NON-SWIFTIE LISTENS TO "FOLKLORE" FOR THE FIRST TIME

so sorry the sun started setting on us babes
MORE TAYLOR SWIFT REACTIONS:
"evermore" reaction: • NON-SWIFTIE LISTENS TO...
"speak now" reaction: • LISTENING TO "SPEAK NO...
"reputation" reaction: • NON-SWIFTIE LISTENS TO...
"midnights" reaction: • NON-SWIFTIE LISTENS TO...
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro 00:00-00:20
The One 0:20-2:07
Cardigan 2:07-4:30
The Last Great American Dynasty 4:30-6:09
Exile (feat. Bon Iver) 6:09-8:03
My Tears Ricochet 8:03-9:48
Mirrorball 9:48-11:09
Seven 11:09-12:45
August 12:45-14:13
This Is Me Trying 14:13-15:50
Illicit Affairs 15:50-16:57
Invisible String 16:57-18:20
Mad Woman 18:20-19:54
Epiphany 19:54-21:28
Betty 21:28-23:11
Peace 23:11-24:43
Hoax 24:43-25:50
Outro 25:50-27:20
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@shelbmathews
which taylor swift album should I react to next?

[@shelbmathews]

my reaction to "the lakes" is herrreeeeee: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXuoknWdiK6eotE

[@joshmilton6927]

As a Swiftie, I feel like she’s judging a fancy dinner I’ve made for her. My nerves every time she changes facial expressions 😂

[@Akkaylyn]

Hahahahha this is such a funny analogy, so true 😂

[@IvyCowboy]

HA that's so spot on!

[@raylynne5280]

Omg yes, perfect comparison to how I feel when anyone reacts to this album for the first time

[@suburbanmuslim]

Lol same

[@MyCollections-dp2fj]

So true broo ❤

[@IvyCowboy]

"My Tears Ricochet" is about the sale of her masters (by a man she considered a second father) without her consent or knowledge, to one of her biggest enemies, who then bragged that he "bought Taylor Swift". The pain she's experienced from this is bigger and more painful than any breakup she's ever been through, and she sings about it a lot. ETA: This is why she's in the process of re-recording her albums - to devalue the originals and so that she finally owns her own art.

[@AnaRodriguez-vt3sh]

This is not a fact. It’s just your interpretation. Why would she call babe and say I loved you to my dying day to Scott? I think the song Karma suits the sold masters better “my pennies made your crown” “king of thieves”

[@KB-qy8ps]

​@@AnaRodriguez-vt3sh both are about the same subject. I would imagine any friend/collegue who you consider to be a second father, most people would call that love. Love isn't always romantic. I also assume her time in the UK has influenced her, because we call everyone "babe", even family. To me, this song can't be about anything else, especially since she referred to "stolen lullabies"

[@IvyCowboy]

@@KB-qy8ps exactly.

[@chaosasitswirls6125]

she said its inspired by the movie " Marriage story" but it combines multiple themes including her own with her masters

[@chaosasitswirls6125]

@@AnaRodriguez-vt3shshe said its inspired by the movie " Marriage story" but it combines multiple themes including her own with her masters

[@oliverzheng9058]

You should try Evermore, too. It's Folklore's Sister Album.

[@IvyCowboy]

I feel like Evermore would be a good follow-up to this reaction. Also, folklore has a bonus song, The Lakes, which is just insanely beautiful. I'd love to see you react to Reputation too, but I think I'd go with Evermore first. I really enjoy your reactions - you approach with an open mind and appreciate the entirety of the art - the music, lyrics, melodies, harmonies, production, and overall album feel. The answer is YES, you are becoming a Swiftie. By the time you get to the end of your Taylor journey, you will claim that title proudly, I guarantee it.

[@colosheepclassysongs3484]

TBH I think following folklore with evermore can take to doing too much comparison and not appreciating it that much because of it

[@TheNraveles]

@@colosheepclassysongs3484 it gives a true swiftie feel tho cuz that’s how we all were lol.

[@Luis-nr4xd]

Yesssssssssssss❤

[@colosheepclassysongs3484]

@@TheNraveles actually I didn't like folkore at first. But I loved evermore and started checking her other albums and became a swiftie

[@lowwfeh]

I think evermore should be next but there you can’t miss the bonus Tracks. Right Where You Left Me is one of her best written songs

[@NatalieMLove]

Yes, I LOVE Right Where you Left Me! And I live for the bridge in Marjorie!

[@alexanderwee2055]

@@NatalieMLove I still cry at that after listening to it like a hundred times 😂 (the bridge in Marjorie)

[@ishitakothari5095]

Totally agree.

[@amandaleighplans]

@@alexanderwee2055 me TOOO every time I listen to it. I recently went to eras and the only time I cried was during the Marjorie bridge 😭 also to add to the other commenter, RWYLM supremacy 💪🏼

[@aonstage5544]

its time to go too

[@tlrolls]

The tea about Betty is that it’s a part of three songs about a teenage love triangle. Cardigan is from Betty’s perspective looking back and August is from Augustina’s perspective.

