Written by: Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback Produced by: Max Martin and Shellback Album: 1989 UK release: November 2014 UK chart peak: 4
An exhilarating play on the media’s idea of Taylor Swift The Man-Eater, Blank Space was a big ~Moment from the 1989 era, and rightly so. With the production taking its cues from Lorde’s breakthrough the previous year, lyrically this is Taylor at her best: biting, satirical, with a knowing wink to camera.
It’s also irresistibly catchy, with an instant hook (obviously – look at the three writers!). There are so many golden flourishes: “Darling I’m a nightmare, dressed like a daydream”, the pen click, the unintentional “Starbucks lovers” mix-up, basically the entire video…
Blockbuster Taylor is fully activated, and completely on top of her game, in this modern classic.
I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
