Quiz: Which 1989 Song Are You?

In 2014, Taylor Swift released “1989” – an album that’s still spinning at parties, in cars, and through headphones on the commute to work. Thirteen tracks, each with its own personality. Our quiz will determine which one most resembles you. No mystical nonsense – just music and a few questions about how you live.

Album 1989 – A Turning Point in Taylor Swift’s Career

Before 2014, Swift was a country singer with a guitar. Then came “1989” – pure pop with eighties synthesizers. A risky move that could have killed her career. But the album went platinum seven times, won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year, and spawned five singles in the Billboard Hot 100 top 40.

Producers Max Martin and Shellback (the same guys who made hits for Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears) helped create a sound that simultaneously evoked the era when MTV actually showed music videos while sounding absolutely contemporary. Roland Juno-60 synthesizers, Linn LM-1 drum machines, vocoders – the entire eighties arsenal, but with 2014 production.

Swift later revealed she deliberately listened to albums by Phil Collins, Annie Lennox, and Fine Young Cannibals to understand how pop music of that era worked. The result was so convincing that a Rolling Stone critic wrote: “She made the best 1989 album in the last 25 years.”

The commercial success was deafening: 10 million copies worldwide, number one in 11 countries’ charts, the best-selling album of 2014. But most importantly – Swift proved she could completely change genres and remain herself.

How Our “Which 1989 Song Are You?” Quiz Works

The quiz consists of questions about your lifestyle, reactions to different situations, and preferences. No magic – just matching your answers with song characteristics.

Each album track has its own tempo, mood, and theme. “Shake It Off” – about ignoring haters, fast, major key, 160 beats per minute. “Wildest Dreams” – slow, minor key, about nostalgia, 70 beats per minute. Completely different songs for different moods and personalities.

The algorithm is simple: your answers form a profile (extrovert/introvert, optimist/realist, impulsive/thoughtful), which gets compared to the “profiles” of songs. The most matches – that’s your result.

Questions cover ordinary things: how you react to criticism, what you do Friday evening, what movies you watch, how you dress. Nothing personal, just everyday details that together paint a picture of your temperament.

Songs from Album 1989 That Could Be Your Result

The album has 13 main tracks, but the quiz focuses on the six most vivid and contrasting ones. From explosive “Shake It Off” to melancholic “Wildest Dreams” – each song represents a certain personality type and life philosophy. Here’s what you might get and why.

Shake It Off

The album’s most commercially successful track. Three weeks at number one on Billboard Hot 100. A saxophone riff impossible to get out of your head. Lyrics about ignoring others’ opinions and dancing even if you can’t. If you get this song – you’re one of those people who listens to something upbeat in the Monday morning subway and doesn’t understand why everyone looks so gloomy.

Blank Space

A satire of her own “serial girlfriend who writes songs about exes” image. Swift took all the tabloid gossip about herself and pushed it to absurdity. A minimalist beat that sounds like pen taps on a desk (that’s how they recorded it). Second place in the charts, over a billion YouTube views. A song for those who can laugh at themselves and turn weaknesses into strengths.

Style

A guitar riff reminiscent of The Cars and Duran Duran songs. Producer Ali Payami said he wanted to create the sound of “a night drive through Los Angeles in 1984.” Mission accomplished. A song about relationships that always come back, like a classic white t-shirt and jeans – never go out of style. For those who value the time-tested and don’t chase trends.

Out of the Woods

Written with Jack Antonoff from Fun. Built on repeating vocal loops – Swift recorded one phrase and looped it, creating an anxiety effect. The album’s most experimental song. Drum-and-bass rhythm at 92 beats per minute creates a running sensation. For those who live in constant motion and aren’t afraid of uncertainty.

All You Had To Do Was Stay

The only song where Swift screams – the high “Stay!” recorded at the limit of her vocal range. A story about someone who wants to come back when it’s already too late. Electronic claps instead of drums, synthesizer imitating strings. A song for those who know their worth and don’t give second chances to those who don’t deserve them.

Wildest Dreams

The last single from the album. Sounds like a soundtrack to a Lana Del Rey movie, if she made films. String arrangements recorded by a real orchestra, rare for a pop album. Lyrics about relationships doomed to end, but you want to remember them as beautiful. For melancholics who find beauty in sadness.

The Emotional Palette of Album 1989 and How It’s Considered in the Quiz

“1989” covers the entire emotional spectrum of twenty-somethings: euphoria of new love, anger after breakups, nostalgia for what hasn’t ended yet, self-confidence, doubts, fear of loneliness, joy of independence.

The quiz accounts for these emotional nuances. If you choose answers related to an active lifestyle and positive thinking, you’ll likely get one of the energetic songs – “Shake It Off” or “How You Get the Girl.” If your answers show a tendency toward reflection and analyzing the past – expect “Clean” or “Wildest Dreams.”

Musical characteristics also play a role. Songs with tempos above 120 beats per minute correspond to energetic personalities. Slow ballads – for those who like to stop and think. Major keys are linked to optimism, minor ones – to depth of feeling.

Interestingly, Swift herself said: every song on the album represents different stages of one relationship or different types of relationships people have at 24. So the quiz result might change depending on your current emotional state.

The quiz algorithm is built to catch these nuances. A combination of 16 questions provides enough data for accurate targeting. And while this is just an entertainment test, many are surprised by how precisely the resulting song describes their current mood or life situation. After all, Swift wrote these songs based on real emotions and experience – no wonder they resonate with millions of listeners worldwide.