"Shake It Off"

Today's Taylor Swift song is the meaning of the first single from her new album 1989, "Shake It Off". This song is extra special for me because I was at the Yahoo live stream in New York City August 18th, 2014 when it was released. I was also there the first time she heard it in the radio in her house and then also danced to it in her kitchen by the refrigerator with her.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Swift: "Shake It Off" single cover.

I don't know about you, but with all new Taylor songs it takes me a while to get used to them and then I love them. I love them the more I learn about why she wrote them and the meaning behind the song. It was so fun to dance with her to this song at the live stream, but I really didn't appreciate it until I heard why she wrote it and thought about it more. 

Who is this song about?

Taylor Swift dancing with a fan at the Yahoo livesteam August 18, 2014 in New York City to "Shake It Off".
Photo credit ABC News.

This song is about Taylor! During the last couple of years she has gotten a lot of flack for dating lots of guys, most notably Carrie Underwood at the 2012 CMA Awards when she and Brad Paisely joked about her split from Conor and Amy Poeler/Tina Fey at the Golden Globes when they joked she should stay away from Michael J Fox's son. There have also been numerous articles about her love life. Let me just tell you right now I went on just as many dates as Taylor or more, but I wasn't under the same amount of scrutiny and am glad for that. I don't know if I could have handled it the way she does. 

In her Good Morning America interview August 18, 2014 Taylor said, 

"The message in the song is a problem I think we all deal with and an issue we deal with on a daily basis. We don't like just in a celebrity takedown culture, we live in a takedown culture. People will find anything about you and twist it to where it's weird or wrong or annoying or strange or bad. You have to not only live your life in spite of people who don't understand you; you have to have more fun than they do."

I think it's amazing that she is able to just "shake" off all the negativity and that she had this music in her mind telling her everything's going to be okay. 

In the rap portion of the song, she references Harry styles with is new girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, "My ex man brought his new girlfriend". He is the also the player that is referenced in the song. "Players going to play", and he certainly does that. I don't blame her for not staying with him.   

Taylor has really shown that she is just dancing it off and dancing to her own beat. At numerous award shows and concerts she is the liveliest one in the audience. Taylor I am so glad you are able to shake off all the players and haters and know that everything's going to be alright!

Click here for lyrics to the song, "Shake It Off".

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"Shake It Off" Lyrics

Shake It Off Lyrics

Shake It Off Lyrics (1989 Album)

Written by Swift/Martin/Shellback

I stay up too late
Got nothing in my brain
That's what people say
That's what people say
I go on too many dates
But I can't make them stay
At least that's what people say
That's what people say

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind, saying it's gonna be alright
Cause the players gonna play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break
And I think it's gonna fake, fake, fake
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, Shake it off

I never miss a beat
I'm lighting up my feet
And that's what they don't see
That's what they don't see
I'm dancing on my own
I make the moves as I go
And that's what they don't know
That's what they don't know

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind, saying it's gonna be alright
Cause the players gonna play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break
And I think it's gonna fake, fake, fake
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, Shake it off

Hey, hey, hey
Just think while you been getting down and out about the liars
And the dirty dirty cheats of the world
You could have been getting down to this sick beat

My ex man brought his new girlfriend
She's like oh my god
But I'm just gonna shake
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over baby we could shake, shake

Cause the players gonna play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off. Shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break
And I think it's gonna fake, fake, fake
Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake
Shake it off, Shake it off
Shake it off
Shake it off
Shake it off
Shake it off

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"Shake It Off" Music Video

Here is the music video for "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift from her "1989" album.

You can buy the single here, as an MP3, or as a cd.

 

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Eyes Open

Today's Taylor Swift song is "Eyes Open" from the Hunger Games soundtrack. This is my favorite song on the soundtrack. I love the sound, the words, just everything about it. Taylor describes it as "more frantic and fast-paced, a completely different shade of music.”  I love that shade. Hopefully with album 5 we'll hear more songs like this. I also wish they had made a music video for the song.

Who is this song about?

It's about Katniss Everdeen from the Huger Games. 

Taylor says, “I wrote it about Katniss’ relationship with the Capitol. It basically serves as a warning for her not to trust anyone-in many ways the opposite of ‘Safe & Sound.'"

Taylor read the Hunger Games before she wrote the songs so she really delved into Katniss's character. In the Hunger Games 24 kids are chosen from each district, some are chosen by lottery, some train for it their whole lives. They all head to the Capital for the annual Hunger Games. The competitors are placed in an arena with cameras filming their every move.  Everybody is really "watching to see the fallout". Their main goal is to kill all the other competitors. If they do this they get to live the rest of their life within their district. She's never safe in the arena, she's got to

"Keep [her] feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep [her] eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep [her] eyes open"

She has got to be on her guard all the time. Katniss's survival skill both back at home and in the arena is her bow and arrow, hence keeping her "aim locked". Not only are the other competitors trying to kill them, but the capital is always sending hardships to bear and to make their battle harder. From each "lesson" or experience Katniss "forms a new scar", she gets hurt. But even though "they've surrounded" her with trials and competitors she's "got something they don't" and survives. She is smart, "two steps ahead staying on guard" even though "they never thought [she'd] make it this far. But she does and even though she has no one to "come to save" her she has the heart and the ingenuity to get through and inspire everyone. She ends up not only saving herself, but Peeta, a fellow competitor, district member, and her best friend by outsmarting the capital.

This song really shows how Katniss makes it through the games by keeping her "Eyes Open". 

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