I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since the beginning. I was first introduced to her music when I was 14. My friend Lizzie handed me a burned CD (remember those?) of this girl that “no one knows about who just seems to get it.” Yeah, I guess you could say I was a TSwizzle hipster. I fell in love with her music from the moment I sang along to “Teardrops on My Guitar” and replaced “Drew” with the name of my middle school crush… and you can stop looking at me like that. It’s been a long ride.
Ryan Adams has yet to speak much about his inspiration for doing a complete track-to-track cover of Swift’s multi-platinum album 1989. But if I were a gambler, my bet would be that Adams, an indisputably prolific and talented artist, recognized the brilliance that exists within the core musical skeleton of most of Swift’s work. The fact of the matter is, love her or hate her, Swift is an irrefutably gifted songwriter. You may resent her for hanging out with Victoria’s Secret models and owning more houses than most of us own pairs of shoes, but her legendary effect on the music industry speaks for itself. Not to mention, her lyrics practically raised an entire generation.
So, 1989. Who did it better? Is it even possible to say, considering we are dealing with two artists who are known for incredibly different musical styles? This Jonk Music writer is determined to find out. Here we go, round by round, track by track. Adams vs. Taylor in the battle of 1989:
“Welcome to New York”
Full disclosure, this was never one of my favorite songs on Swift’s latest album. While I appreciated the sentiment — she’s at a point of moving on in her life both emotionally and physically (she moved to NYC this year) — the song always felt a little obvious as the album opener. This being said, it seems to go over swimmingly whenever performed live so, you do you, Taylor.
Adams’ version brings the song back down to the world of us plebeians in the best way possible. Maybe it’s because rock is a genre that generally has a lot less sparkle associated with it than pop, but when Adams sings about “first dropping our bags on apartment floors” it is a lot easier to imagine this is a song about anyone making a major change in their life. This also sounds vaguely like the music that plays behind the credits during a John Hughes movie, so it doesn’t get much more universal than that, now does it?
Winner: First round goes to Adams, but don’t worry Taylor. Remember in all of these that you are both the chicken and the egg.
“Blank Space”
According to Swift, “Blank Space” was written as a tongue-in-cheek response to the ever-sexist media who painted her as a boy-crazy man-eater for having the audacity to date around. It is without a doubt one of Swift’s most brilliant creations to date — poignant, catchy and a perfect representation of Swift’s ability to throw up a middle finger without actually doing anything obscene.
Adams’ transformation of “Blank Space” is one of the most interesting on the album. Delivered in a soft, almost whisper-like voice over a single acoustic guitar, the song takes on a melancholy edge. It almost has the same self-pitying air made famous by Conor Oberst’s delivery of “Lua.” Which is great if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing. However, it does turn a song with a sharply comical female edge into a song about a man indulging in his masturbatory impulse to poeticize character flaws, so take that for what it’s worth.
Winner: Taylor, this will always be yours.
“Style”
“Style” has proven to be one of the most popular tracks on Swift’s latest album, and for good reason. It’s delectably danceable and introduces a certain level of sexuality that has often been absent from Swift’s past work.
However, while Swift’s original version of “Style” perhaps hinted at sexuality in the same way she is known to only show a whisper of her midriff*, Adams transforms the song into something that makes you, well, want to show someone more than your belly button. The guitar is dark and dirty, bringing to mind smoke filled rooms and drug induced parties romanticized by Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas.
Whereas Swift’s delivery of the lyrics “when we go crashing down we come back every time / we never go out of style” sounds mysteriously optimistic, a gritty delivery by Adams suggests a self-awareness of hanging on to something that is in fact, perhaps going out of style.
Winner: Adams
* — a barista at my coffee shop just commented that I must work out a lot because he always sees me in yoga clothes -_-
“Out of the Woods”
The different takes on this song are so dramatic it is almost difficult to make much of a comparison. Yes, the premise is the same: a failing relationship and some desperate attempts to keep it all together.
Swift’s original version is wholeheartedly Taylor. We get her characteristically specific and thoughtful lyrics (“twenty stitches in a hospital room…”) delivered with a degree of urgency that hints at the idea that maybe the people in this relationship are really out of the woods.
Adams, on the other hand, slows things down to reflect a more jaded perspective. His manipulation of the refrain to stretch out the question “Are we out of the woods?” gives the impression of mourning something that has already been lost. It’s far more melancholy but equally as effective.
Winner: It’s a draw. Probably depends on whether you are listening pre- or post-breakup.
“All You Had to Do Was Stay”
Of all of the songs on Adams’ version of 1989, this is the one that could most easily pass as an Adams original. In short, he completely transformed this track and made it into something way, way more listenable.
This isn’t to say I hate Swift’s original version, it’s just that the repetitive nature of the refrain, the trill of background singers repeating “Stay!” over and over again ends up being a bit grating. The result is a generic pop song that doesn’t stand up to the rest of Swift’s work. I always felt like Swift started with a great premise for a song here and rushed to finish it, so Adams basically solved the problem for her.
