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5/23/2023 0 Comments

May 23rd, 2023

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    Taylor Swift's Sister Projects Renewed My Passions For Artistry and Nature

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    ​During the dark days of Covid, two projects emerged that spoke Americana, folk,  storytelling, visuals, artistry, and even humanity to me. Taylor Swift's Folklore and Evermore were shining lights during some of the darkest days of 2020. They were landmark projects that not only spoke to the thoughts of Taylor Swift but she conveyed a message that spoke to the thoughts of many people around the world. We needed to be reminded of our humanity as we isolated ourselves to protect our health but we also needed an escape to the harsh realities of life by listening to different stories. Taylor provided those stories for us. This essay isn't a review on which sister album made the biggest impact on 2020. This essay is a reflection of what Folklore/Evermore meant to me and how it defined 2020. I can't imagine not having BOTH albums in my life.

    On July 23, 2020, nine photos were uploaded to Swift's accounts, all without captions, forming an image of the singer standing alone in a forest. She made another post across all her social media accounts, announcing that her eighth studio album would be released at midnight; Swift stated: "Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, Folklore". Taylor released a standard version ("In The Trees" Edition) and seven other alternate covers (“In The Weeds” Edition, “Meet Me Behind the Mall” Edition, “Betty's Garden” Edition, “Stolen Lullabies” Edition,” “Hide-And-Seek” Edition, “Running Like Water” Edition, and the “Clandestine Meetings” Edition). Each of the editions represent a song from the project, and visually shows Taylor in grey and white photos outside in lush nature, wearing rustic clothes, and in what looks like vintage cottagecore. The album's aesthetic has been compared to the visuals in multiple films, such as The Blair Witch Project (1999), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), The Witch (2015), The Beguiled (2017), Woodshock (2017), The Lighthouse (2019), Midsommar (2019) and Little Women (2019).

    Folklore consists of songs exploring points of view that diverge from Swift's life and fictional points of view written from perspectives of different characters. The songwriting is primarily distinguished by its wistfulness, escapism, nostalgia, contemplation, and empathy. Folklore reflected Swift's deepening self-awareness, introspection, and vivid storytelling. Folklore's lyricism is both personal and fictional, and a blend of both at times. This is significant since Taylor is known for writing songs mainly from her point of view and her experiences. It shows maturity from Taylor and her evolution as a song writing. In the song, Rebekah Harkness is the muse behind the third track "The Last Great American Dynasty" but on "Peace", Taylor is talking about her life "But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm. If your cascade ocean wave blues come. All these people think love's for show but I would die for you in secret. The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me. Would it be enough if I could never give you peace"? I think its because Taylor is still going through that experience so as the cover shows, she is still in the forest.

    On December 10, 2020, Swift posted nine photos on Instagram, which together formed an image of the singer's back as she is looking towards the forest of bare trees from a distance, wearing a heavy coast in a changing season. In another post across her social media, she announced her ninth studio album, titled Evermore, releasing at midnight. Taylor started she and collaborators (Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Jack Antonoff, Justin Vernon and William Bowery) couldn't stop working together.

    Evermore is very intimate while creating an imaginary world of stories and characters. I feel this project is more Taylor because many of the songs feel like her own experiences as opposed to her writing about someone else experiences. She is basically reflecting about those experiences which explains why she is looking at the forest from a distance. She is either surviving or have survived it all, and is now able to talk about those experiences more freely. The forest represents those experiences and how she got out of it all and reflecting on her journey. The titled song, Evermore, "I rewind the tape but all it does is pause. On the very moment all was lost. Sending signals to be double crossed". She has moved on.

    Folklore's sister album, Evermore was described as an offshoot of "the folklorian woods" by Taylor Swift. Many have started Evermore is a sequel, second chapter, or a companion record to Folklore. For me, Evermore is the more experimental sister of the two projects. It is more bold and playful while Folklore appears to be more introspective and romantic. It stands on its own as another book but its part of a collection. Evermore is the autumn and winter while Folklore is the spring and summer. The lyrics reveal these facts, as even Swift said she likens Evermore to fall and winter, in contrast to Folklore's spring and summer. Folklore's look was lush forests, ghostly, woodland while Evermore is wintry with an autumnal and a yuletide feel. Evermore incorporates nature, landscapes and objects in the sky, such as crescent moon, comets, amber skies, precipice, willow, clover and ivy. Folklore incorporates nature, skies, beaches, trees, lakes, leaves, sunrise, and grass.

    When it is all said and done, the hidden message of Folklore/Evermore has to be about reconnecting to our stories, artistry, humanity, nature, past, and our futures. In an era of a pandemic, we need to be reminded of this message and live our lives to the fullest. Let's reflect and tell our stories for others to read and learn from because that's what artistry should really be about and that is what Taylor achieved with her sister projects of 2020. Folklore and Evermore.

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