taylor swift’s “folklore”: track-by-track review
On July 23rd, Taylor Swift made an announcement that no one saw coming — the imminent dropping of her 8th studio album within 24 hours. Inspired by her COVID-19 isolation, she created what is easily her most lyrically, vocally, and sonically mature and complex album to date. It’s a highly nuanced emotional wrecking ball that moves, inspires, and leaves little doubt as to Swift’s genius as a songwriter and musician.
Click here to see a track-by-track review of folklore’s sister album, evermore
the origin of folklore
Taylor Swift’s 2020 calendar was a busy one. In January, she dropped the revealing feature-length documentary Miss Americana on Netflix to critical acclaim. The next week she released the ambitious music video for “The Man,” the feisty and defiant feminist anthem that served as the fourth official single from Lover (her seventh studio album released a few months prior).
Then it was time to get ready for Lover Fest. Rather than go on her usual grueling schedule of a globe trotting mega-tour to support Lover (her previous two tours played 85 shows in 10 countries and 53 shows in 7 countries, respectively), she opted for a relatively subdued 17 shows in 11 countries for the so-called Lover Fest. But that was quickly called off when COVID-19 ravaged the globe. She was one of the first major artists to state unequivocally that she would not perform live at all in 2020 and that all her dates would be pushed back to 2021.
So what did Taylor do in quarantine? Well the general public was unsure up until last Thursday when she made the shocking announcement that her eighth album was hours away from dropping. She somehow had managed to conceive of, write, perform, and produce a full-length album of original music in just four months. She announced the following on social media:
“In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve.”
Swift’s fans — and the music industry as a whole — were stunned. The shortest duration between two Taylor Swift albums previously had been 23 months and here we were getting her eighth album 11 short months after Lover. And, furthermore, it wasn’t a gimmick album. It wasn’t an EP, greatest hits collection, live recording, or remix album. It was a full fledged addition to her impressive discography.
Even before anyone in the general public had heard it, the album was already a game-changer for Swift. She completely eschewed her typical release strategy of building up to release day with a bold announcement of a visually, sonically, and thematically distinctive new era followed by months of social media campaigns, buzz singles, music videos, and live performances. She simply said, “Here you go” and dropped minimal information about an imminent new album in our laps. We had a series of opaque black and white photos and 17 song titles, all stylized in lower case letters. That’s it.
Was this new approach… a) an inevitable business decision based on the harsh new realities of COVID-19? b) a strategic ploy to coincide with a bold yet minimalist new approach to her music? Or c) an indication that this superstar had taken a break from caring about commercial viability, chart performance, and public perception to just focus on her craft?
It turns out the answer is d) all of the above.
folklore: an overview
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. There already have been some criticisms of folklore, even among Taylor Swift fans. Some have said it is “boring.” And it is certainly true that it lacks the stadium-ready anthems, varied tempos, and soaring vocals of her previous albums. Some have also said that it sounds like a “rip-off” of the work of alternative singer-songwriters. This criticism might make sense to me had Taylor Swift not only been a nuanced and introspective singer-songwriter who just happened to be immensely gifted at gussying up her confessionals into radio-friendly hits. (But even if it isn’t the type of music someone enjoys or would like to see from Swift, I find it hard to imagine anyone truly thinking it is “bad.”) These criticisms are inevitable, because folklore wasn’t made to be a crowd pleaser. It was made so that Taylor Swift could flex her creativity and be completely vulnerable and authentic.
In reality, though, criticisms of folklore are few and far between. It currently has an average rating of 89/100 on MetaCritic, which indicates “universal acclaim” and is her best rated album ever on the site. It also appears to be a commercial success, as it sold 1.3 million copies globally in its first 24 hours (according to the record label anyway).
I put off listening to the album for nearly 72 hours after its release. I wanted to be able to devour it with my full attention and in one sitting and, well, life got in the way. I have now listened to it in full twice and pored over the lyrics with great curiosity.
My conclusion is that the album is a flat-out masterpiece. On the first listen, I was deeply engrossed but felt that I could not even come close to comprehending the lyrical and musical nuances. The second listen made me appreciate, comprehend, and enjoy it infinitely more and I imagine that I will continue to discover new aspects of during each of the dozens and dozens of times I inevitably revisit it.
The album does not feel like Taylor trying to imitate someone else or develop a new persona, but rather Taylor for the first time being who she truly is. Most of the lyrical themes, imagery, and tropes are hardly new for her, but the way she delivers them certainly is. The rhyming and phrasing is complex, the melodies are subtle and varied, the vocals are restrained and layered, and the orchestration is deceptively simplistic. There isn’t a single stand-out, radio-friendly hit on the album. But there also isn’t a single weak song. In addition to re-teaming with her tried-and-true partner Jack Antonoff (who has assisted with the produciton of her best albums) she also collaborates with Aaron Dessner (of the band The National) here and suffice it to say that a potentially legendary and enduring partnership is born.