Winner: Adams
“Shake It Off”
The first single release of 1989, “Shake It Off” soon made its way to anthem level for Swift. It serves as a kind of precursor to “Blank Space”: We still get some of that tongue-in-cheek attitude but with a little less bite. Most of all it’s fun. After all, even my pop-diva hating older brother has been known to throw back a few too may and dance to this one.
Unfortunately, this particular kind of energy doesn’t really translate to Adams’ version. Maybe this is because it is nearly impossible to actually imagine Adams having to deal with “haters” in the way this song originally intends. I mean, Adams is so cool, has he ever really ever had to shake anything off?
Winner: Swift
“I Wish You Would”
I’ve gotta say, Adams killed it on this one. This probably has a lot to do with his penchant for performing near perfect songs about leaving someone behind — a sentiment that I’m sure we can all relate to. By making the song acoustic, Adams is able to bring a somewhat wistful note that was lacking in Swift’s version.
This being said, as with “Out of the Woods,” Swift’s delivery provides a level of urgency that gives the song a romantic edge that is missing in Adams’ version. Swift needs to get in the last word here, and gosh darn it, she does.
Winner: Have to go with Adams on this one.
“Bad Blood”
I’m sorry, there just isn’t much to say here. This one goes to Taylor. Adams’ acoustic version is beautiful — but the fact of the matter, this is not a beautiful song. Nor is it supposed to be. This is a song that is meant to punch you in the gut and leave you reeling from being told the fuck off.
Winner: You keep telling ’em, Taylor.
“Wildest Dreams”
A personal favorite of mine from the original album, “Wildest Dreams” successfully blends an air of temptation with an ethereal musical dreamscape. The clean drumbeats of Swift’s original version simulate the kind of heartbeat you get in one of those, “Oh God, am I really going to do this?”-type moments.
I will say that definite props should be given to Adams for successfully blending the gender dichotomy that was always going to difficult to deal with. (Most of us don’t exactly think of “tall” and “handsome” as descriptors when thinking of the conventionally tempting woman.) The effect is a song that is lyrically far more interesting, because it doesn’t follow the same tired “girl falls for guy even though it’s a hopeless situation” storyline.
Winner: This one comes down to personal preference — do you prefer the neat organization of a pop composition or the slightly more blurred sound of Adams’ rock rendering? It’s a draw for me.
“How You Get the Girl
This is one I’ve always wished Swift had just left off the album. It’s lacking in any sort of substance, not to mention rife with gender normative, heteronormative (pretty much all of the normative) motifs. It’s annoyingly repetitive and reduces romantic relationships down to “pictures in frames and kisses on cheeks.”
Adams succeeds in making this one more musically palatable — managing to make an extremely repetitive song less so — but at the end of the day, this song doesn’t do either artist any credit. The song makes Swift seem like she oversimplifies her own gender in the same manner most romantic comedies are guilty of, and Adams singing it kind of just sounds like another man writing yet another unrealistic script for an unrealistic woman.
Winner: No one. Both artists are too smart for this.
“This Love”
This is one of the only ballads that appears on Swift’s latest album, which is pretty uncharacteristic of her past work. Given that Taylor Swift’s slow jams were what taught my bitter, 17-year-old heart to feel, I was of course saddened by this upon the release of 1989. No biggie, though; I can’t blame Taylor for being at a good point in her life and wanting to write happy songs… I suppose.
In his cover, Adams kept the original skeleton of Swift’s version. The main difference is that Adams records the song with just piano accompaniment (something that I would kill to hear Taylor do as well). It’s a straightforward, beautiful song about the beauty and complications of new love.
Winner: It’s a draw. Duet, please?
“I Know Places”
This is another one of those cases where the two versions became completely different songs entirely. Whereas Swift’s original is representative of her resolute move from country influence to modern pop, Adams’ version is reminiscent of some of his most iconic influences à la The Smiths or Neil Young.
I feel like I keep using some variation of the word “mystery” when talking about Taylor’s version of 1989, but there is no doubt there is definite intention in the aura she is trying to create throughout the album. This is another one of those cases. What are these places? Who are hunters you speak of? (My guess is paparazzi, but that’s going for the obvious, I suppose.)
Adams has a little less need for mystery. He’s been around for a while, mostly out of the public eye in the gossip column sense. So he’s left to create music, rather than an aura. Adams version of “I Know Places,” is good, listenable, but nothing to write home about.
Winner: Taylor.
“Clean”
This is a case where Swift wrote a great song that Adams turned into a great performance. When this song originally came out, I was in the recovery stage from a particularly brutal breakup. I can still clearly remember the solace I found in the rather brilliant metaphor of breaking away from an addictive relationship to breaking away from a physical addiction. Because there are physical and emotional aspects to each recovery process, all of which are irrefutably messy.
Both versions are a reflection on this idea. So rarely are two artists able to deliver a song about the ending of a relationship without the much-expected hint of bitterness. I like Adams’ version — his rock transformation of the song certainly lends a hand towards authenticity in the whole addiction metaphor. However, in this case, Swift’s delivery simply feels more genuine. Whereas in Adam’s version the accompaniment seems to compete with the specificity of the lyrics, Swift ties the two seamlessly together.
Winner: Swift. Glad you’re feeling better.