“In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result,” said Taylor Swift

in a tweet at the release of her new album, folklore. As the world suffers through a pandemic,
everyone has been cooped up in their house—away from the daily-goings of life. As for Swift, her
two-part “Lover-Fest” celebrating her previous album, Lover, was canceled—leaving her with
nothing but time to write; and to make Swifties’ dreams come true. Yes, Lover was glorious with
its extravagant music videos, loud choruses, and dramatized fantasy-land productions; but, it
was missing something: intimacy.
From “Teardrops on My Guitar” to “Dear John,” Swift’s old albums gave the audience
heart-wrenching pieces that dug deep and touched the roots of their hearts; but, she wanted to
escape her reputation of being a basket-case, boy-crazy, country singer. With her album
Reputation, Swift made a move towards pop and the “old Taylor” was truly dead.
Then why did she switch back to slow, personal narrative songs now? Independent music
or “indie music” has recently gained popularity. Indie folk, in particular, emerged during the
1990s among indie rock and included guitar melodies, and traditional folk music with more
instrumentals. With indie-folk songs like “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
regaining popularity, the move towards nostalgic tunes and storytelling has come back in recent
times.
Swift’s folklore speaks from the heart and to the heart. Her songs show reflections of the
past and pay tribute to her teen-hood. In “the 1,” Swift expresses, “If you never bleed, you’re
never gonna grow,” revealing the importance of learning from mistakes at a young age. Songs
like “betty” and “the last american dynasty” follow the format of storytelling—taking the
listeners on a journey through someone else’s perspective. Paying tribute to the previous owner
of Swift’s mansion, Rebekha West Harkness, “the last american dynasty” provides insight into
Swift’s personal life.
The nostalgic tunes and the simplicity of her songs show that it is no longer about
impressing the audience and creating hype for Swift—it’s about purity. Swift even announced
her album less than 24-hours before release, describing her songs as flowing “like a stream of
consciousness.” Just like everyone right now, she too “escaped into fantasy, history, and
memory,” passing down the stories she had accumulated throughout her life.