While 2020 was a whirlwind year for most people, one of the better parts of the year was the abundant release of new music. Most notably, Taylor Swift released two studio albums during 2020’s quarantine – Folklore in July, while its sister Evermore was released in December. Many fans (myself included) have found themselves listening to these albums on repeat, especially during the current times we find ourselves in, for a bit of solace. Attributing Swift’s well-known talent for lyricism, numerous parallels have drawn connections between these albums that go beyond genre and album covers. While these are all open to interpretation, here are some tracks that I’ve interpreted as sister songs.
- the 1 x ‘tis the damn season
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Folklore’s “the 1” describes a nostalgic remembrance of a lost love, and ponders “if one thing had been different, would everything be different today.” Throughout the song, Swift states that “if her wishes came true,” her lover today would still be ‘the 1’ for her. Tying into this, “‘tis the damn season” depicts two ex-lovers back in their hometown for the holidays and, in their solace, wanting to reconnect just for the weekend. The relationship described in both of these songs seems to have been a once in a lifetime connection that the narrator will always be nostalgic over. Despite the longing remembrance that the narrator looks back on these relationships with, they seemed to have moved on from the relationship, though they can’t stop themselves from wondering what could have happened.
We never painted by the numbers, baby
But we were making it count
You know the greatest loves of all time are over now
But we were something, don’t you think so? /
It would’ve been sweet
If it could’ve been me
So I’ll go back to L.A and the so-called friends
Who’ll write books about me if I ever make it
And wonder about the only soul
Who can tell which smiles I’m faking
And the heart I know I’m breakin’ is my own
To leave the warmest bed I’ve ever known
- august x gold rush
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“August” and “gold rush” seem like contrasting messages on the surface; however, upon deeper reflection, both are about indulging in the memory and fantasy about someone you can’t have. Swift’s perspective in “august” illustrates the one-sided longing in an ill-fated relationship, because the lover was never hers to have. She pictures her relationship with him, but realizes it’s all gone now; a metaphor, similar to how the seasons change. While she tries to stay in the memories she has of the relationship, she’s drawn abruptly to the reality that her lover wasn’t hers to lose. Similarly, the narrative in “gold rush” paints the picture of jealousy from being attracted to someone that everyone admires. Because everyone else is also pining after this person, the protagonist has to stop picturing her life with him; she catches herself falling in love with the idea of this seemingly perfect person in her head. Throughout the song, the narrator makes clear their dislike of jealousy, and perhaps self-consciousness, that leads her to conclude the relationship is doomed before it begins.
But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time /
‘Cause you were never mine /
For me, it was enough
To live for the hope of it all
Cancel plans just in case you’d call /
So much for summer love and saying “us”
‘Cause you weren’t mine to lose
Everybody wants you
Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you /
I see me padding across your wooden floors
With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door
/ And then it fades into the gray of my day-old tea
‘Cause it could never be
- this is me trying x champagne problems
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“This is me trying” and “champagne problems” tell a tale of a relationship struggle that leads to a woman rejecting her would-be fiancé’s proposal, leaving him heartbroken. The track “this is me trying” exemplifies someone’s personal struggles – whether addiction, anger issues, mental health, or a combination – and how that makes it hard for them to navigate their relationship. They are doing their best to take care of themselves, but the narrator makes it clear they’re struggling. “Champagne problems” then deals with the aftermath of the struggles and realizations founded in “this is me trying.” Throughout the song, it is implied that the protagonist has had a history of mental health issues, which is further speculated on from bystanders’ gossip surrounding the turned-down proposal. Swift herself stated that the song depicts “longtime college sweethearts who had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring.”
I’ve been having a hard time adjusting /
Pulled the car off the road to the lookout
Could’ve followed my fears all the way down /
They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad
I have a lot of regrets about that /
I just wanted you to know that this is me trying
Your heart was glass, I dropped it
Champagne problems /
Your hometown skeptics called it
Champagne problems /
Love slipped beyond your reaches
And I couldn’t give a reason /
“This dorm was once a madhouse”
I made a joke, “Well it’s made for me” /
“She would’ve made such a lovely bride
What a shame she’s f*’ed in the head,’ they said /
You won’t remember all my champagne problems
- invisible string x long story short
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Taking a turn from the fictitious perspectives Swift wrote from for most of Folklore and Evermore, “invisible string” and “long story short” describe the personal growth Swift has gone through in recent years. The title “invisible string” pays tribute to an old myth known as the Red String of Fate, which ties two soulmates together. Throughout the years, Taylor Swift has experienced the ups and downs of relationships, in addition to the constant speculation the media threw at her. One example of her growth is shown when she sings about her past (public) upset with ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas, whom she has buried the hatchet with and has sent a present to his newborn baby. Swift expresses the gratitude she feels for the relationship she has with her current partner, Joe Alwyn, despite all she has gone through to get here; “hell was the journey but it brought me heaven”. In Evermore’s “long story short,” Swift gives an overview of the destruction of her reputation since her public feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in 2016, which led to her disappearance from the public eye. “Long story short,” however, shows she has finally found peace and put aside the dramatics that surrounded her reputation era; this further illustrates how Alwyn has been her solace throughout her turmoil in recent years.
Out of all the wrong arms, right into that dive bar
Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire /
One single thread of gold tied me to you/
Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart
Now I send their babies presents /
Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven
Past me
I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things
Your nemeses
Will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing
And he’s passing by
Rare as a glimmer of a comet in the sky
And he feels like home
If the shoe fits walk in it everywhere you go
Though these are the pieces that stuck out to me that I put together, there are an endless amount of connections between these two sister albums. And I suppose until Swift’s rerecords start releasing on April 9th, we’ll need something to do right?