Taylor Swift dropped her latest album, folklore, last week. I’ve been hearing “Cardigan” on the radio all week, and I’ve been enjoying it more and more every time I hear it. It’s a really nice, chilled-out summer song, and I actually think the tinge of sadness/nostalgia really works for this summer in particular. This is not the summer where people are partying non-stop. Perhaps bittersweet nostalgia vibes work best in a pandemic. That’s what critics are saying too, that this album is great and it’s got a really nice vibe and all of that. And as always, the sales are amazing. She sold more than 1.4 million albums/downloads in the first 24 hours. “Cardigan” has been #1 on Spotify since it came out.
There’s been a lot of, uh, Snake Fam conversations about “did Taylor reveal the baby name of Blake Lively’s third child,” and… okay, I get it, the fam loves some inane Taylor Swift blind items. But what’s even more surprising is that… there aren’t more of those blind items. Have you noticed that? Usually we would be knee-deep in conspiracies, thinkpieces, blind item mysteries and more. While Taylor has gotten great reviews, there’s also not a lot of media and gossip beyond that.
Personally, I’m more interested in her quarantine bangs and general styling around folklore. I’m enjoying the folksy styling, but the quarantine bangs have to go! Turns out, she styled herself for the “cardigan” video – she said: “I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other.” That’s pretty awesome, because I was wondering about that. It’s one thing to create an album in quarantine, when people can work in separate studios or socially distance in a studio. But putting together a music video in lockdown conditions is something else. And she did it!
She also released a second video for “Cardigan”.
Incidentally, if you want some vintage Kaylor drama, check this out. My question is: has Karlie Kloss really not “liked” any of Taylor’s tweets or Instagrams in the past week?
Also, this was very sweet:
.@TaylorSwift13 sends ‘folklore’ merch to Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Natalia:
“I’m OBSESSED with folklore!” pic.twitter.com/VtmG2nGgPL
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 25, 2020
Photos courtesy of Taylor Swift.
I don’t know. I just can’t get into the album. I appreciate that she’s going back to her songwriting roots but her generic white girl vocals don’t really work for the melody-less nature of these songs, IMO. I got bored.
Yeah, it’s boring. I find her very basic.
@Grant. Same. Couldn’t finish it.
“Cardigan” is a very good song, “Mirrorball” is the finest to me. Love the album vibe in the whole. Nice one, Swift!
same here. Im obsessed with Mirrorball and This Is Me Trying. other good ones I admire but not on loop for me? The 1, Last Great American Dynasty, Illicit Affairs. Im not a stan of Taylor & I have definitely called out stuff before, but I do like some of her music & believe she is a talented songwriter considering most artists these days dont write their own anything. Thats why she was able to make a good album during quarantine. everybody else is waiting for others to write it & then mix fake vocals in the studio to make themselves sound better.
Ive always been fascinated with the whole ‘blind item’ writing in her career bc one, its different in the post-digital era being able to weave in a romantic narrative that is either orchestrated, or one that is real but switches around certain details. we’ve had blind item songs before but not in the world where this bizarro internet & couple marketing climate….easter eggs in videos, etc. she many times has switched the pronouns cuz she’s talking about a female love interest (this album’s the 1 a shoutout to the road trip up the 1 w/her and karlie, which fueled the speculation they were more than friends. Wonderland/Wish You Would = Diana A). I believe 100% Swift is bi, not gay, and has had both male and female loves. But the industries like music and film/tv are outwardly progressive, but behind the scenes they are extremely homophobic in that anything outside hetero is considering a risk to revenue & a global profit. it needs to change, but so does the world.
ive really been impressed by taylor’s growth seemingly the past few years. honestly it seems the reputation era drama made her kind of rethink things – she subsequently being waaaaay more political compared to past, very dangerous neutrality to not offend more conservative fans. glad she killed that technique, at least thats evolution. tho a lot of swifties are still nuts, like doxxing reporters who give an 8/10 review….
Cardigan is a fresh song for her, I really appreciate she stopped singing a hundred words on the same note like she usually does!! She was driving me insane with it.
And the video for it is dreamy and beautiful. Being a pianist and the piano being my home, I can relate to it deeply.
It’s a nice album. I think this type of music actually plays to her songwriting ability more than some of the bigger pop songs she has been doing in recent years. I don’t think its a masterpiece of songwriting or anything, but its nice.
