On July 23, Taylor Swift surprised fans with an announcement that she would be releasing her eighth album at midnight. With no pre-released singles or previews of the album, for the first time in Swift’s career, she released all 16 tracks at the same time.
What makes Folklore different?
Made entirely in quarantine, Folklore has a different sound than the rest of her works. Unlike the array of country and pop songs that Swift created in her past, Folklore is comprised of indie-style alternative tracks.
While Swift has been known in the past for her songwriting, Folklore is a true testament to her talent. In her previous works, the question has always been who the song is about, as Swift often wrote songs about her own life, but Folklore comprises some songs that are about fictional worlds and people.
While fans have theorized that some songs may be about Swift’s personal life, on launch day Swift said that the album was based on stories that she created. The title Folklore is a nod to how Swift blended real-life experiences with her imagination.
“A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around. Sometimes even sung about,” reads a letter Swift released in tandem with the album. “The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between the truth and fiction become almost indiscernible.”
The fantasy element results in a listening experience where you are trying to figure out the storyline and characters in the songs. You are no longer just trying to understand which ex-boyfriend the song is about. As a long-time Taylor Swift listener, this type of removed storytelling was refreshing.
Folklore is a Taylor Swift album like no other, with storylines that not only carry through one song, but are blended through multiple songs on the album.
The love triangle storyline
Before the album’s release, Swift revealed that three songs on the album tell the same story from three different points of view. The story describes a teenage love triangle and is one of the standouts of this album. Fans immediately tried to figure out which songs she was referring to and who the different characters are.
The first song included in the story is “Cardigan,” which is the album’s single and the second track. “Cardigan” describes the point of view of Betty, who tells of a romance that she has with James where she felt like his favourite person. With lyrics like “chase two girls, lose the one,” it is obvious that something is wrong with the situation.
The next song in the story is “August,” which is the eighth track on the album. This is the perspective of the other girl in the story, Inez or August (the definitive name has yet to be discovered because fans are still theorizing). She had a summer romance with James and she really cared for him, but knew that it wasn’t meant to last. The chorus of this song tells a haunting situation: “August slipped away like a bottle of wine, ‘cause you were never mine.”
The final song in this story is the fourteenth song on the album called “Betty.” This song, which is the most reminiscent of Swift’s country days, is the one that wraps the situation together. With this song, we hear the tale of James apologizing to Betty and describing his side of the romance with Inez/August. In the song, he says “the worst thing that I ever did, was what I did to you,” to Betty.
These three songs come together to create a tale that we hear a lot, but from perspectives that we don’t normally think of. Even if fans are wrong and it’s a different combination of songs, the importance of seeing all the points of view of a love triangle remains the same.
There are no villains in this storyline because in real life, there isn’t always a clear villain in difficult situations. The album’s love triangle is just three teenagers who feel very strongly about each other and end up in a messy situation. Because Swift has made herself an objective third party, it allows the listeners to do the same and we can feel empathy for all parties, rather than just one.
How Folklore is just like the rest
The rest of the album includes tracks that tell smaller stories within themselves. Swift said that many of the songs began with visuals and the listener can picture them even on the first listen.
When you listen to the songs, you can see a girl getting her heart broken, the childhood best friends running around, the disco ball above the dance floor. It almost feels like you are watching a movie while listening to the songs. While Swift keeps her familiar themes of love in her songs, she does include some new perspectives into the album.
“The Last Great American Dynasty” tells the story of the people that owned Swift’s house in Rhode Island before her. It’s the tale of Rebekah Harkness and her second husband William Harkness.
William was heir to Standard Oil and after he died, Rebekah was known to throw parties and wreak havoc on the neighbourhood. The Harkness’ house was also where Swift threw lavish Fourth of July parties. This connection between Swift and Rebekah is one of the many reasons why this song stands out on the album. It is a true story that connects two women from different times.
“Exile”—featuring the band Bon Iver—portrays two people telling different sides of a breakup. The man feels as if he is being betrayed, whereas the woman feels she doesn’t owe him anything.
With other tracks including the perspective of a murdered woman’s ghost, “My Tears Ricochet,” and a disco ball rotating above the dance floor, “Mirrorball,” each song on the album tells a unique story.
Final thoughts
I have been a fan of Swift for over a decade and Folklore is by far her greatest album. Between the storytelling and the lyricism, Swift delivers an album that no one will ever be able to replicate.
While I prefer the style of Folklore, I understand that to have success, Swift may want to create happier songs with more radio playability as she has done in her past. Although, as has been shown the past few days, Swift’s fans clearly love a surprise.
In a time where music is not so much about radio playability, but rather how it makes someone feel while locked in their house during the pandemic, the album is perfect. The soundtrack feels like a warm hug and is exactly what the world needed.
Folklore is made of stories that take the listener out of the current situation that the world is in. It makes being quarantined in your house and reading the news a little easier because you have a soft world of music and whimsical stories to listen to.
I cannot wait to see what Swift does next. Whether she continues along this more lyrical indie root or goes back to radio hits, it’s clear that she isn’t slowing down.
One thing is for sure though, there will never be another Folklore again. It was exactly what the world—and I—needed.
Featured image provided by Taylor Swift via YouTube.
