So... you may or may not know this but I'm a huge Taylor fan and I have been since... 2007? That's before I started high school so she was basically with me for the entire five years that was that chapter of my life and released
Red the year I graduated.
With 1989 I was a bit unsure of what 'pure pop' would mean. Up till then the only full pop songs we'd heard from her were the three Red tracks, which I liked, but I wasn't sure if an entire album would work.
Thankfully she exceeded my expectations with a well thought out concept and brilliant influence from late '80s pop (aka one of the best times for pop music) and made it her own! I will rank the 16 songs from 1989 in accordance to how I personally like them (subject to change ofc) and I encourage everyone to let me know what they think and how they'd rank them.
16. You Are In Love
Yeah probably the only song on the album that I actually do not like. There are many things wrong with this bonus track and lets just say that I'm glad that I didn't get the Target Edition because my deluxe copy does not have this song on it. First off, the positives, I love the intro, it feels like a perfect ballad straight out of the '80s. I also love the way she sings the chorus, the strung out softly sung "youuuuuuu" is beautiful and probably a highlight on the album. However, I can't stand the lyrics and believe them to be the weakest on the album. I cringe everytime I hear 'burnt toast / sunday'
. And on that note, the continuous pauses in the verses are obviously meant for effect but they kind of irritate me.
My score - 4 / 10
15. Welcome To New York
ddd well this is probably her first 'universally panned' song and I guess I can see why. Compare this to her previous album openers - "Fearless", "Mine", and "State Of Grace" - all of them were anthemic high energy songs that combined everything we know and love about Taylor and started their respective albums on the right note. "Welcome.." pales in comparison. HOWEVER, I do like it a lot and there are some really nice moments. Lyrically there are little bits throughout that I love: "loud heartbeats, under coats" and I even love the repetitive chorus a lot. The instrumentation is also really great, very synthy and a perfect '80s sound. Its just the two paired together I guess. Imagine this instrumental with better lyrics?
My score - 7.5 / 10
14. Shake It Off
The lead single had me excited from the first few listens. I love the horn sound and it employs that similar pop trend better than its contemporaries (in my biased opinion). Lyrically its simple yet very effective and the "haters gonna hate"/"players gonna play" is too addicting. I even love the little talking bits towards the end which I know not everyone likes. Basically its a great song, but me overplaying it, and it generally being a weaker song compared to the others explains its lower position.
My score - 8 / 10
13. I Know Places
Okay so here is where it gets hard. I know a lot of people would suggest that this is one of the highlights/their favourites but for some reason I've grown out of it. I enjoy many things about it though. The darker atmosphere is brilliant and I love Taylor with a darker style. And lyrically its impeccable - I love the foxes and fox hunting metaphors so much that I'd go so far as to say its one of the best moments on the album (and proof that her songwriting capabilities are still alive and well!). Lastly, the bit towards the end "and I know for you, it's always MEEEE" is chilling. My rationale for it being this low is unknown even to me but there's just something about it that prevents me from ranking it higher than the next songs.
My score - 8 / 10
Tbh I wasn't too sure if you'd be on board cuz you seem like the more indie/alternative kind of person and might not enjoy the pure pop sound. But I'm glad you love it as much as we do. 
I know that some months from now my rankings will change.
