Folklore Album Review

Back in July 2020, Taylor Swift took the world by storm when she surprise released her 8th studio album folklore. In a move no one saw coming, Swift teased folklore’s release on social media just a few hours before dropping the project. It’s safe to say that Taylor Swift, who’s usually known for her flashy buildups to album release day, shocked the quarantine world with this one. An album created solely in isolation, folklore was something even Swift hadn’t planned on creating in 2020. But with the pandemic turning lives upside down and forcing people to stay home, Swift did what she does best — she let her imagination run wild. The result? A cozy, folky masterpiece: Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year folklore.

I’ve loved and listened to folklore for two years straight and the staying power this album has had on my favorites list amazes me. I’ve wanted to review it for awhile, but never got around to hitting publish (literally, this post has been in my drafts since August 2020). So in honor of the album’s 2nd birthday, here are my thoughts on Taylor Swift’s 8th studio album folklore. My ultimate comfort album and the one I keep going back to!

the 1

In my opinion, the 1 is the perfect opening track. From the song’s first line — “I’m doing good, I’m on some new shit” — you can feel the song’s energy come to life. A song about reminiscing on a former love, the 1 leaves you feeling lost in thoughts about how life would be different had someone else been the one. This song, like so many others Swift has created over the course of her career, brings back the painfully relatable feeling of heartbreak, more so what it feels like to lose someone you thought you’d be with forever. A truly magical song, it’s one of my favorite opening tracks across her whole discography and I think it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of folklore.

My favorite line: “But we were something, don't you think so? / Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool / And if my wishes came true / It would've been you”

cardigan

Cardigan, the leading single from folklore, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 100 for good reason; aside from the fact that it’s written and recorded by Taylor Swift, one of the biggest pop stars of our time, cardigan tells the most beautiful story of love, loss, and second chances. It’s a lyrical masterpiece, arguably one of Swift’s best written songs of all time. I love the way the chorus uniquely changes with each verse, leading to chorus three into the last verse, my favorite part of the whole song. The line “I knew you tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy” is peak Swift songwriting. Who else would think to compare lost love to the Peter Pan ending? Truly remarkable. Cardigan is my favorite song off folklore. There, I said it!

My favorite line (well, verse): “But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss / I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs / The smell of smoke would hang around this long / 'Cause I knew everything when I was young / I knew I'd curse you for the longest time / Chasin' shadows in the grocery line / I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired / And you'd be standin' in my front porch light / And I knew you'd come back to me”

the last great american dynasty

In under four minutes, this song tells the story of Rebekah Harkness, an American composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist, among many other credits. The former owner of Swift’s Holiday House in Rhode Isand, Harkness was better known for throwing star-studded parties at her mansion, hanging with her “b*tch pack friends”, and causing lots of commotion. An often harshly criticized target in the tabloids, socialite Harkness led a fabulously entertaining life, one that’s been quite fascinating to read about.

The last great american dynasty is one of the coolest songs Swift has ever written. After minutes of telling Harkness’s story, Swift turns the table onto herself, drawing so many striking comparisons between she and Harkness’s lives (less we forget Swift’s Fourth of July bashes, her girl squad days, and all the scrutiny she’s faced from the media for an array of seemingly innocent topics). This song gives me major motion picture vibes (@Hollywood — PLEASE!), which makes it such an enjoyable listen every single time it comes on. The creative songwriting is 10/10 for me.

My favorite line: “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”

exile (feat. Bon Iver)

Exile is a song that follows two contrasting perspectives following a failed relationship. From the perspective of Justin Vernon’s character, Swift’s character gave no warning signs that the relationship was failing; from the perspective of Swift, the warning signs were abundantly clear. In the case of exile, it would appear that miscommunication led to the end of the relationship. Swift explains that the two ex-lovers never could get on the same page, and now their love is in exile. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song and definitely one of the best duets Swift has ever featured on an album.

My favorite line: “You're not my homeland anymore / So what am I defending now? / You were my town, now I'm in exile, seein' you out”

my tears ricochet

A song Swift wrote entirely by herself, my tears ricochet is one of the most emotional on folklore. Though she hasn’t publicly spoken about the song and all that inspired it to be written, there’s a lot of speculation that my tears ricochet is a song about her departure from Big Machine Records and the public battle that ensued over the ownership rights to her master recordings. No doubt, Taylor Swift was Big Machine’s biggest asset, an artist who remained the staple center of the label until her departure.

Swift’s songwriting abilities really sparkle in this track. From the opening verse, the line “And if I’m on fire, you’ll be made of ashes too” sets the narrative — if Big Machine brings Swift down, they go down too. They might have her masters — her “jewels” — but she’s leaves with more power, more success, and a fanbase that will support her through the rerecording of her albums and the rest of her career. I love the last chorus the most. If Swift is metaphorically “dead” so too are Scott Borchetta and Big Machine. My tears ricochet is such a great song, highly deserving of the notoriously emotional track five slot too.

