Though she started out her career writing country music, Swift transitioned to pop four years later. Since then, she has released four pop albums: “1989,” “Reputation,” “Lover” and most recently “Folklore.” Though “Folklore” is considered a pop album, a couple of songs on the record reflect her country roots. Her most popular country song on this album is “betty,” and it tells the story of a friendship Swift lost in childhood and desperately tried to rebuild.
By far her most popular pop song, “cardigan,” explores the search for belonging with someone close to you during the turmoil of adolescence. Some of my favorites from the album were “the 1,” “the last great american dynasty,” “exile (feat. Bon Iver)” and “my tears ricochet.” “The 1” makes you dance with its bouncy tempo. “the last great american dynasty” describes the lives of the previous owners of the mansion Swift recently purchased in Rhode Island.
Midway through the song, she transitions to finding her place in her new home as “the loudest woman [the] town has ever seen.” Her collaboration with Bon Iver on “exile” is unforgettable. Rising tensions between the two perspectives in the story “exile” are expressed through the conversational transition midway through the song. “My tears ricochet” starts out with a heartbreaking verse, drums added once the melody touches the listener’s emotions as only Swift can.
After watching Miss Americana, a documentary Swift recently released on Netflix, I was able to understand the inspiration behind some of her previous albums. Since her career started in Nashville, Tennessee, Swift’s music has grown from expressing songs about love to political statements. In “Folklore,” the song “mad woman” reflects her hatred for political leaders who do not respect women. The documentary specifically noted her lack of respect for President Trump and other misogynistic men. Swift reflected on how difficult it was to begin releasing songs about her political beliefs when her managers thought it best she stayed neutral. Songs in her earlier album “Lover” such as “You Need to Calm Down,” where she emphasized her respect for the LGBTQ+ community, could have predicted this tonal in her following album releases.
Once COVID-19 settles down, it is likely that her tours will reflect these developments with visuals that echo her music videos. With the upcoming 2020 election, Swift will likely release more songs like “Only the Young,” a song she recently wrote to inspire young people to vote in light of the upcoming political debates in her home state.
