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Just so you know, I'm not really into pop music but Taylor Swift's Folklore album is something that made me into a TS fan. I've been listening to her music for years and enjoyed her popular ditties but never considered myself a proper Swiftie. Her previous albums were fun and catchy pop music memoirs about her love life and famous exes. Her cats fascinate me though and I hope she writes songs about them in the future.
So what's the backstory about my favorite Taylor Swift album? COVID-19 pandemic happened and Folklore was a by product of Taylor's time in isolation. As expected, the restrictions and boredom imposed by the pandemic forced her to turn her energy inwards and hence this hauntingly introspective indie-folk inspired album came into existence. The pandemic spurred a lot of creative innovations and Folklore is a brilliant example of that.
I listened to this album in its entirety while watching the Folklore Long Pond Sessions documentary on Disney+ where Taylor sings all the songs in the album while giving the audience snippets of her creative process. Recorded at Long Pond Studio in the forested area of Hudson Valley in New York, this album is refreshingly raw and heartfelt.
For a lot of musicians, the COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult time to make new music but not for Taylor Swift. In reference to her recent song from the Tortured Poets Department "I Can Do it with a Broken Heart" she sings:
I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an artYou know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart.
Come hell or high water, heartbreak, pandemic, or an on-going world tour, Swift continues to do what she does best- write brilliant lyrics with an addictive and memorable hook.
As the cover of the album suggests, the loneliness, isolation and limited movement brought about by the pandemic inspired a creative cocooning in the woods (we mean this both literally and figuratively) that produced a beautifully bare boned collection of songs that relies heavily on minimalist musical instrumentation and soulful vocals. Proving her critics wrong, Folklore is an undeniable showcase of Swift's songwriting and storytelling genius.
I'm not going to dissect every line of her songs and its corresponding thematic interpretation but I will write about how these songs can feel better than therapy.
MY FAVE TRACKS
The 1 and Cardigan are almost on the same musical latitude in terms of tone and tempo. I suspect these are twin songs. One song is not enough to express the hurt of heartbreak, break-ups and what-ifs.
August is an upbeat summer anthem about a short-lived summer romance or fling. Sweet and bittersweet.
My Tears Ricochet- The saddest song in the album that will put you on an emotional wringer. Very cathartic.
Mirrorball- I love this song for what it is and what it is not. If only I can show you every version of yourself tonight.
Betty- Teenage nostalgia that you can look back to when you're 60. The sweetest song in the album.
Exile- A magical duet of Taylor and Bon Iver. Very therapeutic.
The Last Great American Dynasty- This is one of the more upbeat songs in this album. It is inspired by Rebekah Harkness, a Rhode Island socialite whose Holiday House (mansion) was purchased by Taylor. Fun song despite it's true-to-life inspiration.
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