Clean - Commentary

Thank you so much for joining us
For the 1989 album release retrospective

We' ve been looking back at Taylor Swift's album
Because this is the fourth anniversary of that album
In fact, all of her albums were released in either October or November
And so, we are celebrating all of them
But we've got one more song to play off of 1989

And It's kind of interesting
Because it seems thus thogh Taylor was turning a corner
As she was finishing this album
And she explaines why she chose to make "Clean"
The last track on 1989

"Clean" is the last song on the album for lot of reasons
But, It's mostly the last song on the album because it felt like a completion
Of this, kind of emotional process I'd been going through
For the last couple of years

I feel like my personal life was really, really discussed
And critisized, and debated, and talked about
To a point where it made me feel kind of almost tarnished and away, you know

And the discussion wasn't about music, and it broke my heart
That I'd made an album that I was proud of
And I was touring the world
And playing to so lot stadiums, and still
They managed to want to only talk about my personal life

At a certain point I felt a switch
And it was at the end of recording this album
That I began to feel like my life was mine again
And my music was at the forefront again

And I was living my life on my own terms
And I really no longer cared what people were saying about me
And that was when I started to see people talk less
About the things that don't matter

This song was one that I did with Imogen Heap
Who I've idealised for so long
And um, when I was over in London for the Red Tour
She reached out and said
"Hey, if you wanna come work, I'm here"

And so I drove hours out of the city
And went to her studio
And watching her work
Creating the track for the song
Was the most inspiring experience

She's comping vocals, and editing, and creating the track
Playing the instruments
I was absolutely astonished by that level of talent and skill

So we wrote the song "Clean" which is essentially
About allowing yourself to really feel pain
And then, all of a sudden, time passes
And, you've survived it, and you've made it out to the other side

I would say she has done more than survive
She has thrived, and this is a great song from Taylor
It's "Clean" on Big Machine Radio