folklore

 Let’s be honest, 2020 has felt like somewhat of a perpetual rainstorm. So, when Taylor Swift announced the release of a new surprise album it almost felt like we uncovered a tiny silver lining. This album is everything we didn’t know we needed. It’s vivid, emotional, introspective, and slyly clever. It's composed of mostly soft music, letting the lyrics really shine and hit you deep in the feels. I wanted to share my initial thoughts and reactions to all the tracks. I love talking all things Taylor so if you want to join in on the fun, be sure to comment with your favorites below!

        the 1

Favorite Lyric: “In my defense, I have none, for digging up the grave another time. But it would’ve been fun, if you would’ve been the one”

Initial Impressions: I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say this, but the first time I heard this song I cried like a baby and I’m not even heartbroken. That being said, I really like this song. It’s normal to occasionally think about someone who you shared a deep connection with and I think this song is Taylor doing exactly that. We all ponder what could’ve been, even if you understand the relationship had to end. Eventually, experiences like this are what shape us and help us grow the most. Touché, Taylor.

Best For: When you think about the person you came close to spending a lifetime with.

        cardigan

Favorite Lyric: “You drew stars around my scars but now I'm bleedin'”

Initial Impressions: This song is very powerful; she narrates as an adult about teenage love and heartbreak. I especially love the imagery in the music video. To me, it tells a story of a woman exploring the long-ago memory of her first love, a love lost after infidelity. By the end of her recollection she is almost drowning in it – literally. When she pulls herself out of the memory and arrives safe in her cottage, she’s showing us that with the passing of time, wounds heal and become a (sometimes painful) memory. The darkest installment of the infamous “teenage love triangle.”

Best For: A cozy, rainy day playlist.

      the last great american dynasty

Favorite Lyric: “I had a marvelous time ruining everything”

Initial Impressions: This song feels like a story told by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Pools filled with champagne, dying animals key lime green, men and their bad habits. The song reflects the life of socialite, Rebekah Harkness, who was the previous owner of Taylor’s Rhode Island mansion. From what I gather, she was eccentric and liked to create her own path despite being highly criticized for it. (Remind you of anyone?) I know there’s a popular fan theory that the entire album is actually the life story of Rebekah Harkness, which you can read here. I think it’s a compelling theory to explore, although I haven’t personally bought into it (yet??).

Best For: A 1920’s Gatsby themed murder mystery night.

      exile (featuring bon iver)

Favorite Lyric: “I’m not your problem anymore, so who am I offending now?”

Initial Impressions: Wow, I think this song is brilliant, but makes me feel heavy, like I am physically experiencing the ambiguity between them. A story of two ex-lovers who run into each other after a breakup. Sad, beautiful, tragic.

Best For: Mourning the loss of a lover.

      my tears ricochet

Favorite Lyric: “And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?”

Initial Impressions: Most will agree that this song is deeply personal – it’s the album's track 5, after all. There are also quite a few lines alluding to the loss of her masters. Hauntingly sad; funeral references, the torment of emotional abuse, the pain of losing yourself. I think this song is easily one of the saddest Taylor has ever written. It also gets better every time I listen.

Best For: Your Saddest-Ballads-of-All-Time playlist.

      mirrorball

Favorite Lyric: “I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try”

Initial Impressions: I’d say this is one of the most autobiographical tracks on the album. Taylor using a mirrorball as a metaphor to describe herself. Explaining her need to perform and entertain, but also her inherit nature to people-please.

Best For: Road tripping with the windows down.

      seven

Favorite Lyric: “Love you to the Moon and to Saturn”

Initial Impressions: Musically, there’s an upbeat vibe with little hints of folk. Lyrically, there’s a yearning for moments of adolescence. The song feels sweet and pure but when you really listen, you’ll hear are a few lines hinting that one of her childhood friends may have had an unhappy life at home, making this song a tough listen for me.