[@nishthagupta1357]

*Augustine

[@dancegidance]

also a fun fact the characters mentioned in the infamous trilogy - James, Betty, and Inez- are the names of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' 3 daughters 🥰

[@anniepeterson4707]

Why do people call the perspective "Augustine's"? It's from the perspective of "Inez" (i.e. the other woman, i.e. Taylor)

[@Diana7Carrillo]

​@@anniepeterson4707​Inez is not the other woman, Taylor said that she calls her "Augustine" because she doesn't have a name. Inez is just the name of the girl who told Betty about the affair.

[@wandasairconditioner4781]

@@nishthagupta1357 her actual name is never confirmed tho lmao

[@neschuaayari83]

Before you listen to reputation you should watch a short video explaining the downfall of her reputation otherwise you won’t really get it but I definitely recommend listening to it it’s in my top 3 albums and it’s just very iconic

[@sweetjen13]

I second that! ❤❤

[@r0zegld988]

This!

[@IanHillan]

Came here to say this.

[@sugrrkisses]

She didn’t win a Grammy for album of the year for no reason..folklore is wonderful ❤

[@3407]

i see her best album, i click.

[@danigenovv]

me when she does evermore

[@anaaguilar4373]

Bestie she hasn't done evermore yet

[@Daniela-xu3kd]

I didn’t see Evermore 🤔

[@grcieslvrr]

RIGHT. i love folklore so much its CRAZY

[@ssp4795]

@@anaaguilar4373 Evermore is nothing without the foundation of Folklore, just sayin' and I have a FolkMore playlist cos both albums are perfection, in different ways.

[@gaceofspades]

The thing she did in the last great American dynasty with the perspective switch at the end by simply switching one word is such a classic taylor move. The fact that so many songs work with her switching perspective shows her genius songwriting

[@tay_rizul]

Can you explain a bit more about that? I don't if I can call myself a swiftie since I haven't listened to her entire discography and I'm still exploring but I love her music and listen to her a lot.

[@gaceofspades]

@aregalgal1226 of course. So in the last great American dynasty she says several times throughout the song "who knows if she never showed up what could have been" and in the end changes it to "who knows if I never showed up what could have been", same with "she had a a marvelous time ruining everything" -> " I had a marvelous time ruining everything". She does this in songs like 'right where you left me' or 'how you get the girl'. By switching out one single world, the story progresses into another direction. She mostly switches from she, he or you to I so it goes from someone else's perspective to her own

[@tay_rizul]

@@gaceofspades mhm but what does it mean?

[@gaceofspades]

@@tay_rizul what does what mean?

[@tay_rizul]

@@gaceofspades what is the meaning and what does the word change signify

[@khills]

So The Last Great American Dynasty is about a real person, Rebecca Harkness, who owned the Rhode Island house (Holiday House/Harkness House) Taylor bought in 2013. Rebekah was a middle-class divorcée, Bill was an heir to the Standard Oil fortune (and also divorced). After Bill died, she did indeed party with Dalí, fill her pool with champagne, and dye the dog. She also funded the arts and medical research - and was hated by her neighbors, who thought she was classless new money. A lot of neighbors also complained when Taylor bought Holiday House. They didn’t want the traffic, paparazzi, fans, etc. These days, they protect her privacy fiercely.

[@shelbmathews]

I love this so much

[@hellojilly]

I love this song so so much and the story/writing behind it.

[@WrapperAutumn]

She actually dyed the neighbor’s cat but Taylor would NEVER. She changed it to dog. Iconic. 😂

[@jhaniels.canete8308]

the cat lady on a ‘a big no’ mission when it comes to cats being antagonized or hated, lmao.

[@tristaskye7794]

Mirrorball was the first song she wrote on Folklore when she found out during 2020 her concerts were canceled. It’s one of the beautiful songs off Folklore

[@Mistgreen1989]

I love watching everyone's first reactions to bon iver in exile😂. They get shocked and that was my reaction too when I first heard it

[@shelbmathews]

truly comes out of left field hahaha

[@brittniic13]

The way my soul left my body the first time I heard it

[@monimoo88]

