Taylor Swift noob listens to 'Folklore' - First Time Reaction

[@zebratroopfan6695]

I'm a 57 year old guy here who has fallen down the Taylor rabbit hole. I started off from a very skeptical perspective. No one in my circle group listens to her and most make fun of her for being a manufactured Pop Star who has a team behind her writing her songs and guiding her career. Sadly I looked at her as a fabricated persona as well. I just believed what my friends said. Folklore was the first album I sat down and listened to all the way through. I than watched some acoustic solo performances on KZbin and realized she is a very good musician and a wonderful live artist. I still wondered if she wrote her own songs and was stunned to find out she has written or co- written ever song she has ever released. She even wrote the album Speak Now all by herself to quiet people like me who struggled to give her credit and instead accused her of being carried in the studio and not really writing the songs. I set my bias aside and actually listened and discovered she was a fantastic lyricist. This is her superpower, that and melodies. After going back and re-listening to some of the radio hits I initially dissed I realized I never really paid attention to the writing. The radio singles are catchy and clever but they are so well written and the non singles on the albums are just next level. Her catalog is vast and no two albums are the same. I would say Folklore and Evermore are the closest followed by 1989 paired with Midnights but really she changes up almost every album. Have fun. It's a fun ride. Sorry this is so long.

[@Augustine0899]

I'm so glad you appreciate the illicit affairs lyrics. A lot of people just dont vibe with the song, but i find it extremely, painfully beautiful

[@ESWrites]

Illicit Affairs is one of my all time favorite Taylor songs and nobody else understands 😂

[@Tigerlilyzzz]

Always love watching people experience this album for the first time

[@rightwhereyouleftme__]

folklore can be a slow grower for some. it took me a few listens to become obsessed and engrossed in it. i let the melodies wash over me and the lyrics are very easy to interpret for yourself, she tells stories but it is easy to make them about yourself. i recommend giving Midnights a listen. It's got similar writing style, but with a pop, synth heavy production so it might be easier to get a grasp on her musically.

[@randystalnaker6700]

37? Lol 😂😂😂😂 Dude, I am 64 and LOVE Taylor Swift...her 🎶 is fantastic! I really enjoy it. I came across your reaction to Evermore 1rst, then found this one...really enjoy your perspective, WELL DONE 👏 👏 👏 hope you do more reactions to her other albums!

[@Violet316]

I am surprised no one has told you about the love triangle, Cardigan, August, and Betty. Also, there is a bonus track called "The Lakes". I would go with the sister album "evermore" for your next dive into Taylor's discography. Taylor has 10 studio albums.

[@nickthepeasant]

That sheds a new, interesting light on those tracks, thank you. Yeah, 10 albums is daunting and evermore is the current fave to try next.

[@Hey_Jamie]

@@nickthepeasantevermore has some of the greatest greats. It’s not my favorite album, but it has some of my favorite songs for sure

[@IvyCowboy]

YES please don't forget The Lakes and the evermore bonus tracks, right where you left me and it's time to go!!!

[@earthtonona13]

Really enjoyed your take! For me, folklore is a 10/10 it is one of my most revisted Taylor albums. Looking forward to seeing your journey through the swiftverse

[@sophiemannix4944]

