Taylor Swift released her 8th studio album, folklore, on July 24th, 2020. Before she released the album, she released a statement on her twitter about how this album was inspired by stories. It’s a nice idea, but I wasn’t sure if it would translate well in the actual album.
I could not have been more wrong. The album is truly a masterpiece, combining Swift’s talent for music and lyrics with a beautiful selection of stories. folklore is stunning, and the stories it tells stick with the listener.
The first story that I really remembered after first listen was the last great american dynasty. It tells the story of a marriage into money, a home, and the death of a dynasty. It’s a short story, but a very interesting one. It also features swift’s enjoyment of funny lyrics, featuring “and in a feud with a neighbor, she stole his dog and dyed in key lime green.”
I also very quickly noticed that three of the songs connect perfectly. august, Betty, and cardigan intertwine, telling the same story from different perspectives. august and Betty are set at the same time, and cardigan is a follow-up to those songs.
exile tells the story of a break-up, and Taylor’s decision to feature Bon Iver on this track adds to the beauty of this story. It’s sad but beautiful in the best way and is a perfect Taylor Swift breakup song.
illicit affairs, mirrorball, and my tears ricochet are all beautiful, haunting tracks about love and loss.
These are the tracks that have stuck with me specifically, but the album tells even more beautiful stories.
Taylor’s folklore statement says that “A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around,” but I believe that her sung tales will also become folklore. In order to reach that status, we will need to listen to them and pass them on to our friends . . .
Which is why I am asking you to listen to this album. I believe that everyone who listens to this album will find themselves to at least one story that Taylor sings. It’s an extremely mellow, easy listen, and I hope it will stick with you like it has stuck with me.
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