Gia Rocero
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
Taylor Swift performing Cardigan, August, and Willow at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Photo by Getty Images.
“A collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness” is how Taylor Swift describes her eighth studio album, Folklore. It was composed during quarantine and released 12 hours following its announcement on July 23, 2020. Folklore uses fictional characters and narratives, as well as plot arcs to explore themes of escapism, empathy, nostalgia, and romanticism. Following these themes, the Folklore Love Triangle was born; consisting of the songs “Cardigan,” “Betty,” and “August.”
During a YouTube livestream, Taylor gave hints about the love triangle: “There’s a collection of three songs I refer to as the teenage love triangle. These three songs explore a love triangle from all three people’s perspectives at different times of their lives.” The folklore love triangle involves three fictional characters: Betty, James, and Augustine. Betty was James’ girlfriend, and Augustine was the girl whom he had a summer fling with during his relationship with Betty.
Cardigan is based from Betty’s perspective. “When you are young, they assume you know nothing” was repeatedly said in the song, hinting that Betty knew about James’ fling with Augustine. The line “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite” uses the analogy of a cardigan, conveying Betty’s feelings of wanting someone to love her knowing James was cheating on her.
It was confirmed that Betty knew about Augustine from the line; “chase two girls, lose the one.” The bridge shows that regardless of how hurt she was, Betty would always love James as the lyrics go: “You drew stars around my scars, and now I’m bleedin,” which presents her memories of them when he brought her comfort even if he caused her pain. Betty’s willingness to stay despite her heartache is shown in the line “I knew you’d come back to me” being aware of James cheating, she knew deep down that he would come back in the midst of his affair with Augustine.
The song from James’ perspective is Betty. The line “Betty, I won’t make assumptions about why you switched your homeroom, but I think it’s ‘cause of me” illustrates how Betty avoids James upon discovering his summer fling with August. Taylor explains the song in an interview with Country Radio, saying, “James has lost the love of his life, basically, and doesn’t understand how to get her back.” In the song, James admits what he did to Betty but never offers an apology: “The worst thing that I ever did was what I did to you.”
James speculates on the potential outcomes if he were to attend Betty’s party, wondering whether she would welcome him back or condemn him. Would she trust him again if he explained that Augustine was merely a summer fling? The chorus concludes with the line, “I’m only 17, I don’t know anything, but I know I miss you.”
Taylor Swift discusses the production of Betty with producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.
Photo from Disney+.
The second verse hints at a potential reason why James might have cheated on Betty, with the lyrics “I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds you know that, plus I saw you dance with him” expressing his jealousy. An essential line in the bridge reads; “Just thinking of you when she pulled up like a figment of my worst intentions” indicating that during his time with Augustine, all he could think about was Betty. This sentiment is reinforced in the final line of the song. Reconsidering his actions, he finally gathered the courage to make amends, “Will it be just like I dreamed, will it patch your broken wings.” Even though he was uncertain about being forgiven, it wouldn’t change the fact that he missed Betty, as he lamented, “stopped at a streetlight, you know I miss you.”
The last song of the folklore love triangle is August. As the title suggests, the track delves into how Augustine reflects on her feelings about her past self. Despite James’ relationship with Betty, Augustine hoped she was more than just a summer fling, singing, “I can see us lost in the memory, August slipped away into a moment in time, ‘cause you were never mine,” highlighting her realization that James never truly belonged to her because he loved Betty more. An intriguing line is, “Your back beneath the sun, wishing I could write my name on it,” which sets the scene in summer and conveys Augustine’s desire to claim a part of his life. The song explores Augustine's contemplation about whether James would ever reconnect with her when he's back in school, as she remains lost in the memories of their past summer romance.
'August' features one of the most heartbreaking bridges on the album with the lines, “wanting was enough, for me it was enough,” explicitly indicating that while Augustine desired a deeper relationship with James, deep down, merely wanting him was enough for her, “to live for the hope of it all, cancel plans just in case you’d call and say meet me behind the mall.” Some may argue that the last line was 'meet me behind them all’, which would make more sense as Augustine and James’ fling was meant to be a secret, happening during his relationship with Betty. The songs Betty and August reference each other with the lines “Remember when I pulled up and said get in the car” from August, and “she said James get in, let’s drive” from Betty. The two perspectives collide as Augustine hoped for something more with James, while Betty reveals that he was thinking about Betty during most of those memories with Augustine. Their romance eventually ended as “August slipped away into a moment in time,” with both realizing, “you weren’t mine to lose.”
Folklore can be characterized as a pure expression of emotion or a unique creative statement. Taylor Swift said before Folklore’s release that it was “A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around– sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur, and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible.” Folklore is arguably Taylor Swift’s best album, but undeniably one of her best in terms of songwriting, as demonstrated in the Folklore Love Triangle.