Music Monday: Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” And The Power Of Shared Stories

When I discovered Taylor Swift in the sixth grade through my older, more culturally aware sister, the first song I became obsessed with was “Love Story.” A song almost as classic for my generation as the play it references, “Love Story” showcased Swift’s ability to craft a song that virtually every teenage girl can—or wants to—relate to, establishing Swift as a worldwide artist in its wake. 

In the next few years, I became what many refer to as a “Swiftie.” My 14-year-old self—who had only ever had a boyfriend for a total of 30 seconds in the seventh grade—practically screamed out the chorus to “I Knew You Were Trouble” on the rides home from school, much to the chagrin of anyone who had the luck of being within earshot of my strained vocal chords. My sister and I constructed entire dance choreographies around “Shake It Off” my freshman year of high school, and I had a listening party with friends to hear “Lover” make its debut last August during my sophomore year of college.

So, when I heard that Taylor was releasing a surprise album a mere nine months after “Lover” had launched … I’ll just say it was slightly hard to focus at work that day.

But in case you haven’t heard, Taylor Swift is “doing good” and seamlessly transitioning from pop to alternative just as she moved from country to pop only a few albums ago.

Swift is well-known for carefully crafted album releases that take months to manifest themselves entirely. It’s not a shock, then, that Swift’s surprise midnight release of “Folklore” back in July took the world by storm. For those who have only heard her radio singles, I assume it was surprising to see a world-renowned pop star go from singing “Spelling is fun!” to crafting lyrics that many will probably need to look up in a dictionary. But for the “Swifties” like myself who have followed her career throughout the years, “Folklore” isn’t simply an album that logically fits into her discography—it is the album she was born to make.

Swift has always been a master songwriter. Whether she imbued gut-wrenching heartbreak into a lost scarf, equated a getaway car with a doomed rebound relationship, or satirized her own “man-eater” reputation, Swift’s ability to translate abstract, personal feelings into palpable songs has always been one of her greatest strengths. “Folklore” embodies everything that has made Swift such a force in the music industry. Yet, there is one key difference that allows this album to stand out amongst all the others.

In a letter she penned to fans after the album’s release, Swift said, “I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t.” Although there are stories from Swift’s own life on “Folklore,” as one has come to expect from her previous albums, many of the songs consist of fictional narratives. In one song, she writes from the perspective of a man exiled from his lover. In another, she sings of a girl in a hapless summer romance.

“Folklore” serves as a beautiful piece of art in and of itself, yet its greatest strength lies in Swift’s ability to translate universal stories into a cohesive narrative. Whether it is her own social anxiety, a teenage love triangle, or childhood trauma, Swift encourages the listener to apply these stories to their own lives and, even if they haven’t experienced them directly, to open their ears and sympathize with those who have. Even the album title, “Folklore,” encourages a group of people to band together around stories to pass them down, to share not simply the melody and rhythm of the songs, but the experiences that come with them.

In her letter to fans, Swift said, “Before this year, I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed… if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.”

By listening to any song from “Folklore,” anyone can surmise that the project has been a labor of love for Swift, who wrote the entire album in three months. Her passion and careful craftsmanship of the characters and stories shines throughout the piece, which acts as an alluring beacon for anyone drawn to a heartfelt display of art.

Swift’s decision to release “Folklore” during the COVID-19 pandemic not only encouraged me to bond with friends I hadn’t talked to in months, but it prompted total strangers to rant with me on the street simply because they heard me mention Taylor’s name. When this album dropped in the middle of a summer filled with division, turmoil and overall loneliness, Taylor Swift gave the world not simply a way to relate to her life and her experiences but a way to relate to each other. It reminds us that even when we are physically or emotionally separated from others, there will always be shared, human stories to bring us all back together.