Seems like the haters really are not making much of an impact on Taylor Swift as of lately. Her newest album, 1989, sold 1.287 million copies in the first week alone. That is the most any album has sold since The Eminem Show, which sold 1.3 million copies in the first week, in 2002.

Here is Swift’s reaction to the news of her record breaking record sales:

http://instagram.com/p/vAPN8OjvPb

Swift has switched up her style for this new album. Say goodbye to anything reminiscent of anything fitting into a country genre – this album is completely, and pretty proudly, pop. As the numbers show, her fans, majorly, do not seem to mind the change. 

Here is my take on a few of my favorite songs on the album:

Welcome to New York:

This song starts out with an upbeat electronic keyboard rhythm that almost sounds like something you would hear in something from the 1980s – almost “Video Killed the Radio Star”-esque. It is kind of like a pump up/getting ready for the new day kind of tune that you want to be listening to when you are about to step into your newest adventure.

Blank Space:

This has a much slower rhythm than “Welcome to New York” did, but has a chorus that is super catchy – match that with addictive lyrics that Swift is famous for and it is easy for this song to be stuck in your head for hours – “‘cause we’re young and we’re reckless, we’ll take this way too far. It’ll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar.”

Style:

With a continuous guitar-rift that gives this song a very relaxed vibe, I think this has to be my favorite song on the album. It is upbeat enough to keep my mind interested and awake, but it is repetitive and soothing enough to allow me to listen to it more than a few times on repeat. And, as always, the lyrics are catchy as heck. It might also help that I might be kind of a huge One Direction fan and this song is rumored to be about Swift and Harry Styles’ relationship (get it – Styles is his last name and “Style” is the name of the song). In any case, great song.

Out of the Woods:

This was the second song that Swift released off of this album and it acted as the next stepping stone into this realm of repetitive electro-pop that seems to be taking over both the air and internet waves. Its chorus probably takes up about 80 percent of the song, but I actually do not mind. Like most of the other songs on her album, “Out of the Woods” is another song that I can listen to over and over again.

I Know Places:

Full disclosure – I kind of hated this song when I first heard it. Swift’s voice sounded obnoxious and a bit ridiculous from the get go, almost like a chicken’s cluck getting stuck in an autotuner – but it totally grew on me. The beat hooks onto that part of the brain where enjoyment is found and stays put. This is probably one of the songs furthest from country on the album and definitely hints more toward the pop rock side of things.

Wildest Dreams:

One of the more melodic songs on the album, Wildest Dreams fits its title well. Beginning with a drum beat that sounds like a heart beating, the song switches beautifully from verse to chorus and sounds more like something you would hear if Swift was attempting to imitate a modern, more techno-sounding Eurythmics’ sound. It brings to mind scenes of sunsets and hillsides coming into focus as the song continues. As it approaches the bridge, the heart beat sound speeds up, just as it would when someone is excited.

Overall, if you could not tell, I really like this album. It is definitely my favorite album by Swift so far for many reasons: the lyrics are addicting as ever, no two songs are the same, Swift plays around with her singing voice and tries out different styles more than before, and there is no real bashing of exes throughout the album (that is, besides the music video for “Blank Space”). I think this album really shows her maturing as an artist and a person and that is something I can totally appreciate.

Way to go, Taylor. 🙂