By Colleen Meosky and Jack Romanowski
Source: https://www.taylorswift.com/
On July 23 this year, Taylor Swift announced that her eighth studio album, titled folklore, would be released at midnight, much to the surprise of her loyal fans. This is Swift’s first alternative/indie album, so it is a wonderful opportunity for people who haven’t considered themselves “Swifties” to consider Swift’s songwriting outside of the spotlight of mainstream pop. Long time fans are loving this album’s expansion into a new genre following a mastery of pop and country over the last decade. It comes with Swift’s familiar storytelling and lyrical ability to use details specific to her own life while still making it incredibly relatable for her listeners. Personally, I have grown up with Taylor Swift as my favorite artist, and I am in favor of this branching out. The folklore album contains elements both veteran Swifties and new listeners have come to enjoy.
This new release has been commonly regarded as Swift’s most mature album yet. Folklore is full of experimentation and evident growth in songwriting. Entertainment Weekly calls folklore “a content smile of an album on which one of the world’s biggest pop stars, charts be damned, forges her own path and dares listeners to come along for the ride.” Taylor Swift once again collaborated with producer Jack Antonoff, who began working on Swift’s albums in the 1989 era. Awaiting the public release, Antonoff stated that this album includes his two favorite songs he’s ever produced with Swift, “august” and “my tears ricochet”. The deluxe edition includes seventeen tracks.
“the 1”
Swift starts the album off strongly with the lyrics “I’m doing good, I’m on some new s**t.” She writes about an unsuccessful past love that wasn’t meant to be. This is one of the catchiest songs on the album. Best lyric: “Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool/And if my wishes came true/It would’ve been you.”
“cardigan”
This next track quickly became the headliner of folklore for its enchanting story and beautiful melody. Swift was able to create a music video for this track while following intense COVID-19 restrictions. It is the only video for the album. In folklore, Swift creates a love triangle between three fictional teens named Betty, James, and Inez explained by each character’s perspective, and “cardigan” is supposedly Betty’s song about forgiving her boyfriend for an immature mistake. Best lyric: “You drew stars around my scars.”
Taylor Swift via YouTube
“the last great american dynasty”
The most upbeat song of the album tells the story of a woman named Rebekah West who married William Hale Harkness, the last direct descendant of the Rockefeller family. The song tells the thrilling tale of Rebekah’s extravagant life and what became of her famous vacation home. The song prompted many listeners to Google the details of their home Holiday House and its owners. This is easily a fan favorite of the album and an instant classic. It takes you to the high society Rhode Island scene of the 1950s and sticks it in your head all day. The best part of this song is perhaps the surprise revealed at the end: Holiday House is now owned by Taylor herself. Best lyric: “There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen/I had a marvelous time ruining everything.”
Photo credits: Getty Images(left), Pricey Pads(right)
“exile (feat. Bon Iver)”
This duet is an epic yet melancholy story of a couple who decide to give up on their relationship. It is a contender for best vocals on the album. As the tension builds up, Swift and Bon Iver lead singer Justin Vernon overlap each others’ lines, and it sums up the disappointment, heartbreak, and miscommunication of an unsuccessful relationship. Best lyric: “You’re not my homeland anymore/So what am I defending now?”
“my tears ricochet”
It’s here, people: Swift’s infamous track five. As with every fifth track on a Swift album, don’t play this song if you aren’t prepared to have an emotional breakdown along with her. Fans have theorized several meanings for this song, with the most popular belief being that it is about missing when she had positive relationships with her record executive Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records. However, this face value reading may not be fully accurate considering how intricate and layered past track fives have been. Another fan theory explains that the song is about the aftermath of Taylor Swift’s rapid change from America’s sweetheart to a more complex, controversial public figure following her very exposed feuds with Scooter Braun, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian. Swift released her sixth album named reputation in retaliation to the horrible image the media presented of her during the drama. In her Reputation debut single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” Taylor declares this younger, more naive version of herself to be dead. This detail is key in understanding the second interpretation of this song: the singer is the “old Taylor” haunting the Taylor that Swift had to become. She mentions how she would tell herself that her old habit of letting people steamroll her was brave. Swift writes about the painful experience of letting her past self go because she is no longer the teenage girl who is too nice for her own good. Jack Antonoff’s production of this song is truly incredible. The song encapsulates Swift’s beautiful artistry, but listen with caution, because it can wreck you.
Best lyric: “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace/So the battleships will sink beneath the waves.”
“mirrorball”
When you’re done crying with track five, “mirrorball” is the perfect song to pick you back up again. It is a cute love song about a relationship that’s “shimmering beautiful” as well as delicate. Swift compares herself to a disco ball that’s only trying to attract the attention of one person. It’s an enchanting metaphor of her life as a global music star while she truly cares about her significant other more than the attention of the world. Best lyric: “I’m still a believer but I don’t know why/I’ve never been a natural/All I do is try, try, try”
“seven”
Childhood innocence and adult nostalgia make a wonderful story at the hand of Taylor Swift. It is fun and adorable as it recalls an early friendship and times spent playing outside. She adds unexpected depth when reasoning that her friend’s house must be haunted, because the friend’s dad is constantly angry. Best lyric: “Sweet tea in the summer/Cross my heart, won’t tell no other/And though I can’t recall your face/I still got love for you.”
