Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most iconic pop stars of this generation. With a lengthy discography consisting of catchy tunes that get stuck in people’s heads, she has been dominating music charts since her very first debut, the published song Tim McGraw.
Given her record as a top-notch artist, it is then no surprise that amid the coronavirus outbreak and stay-at-home restrictions — a time when many artists are taking a break from their usually hectic life to kick back and relax— Taylor Swift decided to put all hands on deck for new music.
During this quarantine-induced period, Swift and her crew have been busy shooting music videos, perfecting choreography, and adding the finishing touches to a new musical project.
Swift has always had a unique style when it came to her music. From the very beginning, she was able to pull listeners in by exemplifying her impressive storytelling abilities through music.
This same storytelling concept applies to her eighth studio album: Folklore.
A perfect example of her storytelling abilities is the song Epiphany. The song, like the rest of the album, can be interpreted as a passage of time through the many moments in life — from its daunting lows to its euphoric highs. On the track, Taylor Swift alludes to her grandfather fighting in World War II. Swift describes how her grandfather tended to a fallen comrade who was wounded on a beach. Her description of the events is calming, almost as if she were describing someone taking a long walk on the beach — with a darker twist.
Staying with the previously established dark mood, the first allusion sets up the stage for the second part of Epiphany where Swift writes about the tragedy that is the coronavirus. She writes the song from the perspective of a nurse in a hospital who is working with a doctor on a dying patient.
Because of the severity of both topics, fans can only assume that there is a bigger metaphor hidden amid the relaxing instrumentals and her soothing voice.
In the song, the soldier and the nurse are seen on the “front lines” in a war that seems to be never-ending. They are both overwhelmed with their current situations, one attempting to save a comrades life during war against enemy soldiers while the other tries to save the life of a patient during a war against COVID-19. Both stories come together for a dramatic and chilling story that Swift writes excellently.
This song and songs like Cardigan and The Last Great American Dynasty cover a wide range of topics from what Taylor Swift is accustomed to. In her previous albums and singles, Swift would have an air of hopeless romanticness or a bitter ex-lover with songs like Blank Space and Bad Blood being popular examples of this.
However in this new album, Swift flexes her writing skills with intricate metaphors about her life and society. In the song entitled Isolation, Taylor Swift shows fans just how creative and intimate she can be with her fans and her emotions.
The album plays almost like a poem. The stories are fictional yet each song holds a sense of historical importance and personality within them— which allows them to break past the limits of music and come to life.
Songs on the album like Betty and August are reminiscent of Taylor’s usual romantic style of storytelling, however, they each have a story to be told from a different perspective.
Betty with its inclusion of a same-sex relationship that covers the anxiety that comes with being in the closet and unable to love freely and August which covers the bittersweet feeling of losing a lover that was never there.
Overall, the album is fundamentally different than any other project Swift has taken on before so it was a challenge—and she definitely rose to the occasion. The album is beautiful and has wonderful storytelling that people who love songs with meaning can surely appreciate. The album has an underlying sense of nostalgia that makes you feel something.
Taylor Swift has had many controversies over the years as many have tried to discredit her and her writing abilities. However, as we’ve seen from Folklore and her other albums, Swift is a hard-working and talented creator.
With her level of dedication, she is able to garner a lot of respect for how fluid and concise she can be while also maintaining this child-like whimsicality and creativity that makes her unique.
