Style

Single | 1989 (2014)

“Style” is a song Taylor has described as being about a couple who are never entirely finished with one another, using the metaphor “we never go out of style” to symbolise the cycle they are stuck in. It was the third single released from Taylor’s fifth studio album, “1989” (2014).

“Style” was written by Taylor, Max Martin, Shellback and Ali Payami. Taylor has said that after she finished “Style”, she knew she was done making “1989” and also confirmed the song was about Harry Styles in her 2014 interview with Rolling Stone. She further explained the meaning and inspiration of the song to Ryan Seacrest during an interview on iHeartRadio in October 2014:

“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.” — Taylor Swift

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE
“Style” debuted as a snippet in a Target commercial for the album on October 22, 2014. The song was later released to radio on February 9, 2015, as the album’s third single, following “Blank Space“. The accompanying music video premiered on February 13, 2015. It is heavily influenced by the “True Detective” opening credits and was directed by Kyle Newman, who is a big fan of the show.

The song reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the third consecutive top-10 single from “1989” in the country, and entered the top-10 on charts of numerous regions, including Australia, Canada, and South Africa.

The song garnered generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom deemed it the album’s highlight.

LIVE PERFORMANCES
Taylor has included “Style” on regular set lists for two of her world tours (so far): “The 1989 World Tour” and the “reputation Stadium Tour“. Additionally, she usually plays the song at one-off shows.

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]
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, hmm, 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 (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

[Bridge]
Take me home
Just take me home, yeah.
Just take me home
(Out of style)