My favorite line: “You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same / Cursing my name, wishing I stayed / You turned into your worst fears / And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain / Crossing out the good years”

mirrorball

Mirrorball is a phenomenal song. I especially love the comparison of life to the fragility and reflectiveness of a mirrorball. In so many ways, we all show reflections of ourselves that we want others to see. We strive to portray the best version of ourselves, and we do whatever we can to keep others looking and laughing at us, because in the end, we desire relevancy and respect from those around us. In the same way a disco ball shimmers and shines, it also breaks into tiny pieces when it shatters. I love this analogy to the human life; as humans, we shine when we’re high and shatter into a million pieces when we break down.

My favorite lines: “I'm still on that tightrope / I'm still trying everything to get you laughing at me” and “I'm still on that trapeze / I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me”

seven

A true folk song packed with dark lyrics of childhood trauma, seven is the reflection of someone looking back on the naivety and innocence of youth. Though it’s admittedly not my favorite from folklore (which doesn’t mean I don’t like it), I still think it’s an important song. In the eyes of children, life is often rainbows and butterflies and larger, more complicated topics are too hard for small minds to comprehend. You can hear the innocence in the line “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”, a line that comes just after Swift talks about the main character’s friend’s dad always being mad, perhaps because the house they live in is haunted (a conclusion that only a naive child would come to). This song feels like the epitome of folklore.

My favorite line: “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

Many people, myself included, can relate to the experience of losing something that was never theirs to begin with. In the song august, Swift tells the tale of “the other girl” caught up in a summer fling that was bound to fade from the start. In this failed relationship, time slipped away into a moment, but was still enjoyable while it lasted, as noted in the line “August sipped away like a bottle of wine”.

August is a personal favorite of mine, probably my second favorite behind cardigan. It takes me back to the days of high school where I felt like I was always chasing highs I had no business chasing. I’d get myself caught up in situations I knew were temporary and would be devastated when they slipped away from me and into the hands of someone else. But I still pushed forward, living for the hope of it all, exactly the way Swift narrates. I find august to be incredibly relatable in that way.

My favorite lines: “But I can see us lost in the memory / August slipped away into a moment in time” and “Remember when I pulled up and said "Get in the car" / And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call? / Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all”

this is me trying

From the very first verse, you hear the struggling Swift ache over the strains she admits to cause in a relationship. She knows the faults she has — like how her words shoot to kill when she’s mad — but she’s trying to be a better, more humble communicator. Throughout the song, she pleads that she’s trying her best to overcome said shortfalls. We all have our weaknesses in relationships and lash out in different ways when things upset us, but it’s beautiful to be able to recognize, talk about, and resolve those triggers rather than to tuck them away and let them fester within you. Love is stronger when both parties communicate openly, honestly, and with love, intention, and sincerity. I love what this song stands for.

My favorite line: “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

One of my favorite things about illicit affairs is that it perfectly describes what a secret love looks like — good in the moment, but catastrophically bad when it abruptly comes to an end. In just a few short minutes, Swift tells the tale of a forbidden love, one that was born and maintained on the basis of lies. When the song enters the bridge, Swift falls apart much like that of the illicit affair itself, leaving her wanting to scream at her former lover for creating such a mess of her emotions. The song comes to a close in the same way most situations of infidelity end — suddenly and without a lot of warning.

My favorite lines: “Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me / You showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else” and “Look at this idiotic fool that you made me / You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else / And you know damn well / For you, I would ruin myself / A million little times”

invisible string

Invisible string may be one of Swift’s most admirable love songs. Following the idea that an invisible string of fate connects two people to find each other at some point and time in life, the real lesson here is that the heartbreak and failure of past love is only present to serve as a stepping stone to a love that’s really meant to last forever. Throughout the life of the song, time changes from curious time to mystical time to wondrous time as fate draws two lovers from the wrong arms into the right ones. Oh how I resonate with the idea of that single thread of gold fate. It’s such an accurate depiction of love and all the crazy, mysterious ways in which people come to cross paths with one another.

Hearing this song for the first time, I was left thinking about my own invisible string. Alex and I met in our college residence hall, something that may not have been entirely possible had his semester study abroad opportunity not fallen through at the last minute. It’s funny how certain life events lead you exactly where you’re supposed to be. Had Alex gone away for the semester, would we have still crossed paths? It’s unlikely given the fact that we had different friend groups, majors in two different schools on campus, and we wouldn’t have lived in the same residence hall upon his return (he moved off campus and I went to work as a resident assistant in another hall).

My favorite line: “Time, curious time / Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs / Were there clues I didn't see?”

mad woman

I’m so glad Swift wrote and released this song. What feels like a more emotional extension of Lover’s The Man, mad woman echoes the sentiment that Swift illustrated in a 2019 interview — a man is allowed to be “tough” and react, while a woman can only ever be an overreacting, overemotional ball of fury. I relate to this song in many capacities, especially given that I work in a primarily male-dominated industry. My male colleagues can be direct and straightforward, but for me, I’m labeled as “cranky” or “b*tchy” if I act the same. I get emotional and frustrated easily, this is true, but I also know that my frustration comes from a place of just wanting to do the right thing with as little nonsense and wasted time as possible. I’m a practical person, so when I get riled up and I know I’m right, I admittedly have a hard time moving on, similar to how Swift sings “They say "move on," but you know I won't”.