This was a lovely reaction! I was so sad when the camera cut because I wanted to see your reaction to Hoax haha but I’m glad it made your highlights! Taylor tends to have long albums (especially with the Taylor’s Version re-recordings) and each song tends to find its fanatic stand so it d a bit hard to imagine her cutting them down even if not every song is my favourite. Most albums will probably have a couple of songs that don’t click and that’s okay-they’ll also have some real standouts. I think her writing-especially lyrically but also melodically-and her way of capturing a very specific feeling is her biggest strength. You seem to like lyrics, so I’ll nudge you to revisit two tracks that I don’t think caught you the first time: Seven and This Is Me Trying. Seven so beautifully tells a story from the perspective of a child, especially the second verse which seems to be about a child trying to save her friend from abuse she doesn’t understand. It’s dark and beautiful and something I haven’t heard in song quite that way. This Is Me Trying is a great depiction of mental illness or addiction, and again, that second verse is so well written. If you go to Evermore next, that has a similar soundscape to this one. But it’s more sprawling, messy, experimental. In my opinion both higher highs and lower lows, but it’s my favourite of the two. For a complete shock in sound, go to Reputation. It’s darker pop? Hip hop inspired, largely satirical and/or love songs. If you like pop, 1989 is a great time-but you’ll probably remember a lot of the songs as you hear it so if Shake It Off and Blank Space annoyed you to death back in the day, maybe save it until you’ve jived with more of her catalogue lol. Though many of those songs have cleverer lyrics then you probably remember and the vault is great. Midnights is the other spot you could go next. Do the 3am edition (and maybe find You’re Losing Me and Hits Different too which were on other editions of the album). Sort of a middling ground between Folklore and her previous pop stuff. Very fun production, great lyrics (though with a few sillier fun songs in there as well) and very accessible. Keen to see where you go next!

[@nickthepeasant]

@sophiemannix4944 Thanks for that thoughtful and comprehensive comment, giving me some useful guidance on where to dive to next in this rabbithole.

[@katek1905]

She is quite diverse and her albums have a wide range of sounds. Some, like Reputation, have a lot more production. One thing that is consistent throughout all her albums however is that she is the primary songwriter (on her album Speak now she is the ONLY songwriter). Cowriters have said they even sometimes feel guilty getting credit because she'll often come in with so much of the song done. I love Folklore and think it's masterpiece. But I also love many songs off her other albums too. Looking forward to your Taylor journey!

[@MBella123]

Oh, Taylor is such a master when it comes to storytelling, her lyrics never disappoint. If you check out Evermore, I highly recommend listening to the lyrics with close attention, maybe watch her official lyric videos. Champagne Problems has to be one of my favorite songs from her, maybe one of my all time favorite songs. It’s such a gorgeous song and the lyrics are heart wrenching but beautiful 💜

[@ivy5919]

I really enjoyed your reaction and honesty, thank you for making it and giving a try to Taylor's music! She is a really good songwritter and I adore her writing skills. Taylor said "Evermore" was Folklore' sister album so you might want to listen to it after Folklore. Her lastest album "Midnights" is more pop but I think you will enjoyed some songs on it. I can't wait to watch your next reaction of Taylor's music!

[@deathby1000cats]

You should really consider watching the Long Pond Sessions version of Exile. It’s live, and it’s exceptional. Full body chills. Fun fact: when she performed this live recently, the crowd did the harmonies for her. It was breathtaking.

[@Hey_Jamie]

Omg no wait ahaha sorry! One more thing! The Last Great American Dynasty is about Rebecca Harkness, the woman who lived in the house Taylor bought in Rhode Island. She learned the history of the home and the history of Rebecca and was so fascinated she wrote a song about it.

[@anabelenramirez2341]

She wrote Mirrorball after known her shows where cancelled due the pandemic. Its deeper that it seems at first. I like your reactions, thanks for your insights😊

[@hellojilly]

Yessssss!! You have summoned the swifties!!

[@silje.on.youtube]

I would listen to the live long pond studio session 🥰 Taylor, Aaron and Jack, who made this together, talk about the meaning behind the songs. And it truly sheds light on the tracks. There is a few tracks I didn’t pay attention to before I heard that. Now one of those are my favorite. This is me trying. This album really changes over time each time I listen to it. There is something really soothing about this album. And its sister album, Evermore.

[@IvyCowboy]

100000000 % agree.

[@deathby1000cats]

Yes!!!!!! The long pond studio session is required viewing for this album. I don’t think you can’t truly experience it without that.

