Author Spotlight
Campbell Wood
Phoebe Hendon
Between the holidays and homework, you might’ve missed the hype for Taylor Swift’s surprise album, “evermore” — a sister album to her “folklore” album from July. But don’t worry, there’s still time to get hooked, and we’re here to walk you through the first six tracks of the album to reignite your inner Swiftie.
Campbell’s Pick
One word: enchanting. “willow” was by far the most-anticipated song of the album, since it was accompanied by a music video that bridges “folklore” to “evermore,” picking up where the video for Swift’s “folklore” song “cardigan” left off.
Swift follows a golden string — a reference to “folklore’s” “invisible string” — in the music video, leading her to the the man she wants to be with. The mysterious, yet hopeful, tone encaptures what it’s like to want someone so bad that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to be with them, as expressed in the line, “Wherever you stray, I follow // I’m begging for you to take my hand // Wreck my plans, that’s my man.”
Since she’s known for her powerful imagery that makes isolated instances seem much more relatable, Swift sprinkles these beautiful analogies throughout the “evermore” album. As the perfect first track, “willow” sets a preface to the rest of the album by establishing this concept of naive love — a recurring theme in many of her songs.
Phoebe’s Pick
Swift revealed in an interview that a majority of the songs she wrote for “folklore” and “evermore” were based on fictional stories and characters she’d come up with, unlike her directly personal earlier albums where she’s called out her exes by name. Telling the story of a woman who turns down her lover’s proposal, “champagne problems” is hopefully no more than a figmented story and not a reality in Swift’s life.
With simplistic piano chords reminiscent of “New Year’s Day” from Swift’s “Reputation” album, “champagne problems” is a goodbye to a romance that the narrator has ended. Though the narrator knows it needed to be done, Swift achingly relays the pain their partner goes through — “Your heart was glass, I dropped it // Champagne problems.”
As painful as the would-be engagement ends up, Swift leaves her lover with a hopeful note. Although she knows she’s not the one for him, she sings in a bridge that swells — leaving the tame notes of the first few verses behind — “… you’ll find the real thing instead // she’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred.” Swift promises they’ll find someone who “holds [their] hand while dancing” and “never [leaves them] stranded” as she herself did.
“champagne problems” may just be a story, but Swift perfectly encompasses the gut-wrenchingly bitter heartbreak of the old phrase “if you love them, let them go.”
Campbell’s Pick
When listening to this rhythmic masterpiece of fast and slow, hopeful and diminutive, I could hear Swift capture that teenage crush that every high schooler has become all too familiar with.
Swift beautifully describes the desire for someone that everyone wants to be with as a gold rush — something everyone is after, but only few can have for themselves. The metaphor of this song couldn’t be a more perfect comparison — Swift’s done it again.
The normalcy and straightforward attitude Swift possesses on an unrequited crush mirrors the lyrics’ simplicity. While the track only features a few slight changes to its minimal and repetitive lyrics, Swift’s bold tone backed by a metronomic drum beat drives the song to feel like it has the arc it actually lacks structurally. Although “gold rush” is no Mozart, it’s Swift’s speciality and manages to hit home.
Phoebe’s Pick
We’ve all had a moment where we think about an ex, whether it be the boy we dated for all of sophomore year or the one we talked to for a few weeks over quarantine and never even met face-to-face. In “‘tis the damn season,” Swift gives her audience the text-your-ex/hook-up anthem. The lyrics coast on the adrenaline of impulsivity, of wanting so badly what could’ve been — “The road not taken looks real good now // and it always leads to you and my hometown.”
Many fans have theorized the song is sung from the point of view of Dorothea, the namesake of another track off “evermore.” Though nothing is confirmed, Swifties are notorious at cracking the codes Swift loves to throw in her songs.
Dorothea, a famous actress who revisits her hometown after years in Los Angeles, is reminded of an unrequited love with a boy she grew up with. As Dorothea implies, neither her nor the boy ever had the courage to tell each other how they felt, but “‘tis the damn season” is her breaking point.
“We could call it even, you could call me babe for the weekend,” Taylor suggests to a fictional lover. If you’re thinking of calling someone babe for the weekend, think of “‘tis the damn season” as musical courage.
Phoebe’s Pick
For those used to Taylor Swift’s airier love songs, “tolerate it” is nothing we’ve seen before. When I was nine, I sang “You Belong With Me” in my bedroom day and night, but now I’m almost 18 and every time “tolerate it” comes on in my car, I’m hit with a brick load of emotion, realizing I’ve had moments in my life where I’ve felt the love I give is only — and will ever only be — tolerated.
“tolerate it” is the anthem of unreciprocated, unappreciated love, one where you pour your cup out for someone else time and time again with continued effort, only to be left empty after all your love is gone.
Given Swift’s history and scrutiny when it comes to dating men much older than her, she references being taken advantage of by these men and how they’ve abused her capacity for love — “you’re so much older and wiser,” is sung leading into the chorus, continuing with a swelling, pleading, “and I // wait by the door like I’m just a kid… I know my love should be celebrated // but you tolerate it.”
She’s given her all to her partner, but over time the reciprocity of this love and care for another person fades into a love that is merely tolerated, and to Swift, this empty relationship stings worse than a breakup. “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky // Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life,” Swift sings. This track highlights Swift’s maturity as a songwriter and artist, but stays true to her brand of simple and personal, yet heartbreaking lyrics.
Campbell’s Pick
The opening of sirens with the flash of “he did it” play in my headphones, developing a gloomy, accusational murder mystery that piqued the Nancy Drew in me. “no body, no crime” boasts a compelling arc where every word progressively unfolds the narrator’s predicament. This storytelling narration is a lyrical structure seen repeatedly throughout “folklore” that Swift carries through “evermore” as well.
Swift’s success with the song’s narrative comes from a personal account, featuring Este from the band HAIM, as a singer for the character whose husband is having an affair. As friends, Este and Swift both suspect a mistress, and Este ultimately confronts her husband. The story picks up when Este disappears and the narrator, sung by Swift, plots against Este’s husband.
The tone shift after Este’s disappearance turns into an echo of her telling the narrator who did it, resulting in ominous, yet gripping vocals. Swift’s “no body, no crime” rekindles her country roots with a southern draw in her voice and harmonica acoustics, while still featuring the softness of the album as a whole.
*photos by Emma Kate Squires
Leave a Reply