In 2014, Taylor Swift traded in her cowboy boots for a crop top and miniskirt and said goodbye to her Nashville home in exchange for a NYC highrise. She left behind her country accent and joined forces with a producer named Jack Antonoff with a specialty in synth-pop. Energized by the city that she now called home and a blazing determination to prove her doubters wrong, she endeavored to make what was, at the time, the boldest move of her career: a pop album. As she explored a new realm of her artistry and character, she knew that she had to title her 80s inspired record something just as personal to her; just like that, her fifth studio album, named after the year she was born, 1989, took over the world. Breaking down all the barriers created by those who tried to confine her to one genre, Swift, with a now-infamous army of girlfriends, a handful of new radio hits, and a second Grammy for Album of the Year, yet again pushed the limits of her fame and extended her fan base beyond the millions she had already reached. Who knew a haircut could do all that?

1989 is another one of those Taylor Swift eras that is defined by its aesthetics, and right off the bat, she immerses her listeners in her own landscape with the well-titled track “Welcome to New York.” This song marks the beginning of what is, in every way, a fresh start for Swift, and with bright, lively vocals and a strong beat, it successfully introduces one of her most sonically cohesive records.

Swift has opened up countless times about her frustration with the harassment she receives for her dating habits, which she considers to be perfectly normal for anyone who is not a woman in the public eye. While in the past, with songs like “Mean” she directly addressed her critics with frustration, by 1989 she found a new method, still including breakup songs on the album but also acknowledging the double standards that plagued her. In “Blank Space,” she mocks her haters through her satirical embrace of the media’s portrayal of her as a “serial dater,” claiming that “boys only want love if it’s torture” and sardonically detailing the manipulative ways in which people claim she entraps men. She takes a different approach on “Shake it Off,” creating an anthem for self-empowerment through a catchy melody and sarcastic lyrics. As arguably the two biggest hits of her career, these songs appeal to those who are similarly struggling with bullying, regardless of their age or fame.

Another challenge for Swift with 1989 was switching to a more “shallow” genre while also maintaining her insightful songwriting. She does just this, highlighting her ability to both fit a meter and rhyme scheme while also telling a story with “Out of the Woods.” On this track, she mimics the anxiety she felt in a relationship through her repetition of the hook, while also including an intricate bridge. The lyrical standout on the album, Clean, legitimizes the record as more than a collection of ear-worms, discussing a painful breakup through a metaphor that compares it to addiction. “10 months sober,” she confesses that “just because [she’s] clean [doesn’t] mean [she doesn’t] miss it,” and on this bittersweet track, she demonstrates that finding closure cannot necessarily be equated to healing.

1989 contains its fair share of breakup songs, all written from different perspectives on presumably the same relationship. For instance, the bitter “All You Had to Do Was Stay” contrasts “I Wish You Would” and “How You Get The Girl,” both of which summarize the common desire for an ex to come back into one’s life with a romantic gesture straight out of a movie. In “Wonderland” she reflects on a past relationship, comparing it to “Alice in Wonderland,” using metaphors about falling down a rabbit-hole and Cheshire Cat smiles. Of course, her recently released vault tracks cannot be ignored, and several of them shed light on the parts of her relationships that she kept concealed at the time of the album’s original release. In “Say Don’t Go” Swift heart-wrenchingly begs the subject of the song to grant her the same importance in his life and she has given him in hers. Likewise, in the instant classic “Is it Over Now?” Swift ties the whole album together by explaining that the several breakups and romances depicted throughout the record were actually just one never-ending story between two people who could not stay apart.

While the album does contain several songs about heartbreak, on the other hand, it is also overwhelmingly romantic, as Swift begins for the first time to view love as nuanced and complicated, rather than taking the black and white approach she used in the past. For example, in the glamorous “Style,” she refers to the same relationship “[coming] back every time” despite rumors of infidelity and her better judgment. Similarly, in “Wildest Dreams” Swift acknowledges openly that she knows the relationship will not work in the long term, but gives in to the hedonistic urge to continue down a path that will ultimately lead to disaster. The ethereal vault track “Sl*t!” also touches on this sentiment, depicting a love that serves as a haven from public scrutiny and describing how “the sticks and stones they throw froze midair.” “I Know Places” expands upon the idea of invasive media, as she promises her love that they can escape the paparazzi hunting them.

Likewise, “This Love” proves once again Swift’s ability to discern between flaws and failures in a relationship as she sings that “this love is good” and “this love is bad.” While this seems like an oversimplification of a greater situation, in reality, it is exactly as earnest and complex as is necessary. Swift continuously depicts this complicated relationship through an honest lens, admitting to both her own mistakes and his faults. While this might not exactly be the most healthy perspective, what’s a better time to be self-destructive in your relationships than your 20s? However, Swift includes one paradigm of healthy, ideal romance on 1989, called “You Are In Love,” proving that she is still a dreamer at heart and reminding listeners of what the real standard for love is beyond the push and pull of the relationship described throughout the rest of the album.

The most special thing about 1989 to me is that although it discusses love, heartbreak, friends, and enemies, the core of the album is centered around Swift herself and her growth as an individual. 1989 is about freedom, youth, energy, and hope, encapsulating perfectly the experience of being a young woman in a new city with endless possibilities of success and happiness. In “New Romantics,” Swift concludes that despite the fact that “life is just a classroom” and “heartbreak is the national anthem,” she and everyone else just like her are “too busy dancing to get knocked off [their] feet.” 1989, an album about change, independence, self-discovery, and taking control over one’s own life serves as the greatest reminder that “the best people in life are free.”