Over the course of the album’s 17 songs, Taylor delves into familiar themes like past loves, childhood innocence, public perception, her various feuds, and her journey to empowerment. But along the way she weaves in stories about the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II and the heir to the Standard Oil fortune, references to Salvador Dali and Ernest Hemingway, and an ode to the medics on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Perhaps the album’s most ambitious feat is the three-song arc comprised of “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” The songs chronicle the emotional fallout of a high school love triangle from three different perspectives, that of the lover scorned, the lover used, and the reckless boy who caused all the pain. The songs are complicated narratively and lyrically, connecting in very subtle ways. They also represent a massive evolution in Taylor’s exploration of infidelity (just compare the lyrics here to those of “Should’ve Said No” and “Better Than Revenge” from her earlier albums). Theses can (and probably will) be written about this arc.
folklore: track-by-track review
“the 1”
The opening track sets the tone for the album exquisitely. It is a fantasy about how her life might have been different if one of her past loves had been “the one” (hence the title) as opposed to a heartbreaking disappointment. Her soft vocals and the subdued arrangement let the listener know what’s to come and her bold (by Taylor Swift standards, anyway) use of profanity in the opening line shows us that we are in for something new and unexpected.
- Favorite lyrics: “We were something, don’t you think so?/ Rosé flowing with your chosen family/ And it would’ve been sweet/ If it could’ve been me/ In my defense, I have none/ For digging up the grave another time/ But it would’ve been fun/ If you would’ve been the one”
“cardigan”
The first single (the music video dropped the same day that the album was released) is also the first song in the aforementioned teenage love triangle trilogy. It is written from the perspective of the one who was cheated on, as she looks back older and wiser. The song has a very complex structure, vivid imagery, and a mature and restrained vocal performance.
- Favorite lyrics: “To kiss in cars and downtown bars/ Was all we needed/ You drew stars around my scars/ But now I’m bleedin’”
“the last great american dynasty”
Perhaps the best song on the album, here Taylor Swift digs into the real-life story of Rebekah and Bill Harkness, a mid-western middle class divorcee and the heir to the Standard Oil fortune (respectively) who caused a scandal with their marriage about 70 years ago. What does this have to do with Taylor Swift? Well, she now lives in their Rhode Island mansion. The lyrics are some of her finest storytelling and when she draws parallels to her own biography (along with a striking key change), the song goes from a remarkably catchy ditty to a gut-punch.
- Favorite lyrics: “Fifty years is a long time/ Holiday House sat quietly on that beach/ Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits/ And then it was bought by me/ Who knows, if I never showed up, what could’ve been/ There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen/ I had a marvelous time ruining everything”
“exile”
This song is reminiscent of “The Last Time” (a standout track from her fourth studio album Red), but is even better. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver duets with Taylor Swift on a complex examination of differing perspectives on a breakup. Their vocals blend brilliantly on this layered, piano-driven heartbreaker.
- Favorite lyrics: “ I think I’ve seen this film before/ And I didn’t like the ending/ You’re not my homeland anymore/ So what am I defending now?/ You were my town, now I’m in exile, seein’ you out/ I think I’ve seen this film before/ So I’m leavin’ out the side door”
“my tears richochet”
The fact that Taylor Swift can turn her devastation over losing the rights to the masters for her first six albums into a wrenching metaphor about a woman watching as the man who destroyed her attends her wake is perhaps the strongest evidence ever that she is a songwriter like no other. The haunting arrangement underscores the power of this ballad.
- Favorite lyrics: “We gather stones, never knowing what they’ll mean/ Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring/ You know I didn’t want to have to haunt you/ But what a ghostly scene/ You wear the same jewels that I gave you/ As you bury me”
“mirrorball”
One of Taylor Swift’s favorite lyrical themes is her complicated relationship with fame and attention. Perhaps never has she examined it with more self-awareness than she does on this deceptively upbeat and wistful track where she digs deep into her desire to reflect others, please others, and adapt to the desires and opinions of others.
- Favorite lyrics: “And they called off the circus, burned the disco down/ When they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns/ I’m still on that tightrope/ I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me/ And I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why/ I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try/ I’m still on that trapeze/ I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me”
“seven”
This nostalgic and folksy tune is chocked full of imagery. It tells the story of a young girl who feels desperate and helpless when it comes to protecting her deeply traumatized best friend.
- Favorite lyrics: “And I’ve been meaning to tell you/ I think your house is haunted/ Your dad is always mad and that must be why/ And I think you should come live with me/ And we can be pirates/ Then you won’t have to cry/ Or hide in the closet/ And just like a folk song/ Our love will be passed on”
“august”
The second song in the teenage love triangle trilogy, this one is told from the point of view of the “mistress.” Compared to cardigan, the song features a faster pace, more instrumentation, and a more hopeful vocal performance. These small differences effectively reflect the different perspective she is taking on.
