First things first, Taylor Swift is one of my favorite singers. I used to think she was just a pop singer like many others, but my opinion has recently changed. Growing up, I've learned to appreciate (and envy) those who are shameless enough to express their feelings in front of the whole world - and make a melody out of them. Many have criticized her for how she has dealt with her breakups, but I really think Taylor Swift is an example we should all follow. Yes, it's true, there are worse things than a breakup, but anyone who ever experienced a broken heart at least once in their life knows how much it hurts. So imagine being there, in your room, convinced that you're wrong because the person you love no longer loves you or doesn't accept you for you are. You don't want to talk about it with anyone because you are afraid of being misunderstood or misjudged. You lie on your bed and put on your headphones. As soon as that one song hits, you don't feel stupid anymore: you feel that another person - as beautiful and successful as Taylor Swift - is as fragile as you are. Suddenly you don’t feel alone anymore. There is someone who can express what you cannot explain to your friends, or to yourself. By exposing herself in front of the whole world, Taylor Swift is brave enough to make art out of the most difficult moments of her life, helping her fans feel better.
With the passing of time, Taylor Swift's music has changed from country to pop. While listening to her older songs I can't deny feeling a certain nostalgia for the days when she used to be a true storyteller in her songs. In "Speak Now", for example, she imagined breaking into a wedding to confess to the groom that she was madly in love with him: "Don't say yes, run away now / I'll meet you when you're out / Of the church at the back door / Don't wait or say a single vow / You need to hear me out / And they said speak now". All fictitious, of course, but sung and told in a fun and detailed way, as only Taylor Swift can do.
When I heard that Taylor Swift had released a new album, I couldn't wait to hear it. I listened to Folklore on a rainy and cold day, in the darkness of my room. An autumnal atmosphere perfectly fitting such a nostalgic and melancholic album. As soon as "the 1" hits, it's clear that this album will be different from the previous ones: it's not pop, it's not country either - it's an ambitious tale about people who really existed or who were protagonists of popular myths. An experiment, in short, and a successful one. Reflections on what would have been if things had gone differently ("the 1") are mixed with stories of a love triangle told from the point of view of the three teenagers involved ("cardigan", "august" and "betty"). Two former lovers express jealousy and resentment in "exile", where Bon Iver's rough voice perfectly fits with Taylor Swift's sweeter voice. In all this, a declaration of love in "invisible string" - which personally seems to me like a more mature and subtle version of "Red" - could not be missing. More gloomy notes are evident in songs like "my tears ricochet", dominated by a witty atmosphere, followed by allusions to a sexist society in "mad woman" - a theme already explored in "The Man".
I'm nobody to say that Taylor Swift deserves a Grammy or that this is one of the best albums of this year, but I think it's unique. Track by track, it's as if Taylor Swift was accompanying us to different places, each with stories and tales to listen to with our mouths open. This album could be like one of those CDs that you discover by chance while looking through your great grandparents' stuff, one of those records giving you the vintage smell of a past society, but still so damn relatable. After taking us to this beautiful and magical world, the 16th track is played, bringing us back to the real world and leaving us with a deep sense of melancholy.
In the end, it’s safe to say that Taylor Swift is back and she’s the best version of her “Speak Now” storytelling days. Yet, she has matured a new and refreshing way of writing songs, blessing us with a unique and unrepeatable nostalgic atmosphere during this weird summertime.
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