Swift Drops Two Albums: Folklore and Evermore

• March 26, 2021

By Camille Storch

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A musical icon for our generation, Taylor Swift has certainly made a long-lasting impression whether you are a fan or not. From her first country album, Taylor Swift, to currently releasing two back-to-back studio albums, Folklore, Evermore, and everything in between, Swift has been a prominent figure in music for almost 15 years.

Last July, Swift released Folklore and the surprise shook the world. A quick piece of advice if you are not a “Swiftie,” Swift normally goes dormant on all social media about a month before releasing some sort of announcement. Per usual, Swift’s last instagram post before the big announcement was mid-June, more than a month prior, yet no one seemed to notice, distracted by the chaos of Miss Rona herself. The album was released 11 months after Swift’s previous album Lover, an upbeat, pop album with hidden romance messages to her real-life lover, British actor Joe Alwyn. 

So, what is Folklore and why is it such a big deal in Swift’s music career? I’ll tell you why. The  album is composed of 16 original tracks, all composed by Swift, longtime collaborator Jack Antinoff, Aaron Dessner, and William Bowery (pen name for Alwyn), and all written through “phase one” of quarantine. When I first saw the album cover, I had no clue what genre of music was going to be included. With a black and white color scheme, Swift is pictured alone in a forest, surrounded by trees, giving off an aura of mystery and suspense. 

Now, you may be wondering, what about that other album? 

Last November, Swift released another surprise for fans called “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions” on Disney Plus. This included Swift, Antinoff, and Dessner in a recording studio tucked away in upstate New York, playing through the whole album, acoustically, but most importantly, together, as they recorded the entire album in separate studios due to COVID.

So, fans were shocked when the announcement came that ANOTHER album was being released that night at midnight! How much Taylor content can we handle? I needed a couple months to recover and digest Folklore, another album??

Evermore is the sister album to folklore and follows a similar pattern, with 15 original songs, all exploring different genres, no two songs the same. In Swift’s announcement on social media, her reasoning was “we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music.” Similar to Folklore, Evermore follows the same pattern where Swift is not only creating songs based on her own experience but off those of her friends, family, and fictional characters from movies and books. 

Out of a survey of 77 people, some AHS students included, 57 percent of the votes (44 people) chose that Folklore was their favorite album over Evermore, while 43 percent of the votes (33 people) chose Evermore over Folklore. It is interesting that it was almost a tie between the two albums which leads one to infer that these “sister” albums are truly “related” in the sense that they are of a similar genre, similar perspective, and finally, equally appreciated by Swift’s audience. 

Top Five Responses For Favorite Taylor Swift Songs

Folklore

The songs in this album span from cheery and uplifting, to evoking a slow tear to nonchalantly stream it’s way down your face.

Here are my top three:

• “August”: This romantic tune brings us back to the simple joys of summertime along with all of the spontaneous secrets and excursions we partake in during the summer months. Throughout Folklore, Swift depicts a love triangle that appears in at least three of her songs, more if you look for hidden Easter eggs. “August” is told through  the perspective of “the other girl” and allows the listener to see through the lens of the girl who knew she was disrupting a relationship, yet developed true feelings for her lover. She has developed a sense of hope that maybe he will leave his girlfriend for her, with lyrics such as, “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, for the hope of it all, ‘Meet me behind the mall.’” She’s reaffirming this longing to be chosen over the right and moral choice.
• “Exile”: In this heart-wrenching song is a duet with the gravelly, soulful voice of Bon Iver (Justin Vernon), two ex’s look back on their past relationship. The palpable bittersweet and complicated feelings hang in the air. The male voice refers to the woman as “his town,” while she refers to him as “her crown,” both stating they feel they’ve been put “in exile” from these places since their relationship has ended. There are also conflicting messages on how it all ended with Vernon’s character saying that “You never gave a warning sign,” while Swift sings that “I gave so many signs..you didn’t even see the signs.” It’s left up to the listener to decide who’s eyes they best see the perspective of the relationship through.
• “My Tears Ricochet”: Starting off slowly with a chorus of voices, you are serenaded by a church choir, and then Swift’s voice joins in, a subtle tone, sadness and disappointment seeping through her lyrics. This particular song was written about Swift’s experience with Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun, owners of her previous record label who decided to hold rights to five of Swift’s eight albums, technically becoming the owners of her music. The lyrics, “You wear the same jewels that I gave you, As you bury me,” further reinforce the anger behind these two wealthy, arrogant men taking credit for all of Swift’s hard work and success. 

My runner ups:

• “The Last Great American Dynasty”: Swift gives insight into the lavish lifestyle of the previous owner of her Rhode Island mansion, Rebecca Harkness, who named the home, Holiday House. Fun Fact: Holiday House is right on the water in Watch Hill, RI, and can be ogled at if you choose to go visit.
• “The 1”: The opening track is fun and bouncy, with Swift taking a positive outlook on life, despite acknowledging she and her past love could have been soulmates.

Evermore

I would say that Evermore takes on more of a serious, hurt tone, but there are still some hidden gems with funny Easter egg meanings.

Here are my top three:

• “Champagne Problems”: This song has been applied to many different celebrity couples and even more so, to tv show characters who people believed were meant to be together in the long run. “Champagne Problems” is a sad ballad pointing out the reality of the right person, wrong time. The most resounding application of this song has been to the novel and now movie, Little Women. The lyrics, “One for the money, two for the show, I never was ready, so I watch you go, Sometimes you just don’t know the answer, ‘Til someone’s on their knees and asks you,” perfectly fit in the puzzle with the friendship, could-have-been marriage, between Jo and Laurie, where Jo wasn’t ready to settle down when Laurie wanted, and then when she was Laurie had already moved on. These “champagne problems” that Swift refers to are the hidden fears of committing and being real with yourself and those you surround yourself with. 
• “Gold rush”: This upbeat jingle addresses Swift’s desire to express her feelings to someone who everyone loves and everyone is attracted to. The metaphor of a “gold rush” is used in the context that there are so many people who want this desired person that she would just be another face in the crowd, lost in the frenzy. The meaning of the song doesn’t quite take precedence though over the actual music. The song begins in another choir-like voice, the words “gleaming” and “twinkling” stretched out, before the beat drops and it slips into a quick pattern. When Swift begins questioning herself, the song shifts into an angelic background, before returning to the quick beat as she day-dreams about this majestic person.  
• “No Body, No Crime”: This is yet another song I will add to my “Swift’s Vehicle Manslaughter” folder. Previous Swift songs that live in this folder include “Getaway Car”, “I Know Places”, “Style, “Out of the Woods”, “I Did Something Bad”, and more. This song follows the story of Swift’s friend, Este, who confides in Taylor that she is suspicious her husband is cheating on her. Este can’t prove it, but she has a strong feeling. When Este goes missing, Swift begins to take notice of the husband’s every move, from his new truck, his new mistress, and more, since Este is dead. Swift believes that the husband killed Este, but she “just can’t prove it.” In the end, Swift sings, “Good thing my daddy made me get a boating license when I was fifteen, And I’ve cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene,” allowing the listener to infer that Swift murdered the husband. Good story line, good tune, horrible tragedy. 

My runner ups:

• “Coney Island”: Swift reflects on past relationships, and if you are a true Swifite, you can dissect the lyrics to know which ex she is talking about. Hint, at least three are mentioned. 
• ”Tis the Damn Season”: A reunion between high school lovers, a bit of aggression from Swift, really solid musical composition.