I like Cardigan and Last Great American Dynasty, and mirrorball, but a lot of the other songs blend together for me.
I do like that its not as drama-filled or as filled with blind items etc. Just let the music stand for itself.
Im glad she dropped the Easter eggs and blind items. She seems to have finally turned a corner which is great. Her style and hair still suck though.
I got some Karlie vibes from “my tears ricochet.” It feels like a friendship breakup song more than one about an ex-partner (I don’t believe the Kaylor rumors but I do think their friendship ending was profound for Taylor). I’m looking forward to whatever reveals are to come out about this album because it had post-breakup angsty vibes. I really want to know more about “the 1.”
My tears ricochet is about Scott Borschetta and her label breakup disgusied as a romantic breakup song. Key lyric being “stolen lullabies.”
“My tears ricochet” is definitely about Scott Borschetta. “mad woman” is about Scooter Braun and the song has lyrics that accuse him of having side flings and cheating on his wife …so I guess the old Taylor can still come to the phone right now. I do like how she weaved the Easter eggs into stories about other people’s lives though (ex: “My tears ricochet” tells a story about someone being at an old lover’s wake/funeral but there are still details about Scott in there).
I’ve heard that “My Tears Ricochet” is about her “breakup” with her record company but I don’t know if that was one reviewer’s interpretation or if there’s information out there that supports this; she reported it as a “fact” but who knows? However, that might account for the post-breakup vibe of the album.
I like the album but not as nearly much as most other people seem to and that’s fine. Everything is not for everybody and I’m all for anything harmless that is bringing people joy during the pandemic. I’ve been loving Haim’s Women of Music Pt III as my pandemic jam.
I’ve been listening to Jagged little pill! The perfect pandemic soundtrack, and I was never a particular Alanis fan before, but damn, now I GET it. It’s a really specific mood and it fits the pandemic 😀
Came to say the same thing! There are two record label/Scooter songs.
I am really enjoying Folklore. Exile and The Last Great American Dynasty are probably my two favorites, but Cardigan does get stuck in my head, so…
My boyfriend and I listened to the whole album while relaxing in hammock in the woods by my house. It is the perfect music for that.
This album makes me feel all warm and cozy inside and makes me forget all the chaotic stuff going on in the world right now. I’ve been playing it nonstop since release especially exile and august. IMO, it’s her best album yet – sales are breaking records, critically acclaimed and mostly drama-free. Our Tay tay is growing up, you love to see it.
Mad Woman and My Tears Ricochet definitely seem like mellower (and better written) songs from her Reputation era. But it does seem significantly less drama filled than her previous albums.
I’m not against singing about your personal life, but I’ve always side eyed how she usually does it. Instead of just singing about her feelings and whatnot, she give really specific examples and drops enough Easter Eggs so the listener knows exactly who she is talking about. It feels like she used the identity of her famous exes and the promise of getting gossip to promote her albums, rather than relying on her skill. If the boys she wrote about weren’t famous, she wouldn’t have had so many people tuning into the songs. Unlike Adele, Sam Smith, Ed Sheehan, etc. She always used them as a example when people complained about her writing about their personal life, but they don’t use their exes identity to promote the songs. They rely on just the song being good and heartfelt.
I feel like it’s a snake eating its own tail, to be honest, because while it is ethically questionable in some situations, on the other hand…fans and media eat it right up. Nothing gets a headline faster than some good drama lol. So from a marketing perspective? Pretty slick. It gives you a story to push the music out.
I’ve been a TS fan since her first album, so admittedly I am a little biased For nostalgia reasons, even though I have been late to the party/lukewarm about her last 3 albums. I think she’s growing up and her music And self-awareness reflect that (not that she doesn’t take 2 steps back sometimes). She doesn’t need the same blind items to get fans interested in the stories she wants to tell. Think about how what you talk about with your friends changes from age 15, 20, 25, 30 and that is basically what is happening with her music. By the by, I was Thinking about exactly this topic as I was running to The Man this week.
Can’t get enough of this album right now. I think this definitely shows more mature lyrics and I’m here for it. Warm and cozy is right as Lyca says! Myself and my other half went for a long drive around the English country roads near us last weekend while listening to the whole album through and it was such a vibe.
