Taylor Swift Changes Perspective on 'folklore,' One of Her Career Bests

Photo: Republic Records

by Tyler Glover
On July 23rd, Taylor Swift announced on social media that she would drop her eighth studio album in just 17 hours. This definitely sent Swifties and the world into a frenzy. Normally, Swift has promoted her upcoming albums for at least two to three months before finally dropping it. Swift opted this time for the "surprise" album. It was definitely a great surprise, producing one of her best (if not, the best) album of her career.
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Swift started out as a country artist and transitioned fully to pop with 1989. However, she has always experimented with her music. In her sixth studio album, reputation, there were even elements of hip-hop. With folklore, Swift is taking on the alternative/indie genre. folklore is more proof that Swift is not tied down to a certain genre of music and can excel at whatever she chooses to create. This is because she is proving herself to be one of the best songwriters of all time. Swift's ability to write captivating lyrics that tell relatable stories is why she has fans of all ages.

folklore is vastly different in terms of the stories Swift is telling. Her previous albums have always sparked interest about who the song was about from her personal life. However, since she started dating actor Joe Alwyn in 2016, she has wanted to keep that relationship private. This album is definitely setting a tone for how the rest of her career could go: by telling stories from different points of views and characters going through something she is not experiencing.

The most interesting point of views she investigates in this album is the rumored "Teenage Love Triangle." In the best song on the album, "Betty," Swift details the story of James, a 17-year boy, who is in love with Betty, but cheated on her with Inez. He wants to win Betty back after this mistake. There are three songs on the album from their three perspectives. "Betty" is from the perspective of James. "Cardigan" is rumored to be from Betty's point of view and "August" is rumored to be from Inez's point of view. Every song is gold. "Cardigan" just reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it is no surprise why. "August" is the song that most feels like it could have been on her last effort, Lover. The best of this trio is "Betty." "Betty" feels like a throwback to Swift’s country days but with a more grownup perspective.
Other standouts on the album are "Epiphany," which explores the similarities between soldiers and healthcare workers and how they get little sleep and experience things that many never will while also adding that they may only get 20 minutes to process it. There is also "Mirrorball," where Swift portrays herself as a mirrorball longing to entertain us even though the world could be ending. Finally, there is the most energetic song on the album, "Last Great American Dynasty," which gives a historical account of the previous owner of her Rhode Island mansion, Rebekah Harkness. Swift tells her story and then draws comparisons of the lives they are leading while living in that house. My favorite lyric is when she sings, "I had a marvelous time ruining everything."

The entire mood of folklore is very comforting. If you have heard Swift sing acoustic versions of her songs and adored them, this is the album for you. This is the perfect album to listen to while drinking a glass of wine, sitting on the porch and watching the sunset. Swift has given us country, pop and now an alternative album. In quite possibly the best album of her career, Swift shows she is not slowing down anytime soon and is up for reinvention even 16 years into her insanely successful career.

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