- Favorite lyrics: “Back when we were still changin’ for the better/ Wanting was enough/ For me, it was enough/ To live for the hope of it all/ Canceled plans just in case you’d call/ And say, ‘Meet me behind the mall’/ So much for summer love and saying ‘us’/ ’Cause you weren’t mine to lose/ You weren’t mine to lose, no”
“this is me trying”
In this ethereal and somewhat gothic song, Taylor owns up to her failures, mistakes and insecurities with a naked vulnerability that is refreshing and a bit jarring.
- Favorite lyrics: “They told me all of my cages were mental/ So I got wasted like all my potential/ And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad/ I have a lot of regrets about that”
“illicit affairs”
This guitar-driven song is yet another examination of the nuances and emotional impact of infidelity and features some of the most clever lyrics and heartbreaking emotion on the album.
- Favorite lyrics: “And that’s the thing about illicit affairs/ And clandestine meetings and stolen stares/ They show their truth one single time/ But they lie and they lie and they lie/ A billion little times”
“invisible string”
Her ode to her partner Joe Alwyn includes nuanced biographical details and literary references amidst a meditation of the possible role of fate in bringing them together. It might be too schmaltzy if it wasn’t infused with her wise and grounded realization that this belief in fate is a precious illusion.
- Favorite lyrics: “A string that pulled me/ 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”
The story of a vengeful widow taking revenge on the town that cast her out is an obvious metaphor for the misogyny Taylor has long been on the receiving end of. But like all songs on folklore, she doesn’t go for the easy or obvious themes and emotions. Rather she examines the process through which men induce anger and madness in women through abuse and then leverage sexist tropes and structures to publicly chastise them for behaving angry and mad. The ever-so-slight alteration of her voice highlights the raw (and well-justified) anger.
- Favorite lyrics: “Now I breathe flames each time I talk/ My cannons all firin’ at your yacht/ They say ‘move on,’ but you know I won’t/ And women like hunting witches, too/ Doing your dirtiest work for you/ It’s obvious that wanting me dead/ Has really brought you two together”
“epiphany”
Perhaps the most difficult song to “get” on a first listen, “epiphany” begins with a verse chronicling her grandfather’s PTSD from his service in the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II and then segues in the second verse to a tribute to the brave medical professionals and first responders on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic. The adjoining chorus and subsequent lyrics liken the two experiences as being the trauma-inducing experiences of American heroes. It is stunning in its lyrical depth and scope, although her decision to structure and produce the song somewhat like a hymnal may reduce its emotional resonance for some.
- Favorite lyrics: “Something med school did not cover/ Someone’s daughter, someone’s mother/ Holds your hand through plastic now/ ‘Doc, I think she’s crashing out’/ And some things you just can’t speak about”
“betty”
The final song in the high school love triangle trilogy, this one is from the perpetrator’s perspective (ostensibly a man named James). The song is a refreshing feminist perspective on the love school triangle where the blame is laid solely on the shoulders of the man and he is left feeling guilty, ashamed, and heartbroken that she has moved on. From the opening use of the harmonica to the outro, this song is an absolute gem.
- Favorite lyrics: “You heard the rumors from Inez/ You can’t believe a word she says/ Most times, but this time it was true/ The worst thing that I ever did/ Was what I did to you”
“peace”
This song stands out with its off-kilter production, odd pacing, and raw vocals. In the song, she asks a lover if she can ever be enough for him given that she will never be able to bring him peace (either due to her personality or her fame — or more likely, both).
- Favorite lyrics: “And you know that I’d swing with you for the fences/ Sit with you in the trenches/ Give you my wild, give you a child/ Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other/ Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother/ Is it enough?/ But there’s robbers to the east, clowns to the west/ I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best/ But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standin’ with me”
“hoax”
The final song of the standard album explores a toxic relationship in a manner that is subdued, insightful, and mournful as opposed to angry. It is deeply moving and ends the album on a much darker note than her previous albums.
- Favorite lyrics: “Stood on the cliffside screaming, ‘Give me a reason’/ Your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in/ Don’t want no other shade of blue but you/ No other sadness in the world would do”
“the lakes” (bonus track)
This bonus track was originally only available on the physical CD for sale on her website, but was later released digitally. This subdued, string-driven song took several listens for me to fully appreciate but when I did, the power was staggering. The lyrics depict her concerns that she may not be cut out for the modern world of cutthroat competition, blistering criticism, and social media. Rather, she longs to retreat to nature with her love like the poets of yore. It is a haunting elegy with beautiful vocals and a tentative outro that perfectly caps this nuanced and emotional work.
- Favorite lyrics: “A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground/ With no one around to tweet it/ While I bathe in cliffside pools/ With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief”
In Sum:
folklore is not Taylor Swift’s most enjoyable album and it will certainly not be her most commercially successful album. And only time will tell if specific songs on the album will end up raking in the upper echelon of her greatest works. But, for me, it is unequivocally her best album to date (and this comes from someone who really loves the Grammy-winning blockbuster 1989). It is the most mature, layered, and sonically and lyrically cohesive album she has ever recorded and leaves absolutely no doubt that she is one of the all-time great songwriters.
Rating for “folklore”: 5/5 stars
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