“august”
Maybe this one is less suited for an autumn stroll, but it is extremely cheerful and full of memory. Cleverly placed as track eight, it’s a story about a short-lived summer romance that the narrator is grateful for. There are no throwaway lyrics in this track. Swifties have debated whether this is the role of Inez (the other girl) in the love triangle or if Inez’s song is track ten. Either way, this song is a bop, and there are few other ways to put it. Best lyric: “August slipped away into a moment in time/ ‘Cause it was never mine.”
“This is me trying”
This song has a more serious tone than the past three tracks. It contains struggling, exhaustion, and desperation to get things right by the narrator. One of the most prominent themes in the song is how she slowly falls behind the rest of the other teens her age, due to the fact that she was stunted by fame. This can be demonstrated by the lyrics: “I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere.”
“illicit affairs”
Swift sings about a love story doomed from the start for track ten, the other potential perspective of Inez from folklore’s triangle. It’s very clear that this is fictional, as Taylor Swift’s dating life has been under a microscope for the past fourteen years, and news of her doing anything remotely close to cheating would be on tabloid covers globally. Swift also explained in a lengthy Instagram post that she tried new styles of songwriting in quarantine, so her stories vary in reality and some of them are completely made up in her imagination. Best lyric: “Don’t call me kid/Don’t call me baby/Look at this idiotic fool that you made me.”
“invisible string”
This song is comforting, romantic, and lighthearted. It follows the paths of Taylor Swift and supposedly Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend since 2016, to arrive at them having fallen in love with each other. The simple guitar accompaniment helps create a relaxed and contented tone. It’s important to note that a person named William Bowery is credited with helping write 2 songs on the album. Many eagle-eyed fans realized that Joe’s grandfather was named William, and Bowery is the name of the hotel they met at. Therefore, people believe Joe co-wrote this song with Taylor. Best lyrics: “Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar/Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire/Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons/One single thread of gold tied me to you.”
“mad woman”
Taylor Swift has written another feminist anthem with a darker tone than “The Man” from Lover. It focuses on the unfairness of how society and the media choose to portray women, especially when writing them off as crazy because they are upset. Best lyric: “And there’s nothing like a mad woman/What a shame she went mad/No one likes a mad woman/You made her like that.”
“epiphany”
Swift wrote this song in tribute to medical professionals and veterans, and arguably has the most powerful message of the album. It compares working in a hospital during the COVID-19 crisis to being on the frontlines of war. In truth, all the lyrics are tremendously moving. Best lyric: “Only twenty minutes to sleep/But you dream of some epiphany/Just one single glimpse of relief/To make some sense of what you’ve seen.”
“betty”
In her next, more fictional track, Swift takes us back to high school romance. “Betty” is Swift’s first country song since Red, and she was welcomed back into the genre with open arms, performing at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. In the song, Swift assumes the character of a seventeen year-old boy James who messed up and cheated on his girlfriend Betty. The song goes through his explanation of the story and his wondering of what will happen when he can finally talk to Betty, and what eventually does happen (can’t spoil it!). “Betty” is a testament to how much Taylor Swift has grown since she was last singing about unfaithful high school boys. Best lyric: “The worst thing that I ever did/Was what I did to you.”
Taylor Swift, September 2020 (TASRIGHTSMANAGEMENT2020/Getty Images via Getty Images)
“peace”
Swift writes about being in love yet still doubting what she can contribute to the relationship. Joe Alwyn is a British actor known for leading a very grounded life within fame. In “peace,” Swift expresses her devotion yet she still worries that the lack of privacy in her life makes her a bad person to be in a relationship with. Best lyric: “All these people think love’s for show/But I would die for you in secret.”
“hoax”
This melancholy song is about being in a relationship and believing someone loves you when it’s not true. Swift describes falling in love with someone, being fooled, and suffering the consequences. Best lyric: “Don’t want no other shade of blue but you/No other sadness in the world would do.”
“the lakes” — bonus track
Folklore (deluxe version) includes this seventeenth track, and it is quite an addition. The song refers to the Lake District of the UK famous for the poets who lived there in the early 1800s, including William Wordsworth. Swift writes about a trip up in the scenic mountains and lakes with her significant other to escape from the real world. Best lyric: “Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die/I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you.”
Folklore reveals even more of Taylor Swift’s amazing songwriting skill. Having written and recorded it fully in quarantine, Swift boldly explores new areas of her creativity. With folklore spending 6 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard charts, her risk definitely paid off.
Citations: https://ew.com/music/music-reviews/taylor-swift-folklore-review/
