Week 1 post 2: The folklore love triangle

    When Taylor Swift surprise dropped her 8th album, Folklore, she hinted to a connection between three of the songs. Unlike her past work, Folklore blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. While some of the songs were about her own life, many others were stories of made-up people. Fans immediately started looking for the connection and ultimately discovered the Folklore love triangle told by the songs Cardigan, August, and Betty. This was then confirmed by Swift herself. Cardigan, the first of the three, tells the story of a woman, Betty, looking back on a relationship from her youth. The character we soon learn to be named James cheated on her with another woman. Then comes the song August, the story of the other woman. Unlike Swift’s past work like Better Than Revenge, this song creates sympathy for the unnamed character. She had fallen in love with James even though she knew it was a summer fling, and that he was still in love with Betty. Finally, the song Betty connects all of the stories. It features James showing up on Betty’s doorstep, begging her to take him back. 

    The subtle connections Swift weaved between these songs is a demonstration of her incredible songwriting. Things as simple as cobblestones, and the concept of knowing everything/knowing nothing connect Cardigan and Betty, while a single lyric of August where James gets in her car connects August to the song Betty and explains who the other woman was. These three tales that seamlessly weave together, despite being spaced out on the album, not only show Swift’s mastery of lyricism and storytelling but also her fans' dedication to truly listening to the lyrics and finding connections.