[@Starbuck-dr7yl]

Lovely! What a surprise to see this on my feed. FYI there is a deluxe track called the lakes. Taylor is a great storyteller. Through her career, she started on country music & each of her 3-4 country albums sound very different, different vibe, feel to it. Then around age 23-24 she transitioned into pop, with 3 pop albums each sounding very differently, subject matter, melodies, lyricism. Folklore came in 2020 during pandemic and is more of a folk/indie crossed with pop sound with a sister album called evermore. Evermore is her biggest storytelling album in my opinion. She then followed those up in 2022 with Midnights, which merges her earlier synth pop music with stronger lyricism & storytelling (lyricism is often lost or diminished for the sake of that great pop hook). If you want more storytelling but similar vibe to folklore, try evermore. Also she writes a prologue to each album. It’s nice to read that prior to listening to the album. If you want to try something different than her folk music, her 2nd album Fearless (written age 16-18) won AOTY, is certified Diamond, and is the most awarded country album in the history of country music. But you do have to keep in mind the topics are from a teenage girl, not a grown woman with experiences. If you’d like to hear some pop music, her 5th album is considered one of the best pop albums this century, won AOTY, is Diamond, and she just re-recorded this album and released it just last week. So maybe the time is right to listen to this 80’s pop album.

[@loud_hailer6240]

From this sound and album I would recommend Midnights. 1989 is full on mega pop so it depends on what you feel like listening. Great reaction!

[@madelinewise8692]

The Last Great American Dynasty is based on Rebecca Harkness whose house in Rhode Island Taylor purchased for 17 million after it sat empty for 50 years

[@megan5636]

August, cardigan and Betty are all correlated. So Betty is from James perspective, cardigan is from Betty’s perspective and august is from the girl that James had a fling with. Also my tears ricochet is speculated to be about losing her masters and the men who did her dirty, I’m not sure if you’re caught up in all that but that’s why she releases her albums previous to folklore and calls them Taylor’s versions so she can reclaim them. Also I recommend doing the deluxe because the bonus songs for folklore and evermore are so good if that’s what you’re doing next

[@Hey_Jamie]

Not speculated. It’s very obvious and documented to be what My Tears Ricochet is about.

[@Hey_Jamie]

Also, she’s not rereading her albums previous to Folklore. Only the first 6. Which ends at Reputation.

[@megan5636]

@@Hey_Jamie if you reread my comment you’ll see I already said that’s why she releases her albums PREVIOUS to folklore

[@RobGamesOn]

​@@megan5636it would be previous to Lover... not Folklore... I mean technically you're right because they were before Folklore, but saying it like that also implies that Lover is among those albums which it's not.

[@megan5636]

@@RobGamesOn I’m aware lover is before and her own, I guess I could have clarified more lol, I just brought up being previous to folklore since that’s what he’s starting on

[@emilyjohnson8427]

Folklore is a 10 out of 10 for me

[@kiimiliuu]

My tears ricochet is about her ex label ceo Scott borchetta who went behind her back and sold her masters to Scooter Braun a guy she has bad relations with. She was never given a chance to buy her masters before they sold. When she went to scooter to see if she could buy them back he wanted her to sign a NDA so she passed on it. This is the reason why she is re-recording her music. No one believed her when she said she would, not even Scooter. When her first re-record came out he realized he made a mistake and sold her masters to a holding company. I believe now she can buy them back with out NDA but she wants to devalue her OG masters as much as she can as Scooter will unfortunately still get some of the profit from the sale.

[@Hey_Jamie]

Bon Iver is a band. Justin Vernon is the singer for Bon Iver.

[@nickthepeasant]

Realised after the recording, failed to clarify.

[@juliastraky2252]

Evermore next!

[@nickthepeasant]

It was between that and '1989' for me

[@Hey_Jamie]

@@nickthepeasantoh just make sure if/when you do 1989, it’s Taylor’s Version. aka the TAYLOR-owned version. Which was just released on the 27th.