Fun fact most fans have been waiting patiently for years to hear a full pop punk album from Taylor because it’s one of her favorite kinds of music. My tears ricochet is about her old label head who was like another father to her, she met him when she was 13 or 14 and he created a awoke new record label just to sign her. In 2017 she knew her contract was coming to an end and she said she knew if she resigned with the label the head was going to sell the whole label and her catalogue with it, but she hoped he’d give her the option to buy it first. Thing is the only option he gave her when they sat down to negotiate was to essentially earn each albums ownership by creating a new one for the label. So to own her first 6 albums she had to make him 6 more. He never gave her the option to own them outright. So with a heavy heart she decided to leave her early works and sign with UMG and shortly after the news broke in 2019 a story saying that the old label was sold to scooter Braun ho did not have a good relationship with Taylor broke out along with scooter and a friend of his posted a pic online saying “when your friend buys Taylor swift” scooter had harassed Taylor to work with him for years and she spoke about how uncomfortable he always made her feel so when she found out her old label head had some this it broke her heart and inspired her to wrote my tears ricochet “when you can’t sleep at night, you her my stolen lullabies.” Gets me every single time I listen to it. Along with lyrics from an evermore deluxe truck called it’s time to go “15 years 15 million gets begging till my knees bleed. I gave him my all he gave me nothing at all then wondered why I left. Now he sits on his throne in his palace of bones praying to his greed. He’s got my past frozen behind glass but I’ve got me.” Connected is mad woman whom she wrote about scooter Braun. Some funny connections to other songs in this one is she sings a lyric “they’re hunting all the witches even if you aren’t one” in a song on reputation, and in the second verse of mad woman she sings “women like hunting witches too, doing your dirtiest work for you, it seems that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.” Because after she called out scooter online his wife basically tried to shame Taylor by calling her an immature little girl who had no idea what she was talking about on Twitter. Taylor replied in this song by si going “the master of spin has a couple side flips, good wives always know, she should be mad should be scathing like me but no one likes a mad woman.” A few months later news broke bout scooters wife filing for divorce and in her latest album on the song vigilante shit Taylor sings “she needed cold hard proof so I gave her some, she had the envelope where’d you think she got it from? Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride. Picture me thick as thieves with your ex wife.” Not sure if anyone has told you the connection of the live triangle in this album. Cardigan, august and Betty are written from the different perspectives of the three teenagers in a love triangle. Cardigan is written from bettys perspective, she’s singing to James. August is written from the perspective from the other girl. And Betty is written from James perspective as he’s trying to apologize and win her back. Also if you decide to do evermore next, there are two songs that similarly are connected to both one another and to folklore. This the damn season is written from a girl names Dorotheas perspective about her ex from her hometown whom she left to seek fame and fortune and a few days they spend together when she comes home for the holidays. And Dorothea is written from the exes perspective years later when she’s reached fame and she’s essentially telling her that he will always love and miss her but wishes her nothing but happiness and success. Taylor said she ended up releasing the deluxe song for folklore called the lakes because she decided hoax wasn’t the true ending. I would do the lakes next to completely end the album.

[@shelbmathews]

CHILLS

[@Hunnybunny_plzz]

This has probably have to be the best comment I’ve ever seen in my life! 🥺🫂

[@imagromlin]

The name of the “other girl” that sings August is Augustine or Augusta, but swifties call her Augustine. Taylor confirmed this in the long pond studio sessions, which i reccomend watching! (I watched on Disney+) Gives some background on the songs in folklore!

[@liammcfarlane13]

Folklore really shows how much of a genius she is. She put it out right at the beginning of lockdown, the worst possible time you could put an album out, when people are stuck at home, can’t go to concerts, weren’t going to bars/restaurants/stores… yet somehow it was the album we all needed in that moment. It was intimate, reflective and imaginative and definitely got us through a tough time

[@ssp4795]

oh i felt the opposite, living in Sydney by the sea....... I didn't need some gloomy album, so I dismissed it. but don't worry, Foklore didn't give up on me and it's now my #1 album. I am a Folklore stan, which is a damn hard position to be in when 1989/Rep exists, and Speak Now..... and ATW10TV is the best song ever.

[@ZATennisFan]

Epiphany is one the best songs Taylor has ever written… It’s so stark and beautiful. Possibly the best song about this particular topic since Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms”. The song is really about what our medical professionals went through during the pandemic. The way she blends it with her grandfather’s experiences at Guadalcanal is just genius…. You should really listen to it with a good pair of headphones…

[@sulathenewfie4277]

I agree. I can’t listen this song without crying.

[@MJB1984]

One of the most stunning songs ever!

[@Kiwi-rm5qf]

Someone’s daughter. Someone’s mother.

[@amandaleighplans]

I played it for my dad because he’s a history buff and gets sentimental but judges taylor for her singles and I think I finally made him understand/appreciate taylor for her songwriting beyond songs like shake it off. I love epiphany

[@Kiwi-rm5qf]

@@amandaleighplans omggg I love that 😭💞

[@ZosiaDabrowski]

If you're feeling in a medieval mood listening to Folklore, you're going to feel it x10 as you listen to the opening track of Evermore

[@shelbmathews]

i'm excited

[@hayleyjames7197]

Yeah Cardigan and Willow music videos also add into that feelings

[@xmoomoo9158]

During Covid I listened to Folklore and Evermore constantly and kinda got obsessed with her music… I guess I’m a Swiftie😂❤

[@IvyCowboy]

Welcome to the best club in the world. ❤‍🔥

[@kathleenreynolds7113]

Same 😊

[@Drocks027]

Same!

