Taylor Swift released acoustic performances of her album, folklore, along with commentary from her and her co-writers, on Disney+, and it elevates the album to another level.
The film, folklore: the long pond studio session, was filmed in upstate New York, and it was the first time Swift played the album with collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. They famously wrote and released the album during quarantine, each from their respective locations, and put it together remotely. Now, they speak about the experience and background of each song and perform them in Long Pond studio, owned by Dessner and located among rolling mountains and a scenic lake.
The best part about the film is the story that Swift tells about the inspiration behind each track. By revealing her inspiration and train of thought in writing each song, she gave the album a depth that is unattainable without that knowledge.
For example, “this is me trying” was one of my least favorites on the album until Swift revealed that she wrote it about people struggling with addiction and mental health. At that point, so many details and double meanings were made clear, and the deep emotion behind the song explained its mellow sound. Several other songs seem unexciting upon first listen but have multiple layers to dig into after knowing their backgrounds.
Another reason the album is so different is that, according to Swift, this was the first time she wrote an album that was not autobiographical and instead told fictional stories through music.
Three of my favorite songs on the album are each told from the perspective of three people in a love triangle. “August” from the voice of “the other woman,” “Cardigan” from the woman who was cheated on, and “Betty” from the cheater, also known as James. Another track tells the story of Rebekah Harkness, a socialite whose mansion, Holiday House, Swift now lives in.
With Swift’s commentary, these stories become even more life-like and compelling to listen to.
In addition to the lyrics, the performances in this film are special and intimate, much better than what a concert version would be. Dessner and Antonoff alternate between piano and guitar, losing themselves in the music as much as Swift does, and the three perform beautifully together.
Swift used an intense and difficult time for everyone to write an album completely about the human experience: not only about addiction and mental illness but also the idea of fate, unrequited love, divorce, war, death, and celebrity.
I highly recommend fans and non-fans to give the film a watch and listen to the album through a different lens. So many genius lyrics and use of the written word will once again show just how talented of a songwriter Swift is.