Dec 19, 2020
Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore
2020 had been a crazy, unpredictable year for everyone. Looking past all the unfortunate things the pandemic had brought us, this year had also given us time to contemplate about life and focus on developing ourselves.
Probably one of the most unanticipated yet well-celebrated surprises of this year was Taylor Swift dropping two studio albums — both well received by fans and critics.
Compared to Taylor’s previous albums — Folklore, and Evermore offered a new genre and different storytelling. Although her personal life inspired some of the tracks, most of them were products of her creative musings — that made the overall experience a unique musical journey.
I’ve listened and gushed over Folkore for months after its release, but after Evermore came out, I felt like I need to immerse myself in this lyrical tale once again.
Going over the songs and the lyrics, I’ve noticed that despite having different characters and story arcs — the songs shared core emotions that tied up the albums cohesively, representing life’s phases and desires.
Folklore represents life’s uncertainties and our constant struggle to find our place and worth in this world.
It tells a story of what-ifs and what could have been, betrayal, misjudgment, longing for acceptance, and a sense of belongingness.
It narrates how we patronize the credulous concept of romance — How we try so hard to be part of someone’s life and how we cling to this addictive ambiguous fallacy that leads nowhere.
Ignoring the fact that in holding on, we turn high hopes into false hopes, trapping us in the never-ending loop of misery and endless effort to fit in — A delightful and exciting, yet a restless tale.
Evermore, on the other hand, is a story of acceptance, closure, and security.
Evermore, on the other hand, is a story of acceptance, closure, and security. The solemn acceptance of this world’s cruel reality - that one way or another, we’ll get hurt or hurt other people. As well as the fact that there’s no perfect relationship or people, and the only way to make something last is by accepting this and understanding that we always have a choice to stay and have a conscious effort to make things work or walk away.
Making that choice is the first step towards finding closure — the courage to close that chapter, let go and move on.
But in return, it also reminds us that these aches and disappointments are not permanent — they are just phases in our lives that soon will pass. And that we shouldn’t let these turn us cold and dark, instead consider these as lessons — a form of inspiration to be wiser in making decisions and finding peace and security within ourselves.
Knowing who you are, what you are capable of, and who you can be is more than enough to find real happiness.
“We all have stories to tell, driven by our emotions, aspirations, and decisions in life, but one thing is for sure, we write our narratives — so make it a wonderful one.”