[@carolynnewcomb2153]

Hard not to become a Swiftie! Check out the Long Pond studio sessions. It’s her and Jack Antonoff and/or Aaron Dessner discussing the meaning of the songs and also them in the studio playing amazing guitar, piano and her singing. Really helped me fully understand the lyrics which made me like the songs even more! Also, makes the most sense to do Evermore next since it’s the sister Album. I’d prob do Red after that since it’s really iconic. Then from the beginning with Fearless and in order from there. You can witness her growth over the years.

[@samuelsouza7657]

So funny that she was just finishing August then ask her dog JAMES “what you think, James?”

[@jordannow13]

folklore is so so timeless. evermore also is but folklore is just a masterpiece. you will love it even more with every listen and that is not easy to do

[@benfrey2025]

Folklore and Evermore are what made me a swiftie! Also your reaction to hearing Bon Iver the first time was my reaction when I first heard exile haha

[@jordannow13]

Fun fact; every track 5 is always the most gut wrenching song on the album and tracks 5 and 13 are usually the most relatable to Taylor’s life at that time or her favourite.

[@mathies3598]

This album had a bonus track on the deluxe version called "the lakes" which you should definitely listen to. It's about a fantasy of leaving the public eye and moving to a hut by the lakes just as the rennaisanse poets used to do

[@migueltavares8505]

Why am I so invested in you girl lmao it seems like you are my highschool teacher and I'm SWEATING seeing your facial expressions trying to decode if you like it or not.

[@shelbmathews]

LMAO

[@survivorswapped7637]

This is such a grower album IMO. As a Swiftie I didn't really like it when I first listened to it but after learning more about the background behind each song and listening to it more, it's become one of my favorite albums of all time.

[@shelbmathews]

hmmm 👀👏

[@ssp4795]

@@survivorswapped7637 2 of my fave swifities!! those 2 are just adorable. and for balance I listen to Zach, Swiftologist. the girls are fluffy and creamy and wonderful, and they get the emotions right, but Zach gets other stuff right (although he thinks Karma isn't real, boy is in for a huge mea culpa one day)

[@lunarvamp22]

If you listen to evermore make sure to check the deluxe version! It has 2 more songs (bonus songs) and they’re really good!! I’m so excited to see what you think about reputation since I would personally said midnights is kinda reputations and 1989s kid but yeah, reputation is darker while 1989 is focused on being upbeat and fun! And yeah very important thing is to check the deluxe version of 1989 if you’re planning to listening to it cause the 3 bonus tracks are some of the best from the album!!!

[@sash2107]

betty, cardigan, and august are called the "folklore love triangle" because they all come together to form a cohesive story. cardigan is about the relationship between james and betty and how they reconciled after james' fling with augustine, august is from the perspective of augustine while she reminisces on her relationship with james in the face of his new relationship with betty, and betty is the culmination with james' perspective on his and "mistake" with augustine and how he truly loves betty.

[@teklokcore]

i haven't really seen many people suggest red (taylor's version) but i would definitely recommend! there's some tracks on that album that lean more towards arena rock but there's generally just a mix of everything. it's classic taylor, but it's a more revised version of her songwriting on fearless and speak now and it's a huge fan favorite too. however, i would recommend listening to it in parts because it's 30 songs long. i would listen to state of grace-begin again and then the moment i knew-all too well 10

[@shelbmathews]

omg it's 30 songs--

[@ssp4795]

Red is an Amazing album. don't forget holy ground. So many newer songs trace back to Red lyrics.

[@KeaAlex13]

Red is my favorite, but it sometimes gets a bad rap due to the pop hits. I protect her with my life.

[@ji9395]

I WAS WAITING FOR YOUR REACTION IN SEVEN "and i've been meaning to tell you i think your house is haunted your dad is always mad and that must be why" AND I GOT NOTHING 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@xmoomoo9158]

One of my favs!!

[@antimon5047]

You NEED to listen to “the lakes”! It’s the bonus track on the deluxe version of Folklore and it’s the best song of the whole album imo

[@shelbmathews]

just posted my reaction yesterday!! hahaha

[@sarahmichelle2640]

Welcome to the club! folklore and evermore were what turned me into a Swiftie in the covid era 😂

[@aparajitabiswas6648]

Same bestie...and then I rediscovered her older albums...memorised her concerts realising the whole life I had missed out on...but I caught up on it

[@xmoomoo9158]

Me too ❤️

[@abcdefgherz]

thank you for giving seven the appreciation it deserves

[@amyhaberlein6880]

I recommend reading Taylor's prologues before listening to the albums. They really help prepare you for the album and how to understand it.

[@kylietriggs9148]

dude i just saw a punk rock version of mirror ball TODAY that was so good and i freaked when u said that it sounds like it’d be a good one

[@shelbmathews]

heck yeah I wanna see that

[@rgalvshpbks]

I think you should continue with the sisters and listen to Evermore. She's folklore's wilder little sister and truthfully she's so good!

[@xmoomoo9158]

😂 Yes!!