It’s a damn shame women’s emotions are so heavily policed by society. I hate that any slight showcasing of emotion turns a woman from a polite, well-mannered figure into an overemotional mess or an angry bear. It’s bothersome that a woman who’s provoked gets labeled a mad woman, even if someone pokes her to the point she breaks. I firmly believe it’s okay to stand up for yourself when you know you’re right. If society wants to paint the picture of a vengeful woman, let it. Society shouldn’t be able to tell you how to act and react based on gender. In the same way men are able to, women should have the ability to fight back, stay loud, and strike to kill when they have to. Life is survival of the fittest after all.

My favorite line: “Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy / What about that? / And when you say I seem angry, I get more angry”

epiphany

Epiphany is the most unique songs on the folklore album. I love the way the song is written to draw comparisons between chaos experienced by front line hospital workers during the pandemic to soldiers fighting for freedom while at war on the battlefield. The lyric “With you I serve, with you I fall down” is so poetic and beautifully ties the two worlds together. An ode to the fighters in all eras, epiphany is a heart stopping sad song for the ages.

My favorite line: “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

Written from the perspective of 17-year-old James, betty is a song of learning to acknowledge and learn from past mistakes. Revealed after folklore’s release, James was dating Betty when he had an affair with the narrator of previous folklore track august. After finding out about the affair from Inez, Betty goes off to live her life, leaving James to figure out how to get the love of his life back. The song follows James’s struggle to get Betty’s attention; he knows he messed up, but he doesn’t know how to to apologize and ask for forgiveness.

I love the way Swift puts herself into character in betty. It’s hard enough to sing from Betty’s side of the relationship, but it speaks volumes of Swift’s songwriting ability to turn the perspective to James’s view. I adore this song of teenage love; it takes me back to high school love and heartbreak and makes me feel all those nostalgic feels over and over again. And from a purely musical standpoint, the harmonica in betty adds so much volume to the track too.

My favorite line: “If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it? / Will it patch your broken wings? / I'm only 17, I don't know anything / But I know I miss you”

peace

Swift’s been in the spotlight for so many years, her life is far from normal. This she knows well. So how could she ever give someone the promise of a normal relationship? In peace, Swift sings about all the things she’d do for her partner just to showcase her true love and devotion, but because of who she is, she’s afraid it’ll never be enough. Swift can’t promise a life without paparazzi and headlines and drama; there’s always going to be rain wherever she’s standing. She wants to give her sunshine, her best. But what if she can’t?

I think peace is such an eloquent song. In many ways, the lyrics are clearly personal to Swift, but like the majority of the music in Swift’s discography, the words in peace still pierce through to rest of the world too. We’re all searching for normalcy. We’re all looking for the peace and stability that accompanies love in its truest form. The question is — will our love be strong enough to weather the storm?

My favorite lines: “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 standing with me” and “Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?”

hoax

Once again, Swift’s lyricism shines bright in hoax. Throughout the song, Swift wonders how she could have let someone in on the intricacies of her life — to have really shown parts of herself she doesn’t show to everyone — only to be let down. Yet she tried to fight for the relationship because she believed she could fix what was broken, even though it was never going to work in the first place. The relationship was, by definition, a hoax, but one she truly believed in. And now that she’s lost her “only one”, she’s left to figure out what comes next.

Hoax is a song that puts me in my feelings. So many times I’ve believed in a person or situation more than I should have, despite all the red flags and warning signs. I’ve let myself become a pawn in the games of others, too naive to see the writing on the wall. In many ways, I see past versions of myself in this song. Maybe that’s why it’s always been a folklore favorite of mine.

My favorite lines: “Don't want no other shade of blue / But you / No other sadness in the world would do” and “You knew the password, so I let you in the door / You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score? / You knew it still hurts underneath my scars / From when they pulled me apart / But what you did was just as dark”

the lakes — bonus track

I was fine with folklore ending on hoax’s sad note, but then Swift gave us one more poetically beautiful song to actually tie up the album. More in line with other closing numbers from past albums, the lakes is a quintessential Swift redemption track (see: Change, Long Live, Begin Again, Clean, New Year’s Day, and Daylight). Following hoax where Swift tearfully sings about her “frozen ground”, “barren land”, and “kingdom come undone”, the lakes showcases what happens when you let yourself love again. The red rose of love grows from the frozen ground of heartbreak when you meet the right person. What an excellent poetic metaphor.

For many years, Swift has kept her personal life and romantic relationships out of the public spotlight, something she’s said has been so refreshing for her; in the lakes, you hear Swift singing about overcoming grief and living her life with her lover in private. Now I must visit the Lake District when I travel to the UK because I’ve been daydreaming of it’s peace and beauty for years.

My favorite line: “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”

Thank you Taylor Swift for writing this beautiful piece of art. The way it saved me during the pandemic and the way it still saves me now >>

What’s your favorite track from folklore? Please share in the comments below!

Enjoy!

JB