1989 is a pop album which Swift described as her "first documented official pop album," representing a musical departure from the country pop style in her earlier works. The album's production differs from Swift's previous work. Unlike others, 1989 is built over drum programming, synthesizers, pulsating bass, processed backing vocals, and guitars. Its lyrical content is based mainly on Swift's style of writing about love, the album's content frequently discusses the complexities of relationships. 1989 received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics who felt that its experimental production was well executed. The album was a commercial success debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 1,287,000 copies. In doing so, the album became the highest sales week since 2002, and made Swift the first artist to have three albums sell a million or more copies in a week as well as becoming the best-selling album released in 2014. It has spawned two number one singles, "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space," and the top 20 song "Out of the Woods."
"When Taylor Swift decides to do something, the girl really knows how to overdo it. So on her fifth album, when she indulges her crush on Eighties synth-pop, she goes full blast, spending most of the album trying to turn herself into the Pet Shop Boys. 1989 is a drastic departure only a couple of tracks feature her trademark tear-stained guitar. But she's still Taylor Swift, which means she's dreaming bigger and oversharing louder than anyone else in the game... rather than trying to duplicate the wide reach of Red, she focuses on one aspect of her sound for a whole album a very Prince thing to do... Deeply weird, feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic, 1989 sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she's ever tried before. And yes, she takes it to extremes. Are you surprised? This is Taylor Swift, remember? Extremes are where she starts out."
- Rolling Stone