[@anaaguilar4373]

And evermore killed a man!! Don't forget that lol

[@izabellkrystal]

I wish we got to see your reaction to “tried to change the ending peter losing wendy” & “I knew you leaving like a father, running like water” in cardigan😭 cause those lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I heard them

[@SamanthaScreem]

Most of these songs aren't about Taylor herself. During quarantine she just wrote whatever came to mind. I think you should watch the Long Pond Studio Sessions where she performs this album with her cowriters and producers and she explains what all the songs are about

[@ssp4795]

Taylor has so much lore oh yes, at least you understand that, and trying to catch up is exhausting! (eg, her current thing with the 1975 guy has us scrambling back to 2014 looking for clues, and we now think there will be a vault song on 1989). being a swiftie is neverending, possibly exhausting, but always exhilarating. who has time for anything else? xo

[@Ineeee]

I was surprised you called seven upbeat. I guess the music is? It’s just the lyrics are so heart wrenching I forget the beat is faster than other songs in the album haha

[@samanthawoodcock8135]

I appreciate you pronouncing Bon Iver correctly and I IMPLORE you to check him out next. He is my all time #1.

[@shelbmathews]

he has an amazing voice!!

[@borathebrat]

It’s so interesting to watch people who don’t understand the lyrics when listening to taylor 😭

[@jodil7]

Exactly! Like how can they truly appreciate the genius of the song/lyrics without understanding the context. Even really understanding the lyrics like in My Tears Ricochet is is a funeral

[@ssp4795]

and yet here were are, fascinated to watch a newbie Swiftie being born, cos we LOVE to see it happen.

[@okgoose]

when you said "i have lyrics pulled up but ill try to just listen with my ears" i was like noooooooo because at her core taylor is a writer. no matter what the production ends up being, the whole point is the lyrics and the story shes telling and the emotions shes trying to convey. i feel like the most important thing to her is that people actually pay attention to what shes saying (and many swifties do not imo, as shown by the shock and devastation when we got news of the break up even though shes been telling us this in her music already so it wasnt a shock to some of us) obviously everyone is welcome to listen to music in any way that they enjoy it, but with her its always going to circle back to the lyrics. anyways, im really enjoying watching this, its a slippery slope becoming a swiftie but its definitely worth it!

[@LenaKolchuk]

can you explain where she hinted on her relationship with Joe in her recent songs?

[@okgoose]

@Лена Колчук yeah! starting w lavender haze there was the whole rejection of heteronormativity and the idea that she's either a one night or a wife, that all anyone cares about is if she's getting married or not (and her attitude points to the idea that she's not interested in marriage which comes up again in midnight rain) there's also the mvs she released. in bejeweled she wins the prince and ghosts him to be alone in her castle. in lavender haze she's shown looking distant and disinterested around her partner except in the scene where they're surrounded by people and with a camera pointed at her, in the end she breaks down the walls of this fake house she's been in and ends up happily alone in her own world. also the loudest one imo was the line in Dear Reader where she says "you wouldn't believe me if you knew who was talking, if you knew where I was walking. to a house not a home all alone cause nobody's there" im sure there might be more but that's what I have from the top of my head!

[@jodil7]

Not true. Part of the genius in her music is in her production as well. For instance in Dear John she is playing the guitar EXACTLY like John Mayer. So genius!

[@okgoose]

@Jodette you're absolutely not wrong! the production is very important and adds a lot to the vibe and story, but the point will always be the story itself. she herself has said that no matter what kind of genre or production a song ends up with it all comes back to the lyrics. her music wouldn't be what it is without her words.

[@folkloredream13]

so 1989 is full pop album reputation is r&b electropop kinda album (my fav) lover is more of pop but still different from 1989 folklore & evermore are sister albums (same vibes ) so if you liked folklore i'm sure you'll like evermore too

[@stevievaughan5096]

you have to understand the impact that hearing the opening line of the album had. lover was cancelled and we hadnt heard anything from her and BOOM folklore comes out with the opening "im doing good im on some new shit". she never used to swear so hearing the shit in the first line was like incredible to hear. even if the 1 is a fictional story about fictional people or if it was supposed to be in a completely different context, we got to hear taylor tell us shes doing good. i felt so relieved

[@shelbmathews]

:,))

[@johnnyinsac]

I loved how you can listen to Folklore and Evermore and as the tracks play they don't always point to her own life most of the time, but there'll be moments where she slides a bit of her own story in to blend with the story of the songs...even just a wink or a nod to something about herself. In the long pond sessions video that she made for Folklore, Jack Antonoff says something like: these aren't about you, but they are all about you. If you're feeling like this is the vibe to stick with, I say continue on with Evermore. If you're feeling like you want something with more energy and bass, Reputation.

