Why 1989 has the Perfect Album Cover 

I love how in the newly-announced 1989 (Taylor's version), she deviated from these Polaroid films and into a more scenic cover but still retains the grainy imagery, giving the same retro feel. I feel like this symbolizes that she has grown out of the facade of some sort.

the timing of this video with taylor's 1989 (taylor's version) announcement is insane

What matters to me is the new cover's Polaroid is Taylor being full face happily smiling. In her early 30s, far from every drama, just her doing what she loves and exchanging amazing moments with fans and her closest people in an amazing tour. Taylor's version is literally changing everything into better

I always thought “1989” was representative of a rebirth, a whole new Taylor. It’s interesting how the context of her writing why the photos were important lends itself to the idea of it being an important year for everyone because she was born then

I know she has her full face showing on most of her albums besides 1989, but considering that some of her face is covered by a shadow in Red, I think that almost does the same thing (emphasis on almost). It's kind of like she was almost building up to the 1989 cover just as much as she was building up to being a full pop artist instead of country(ish-pop, idk). It's the album that first showed us her knowing that she was one of the big names in music and how that made her feel, but of course, 1989 brought that theme to a whole new level as well.

1989 is genuinely one of my favorite ever pop albums! It's so great to hear a video essay talking about it, a lot of people write it off in Taylor's discography for being her most accessible, but it's genuinely fantastic throughout!

Insane timing on this one, wow

Interesting tidbit: her name is only on the cover on international releases of the album. In the US it says "T.S."

You had to have planned this around 8/9 a.k.a. 1989 (Taylor's Version) release announcement Go get that algorithm boost!!

The timing of this video is poetic justice

Shake it off is a really special song to me. It was one of the first songs I can remember liking on my own as a kid. I can’t wait for Taylor’s Version of 1989.

You need to talk about the cover for 1989 Taylor's Version! It's so different but has the same vibe of the album. She is smiling!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that shares this sentiment, and I've always thought about it. I think about that one review that called 1989, despite its name being so rooted in a specific time period, a timeless album. Even now, in the pantheon of all the work she's put out, no album feels as detached time as 1989. This is especially true compared to Reputation, which is not only thoroughly soaked in the late 2010s celebrity drama of hers, but goes so far as to demand a listener to revisit that era and educate themselves about what happened in order to even make sense of the album's content. It's not her best album, but it's the one with the most far sighted ambition of them all - the one that, from its very conception (unlike her other works), was always intended to outlast the scene, and 9 years since, it's achieved that mission exceedingly well. Thanks for the great video!

This was the album that got me into Taylor Swift and broke pop music wide open for me. I spent so long as an angry little metal and classic rock snob, turning my nose up at anything that I felt like people were "liking just because it was cool." I had told myself that Taylor was a decent modern country artist, but I had initially rolled my eyes at the singles from Red, believing the myth of "all she writes about are break-ups!" buying into the misogyny of the era, as well as my own internalized issues with women. I watched the video for Shake It Off on a whim. And then watched it 10 more times in a row. I couldn't believe there could be a modern pop song that could make me feel the way that Shake did. I associate Taylor's music with freedom. A sense of doing what you want and need to do and not being afraid to put yourself first. There's a safety and a warmth to it, like a close friend grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you when you're being too down on yourself, screaming in your face, trying to get you to dance with them. But also quiet kindness when you need it. The cover to the original and to T.V. are representative of who Taylor and her music were at the time and what they are now. I'll always be thankful for 1989 for broadening my horizons. ...and for also being a great soundtrack for driving on the highway at sunset into a summer night. godDAMN, is it full of bops and bangers.

1989 Old Cover > 1989 New Cover

Would you have just sat on this if she didn't announce it last night?

The aspect ratio is insane

Let’s be pedantic and note that Polaroid existed as the Impossible Project by then (it’s now back from the grave as Polaroid again) and that Fuji never stopped producing their Instax line of instant film. If the cover of 1989 is not a Polaroid, it’s either because it’s easy to digitally fake the look; that it's an Impossible Project film; or that it's a Fuji Instax picture. My bet is on the Instax, because of the square format (SQ1), aspect ratio, and broad margins.

I love the aspect ratio being a square, just like the polaroid album cover

While I’m not the biggest Taylor Swift fan I do have enormous respect for her as an artist. She did what she wanted for her art and her success in doing so is more than self-evident.

HEY POLYPHONIC! i’ve been a fan for a couple years now and i’ve never reccomended a video idea but the album “Velocity : Design : Comfort” by Sweet Trip but the album is intricate and fantastic and i think you should make a video about it! thanks dude

I'm actually a little sad that the Taylor version looks like it will have a different cover. I'm hoping I'm wrong and that was just the promo image for the announcement.

I would hope for the next album cover episode we’ll get a breakdown on RATM’s “Evil Empire” or Smashing Pumpkins “Mellon collie and the infinite sadness”

I would even say the cover even sort of leans into vaporwave movement which was big at the time that featured a lot of 80s imagery and aesthetics with a sort of detachment from reality, the fact her face is cut off adds to the sort of surreal/liminal quality.

1989 is legendary

Not sure if the cover is an actual Polaroid, but it certainly could be. Polaroid film is still available, new, to this day.

Love your writing Style

She’s killing it rn. Great timing btw

You gotta do blurryface, the music and the fantastic art design

Polaroid film is still made in the same original factory in the Netherlands, but with a different owner, I-Type, 600 and little Go film as well as new cameras and refurbished ones from the 80's and 90's. They stopped making Spectra, the 2-part film and paper. There is no reason it ISN'T Polaroid. Taylor?

