I decided to relisten to a few songs from Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, “folklore”, and write about how I interpreted and felt about the story being told through these three songs. The stories that these songs tell are complex, yet easy to follow.
Specifically, I relistened to the songs “betty”, “august” and “cardigan,” which are three songs that intertwine with each other. These three songs tell a story from the point of view of three different people who are in a love triangle.
The song “betty” is from the point of view of a 17-year-old high school boy, James, who explains the story of the love triangle, but in his own way. He describes how he cheated on Betty, his previous girlfriend, during the summer with a girl named Augustine.
“It was just a summer thing,” James says, yearning for Betty to know that him and Augustine were just a summer fling and nothing more.
Augustine feels very differently about her and James’ summer relationship. For her, it was more than just a “summer thing.”
“I remember thinking I had you,” Augustine says. For a moment, she truly believed that James would be hers. She was madly in love with him, but he doesn’t feel the same way. He is in love with Betty.
The song “cardigan” is from Betty’s point of view where she tells her story- not only about James, but also about herself and her own feelings about herself. Eventually, James comes back to Betty and we know this when Betty says, “I knew you’d come back to me.”
In my opinion, James is in the wrong in the situation. He cheated on Betty and left Augustine heartbroken; in the dust. Although it could be argued that Augustine is a “homewrecker,” or that she stole James from Betty, she was genuinely in love with James and she was living “for the hope of it all,” meaning all she had was hope and wanting. She thought she had a hold on James, but he pushed her aside as if she were nothing. He was using her because he didn’t have Betty, but just when he got Betty back, he threw Augustine aside as if she were nothing, as if she never meant anything to him.
I believe that Augustine was the true victim in the story. Sure, Betty got cheated on and that hurts and sure, you could consider her a victim as well, but Augustine is the victim in this story. She was just thrown aside as if she was a piece of trash, but she held onto her feelings for James and her love for him as if they had forever. She knew, though, deep down that she never had a chance to truly have James.
This love triangle is very deep and complex and I recommend listening to these three songs on your own and form your own opinions.