to me, this is me trying hit me so hard because I see that song as the quintessential gifted kid burnout anthem. Just, the feeling of growing up surrounded by people who insisted that because you’re good at school and smart you’re gonna have life figured out and everything’s gonna come easy for you... and then it doesn’t. But because you have never experienced failure and not being good at something before, you end up stuck in this cycle of self doubt and unhealthy coping mechanisms. It’s just such a beautifully profound and relatable song!
Just a quick appreciation comment not only for the queen that is Taylor but also the queens that are Em and Bonny. We all know how much effort it is to not only film for this amount of time but for editing! Four! Hour! Long! Videos! I'm sure you could get more views and more subscribers by branching out and not focusing so much on Taylor but it really warms my heart that you are so passionate about Taylor and the community that you don't care about that :) we really appreciate you Em and Bonny. Thank you so much for making these videos :)
Awwwww this is so sweet, thank you so much 😭😭😭 we love connecting with other Taylor fans and it’s soooo nice to be appreciated 💜 Bonny is the editor so spends a lot of time on these videos, I will make sure she reads your comment 😆 - Em
In regards to Mad Woman- I saw something online that says that when you get a number one album in Nashville, your record company puts a huge sign with your picture on it on Music Row. Scooter and Scott would literally see her face in their neighbor's (her record company's) lawn for Lover being #1.
Leave the perfume on the shelf line means to not put on perfume before you meet the person so that they don't smell like you afterwards when they go back to their partner or whatever (so you leave no trace behind)
So I think This is me trying is about mental health "Could have followed my fears all the way down" relates to suicide "Pouring my heart to a stranger" is talking to a therapist "But I didn't pour the whiskey" means not coping by drinking I think the song is about coping from a past relationship that has left you broken
Yes totally!! Putting the words mental health definitely brings it to life, like I said it feels like her going through life and struggles and trying to get through it! 💛
When I first heard Epiphany I didn't like it and I couldn't figure out why. It's since sunk in that because I work in the medical field that this song hit me so hard subconsciously that it's hard to listen to because it captures the reality of having to deal with patients dying in front of you (not just due to covid) so perfectly that it's hard to face those emotions outside of work and the fact that Taylor could capture those feelings so precisely in a song is incredible!
I agree! I am a nurse, and the lyric "some things you just can't speak about" hit me so hard. Like you see all of these things, and there is no release because you can't really speak about it, and when you can it is hard for others to understand what you've seen and experienced (covid or not). Being around so much death is traumatic, but you're trained that it's the job and you do push it down and I don't think we are always consciously aware of how much the pain and trauma effects us until we are burned out completely
Epiphany is my fave off the album, it's such a selfless and beautiful tribute. "doc i think shes crashing out" makes me bawl every single time i hear it. i cant imagine being a nurse and a swiftie she wrote a song for them ❤️
The more I listen to this song the more it hits me in the my soul. All those lives lost in war and also all the lives we are losing from Covid. Plus fighting the Covid deniers. Its a hauntingly deep song.
I think "this is me trying" may be connected to "mirrorball", and she's telling the fans and everyone who's supported her that she's not done just yet- despite everything she's gone through, she's still trying.
This is me trying hit me SO hard. I was freshly sober, a grown, disillusioned previous "wunderkind" who ended up an addict and then getting sober and just trying and trying.. My mom was like "this song could have been about you!" and are unfortunately many. It's so deep and profound to me how she puts it into words. She helped me pull through some dark times.
When Folklore came out, I had been working as a pharmacy technician, and it was hell. The day after the album's release I went on vacation where I decided to go on hikes. I played Epiphany on repeat ever day as I hiked for hours as it captured what it felt like to be working and struggling through Covid. It's my favorite TS song. It brings me peace, and, during that time, it brought me the epiphany that everything was going to be okay. Love it.
45:28 Watching Emily rant about Scooter gave me LIFE. The passion. The energy. We LOVE to see it ❤️ Thank you so much for this! Great analysis as always..love you guys soo much! ❤️❤️❤️
When she says "do you see my face on your neighbor's lawn" is a metaphor for her being in her new label and her continuing to make music and be on the media and the news. Record companies are referred to as "neighbors" of each other.
