I couldn't believe my luck when Taylor Swift released folklore in 2020. It's the album myself, and everyone else in her fan base, has always wanted her to make. It's the album we throw in the faces of those who roll their eyes at our adoration for the singer. Taylor has been my favourite artist for as long as I can remember. Her lyricism in the album was another Everest of outstanding; 17 songs that all shared an altar with All Too Well and Last Kiss, what more could a girl who wasn't even experiencing heartbreak want?
Then evermore came along. Everyone calls her folklore's sister, but to me, she's Red's older sister. Red at the time was my favourite album of hers and had been since 2012. But the literature nerd in me fell head over heels in love with evermore and its brilliance. When I heard 'happiness' for the first time my heart doubled in size at the lyric 'I hope she'll be a beautiful fool'. Daisy says that in The Great Gatsby. I remember purchasing the book a few years ago during a trek to Walsall town, sitting in Starbucks and reading that particular line. 'happiness' remains one of my favourite songs on the record. Being in a relationship that was once so perfect and having to watch it unravel is a feeling that I can only hope I'll never fathom but Taylor explores the heartbreak beautifully.
Other opinions regarding the album? When I saw 'cowboy like me' on the tracklist my heart skipped a beat. A cowboy song, for me? You shouldn't have, thank you Taylor! It's another favourite. I love the bridge and the reference to skeletons in "both our closets". I'd say 'closure' is an underrated hit. Fans online don't seem to enjoy the mechanic sounds that play throughout the song. I on the other hand find the sound of a breaking machine very telling. Dorothea is a BOP too.
Another one of my favourite songs is 'champagne problems'. The song details a young woman who rejects the proposal of her college sweetheart just before Christmas. She reasons that he shouldn't have to look out for her all the time as he undoubtedly will and probably already does due to her mental health struggles, hence the reference to 'problems' in the title. The title is an idiom; the phrase belittles the woman's struggles and simultaneously mocks the problems of the rich. One of my own worst fears is that I'll never fall truly in love with anyone, a part of me greatly thinks I'm incapable. And if it happens, whether I'll be understood. Whether he'll be able to tolerate it (ha). Tolerate me. I know that I can be a handful and nothing consumes me more awfully than guilt does. The whole song is told from the perspective of the woman but she mentions how her former lover caught "the night train" to "sit there in (his) hurt". I find the imagery deeply profound and relatable - we've all cried on public transport before. It's the worst.
I had a particularly bad nights sleep on the night of September 4th, 2021 - nearly a whole year ago. Inspired by 'champagne problems,' I typed this poem, which I have now titled 'The Ring', into my phone notes.
The ring was gold
like your heart when you asked
because you promised
that despite my spirals,
my tribulations,
my father’s vexation
and our mutual ‘friends’
rolling their eyes and
predicting my decline
she just can’t commit, they smirked
you got down on one knee
and you asked, me.
You picked the stone alone.
Your father no fan of your plan,
your mother long gone.
We had that in common,
that’s how we bonded at first.
But your turmoil didn’t trap you,
didn’t suffocate you in shop queues
or smother you in the streets.
You never knew her, see.
Your grief ever present, but you, free.
But now I’ve left you alone
and you walk a different way home
as you ponder
our jacket swapping treks
with your arm around my neck
in the winter time,
was I ever really yours?
I certainly wasn’t mine
I certainly wasn’t ready
with my thoughts never steady
and I couldn’t let you keep your word.
You can’t live your life
repairing me again and again
and hiding from my father’s
tantrums and tiresome questioning.
These broken wings can only be cello-taped
so many times
and whilst it was fun
pretending we could last
the one is out there waiting
and her heart won’t need a cast.
I hope you've had a great weekend. Sending love to all of you, I'll be back next week (if not earlier).
Lots of love, Karisma xxxx