Week 4 post 1: Folklore

• Released folklore on july 23, just 11 months after her previous album lover 

• She announced it on a thursday and released it on a friday, there was no teasing or drawn out release schedule 

• “The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible” 

• Swift has done and excelled in country and pop, and has even dabbled in hip hop in her album reputation, but folklore is the first time she has ventured into alternative indie folk 

• Moves away from her first person narratives and decides to create her own, escapist world filled with characters feeling things she can relate to 

• There are fictional stories, there are historical stories, there are personal stories—and there are all three in the space of single songs.   

• Songs like My Tears Ricochet is about a tormentor showing up at the funeral of the object of their obsession but the wording connects to the idea of Scott Borchetta betraying taylor swift when she lost ownership of her records. The object of his obsession would be her records. 

• In the song The Last great American Dynasty swift tells the story of Rebekah Harkness, discussing all of the drama in her background and then connected herself to the story when she bought Harkness’s house 

• Epiphany tells an imagined story of her grandfather at war 

• This album, without much publicity or a drawn out release schedule or any chance at having top pop hits, was massively successful 

• Won Album of the Year at the grammys among other awards 

• Brought a new fan base without completely alienating fans of her pop and country work