[@Sammy-f2l]

@@Hey_Jamie girl how r u everywhere

[@ana_lynn_w2959]

@@nickthepeasant I evermore is slightly more upbeat, so I suggest you do that next. 1989 is very very energetic and fast moving album. I suggest that be your third.

[@ia8343]

Great reaction! Can't wait for more. Looking at the comments you're set on doing evermore next, but I recommend Red after that instead of 1989 :)

[@RobGamesOn]

Red: Taylor's Version in my opinion is the best album for her old and new style (country/rock/pop) and gives you the best overall picture of what she can do with the dabbling of different genres. Its also her best work in my humble opinion. Taylor's Version has 30 tracks total making it her longest album, but with it being a rerecorded album, she added her vault tracks which basically doubled the length of the original Red album. If you don't want to do the full 30 tracks, her original album stops at the song "Begin Again"... but trust me when I say her vault tracks are among her best work and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping them.

[@dirkus3722]

This album is even more impressive when you realize that the three people who made it never saw each other in person until after the album had released. Taylor did the vocals in her house in LA, and Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff did the production work at their respective studios (Aaron's studio is Long Pond, where they eventually recorded the Disney+ special and "folklore: the long pond studio sessions"). Of course, Taylor was present for the production work, but remotely. I can't imagine how challenging that was. Then it went and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Go figure. PS 48 year old dude here, and working on becoming a hardcore Swiftie. Welcome.

[@hennameeter-xx4lm]

Great reaction!! Thank you!

[@neontyler6663]

The Timeless album and the Vocabulary ❤

[@ana_lynn_w2959]

There are some songs that it took me a very long time to appreciate, and I feel embarrassed. I was a fan long before this album so I came into listening to this album with positivity. It’s just very different from all her other albums up until she released Evermore, which is her sister album to this. I love so many lyrics in here, but I have to say that this is an unpopular opinion, but evermore is the better album in my opinion. In the fandom, everyone considers folklore to be the better album but me I disagree. I think evermore is a better album.

[@nickthepeasant]

Think Evermore is next for me, I have high hopes.

[@MBella123]

I like Evermore better than Folklore as well

[@kelleycheek5142]

If you've got any 10 out of 10 albums...you're about to listen to one of them

[@Hey_Jamie]

I know you’re next Avenue for Taylor is a toss up between evermore and 1989 TV, and I want soooo much to go hard for Reputation. BUT. If you do, I could only suggest going by the Reputation Stadium Tour videos on KZbin (the ones pulled from the Netflix concert film. If not the Netflix concert film itself) because she hasn’t released the TV of Reputation yet, and we don’t f with the stolen version.

[@nickthepeasant]

I think my next few weeks of Taylor material has been laid out there 😊. Trying not to be over-whelmed by the amount of content and the Right versions of them, so I really appreciate the guidance / insight.

[@Dotcomara]

you didnt put my tears ricochet on your list?

[@avokittypup]

Tke lakes

[@eltonfan62]

FOLKLORE shouldn't be the first TS album to review.REPUTATION first then slow down and relax close your eyes then put FOLKLORE on.

[@czak598]

My 10/10 album is BTS . The Most Beautiful Moment in Life -Young Forever, which is a compilation of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life parts 1 & 2. It's in Korean so you would need to listen with subtitles on

[@dhvnit]

Yes you are expecting too much. I hate people like you who give back hand compliment. Ohh it’s good production is good. Lyrics is good but not amazing. What the hell. Like what you want. Its surprise me that you fail to mentioned what exactly you are looking for cause you don’t even know what you want lol.

[@hennameeter-xx4lm]

Wow this is a super rude comment. Check yourself.

[@hollowlight1]

You need to calm down

[@dinglesworld]

I have the strange and wild suspicion that you might have misinterpreted and given too much weight to his criticism. 💀