In case you do not reside on the the interweb, or anywhere near pop culture, Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, titled ‘folklore’ on July 24th of this pandemic stricken 2020. In case you haven't heard it, "this is me trying" is one of the tracks.
‘folklore’ was a surprise release from an artist who is known for being deliberate with her releases. There was no big promotional run, no drumming up excitement, just a simple tweet less than 24 hours before the music became available on streaming services.
Fans were quick to hail it as Swift’s best album yet. I do not disagree. Taylor has amassed an incredible discography over her 14 year (and still counting) career. Red, 1989, Reputation are personal favourites. All fantastic, yet there is something about ‘folklore’ that puts it in a league of its own.
Atmospheric, pensive, emotionally loud. Taylor excels at storytelling, and folklore is exactly that: a collection of stories. A hauntingly beautiful collection of stories. Welcome to indie-Taylor.
And even with this new sonic exploration and surprise drop, Taylor STILL did numbers. The kind of numbers reserved solely for true superstars. [Superstar: A dying breed. We are potentially amongst the last of their kind.]
So, let’s take a look at some of these accolades that in my opinion, solidify Swift as one of the biggest artists ever.
1. 2020’s Biggest Week for an Album, and Biggest for Any Album Since “Lover” (Yep, that is Taylor’s previous album).
2. First artist ever to debut at number 1 on the Hot 100 & Billboard 200 simultaneously. With "Cardigan" and Folklore, Swift is the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week. Let’s note that The Billboard 200 began in 1956, and the Hot 100 in 1958. Wild.
3. She broke first day streaming records with 80.6million streams.
4. The first woman to debut two songs in the Hot 100's top five simultaneously. And third act overall. The only other two artists to achieve this are Lil Wayne and Juice WRLD (rip).
5. Multiple weeks at Number 1. This is a feat that is getting more and more difficult. Check the other members of this exclusive club here. You'll be surprised.
So yes, folklore is IMMENSE.
As for my top tracks, I could list the entire album but I'm gonna go with one song that has stuck in my head since first listen due to the stunning chorus where Taylor and Justin Vernon (credited as Bon Iver) go line for line. Yep, its Exile.
Very sure you can find all the songs from folklore in July's playlist here :)
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