“cardigan” by Taylor Swift, Sunday, March 12, 2023 + folklore track by track

While I think of Taylor Swift’s first lockdown album folklore as an autumn album, I heard an awful cover of “cardigan” yesterday, which made me crave the original. Perhaps “cardigan” could be a spring song, as the video does have springtime vibes. I decided rather than reposting to do a folklore track by track post. As I’m figuring out what this blog means for me in the post-pandemic, I’m realizing that it’s a personal project rather than a hope for mainstream readership. Rather the blog is me fleshing out my thoughts on my favorite topic: music. When I write a track-by-track review, it’s about giving multiple posts a home, in hopes of expanding later. For folklore, my top album of 2020, I will give links to the posts I’ve written before. Enjoy!

1. “The 1” opens the record, in which Swift announces that she’s “on some new shit”—though the song is probably written from another perspective, describing unrequited love. It’s a soft album opener, which is probably why I didn’t immediately fall in love with this record. But the song does set a tone and begins to place the themes in the record. Also, we see Swift’s love for numbers throughout the album. “The 1” starts us on the 1. 

 2. “cardigan” is today’s song. I wrote about it last fall. It was the lead single from the record.

3. “the last great american dynasty” is Swift writing the history of her house’s previous owner. This song deserves its own deep-dive, and is said to be the subject of Taylor’s first theatrical film. 

4. “exile” certainly is a highlight of the record with the Bon Iver feature. 

5. “my tears ricochet” opens with a kind of Gregorian chant. It’s a slightly anti-climactic compared to “exile” as any song after a highlight. The song is said to be about the falling out between Swift and Scott Borchetta and how he aided Scooter Braun buying her masters. 

 6. “mirrorball” reminds me of the ‘90s female rock songs, particularly the live record by the same name by Sarah McLachlan.  The song deals with how a celebrity is often a mirror to society, rather than an artist’s expression.

7. “seven” is a childhood memory that again evokes Swift’s love for numbers. 

8. “august” is the eighth month and the eight track on the record.

9. “this is me trying” feels like one of the most immature songs on the record, at least from the title. It comes from a spot when you have nothing more to give so you become self-reflective. You start making excuses and apologies for being the way you are. 

 10. “illicit affairs” isn’t a graphic song, but it deals with sexual infidelity in a frank, mature way. 

11. “the invisible string” is another autumn-feeling track that also seems to be self-referential. 

12. “mad woman.” Some have criticized Taylor Swift for entering the conversation about feminism late in her career. Some say that her attempts at addressing complex, polarizing issues are her weaker songs. “mad woman” feels sincere coming from a singer who has endured sexism in the industry. The lyrics of the song play on both meanings of the word mad.

13. “epiphany” is the point of the 16-track standard edition that I’ve zoned out, so I couldn’t recall the track. It’s pretty, though, after listening to it. 

14. “betty” concludes the teenage love-triangle trilogy. It’s Swift sounding country again through storytelling and a slight twang.

15. “peace” is a mature love song in which Swift lays her cards on the table, explaining what she can and can’t offer in a relationship.

16. “hoax” ends the album in a calm way. It’s a break up song in retrospect.