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For the Hope of it All: a "folklore" Appreciation Post
Updated: May 28, 2021
In July of 2020, Taylor Swift released an album that served as both a narrative and aesthetic shift in her career. When folklore surfaced, it was instantly devoured by Taylor Swift fans all around, and it also converted many audiophiles who weren't terribly keen on her past music.
For myself, I have always loved Taylor Swift, but, before folklore, the last record of hers I truly enjoyed was 1989. For the last few years, I hadn't really followed her other music, but, when this album dropped, I was floored. The storytelling, the atmosphere, the feeling it gave of being a wanderer of the woodlands; it was reminiscent of her Fearless years in its artistry and yet was something completely different from her previous works. It was like meeting an old friend from years gone by: new and refreshing, but, carried within, a sense of comfort and familiarity.
I love the majority of this album, notably the songs revolving around August and her complicated and chaotic love, but there are some particular works that I feel should be touched on a little more, and they are as follows:
epiphany
Post-COVID, "epiphany" hits the heart quite differently from the other songs on this album. During the interview portion of the long pond studio sessions, Taylor revealed that this song was written as a tribute to the nurses and doctors on the front lines of the pandemic. It also serves to contrast our current situation with the culture during WWII as we struggle to make sense of what we've learned to deal with. The ethereal sound of the music in "epiphany" gives the lyrics an even deeper impact. It's a gorgeous and authentic written work that prompts one to ponder the various realities of life.
this is me trying
In many ways, "this is me trying" is the most heart-wrenching song from the folklore album. It reflects themes of battling mental health, loss, and personal struggle. There's a particular verse in this song that, every time I hear it, sends a chill through my body:
"And it's hard to be at a party
When I feel like an open wound
It's hard to be anywhere these days
When all I want is you."
Who among us hasn't felt this way about something or someone? It's a simple set of words, but it really drives in the most prominent emotions of bleak human experience: loss and longing. In a way, the song is rather comforting, because it serves to remind us that we are not alone in our chaos and stirring emotion.
the lakes
Arguably the best song on this album, "the lakes" is a narrative that pays homage to Thoreauean philosophy, to being immersed within nature, abandoning metropolis for as long as possible. The wordsmithing of this song is truly beautiful. I feel a bittersweet wave of inspiration go over me every time I hear the lyrics:
"I bathe in cliffside pools
With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief."
What a combination of serenity and remembered pain; I don't believe I've heard anything like it before. It's so easy to visualize every description in "the lakes", and, every time I hear it, it takes me away; mentally I'm sitting in a window overlooking a forest and glimmering waters, reflecting upon the significant moments of my past.
Overall, the folklore album is a gem in the modern music industry. It goes to show that a superstar can still be an artist, can still paint pictures with their words rather than following media trends and losing their originality in the process. This album contrasts loss with hope in a unique way that ties the two themes together in perfect harmony. I encourage all of you to listen to folklore and be swept away by the poetry and ingenuity of one of Taylor's most insightful works.
Click here to stream folklore on Spotify.
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