[@relent-lass7510]

She won a Grammy for this It was album of the year, which was the 2rd time she won that category She has 11 Grammys altogether

[@matheusmagalhaes1308]

it was actually the 3rd time she won aoty and she has 12 grammys

[@Stellaaa1989]

I’d recommend “Long Pond Session” documentary to anyone who hasn’t seen it already. They explain the stories behind every songs, I promise you’ll appreciate this album even more ❤

[@notyourmanicpixie]

she said during quarantine she had been thinking about people with substance or alcohol use disorder or mental health issues and how even when they're doing their best, people can still think it's just not good enough. "This is me, TRYING."

[@notyourmanicpixie]

also, Mad Woman think kanye/kim situation but also it's about the idea people hold of women who speak their minds.

[@jodil7]

It’s also about Scooter Braun with the cheating.

[@jeremyveras7411]

You would love right where you left me of evermore , that song just hits hard

[@icesparklefrost7511]

this album is what made me become a swiftie! I listened to this album on repeat and now I love basically every song from Taylor Swift

[@brittniic13]

“I keep forgetting that Folklore is like an actual word and not just a title of a taylor swift album… and then it all just kinda made sense” bestie ur a swiftie now

[@shelbmathews]

lmaooo

[@jessiejackson7727]

You gotta listen to the bonus track, “The Lakes”!!!! One of my all-time favorites.

[@Violet316]

Definitely do evermore next, but there is a bonus track off of folklore called "the lakes". My favorite album is Reputation, but you really need to do the evermore album, it came out less than 6 months after folklore. Note: folklore and evermore and all the songs on those 2 albums are not capitalized, she did that intentionally, not sure why, maybe because they were different from her other albums.

[@neschuaayari83]

Ok so the folklore love triangle is cardigan, Betty and August. Betty and James are dating and they’re all in high school one summer James cheats in Betty with Augustine. Cardigan is from Betty’s perspective but from way down the line she’s reflecting on that time. Betty is from James’s perspective. And august is from Augustine’s perspective

[@MoyaoftheMist]

Love how you appreciated “seven” so much. It’s my favorite song on the album, but it gets overlooked all the time. It’s got such powerful imagery for me-like, yes, she’s the master of painting a picture with lyrics, but “I hit my peak at seven/feet over the creek” just has so many LAYERS to it with the way she split the line. Like…peaking at seven years old with her feet above the creek vs the literal visual of swinging seven feet high above a creek on a rope swing. I used to do that as a kid-I see the creek I used to swing over when she sings that, glittering in the summer sun like it isn’t thirty years gone. But I also remember the joy I felt, the fear, the sheer amount of feelings packed into my tiny body as I roared in the weeds like a little beast. One line, and she takes me right back. I know that line can’t do that for everyone-not everyone HAS that experience-but it feels like a glass window into a golden memory every damn time I hear it. …you probably didn’t need all that, but ‘this song goes hard’ was super validating for me, hahaha. Thank you.

[@martywarr5765]

Enjoyed this immensely. I wasn't a "Swiftie"...an old one, until I started reading the lyrics. Even after seeing her live awhile ago (dragged there), puts on a great show, but it faded. Then I read the lyrics on Folklore and I was hooked. I love that album, but actually prefer Evermore and the 3am songs on Midnights. Nice job.

[@Guilhermesb29]

The thing with Folklore ou Evermore reactions is people don't understand what Taylor's writing about and just presume the songs are all about a romantic relationship... I feel like it takes from the experience of the album because it makes it more monothematic when it, actually, the album touches on so many different feelings and situations

[@liamaximoff]

"The 1" is pretty straightforward, a wish that someone you're no longer with would've been the one for you "Cardigan" is part of the Teenage Love Triangle, told from Betty's (the girlfriend's) POV "The Last Great American Dynasty" is about Rebekah Harkness, founder of the Rebekah Harkness Foundation, because Taylor bought her "Holiday House" in 2013 "Exile" is about two exes seeing each other after a break up. He's confused as to how she moved on so fast, and she's more thinking about the repeated warning signs she gave that the relationship was no longer working. "My Tears Ricochet" is about an embittered tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession. And some people think it could also be about Scott Borchetta with that whole fiasco "Mirrorball" is also a little self explanatory. She copies the personalities of the people around her to be liked and loved and entertaining, and she shatters when her heart is broken "And when I break it's in a million pieces" "Seven" is from the perspective of Taylor when she was seven, and she's talking about one of her friends who seemed to have a not so super home life, talking about how they can just move in with her to fix it because she thought it was that simple as a child "August" is again part of the Teenage Love Triangle, told from the perspective of the girl James cheated on Betty with. She doesn't have an actual name, but Taylor said she always called her Augustine and now she's a TSCU (Taylor Swift Cinematic Universe) It Girl. "This Is Me Trying" is her taking responsibility for the downfall of a relationship and trying to fix them. She talks about fear, drinking, and feeling like a failure which complicate her healing process "Illicit Affairs" is VERY straightforward, clearly about infidelity. She sings from the perspective of the one cheating, but funnily enough we're all pretty sure the song is about the series "Sex and the City" because there's a character that calls the woman he has an affair with "kid" and "baby" (see the bridge?? Yea. I know.) "Invisible String" is about an east Asian folk myth about a red string of fate tying soul mates to each other. She talks about how tied together they've always been, her song "Bad Blood" literally playing in his taxi etc. "Mad Woman" is famously about Kanye West, some say Scott or Scooter Braun but... I think Kanye. Especially cause the line "And women like hunting witches too, Doing your dirtiest work for you." After Kim defended Kanye, and APPARENTLY she's the one that connected Taylor to the snake emoji... rep era? Hello? "Epiphany" as you saw is about her grandathers experience in the military, hoping to find peace in his dreams despite the world being so full of chaos and violence "Betty" is finally James' perspective on the Teenage Love Triangle. James and Inez are the names of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' eldest daughters, so some people thought it was sapphic until she said "he" on country radio in reference to James "Peace" is about her fears of never being able to give the person she's with any peace or calm or privacy because of her fame and how she hopes he won't leave her because of it... :(( "Hoax" is actually the saddest thing I've ever heard. She's actually talking about several different experiences in this one song, like love and business and family, but it stays cohesive so you can feel the pain through all of these situations. The bridge specifically I think is the clearest to see, like they knew what buttons to push and what to say for her to let them back into her life before using other tactics to hurt her and tear her down. That's the album !! Also a lot of these tracks have similarities and callbacks to "The Archer" from her Lover album (at least enough for me to pick up on it), so when you get to that come back to folklore and it feels so much more agonizing. Not if you're having a really good day tho, wait until like a Monday !!! :))