THE TIMING

Yet again in the culture of music, I become interested in an artist who sees a surge in popularity and mentions by my favorite music shows, lile yours. I feel that people, without conciously knowing, gravitate towards subjects like music together around the world or the country. I have become a big listener of Swift recently and just like it was made for me, you make a video about her! Passionate minds think alike!! ❤

Pretty sure, Taylor Swift's house is not close enough to her neighbor's to " Fall on them " .

What do you know that we don’t that you time this so perfectly? Who’s your inside connection?

He timed this perfectly

The timing on this video.

4:25 Not calling it a Polaroid is like calling a Bandaid an "Adhesive medical strap."

i'm a casual Swift fan so this was a very enlightening video

Can you make a video on Sade? That’s would be amazing! 🙏

i've always thought the same thing about this album cover!! it's so mysterious and removed from time, it just invites you in, it's perfect. one of my all-time favorite album covers. what do you think of the new version? it's very poetic for a lot of reasons

Yep, even as someone who is not a big fan of modern pop and Taylor Swift's music, this cover is genuinely one of my favorite album covers of all time. I love Red's cover as well. Back when this came out I decided to give it a listen just based on the cover. I didn't like the record that much but to this day when I see the 1989 vinyl at a store I low-key get an itch to buy it just to frame it on a wall at my house. In fact I saw it yesterday and this video just amplified the itch.

Giga insane timing

As a fan of both Taylor Swift and The Beatles, the Beatles were rumored to announce their comeback single yesterday but since the entire newsfeed was about 1989 TV being announced, I thought I was to get two announcements. Seems the comeback single announcement is to be delayed. In the meantime, 1989 TV is slaying 💅🏻

The picture is a Polaroid... meaning, It's personal and off the internet. Her eyes aren't visible, meaning, she wants to be anonymous or she's guilty.... I'll have to listen to the album, now.

dude, psychic !!

Interesting vid, is the aspect ratio a nod to polariod? Hope you wont make it a habit!

On par with Supertramp’s “Breakfast in Amerca”

Hey Polyphonic, I'm trying to find a video you did about a Korean band you said was similar to Pink Floyd. Do you know which video that was?

That cover looks like David Bowie, intentional or not.

Scott Borchetta threw so much away in selling Big Machine.

Cover (no pun intended) Carly Rae Jepsen's albums especially emotion

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON VAN MORRISON

Wow timing

Polaroid still makes and sells film what are you talking about? I have a Polaroid camera and buy film for it at Best Buy and even Walmart. ?????? Huge factual error dude

This is basically Scary monsters(and super creeps) album cover by David bowie

Please make a video on musicality of Elvis Presley.

Hey there! Your music analyses are always spot-on and insightful. 🎵 Could you please consider analyzing Kevin Morby's work, especially tracks like 'Harlem River,' 'City Music,' and 'Dorothy'? His music has this unique blend of folk, rock, and introspection that I think would make for a fascinating breakdown. Thanks in advance! 🙏 #AnalyzingKevinMorby

we should talk about how she definitely copied the gkmc album cover... 2 years after kendrick did it.

I'm not exactly sure why, but the cover reminds me of Ziggy Stardust.

Obscure the clouds or the clouds were cut out ...mmm I prefer cut out eyes oh well

Yay

PLEASE MAKING THE EXPLAINED OF THE MASSIVE SUCCESSFULL OF THE ERAS TOUR TAYLOR SWIFT PLEASE

Hope you can cover the Taylor Versions of her albums.

i got that new james dean

no its becky

I love the new album cover more.

Love this channel but i find it odd to just dismiss that its an actual polaroid just because they weren't selling them that year. Buying things second hand is still a thing you can do, evej with milluons of dollars

the meat riding is crazy

while i don’t dislike the new album cover, i do think her re-recordings tend to look more expensive and lose a lot of the charm of the og. love her tho

0:18

Seems an incredibly deep take for this artist. I don't recall any of her music being in the video, which seems quite telling.

please, brother

no way it’s 2023 and people are mad hes talking about taylor swift… grow up and get a hobby or something

Did someone say paid promo?

You are fast, hahaha

I don't know Swift's music or about her generally, but I recognize icky capitalism when I see it. Including 5 "Polaroids" with the knowledge that there are 60+ versions, have vulnerable fans buying the album multiple times. I also read that with another album on vinyl, if you bought 4, it would form a clock face. To me that sounds like exploitation of fans & artificially inflating true album sales. I have almost completely ignored pop for the last 40 odd years, and this might be the norm now, but goes against what seems to be a very wholesome image.

Surry lmao

Booooooo Borchetta!!!

This is such a good video, especially because the album art for the new version of 1989 is really bad!

Really don’t understand it her songs are always about heartbreak or revenge on an ex .

Doing a ten minute essay on a Taylor Swift album cover seems like a pretty good example of “it’s not that deep bro”. But yo.. ImPrEsSiVe TiMiNg!! 😮

The hell is the point with this aspect ratio?????? Sucks for portrait, sucks for landscape

Anything after her first two albums is redundant to me. Here come the Swifties to hate

nah DSOTM artwork is better then just "women"

Taylor Swift has zero talent…what a waste of time Sorry, not Sorry 😂😂

Give me a break

This girls a joke without autotune

I had great admiration for this channel until , you put Taylor swift into this program. It is the beginning of this channel’s downfall….

STOP DRAGGING OUT YOUR WORDS OMG

I thought this channel was better than this, Taylor Swift? Really? There are so many more talented musicians

Clickbait. Give me a break. Do you have car repairs or something?