folklore, taylor swift!
a film recommendation for every song on T. swift's 8th studio album
If you don’t celebrate August as THE Taylor Swift month, and more specifically the folklore month then what are you doing?
Although Folklore may not be my favourite Taylor Swift album (I’m looking at you Evermore) I can’t argue that it is the best album in her discography. From the lyricism to the song production, Folklore has most of the criteria needed to be a ‘perfect’ album. Today, since it’s the 8th day of the 8th month of the year, which happens to be the title of track 8 on Folklore, we’re celebrating this album. I have compiled a list of films I associate with each song on the album and also lyrics from the song that I relate to the film.
PS the title of this article is from this video below and I hope that you read it in that woman’s voice when she announces Taylor as the winner cause that’s how I intended it to be read lol.
Track 1 - the 1
(my favourite song from the album!)
‘I guess you never know, never know And if you wanted me, you really should've showed’
‘But we were something, don't you think so?’
‘And if my wishes came true It would've been you’
‘But it would've been fun If you would've been the one’
‘You know the greatest loves of all time are over now’
‘I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you If one thing had been different Would everything be different today?’
‘And it would've been sweet If it could've been me’
Track 2 - cardigan
(Some of the lyrics could also relate to Before Sunrise)
‘And when I felt like I was an old cardigan Under someone's bed You put me on and said I was your favourite’
‘To kiss in cars and downtown bars Was all we needed’
'Cause I knew you Steppin' on the last train Marked me like a bloodstain’
‘I knew you Leavin' like a father Running like water’
‘And when you are young, they assume you know nothing But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs The smell of smoke would hang around this long 'Cause I knew everything when I was young’
Track 3 - the last great american dynasty
‘The doctor had told him to settle down It must have been her fault his heart gave out’
‘There goes the last great American dynasty Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been’
‘She had a marvelous time ruining everything’
‘Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits And then it was bought by me’
Track 4 - exile
‘And it took you five whole minutes To pack us up and leave me with it Holdin' all this love out here in the hall’
‘You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town Now I'm in exile, seein' you out’
Track 5 - my tears ricochet
‘Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you 'Til my dying day’
‘And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed’
‘You know I didn't want to have to haunt you But what a ghostly scene You wear the same jewels that I gave you As you bury me’
Track 6 - mirrorball
‘I'll show you every version of yourself tonight I'll get you out on the floor Shimmering beautiful’
‘Hush, when no one is around, my dear You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes Spinnin' in my highest heels, love Shinin' just for you’
‘Drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten’
‘And I'm still a believer, but I don't know why I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try’
Track 7 - seven
‘Are there still beautiful things? Sweet tea in the summer Cross your heart, won't tell no other’
‘Are there still beautiful things? Sweet tea in the summer Cross your heart, won't tell no other’
‘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 think you should come live with me And we can be pirates Then you won't have to cry Or hide in the closet’
Track 8 - august
(I swear I’m always talking about this film but omg literally every lyric of this song reminds me of it)
‘Whispers of "Are you sure?" "Never have I ever before"'
But I can see us lost in the memory
‘August slipped away into a moment in time 'Cause it was never mine And I can see us twisted in bedsheets August sipped away like a bottle of wine 'Cause you were never mine’
‘Back when we were still changin' for the better Wanting was enough For me, it was enough To live for the hope of it all’
‘So much for summer love and saying "us" 'Cause you weren't mine to lose You weren't mine to lose, no’
Track 9 - this is me trying
‘I just wanted you to know That this is me trying’
‘They told me all of my cages were mental’
‘So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad I have a lot of regrets about that’
‘Fell behind all my classmates, and I ended up here Pouring out my heart to a stranger But I didn't pour the whiskey’
Track 10 - illicit affairs
‘Make sure nobody sees you leave Hood over your head, keep your eyes down Tell your friends you're out for a run’
‘What started in beautiful rooms Ends with meetings in parking lots And that's the thing about illicit affairs And clandestine meetings and longing stares’
‘So you leave no trace behind Like you don't even exist Take the words for what they are’
‘You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else And you know damn well For you, I would ruin myself A million little times’
Track 11 - invisible string
‘Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?’
‘And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?’
‘Time, mystical time Cutting me open, then healing me fine’
A string that pulled me Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire
Track 12 - mad woman
‘What did you think I'd say to that? Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? They strike to kill, and you know I will’
‘Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy What about that? And when you say I seem angry, I get more angry And there's nothing like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that’
‘They say, "Move on", but you know I won't’
‘I'm taking my time, taking my time 'Cause you took everything from me’
Track 13 - epiphany
(I actually never finished this movie (stopped at about 20 minutes before the end) even though I liked it so take this with a grain of salt cause this is also my least favourite track from the album)
‘With you, I serve With you, I fall down, down Watch you breathe in Watch you breathing out, out’
‘Just one single glimpse of relief To make some sense of what you've seen’
Track 14 - betty
(I know technically it’s a limited series but cmon this song is so them especially when they were in high school)
‘The worst thing that I ever did Was what I did to you’
‘I'm only 17, I don't know anythin' But I know I miss you’
‘I was nowhere to be found I hate the crowds, you know that’
‘Slept next to her, but I dreamt of you all summer long’
Track 15 - peace
‘As long as danger is near And it's just around the corner, darling 'Cause it lives in me No, I could never give you peace’
‘All these people think love's for show But I would die for you in secret’
‘Give you my wild, give you a child Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other’
‘But there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me’
‘Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?’
Track 16 - hoax
‘Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason" Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in’
‘You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for? You knew it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart You knew the password, so I let you in the door You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?’
‘Darling, this was just as hard As when they pulled me apart My only one My kingdom come undone My broken drum You have beaten my heart’
Track 17 - the lakes
‘Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die I don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry I'm setting off, but not without my muse’
‘Tell me what are my words worth’
‘While I bathe in cliffside pools With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief’
And that was it! Planning this was lowkey very fun, it just took a bit of time to write all this down. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this and got new film recommendations. Don’t forget to subscribe. I’ll see you soon :)
-mars