Style
Single | 1989 (2014)
Background and Release
“Style” was originally written by producer Ali Payami and guitarist Niklas Ljungfelt for themselves. The two finished the instrumental – a guitar-driven track inspired by what Ljungfelt called “funky electronic music” artists such as Daft Punk. Payami played the instrumental for Martin at the latter’s studio; Taylor became fond of the track after overhearing it and decided to record it for her album.
The song debuted as a snippet in a Target commercial for the album on October 22, 2014. On December 28, 2014, Scott Borchetta, CEO of Taylor’s former record label Big Machine held an impromptu Q&A via Twitter. When asked by a fan about 1989‘s upcoming single following “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space“, Borchetta responded that he was in favor of “Style”. On February 9, 2015, Republic Records, in partnership with Big Machine, serviced the track to US hot adult contemporary radio as the third single.
Lyrical Theme
«I loved comparing these timeless visuals with a feeling that never goes out of style. It's basically one of those relationships that's always a bit off. The two people are trying to forget each other. So, it's like, 'All right, I heard you went off with her, and well, I've done that, too.' My previous albums have also been sort of like, 'I was right, you were wrong, you did this, it made me feel like this' – a righteous sense of right and wrong in a relationship. What happens when you grow up is you realize the rules in a relationship are very blurred and that it gets very complicated very quickly, and there's not a case of who was right or who was wrong.»
Music Video
Live Performances
Critical Reception
“Style” received positive reviews from music critics. PopMatters‘s Corey Beasley was impressed by Taylor’s departure from country to new styles that “fit her like a cashmere-lined leather glove” and deemed the song “immaculate”. Now‘s Benjamin Boles selected “Style” as the album’s highlight. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times also named the track the album’s standout for its “sensual” atmosphere. The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica labelled “Style” the “high mark” of 1989 that embodies Taylor’s “savage, wry, and pointed” maturity from her previous albums.
Pitchfork ranked “Style” at No. 50 on their list of 2014’s best songs. The song placed at No. 24 on the 2015 “Pazz & Jop” poll, an annual mass critics’ poll conducted by The Village Voice. At the 2016 BMI Awards, the track was one of the “Award-Winning Songs” that earned Taylor the honor of “Songwriter of the Year.” “Style” also received a nomination for “International Work of the Year” at the APRA Music Awards of 2016. In 2020, Hannah Mylrea of NME placed the song among the 10 best songs by Taylor, labelling it as “Swift at her best”.
Commercial Performance
“Style” debuted at No. 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart of November 15, 2014, following the release of its parent album 1989. Following Taylor’s performance of “Style” at the 2014 “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” the song re-entered the chart at No. 75 on the issue date December 27, 2014. After Big Machine CEO Borchetta announced that he was in favor of “Style” being released as a single in December 2014, the track debuted on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 at No. 39 on January 12, 2015. The single reached No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart on February 28, 2015, becoming 1989‘s third consecutive Hot 100 top ten following the No. 1 singles “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space”. It peaked at No. 6 on the March 21, 2015, chart.
The single also achieved success on Billboard component charts, peaking atop the Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40, and the Adult Contemporary charts. “Style” was the seventh-best-performing song on the Billboard Radio Songs chart of 2015, earning over 3.163 billion audience impressions from 550,000 plays throughout the year.
In Canada, the single peaked at No. 6 on the Canadian Hot 100 and has received triple platinum certification by Music Canada (MC). “Style” achieved moderate success in Europe, charting in the top twenty on the national charts in Scotland (9), the Czech Republic (11), Poland (13), Slovakia (14), and Hungary (18).
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Midnight
You come and pick me up, no headlights
Long drive
Could end in burning flames or paradise
Fade into view, oh
It’s been a while since I have even heard from you (Heard from you)
[Pre-chorus 1]
And I should just tell you to leave, ’cause I
Know exactly where it leads, but I
Watch us go ’round and ’round each time
[Chorus]
You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
‘Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style
You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
‘Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style
[Verse 2]
So it goes
He can’t keep his wild eyes on the road
Takes me home
Lights are off, he’s taking off his coat, mmm yeah
I say, “I heard, oh
That you’ve been out and about with some other girl
Some other girl”
[Pre-chorus 2]
He says, “What you’ve heard is true, but I
Can’t stop thinking about you and I”
I said, “I’ve been there too a few times”
[Chorus]
‘Cause you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
‘Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style
You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt (A tight little skirt)
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
‘Cause we never go out of style (We never go, we never go)
We never go out of style
[Bridge]
Take me home
Just take me home
Yeah, just take me home (Out of style)
[Chorus]
Oh, you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
‘Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style
| Album | 1989 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | October 27, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | February 19, 2014 | |||
| Studio | Conway (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Synth Pop | |||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Big Machine Records | |||
| Songwriters | Taylor Swift Max Martin Shellback Ali Payami | |||
| Producers | Max Martin Shellback Ali Payami | |||
1989 CHRONOLOGY | ||||
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