[@shelbmathews]

"TSCU" 💀💀 lmao thank you for all of the info!! and I will wait until a monday hahahaha

[@jodil7]

Scooter’s wife also tore into Taylor when she called her husband out and Scooter was the cheater doing lines of coke. It’s about toxic men.

[@averyyyy397]

3:44 who’s gonna tell her she just predicted the vault song “Timeless” from Speak Now Taylor’s Version

[@tatrosario]

it's so funny watching you bop with a neutral smile to some of the saddest lyrics I've ever heard 😂😂😂😂 love this sm!

[@justbeeyourself]

i highly suggest, if you have access to disney+, watching the long pond sessions because in it she performs all the songs acoustically with the two producers on the album but she also discusses each song beforehand, which is really interesting. 'epiphany' hit me really hard the first time i heard it, the song relates soldiers in battle witnessing horrible things ("some things you just can't speak about") to the medical staff that were on the front lines dealing with covid patients ("something med school did not cover, someone's daughter, someone's mother"). i hope you do her reputation album next! it goes hard, and i personally think it's a good idea to take a sort of break between folklore and evermore (like a palate cleanser bc it can be so easy to just compare the two when they're back to back).

[@RubyRocket26]

It is definitely worth doing a deep dive into the lyrics of each song, including the pop songs that one might just pass off as surface level. Taylor is an exquisitely complex songwriter and her songs have so many levels to them. There is a reason she was named “Songwriter of the Decade” by the NSAI.

[@anniepeterson4707]

I have to say (as a Swiftie) I was skeptical to watch, especially since Folklore is my favorite album and I've been a fan since Red. I'm so happy you dug some of my favorite songs! It's much better when you know the context or have an idea about it, imo. Thanks for doing folklore justice. ps: the "tea" differs depending on who you ask...

[@tzking7640]

Watching the long pond session would've been fun too..... with all the backstory direct from Taylor herself 😊

[@TheNraveles]

Her reaction or Justin’s voice in exile lmaoo. And yes you pronounced Bon Iver correctly :)

[@Pathfinder197]

Don’t know why I love seeing ardent anti-Swifties begin to actually appreciate her music - I just do. And so glad the reactor really appreciated the feminist anthems that are Mad Woman and TLGAD. MTR amounts to a feminist anthem since two toxic dudes stole her masters and she’s totally making them regret it in real time as she re-records and improves on those “stolen lullabies.” Also note how the end of the word “lullabies” is dropped to reflect that they tried to take her voice.

[@hannahamos245]

the chantings are the bridges ! she LOVESSSSS bridges in songs and making them!

[@mariyellnivado]

I literally watched the whole video, neither did i fast forward or skip some parts. I'm a swiftie, i love folklore and youuuu are sooo beautiful. I just enjoyed watching you and just focusing on your face. Lol 😍

[@Regina-lf2bq]

Damn hahaha it was SO fun to see you react to some of these song! Because I remember how suprised and sometimes "giggly" I got when I first listened to it!

