired production, featuring bright synthesizers, electronic beats, and crisp pop arrangements. Working with producers like Max Martin, Shellback, and Jack Antonoff, Swift crafted a collection of anthems about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and independence, delivered with a confident and playful tone.
Singles such as Shake It Off, Blank Space, and Style became massive hits worldwide, helping the album debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sell over a million copies in its first week. 1989 earned critical acclaim for its songwriting, cohesive production, and bold reinvention of Swift's sound, eventually winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and cementing her status as one of the most influential pop artists of the 2010s.
Interesting Facts About 1989
- Swift described 1989 as her first "official pop album," deliberately avoiding country influences entirely.
- Blank Space satirizes the media's portrayal of Swift as a serial dater, turning the narrative into a playful, self-aware character study.
- Jack Antonoff co-wrote and produced several tracks, including Out of the Woods and I Wish You Would, adding a new wave-inspired edge to the album.
- Style is rumored to be about Harry Styles, though Swift has never confirmed this directly.
- The deluxe edition includes three voice memos of Swift explaining and demoing early song ideas.
- Shake It Off was written in just a few hours and intended as a carefree, empowering anthem for ignoring negativity.
- The album cover features a Polaroid-style photo of Swift with "1989" hand-painted, reflecting the personal yet nostalgic tone of the record.
- Bad Blood was rumored to be about a feud with another pop star, later reworked into a high-profile remix featuring Kendrick Lamar.
- 1989 spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified multi-platinum in numerous countries.
- In 2023, Swift released 1989 (Taylor's Version) as part of her re-recording project, adding five "From the Vault" tracks that were originally left off the album.
1989 Tracklist
- Welcome to New York
- Blank Space - Reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Style - Reached #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Out of the Woods - Reached #18 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- All You Had to Do Was Stay
- Shake It Off - Reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- I Wish You Would
- Bad Blood - Reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Wildest Dreams - Reached #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- How You Get the Girl
- This Love
- I Know Places
- Clean
