Could Taylor Swift Be A Future Fiction Writer? Here Are The Best Characters To Ever Come Alive In Her Music
Taylor Swift has not only been a prolific songwriter since her tween years, but she has an exceptional talent for storytelling through song that artists will be emulating for decades to come. Young singers like Olivia Rodrigo already cite Taylor as their primary songwriting inspiration.
In honor of Taylor, here are some of the fictional characters of her surprise quarantine album, folklore, who make us feel very real emotions!
Best Fictional Character: Betty (folklore)
Taylor wrote this song from a perspective of a 17-year-old boy named James, who had recently cheated on his girlfriend, Betty. This speaker was a unique choice since we typically hear songs from the scorned and cheated’s perspectives and rarely from the remorseful cheaters.
Betty is also the culmination of three songs featuring the same characters, Betty, James, and an unnamed girl. The first, “cardigan,” gives us a love story that’s ended in betrayal.
“Chase two girls, lose the one / When you are young, they assume you know nothing.”
Later in folklore, we get “august,” an effervescent and lyrical song that feels like the album’s golden hour. It’s supposedly from the perspective of the other girl that James was seeing behind Betty’s back. It’s nostalgic and beautiful, while you can sense the relationship’s secrecy (similar to another of the album’s songs, “illicit affairs“).
The girl doubts that James will follow through with their relationship when summer ends: “Will you call when you’re back at school? / I remember thinkin’ I had you.”
“So much for summer love and saying “us” / “Cause you weren’t mine to lose.”
Instagram; pictured above is Taylor
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Though “betty” comes before “august” on the album, it takes place in the immediate fallout of James’ infidelity. “Slept next to her, but / I dreamt of you all summer long.”
It talks about James wondering what would happen if he showed up at a party at her house.
“In the garden would you trust me / If I told you it was just a summer thing? / I’m only 17, I don’t know anything / But I know I miss you.”
It’s unclear whether Betty and James ever unite romantically, but it’s clear that James wants a second chance. “The only thing I wanna do / Is make it up to you.”
Honorable Mention for Best Fictional Character: Rebekah (folklore)
In “the last great american dynasty,” Rebekah ruins her husband’s spotless, seaside manor, Holiday House, with her loud parties and eccentric personality.
“Their parties were tasteful, if a little loud / The doctor had told him to settle down / It must have been her fault his heart gave out.”
And onlookers reflected: “There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen,” and “She had a marvelous time ruinin’ everything.”
At the end of the song, it’s revealed that 50 years later, Taylor herself purchased the house. And it’s now “Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits.” Taylor also takes up the torch of “ruining everything.”
So, do we want Taylor to dream up her next album-long love triangle, or is a historic Kennedy-esque deep dive more what we’re looking for in 2022? Guess we’ll have to wait for her next surprise album, though hopefully, she can find inspiration outside of quarantine!
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
More About:Human Interest