[@eggzacly]

august, betty and cardigan are a trilogy. the story goes in the order of ABC, a for august etc. so thats the order of the songs. I think. Anyway, in the song august, the narrator (not taylor, taylor is playing as another girl) is singing about james, which is the narrator in “betty” (here again it’s not taylor herself, shes assuming the form of a 17 year old boy.” in cardigan, the narrator is betty, who is singing about james. Also another easter egg is in august, at 2:49 she sings “Remember when I pulled up and said “”Get in the car”””. In the song betty, at 2:49 AGAIN, THE NARRATOR, JAMES, SINGS, “SHE SAYS””JAMES GET IN LETS DRIVE””” TAYLOR IS A FREAKING GENIUSSS

[@allycat7587]

my favorite part abt this album is the love triangle with cardigan, august, and betty. cardigan is told in bettys pov in the future looking back at the relationship with james. august is told in augustines pov talking abt how she was having this summer affair with james not knowing he had someone else. and betty is in james pov talking abt betty and how he hurt her😭

[@noface____]

when you pointed to your sleeping dog it reminded me of my daughter. i play this album for her as a lullaby and it works like a charm lol

[@calmmint4030]

your reaction to this is me trying is so calm and also so chaotic at the same time it made me subscribe LMAO lots of love

[@eliseang]

I love the 1, cardigan, august, invisible string, and this is me trying so much you don't understand

[@laughingalltheway10]

The coffee and cloudy weather is so appropriate for this Folklore review! First time here, I really liked this. 😊 Folklore is definitely my favorite album.

[@laughingalltheway10]

Plus your dog just made everything perfect! 🥰 🐶

[@user-zb8kn4ln4x]

you saying bon iver correctly makes me so happy

[@ayselozbakr3776]

You should do reputation for sure ❤

[@CrustyChucky]

This is my favorite Taylor Swift Album. I think she matured with this album and Evermore.

[@_supernova7]

"am i becoming a swiftie" yes. yes you are

[@aria0907]

you’re so fall/autumn and so is this album and everything about this is perfect 🫶🏻

[@amandasmith9398]

The vibration in the background is everything 😍

[@ilovemusicmorethanlife]

I think it almost isn't possible to come out of this without loving at least one song haha. This is random and I don't know if you maybe already listened to it, but I think you might enjoy Faith in the Future by Louis Tomlinson (it kind of has that punky-rock feel to it).

[@Hey_Jamie]

“Oh my god she can sing so low” Oh girl… you have no idea lol. I think in your own time (or for reaction, either works) watch the Long Pond Studio Sessions of this album. She gives song context, she sounds AMAZING…. It’s just, ugh

[@sirenjester98]

so Taylor says folklore isn't abt anyone in her life. last great American dynasty is abt the woman who owned her house before her. my tears ricochet is more abt the situation revolving her first 6 masters being sold. I can link a good 10min video for that situation. cardigan August & Betty are a love triangle between Betty Augustine & James. cardigan is Betty's perspective yrs layer. August is Augustine's perspective in the fall out. Betty is James wanting to get Betty back after the affair.

[@esteeven17]

I think it is best to listen to evermore next since it is considered as the sister album of folklore. Evermore has similar vibe, but more on the hopeful side of the spectrum. You will love it, probably even more than the folklore album.

[@Noneofyourbusiness2003]

Cardigan, Betty, and August are connected (cardigan is Betty’s side of the story, Betty is James’ side of the story, August is the other woman/Augustine.)

[@esapov]

can’t wait for evermore ❤

[@tobealonewithyou]

No one's talking about This is me trying. This shows how much we really ignore mental health.

[@Ineeee]

I like the lyrics and the message. I just find it a bit boring :(

[@badger9156]

I love watching this with you… takes me back to my first listen on release day…. Lucky 🍀. I love how into Seven you got!

[@shelbmathews]

☺️❤️

[@marvin4922]

as a swiftie, thanks for paying attention to the lyrics.

[@maya_htrabkcah]

also please listen to the lakes its the proper finishing tack of the album and underlines that taylor swift is the shakespear of our time

[@chantellesteyn2168]

Are you a Swiftie now? I started listening to her out of nowhere now im obsessed ❤❤❤🎉

[@foxmulder2845]

You should watch the Long Pond Sessions. She sings the Folklore Songs live and she talks about the Songs.

[@JamesMike-nu8zh]

Ok i was so nervous to see you at first buy u slayed queen!! i love your honesty and attention to detail 😊 keep it up!

[@bennettrichardson9520]

You have such a calming presence. This was a fun watch!

[@shelbmathews]

thanks bennett!!

[@ana_lynn_w2959]

how come no one's talking about the fact that her dog is trying so hard to lick the creamer off the coffee lid and she is completely unaware. It's hysterical.

[@lewiswoodhall]

Definitely listen to Speak Now! It's her best album imo and it's a mix of country, rock, pop and folk!

[@dancegidance]

i'm sure someone has already said this but you should've done the deluxe version of because it includes the bonus song called"the lakes", which is easily one of the best songs of the entire album, ESPECIALLY lyrically! idk what Taylor was thinking making a song that great a bonus track and not apart of the "official" album but it seems to be a trend with her lol at least with the last 3 albums (folklore, evermore, and Midnights)

[@Vanessa-ge5ke]

Definitely love that you're reacting and listening to Taylor's Album, especially Folklore, however the next time choose the longer version of the album, on Folklore there is 'the lakes-bonus track' which is a great song, def worth a listen