Sing Along With Taylor Swift - '1989' Edition Quiz

Answer: Blank Space

'Blank Space' was the second single to be released from 1989. It was co-written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback. The single was released in the USA in November of 2014 where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for seven weeks as well as becoming a smash hit all over the world. 'Blank Space' went on to become one of the best-selling songs of 2015 and to garner three Grammy nominations. The song's lyrics see Swift in a reflective mood, dealing with her media image and particularly the public focus on her romantic relationships.

'1989' was Swift's fifth studio album and, by titling it for her birth year, Taylor Swift intended it to represent a musical rebirth. Swift had begun her music career as a country artist and most of her early albums feature country elements to a greater or lesser degree. However, she had begun to experiment with different genres long before '1989'. 'Red', the hugely successful album which she had released in 2012, had been her most pop-influenced record to date with tracks like 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back together' and 'I Knew You Were Trouble' both becoming worldwide hits. It was still decided to market the album to fans of country music but its cross-genre sound made it harder for the songs to fit in on country radio. With this in mind '1989' was marketed purely as a pop album, not being sent to country radio stations as all of her previous albums had been. Taylor Swift built on the pop and electronic sounds she'd used so effectively on 'Red' and built a true masterpiece in '1989'.

Answer: I Wish You Would

'I Wish You Would' was one of the three album tracks, two from the original edition of '1989' and one from the deluxe edition, which Taylor Swift wrote and produced with Jack Antonoff. The song samples the distinctive snare drums from Fine Young Cannibals 1988 hit 'She Drives Me Crazy'.

Swift and her record label, Big Machine, promoted '1989' extensively through numerous TV and radio appearances and product endorsement tie-ins. Swift also engaged directly with her already large online fanbase to promote the album, effectively utilising social media to reach out to existing fans and attract new ones. She also invited selected fans to attend private album listening parties at her own properties in the UK and USA.

Answer: Bad Blood

'Bad Blood' was co-written by Swift and producers Max Martin and Shellback. A remix of the track featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar was released as the fourth single from the album in 2015 when it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyrics are said to be about the end of Swift's friendship with another female musician, rumoured to be Katy Perry. The single was accompanied by a music video which went on to win a Grammy and two MTV Music Video Awards.

Taylor Swift embarked on a global tour to promote the album. It became the highest grossing tour of 2015 and Swift broke the record for the highest grossing US tour by a woman, a record she would break again with her 'Reputation' tour three years later.

Answer: Wildest Dreams

'Wildest Dreams' was the fifth single to be released from the album and became the fifth consecutive single from '1989' to reach the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It is one of the seven tracks from the original version of the album to be co-written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback.

As a result of the song going viral on social media site TikTok in 2021, Swift recorded 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)'. This newer recording of the song is included on '1989 (Taylor's Version)', released on 27th October 2023. Swift's former record label, Big Machine, whom she left in 2018, apparently sold the rights to her music back catalogue without her consent prompting Swift to begin re-recording her first six albums, released with Big Machine, in order to reclaim ownership of all of her music.

Answer: Style

'Style' was the third single to be taken from the album and became a modest charting hit all over the world including charting in the top ten in the USA. With its funk and disco-influenced sound 'Style' was mentioned by critics as one of the highlights of '1989'.

'1989' was released at a time when there was much discussion in the music industry about the adverse effect that music streaming services were having on record sales. However, '1989' went on to enjoy considerable worldwide commercial success. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the US albums chart and for the first full year of its release it remained in the top ten. '1989' became the third best-selling album of the 2010s in the US where Swift also became the first artist to have three albums sell a million copies in their first week of release. The album also went multi-platinum in a number of countries.

Answer: Welcome To New York

'Welcome To New York' was co-written with One Republic's Ryan Tedder and is inspired by Swift's recent relocation to New York City and the sense of optimism and freedom she associated with this move. The song was released as a promotional download single a week prior to the release of '1989'. Taylor Swift donated proceeds from the track to the New York Department of Education.

Following Taylor Swift's concerns about the way that free streaming platforms reduced the amount of royalties artists could earn from their music, Swift and her then label removed all of her music from Spotify. '1989' was only made digitally available through pre-paid subscription services. This move caused widespread discussion about the ways in which music artists were being affected by digital music platforms and what this meant for the future of albums. Swift did not make her back catalogue available on Spotify again until 2017.

Answer: Shake It Off

'Shake It Off' was released as the lead track from '1989' in August 2014, prior to the album's release. It was co-written by Swift and producers Max Martin and Shellback. It spent four weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was also a considerable commercial success in many other countries. It is one of her most commercially successful songs, earning a diamond certification in the US, and, in 2023, it became Swift's third track to achieve more than a billion streams on Spotify.

'1989' received generally favourable reviews on its release with many critics praising the song-writing, production and Swift's more mature lyrics. It went on to appear on numerous music critics end of year, end of decade and even all-time favourite album lists. However, some critics were unsure of whether the move from country to pop would be an entirely successful one. Subsequently, many of those who doubted '1989' on its initial release have revised their opinions of the album and it is widely regarded as one of Swift's career highlights.

Answer: Out Of The Woods

'Out Of The Woods' was the sixth single to be taken from '1989' and was released in early 2016. Swift co-wrote the song with Jack Antonoff. It reached the top twenty of the US billboard Hot 100 chart and also became a top twenty hit in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

As well as being mentioned in the lyrics to 'Out of the Woods', 1989 has an iconic cover image made up of a Polaroid photo of Taylor Swift's face cut off at the eyes. Polaroid photos also featured heavily in the rest of the packaging tying the 1980s photographic technique to the 80s-influenced production of much of the album. Polaroid have attributed a resurgence in interest in their products around the time of '1989's release to the album's popularity.

Answer: I Know Places

Taylor Swift co-wrote 'I Know Places' with Ryan Tedder. In 2015 a 'Deluxe Edition' of '1989' was released. This version featured the thirteen tracks from the original, three new songs and three 'Voice Memos'. Each of these 'Voice Memos' give a fascinating glimpse into Swift's song-writing technique and are comprised of voice messages she sent to her co-writers during the making of the album. One of these three relates to 'I Know Places' while the other two relate to 'Blank Space and 'I Wish You Would'.

Answer: New Romantics

'New Romantics' was co-written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. The song's title refers to the new romantic music and fashion movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s which fits well with the 80s synth pop sounds that are prevalent on this track and the rest of '1989'. 'New Romantics' was released as the seventh and final single from the album in February 2016. 'New Romantics' was one of the three new songs that appeared on the 'Deluxe Edition' of '1989' along with 'Wonderland' and 'You Are In Love'.