Apart from Betty (early country Taylor, alright, bit out of place in this album), and Mirrorball (the only one I skip cos I just don’t feel it), I think it’s a great album. She has major skill for emotional middle eights too, always has done.
I’m obsessed with Cardigan! And I love The 1, August, Invisible String, My Tears Ricochet, Exile and The Last Great American Dynasty.
I don’t think there is a lot of blind items in “folklore”. As she stated, a lot of the songs are fiction. Cardigan, August and Betty are the Teenage Drama Trilogy. Last American Dynasty is about Rebekah Harkness who used to own Taylor’s Rhode Island house, and I love that she wrote a song about this. The 1 seems to be about her past love life in general, I don’t get the feeling it’s about someone in particular. Invisible String is obviously about Joe. Seven is about her childhood. My Tears Ricochet is allegedly about her former record company.
I’ve been listening because it is good vibe music while I work. But I’m not a fan of James in the teenage trilogy. Used the summer girl and ran back to the other. 😂😂😂
Epiphany is such a powerful song but you need a quiet, unrushed moment to listen to it. The second stanza is about COVID and the whole thing is heartbreaking and deeply moving.
I’ve seen nurses talking on Reddit about how that song made them cry and spoke so clearly to them. “Only 20m to sleep” talking about their exhausting work schedules.
The day folklore came out, my mom called me about something & I texted her back, “Can’t talk. Sobbing over a Taylor Swift song.” Like full on racking sobs. Mom texted back, “Taylor Swift? That’s new for you.” It is. I’ve liked occasional songs, but this is the first time a whole album has really worked for me & I’m really into it. The song epiphany, about WWII soldiers & hospital frontline responders during Covid, is deeply moving. I recommend watching the official lyric videos to sink into the feelings of the album. Damn, it’s so good.
In addition to the teen triangle trilogy of songs TS mentioned, someone on the internet has a theory that the whole album has a storyline with overlapping characters, including the woman who owned her house in Rhode Island. So even when the songs are about personal experiences, they can also be part of this larger narrative. Vulture has a good article with Aaron Dessner who breaks down each song and sort of confirms the larger narrative? At least the themes. He does a really nice job of talking about how their collaboration worked.
Enjoy if you can, all. These are difficult days and it’s good to find things that lift us up or give us a break. Stay safe & healthy. Sending good vibes to all ❤️
I haven’t been a fan of hers in a while, but I always give her new albums a listen out of loyalty to my teenage self. I adored her first two albums but tuned out around Speak Now and Red. I liked 1989 despite not wanting to, didn’t care for Reputation, and Lover didn’t really click for me. Folklore is the first one in a long time that I’ve given multiple listens. Her songwriting really shines here, much more so than with the pure pop she tried for a while. There’s a maturity here that’s been missing for a while and the lack of blind items is definitely a part of that.
I absolutely love this album and I’m so fascinated that Betty could be a sapphic love story situation. I cannot wait to see what the music video reveals if she releases it as a single. Exile is amazing, My tears ricochet….there isn’t a song I don’t love.
I do wish she had labeled it a folk album instead of alternative. Bon Iver is definitely an alternative master but most of the songs are folksy.
Many people will go after me but here it goes – she doesn’t have the voice for folk music. There’s nothing sweet, nostalgic or even melodic about it. Chill, folk music relies a lot on vocals and her’s is just… flat. Generic. Nothing special.
I’ve listened to the album a couple of times and I guess there are only two songs I liked.
I wish she would go back to country – that’s her best music/lyrics, and vocal work.
She may have called Kanye a clown on Peace, which features the lyric: “But there’s robbers to the east / Clowns to the West.”
West is capitalized and east is not.
I absolutely and unashamedly love it. Her lyrics have become astoundingly good. So many proustian moments evoked about the one man I have truly and completely loved.
Invisible string is such a great, heartwarming song, I’ve been listening to nit nonstop!
She’s def prego…. Easter eggs all over the album. Pregnant. She’ll make the announcement in April.
I actually really hope so. I’ve become a late to the party fan and I love this album in a way I haven’t loved one a long time.
I think she’s grown up and I’m strangely proud of her. Especially after watching her documentary.
life has been hard with everything in the world. I’ve been at near breaking point lately, and honestly, this album is so mellow and calming, it’s nice to just play on loop throughout the day without overstimulation. I think it’s the first time i’ve ever been *thankful*? for an album?