Chip Chick
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
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