Best For: Reconnecting with your inner child... Or revisiting the scars of your youth. This one can go either way, ha! 

      august

Favorite Lyric: “To live for the hope of it all, canceled plans just in case you’d call”

Initial Impressions: This song is absolutely insane! I know it's about a heartsick girl recounting a lost summer love, likely part of the “teenage love triangle” Taylor explained. But for me, this song just feels like a moment captured in time. I picture a bright-eyed girl, sun-kissed romance, old journals, wine-drunk on the beach, a sparkling sunset.

Best For: Can I say everything? At least it is for me, its one of my best-loved songs on the album.

      this is me trying

Favorite Lyric: “And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad, I have a lot of regrets about that”

Initial Impressions: I can really relate to this song. Maybe because I’m an Aries, maybe because patience isn’t one of my natural strengths, or maybe because I am often a stubborn hothead. (Probably all the above, let's be honest.)

Best For: Mulling over an apology you should give but don’t know how.

      illicit affairs

Favorite Lyric: “For you, I would ruin myself, a million little times”

Initial Impressions: A true romantic tragedy, we are given the heart wrenching details of a tale of infidelity. I’d say it’s a mature, yet still devastating, perspective on the impact that infidelity has on a relationship.

Best For: Finding comfort after you've been betrayed.

      invisible string

Favorite Lyric: “Cold was the steel of my ax to grind for the boys who broke my heart, now I send their babies presents”

Initial Impressions: This one is one of the best songs on the album, definitely the most romantic (aside from her Bonus Track, the lakes). Lyrically ethereal and filled with a few glorious insights. My favorites are: that the right love will make you feel safe, that your past mistakes will eventually lose their grip on you, and that no matter how deeply your heart has been broken, you will eventually let go of any grudges or pain.

Best For: Looking at life and realizing that everything will all work out in the end.

      mad woman

Favorite Lyric: “What did you think I'd say to that? Does a scorpion sting when fighting back?”

Initial Impressions: I think I'd dub this song a quick-witted fight for sexual equality. It's no secret that we live in a deeply sexist society, where women are often labeled "crazy" for expressing emotions in the same way that men do. I respect Taylor for exploring topics like this.

            Best For: Celebrating feminism.

      epiphany

Favorite Lyric: “Some things you just can’t speak about”

Initial Impressions: This song could be beautiful tribute to her grandfather, Dean, who she said landed at Guadalcanal in 1942. Although, it also feels like a dedication to the essential workers working the front-lines against the coronavirus pandemic. The overall mood of the song feels like current state of the world.

Best For: Retelling the story of 2020 to your grandchildren.

      betty

Favorite Lyric: “The worst thing that I ever did, was what I did to you"

Initial Impressions: To be honest, I didn’t love this song the first time I heard it, the harmonica isn't my favorite. Comprehensively, it's a successful way to get inside the head of a seventeen-year-old boy who’s trying to navigate his first big relationship mistake. This one is undoubtedly part of the aforementioned “teenage love triangle.”

Best For: A casual night at home.

      peace

Favorite Lyric: “I would die for you in secret”

Initial Impressions: Another favorite, definitely in the top three. I think this is such an alluring song. In my opinion it’s about feeling like you’re a hard person to love. Maybe you’re stubborn, secretly deathly afraid of abandonment, or find it hard to open up. Feeling like you’re simultaneously way too much yet never quite enough. Sure, you want to be with someone, but you know you’ll eventually ruin everything by self-sabotaging. (Don't worry, I have a wonderful therapist.)

Best For: Telling someone special that you’d do anything for them.

      hoax

Favorite Lyric: “Stood on the cliff-side screaming, ‘give me a reason’”

Initial Impressions: This song really gives me major Twilight: New Moon vibes. When I listen to it I feel like I have entered a mythical realm, or something. Another gut puncher but very bewitching. For me this one is the most mysterious tracks on the album.

Best For: Crying alone when your deep in your feelings.

      bonus track:

      the lakes

Favorite Lyric: “A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground, with no one around to tweet it”

Initial Impressions: The romantic, old-fashioned atmosphere in this song is absolutely remarkable! I can't get enough, it's definitely a favorite, probably one of my favorites of all time. Between the stunning melody, the unexpected strings, the perfect lyrics… It's a damn poem.

Best For: Giving a tribute to the love of your life.