Living Life In My 1989 Era Nine Years After I First Did

I'm just a tad older than Taylor Swift was when she had just released her 1989 album for the first time back in 2014, and now I'm 26 and vowing to live my best 1989 era as she releases her iconic Taylor's Version of the hit record. 

I was 17 when 1989 first came out, and I remember the day as clear as anything. Straight after college I rushed to HMV, grabbed my copy of the deluxe album from the shelves and snapped a very Tumblr-esque photo with my frilly sock laden feet in a pair of chunky sandals visible in the photo. I then remember getting the bus home and whacking it straight into the DVD player to play the album on my television. I listened to it all the way through with my mum and then took the CD into my room and proceeded to play it on my own stereo a further three times before ripping the CD onto my laptop and transferring it to my iPod classic (I was trying to be hipster, okay?). I then remember the YouTube premieres of all of the music videos, and totally freaking out when I saw a brunette Taylor in Wildest Dreams.

I then listened to the album every single morning without fail while I got ready for college. I listened to it on the bus on the way to college, then on my way to my lessons and throughout my breaks. 1989 was the soundtrack to my late teenage years and made everything so much more magical and heady than I ever thought possible. Blank Space was my favourite at the time, so was I Wish You Would, and I'd belt them out with a passion when I was at home, imagining that I was falling in love before it came crashing down and then wishing they'd come back to me.

Clean got me through a difficult period of unrequited love, while You Are In Love taught me a whole lot about the kind of love I'm searching for in the world. Bad Blood was there for me to scream along to when I had fights with friends, and Out Of The Woods was there when I wanted to imagine a great love I had lost. All of these songs were the soundtrack to my final couple of a years as a teen, and I'm forever grateful they were.

And now with me being 26 as 1989 (Taylor's Version) comes out, it's impossible not to look back on those weird and wonderful times growing up with the OG album as the soundtrack to my life. But here's the thing, I'm ready to do it all over again, despite being nine years older (and hopefully wiser) – and this time I want to live the 1989 Era properly, not just vicariously. 

It's so special that Swifties get to re-live six special eras of their lives through Taylor's music. 1989 was a special coming of age era for myself – at college, falling in love (from a distance), and growing up into a woman, so to live this all out as I approach 30 is a real blessing, and I can't wait to see what it brings. Similar to Taylor's Red album – which is very dear to me and holds a lot of meaning – 1989 was a reset for myself when it first came out, and getting to reset myself once again tomorrow (October 27) when the album drops again, really is quite incredible. 

What song are you most excited about hearing from 1989 TV? For me, it's got to be Clean and You Are In Love.. yes, I know that's two and not one.