Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s “1989,” self-described by the artist as made in the style of The Smiths, shines a new light on Swift’s album, painting it in an even sadder, more heartbroken tone. Here’s a track-by track review of the new release.

 

“Welcome to New York”
Love or hate the original “1989,” this song was one of the least memorable on the original record despite being first on the track listing. Adams did his best with this weaker source material, but his cover just turns the song from a forgettable pop song to a forgettable acoustic song.

 

“Blank Space”
The original was arguably the strongest all-around song from the original album, so seeing Adams put such a unique take on the song while keeping the flair of Swift’s version intact makes this one of the strongest on his “1989” too. The soft-spoken lyrics combined with the quiet, understated acoustic riff– only to catch you by surprise when the bassline kicks in — make for a great all-around cover.

 

“Style”
I like the more classic-rock style Adams tried pulling off here, and the verses have so much flair on their own, it’s easy to forget it’s a cover of a Taylor Swift song at all. The chorus, though, is uninspired; all Adams did to switch things up was selling the turntables and buying guitars.

 

“Out of the Woods”
One of the most synth-dependent songs on Swift’s album was bound to get an interesting adaptation for this album, and Adams took the challenge and ran with it. With a runtime of just over six minutes, the gorgeous instrumental sections really make this cover great. (I’m a sucker for instrumentals). Take note, artists: This is how an indie cover can and should work.

 

“All You Had To Do Was Stay”
This is one of the more straightforward covers on the album, which is hard to complain about if the song translates well like it does here. Nothing too special, but it still works pretty well.

 

“Shake It Off”
The slower, sadder take on the song is interesting for sure, and the song takes on an entirely different meaning with this tone. But Ryan Adams never got down to any sick beat in this version of the song, so take away a few points for that.

 

“I Wish You Would”
Much like the “Shake It Off” cover, Adams’s moodier, slower, lonelier tone on this album in general benefits songs like this in this project. Adams’ regret in the lyrics sounds more like a cry for help than the simpler, straightforwardly regretful tone of Swift’s version.

 

“Bad Blood”
This is another one of the more uninspired tracks on Ryan Adams’s “1989” — so forgettable compared to the shout-it-along nature of Swift’s original hit. The tone doesn’t do any favors in this cover, and this feels more like a YouTube guitar tutorial to a Taylor Swift song than a carefully planned cover.

 

“Wildest Dreams”
This song was made for an acoustic ballad cover. The original song’s got a hell of a melancholy tone in the lyrics, so slowing it down and acousti-fying it like Adams does here is another example of why his take on “1989” is so effective on so many of Swift’s songs.

 

“How You Get The Girl”
I love the instrumentation on this, too. The bass that kicks in with the recurring guitar strums during the chorus is one of the simplest yet most effective uses of instrumentation on Adams’ album. This take turns the song into some kind of pep talk, and I love that twist on it.

 

“This Love”
This track owns the heartbreaking tag on the album. The reverb-heavy vocals combined with the haunting piano accompaniment — not to mention the defeated lyrics from Swift’s original — makes this the perfect song from “1989” to sip whiskey and cry alone on the couch at 3 a.m. to.

 

“I Know Places”
I’m unashamed to admit that the original version of this song by Taylor Swift is my favorite off the album. It is simply catchy as all hell. I really like what Adams went for on the verses — it’s a dark, soulful, bluesy vibe we don’t get much of elsewhere on this album. It loses its flair as it goes, though.

 

“Clean”
This is a pretty bland conclusion. The original song is so emotionally driven that Adams’ cut-and-dry adaptation of it pales in comparison. It desperately needs something extra beyond the boring old formula.

Brett Weiser-Schlesinger is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. He can be reached by email at bweisers@syr.edu or by Twitter at @brettws.

Published on September 23, 2015 at 8:29 pm