Taylor Swift proved to be a worthy competitor for queen of the pop charts. 1989 exceeded the expectations of many swifties who religiously play Swift’s catalog and love hearing the country side of Swift as much as the pop songs that constantly play on the radio. When Swift released her fourth album, Red, on October 22nd, 2012, I decided it was time to check it out and give in to the hype. I was surprised to find that I don’t mind hearing the genre-jumping crooner when there are pop producers in the background. Pop heavyweights (Max Martin and Shellback) helped Swift craft some unavoidable pop tunes of 2012 that cemented Swift’s pop transition and 1989 became her “first documented official pop album.”
“Style” was one of the first songs I instantly fell in love with during my first venture into the 80s pop inspired record. Produced by pop dream team (Martin and Shellback aka everything on the radio), “Style” sounds like the soundtrack to a fun night out in your parents favorite 80s flick. From the guitars that kick off the track to the smooth synth-driven production, it was refreshing to hear Swift tackle a track like this.
“Style” is a slight transition to some “suggestive” lyrics compared to Swift’s previous efforts and I’m down with Swift letting her good girl image get lost in the backseat for a little bit. Swift’s pen game continues to improve and 1989 is full of exciting gems, “Midnight you come and pick me up no headlights / Long drive could end in burning flames or paradise /”. The slight danger in the lyrics adds to that rebellious tone of the track.
By the time the bridge hits, Swift has had enough shenanigans for one night and wants her bad boy to take her home. “Style” is set to be the third single from 1989 and I’m excited to see what kind of visuals Swift can conjure up for the track (the bar is set pretty high after the slightly creepy “Blank Space” video). Swift sounds great on “Style” and if you’ve seen her perform, then you know she will have no problem selling this song.