Love this!!! Wanted to add that I believe the illicit affairs lyric "leave the perfume on the shelf" refers to the narrator's own perfume that she won't wear when she's going to see him. because her smell would linger around on him/his room and give away the fact that she had been there. "leave no trace behind/like you don't even exist"
In illicit affairs the lyric "You showed me colours you know I can't see with anyone else" always reminds me of Out of the Woods ("The rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming colour")
Taylor literally firing shots at Scooter and then Bonny firing shots at JB, gotta love it ❤ you two seem so on point with your theories about each song its incredible. This album is such a work of art we're so lucky to have an artist like Taylor Swift in our lives who can create such masterpieces
"leave the perfume on the shelf, that you've picked out just for him" - I would imagine means that she can't wear the scent she would want to for him in case he has another partner at home "so you leave no trace behind, as if you don't even exist" - so his significant other wouldn't suspect another woman
Finally!!!! I have been waiting 😭😭😭 Edit: can I just say... I love this album so much, but your videos and song breakdowns have made me appreciate the songs even more, if that’s even possible. I have friends who like folklore but not at this level where we analyze the album’s lyrics and appreciate deciphering it all. They’ve only listened to the album once and they don’t listen to it anymore because they can’t digest the lyrics. Thank you both so much for this.
Just LOVED how you two finished this part of the analysis of Folklore lyrics with Epiphany. It's one of those songs that makes me cry. Actually, the song itself give us time to experience an epiphany. She paints two stories so vividly and emotionally that I feel like I'm feeling as same as that soldier & that nurse. Also in the lyric, "some things you just can't speak about", I feel like she wants to convey the message that in those moments in the song, we can't falter or takes time to speak about what's happening but to act or react. The song lyrically ask us to make sense of things, what we do etc. Also, there are two types professions we considered more as a service to the society than as actual professions. In fact, they are as serving as a soldier & as serving as a physician/nurse in medical field. These two careers are the most highly regarded services in our world. This song is sooo perfect in every way.
I did read someone’s semi-joke opinion that “Illicit Affairs” is about Carrie and Big from Sex and the City (when they’re both cheating on their partners) 😂, further evidence being him calling her “Kid” and “Baby” all the time. I do kind of love the idea that she was just binge-watching Sex and the City and ended up writing that song haha.
About the perfume lyric in "illicit affairs": I have always taken it to mean that the protagonist of the song picked out a perfume to smell nice especially for this man. But now she doesn't want to use it (leave it on her shelf) so her scent won't linger on him or his clothes and there will be no trace of her left behind when he goes about his separate life after their meeting.. Also, absolutely love your videos! They make me feel like I can discuss Taylor's music with friends who are equally passionate about it :)
"Time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine" also reminds me of Sad Beautiful tragic when she sings "and time is taking its sweet time erasing you" 😭 Also the bridge of invisible string absolutely kills me every time!! fucking perfection if you ask me!!
Just downloaded this song a week ago. Listening via ear buds while outside doing yard work....I must have replayed it a dozen times (or more). So sad and yet so beautifully soothing...I kept listening for better understanding...finding it hard to believe someone could put war and covid together in such a remarkable and deeply touching way. I kept having my own epiphany. Thank you two for your reactions! Love you guys!
TBH, epiphany has been the song I skip. And because of that, I never really listened to the lyrics. Now I have and, oh my, did this song fuck me up! It just hits so deep. My grandpa was a World War Two vet. As a kid I always played with his helmet, which had a whole in it from where he was hit in the head with shrapnel, a “flesh wound.” He died of COVID in March, at the age of 97, with someone else holding his hands through plastic gloves, since family was not allowed to see him. I’m a healthcare worker in the US and have seen the absolute carnage this disease has caused. I can absolutely relate to just wanting to close my eyes and find some relief, even if it is just a dream. I’ve listened to the song on repeat for about an hour now. I’m wrecked. I stumbled onto one of your first videos a couple of months ago and you have made me fall in love with Taylor Swift all over again. Her music and your videos have been my relief lately, so thank you!
"Gold was the color of the leaves." Maybe she is talking about how they went to centennial park during Autumn and how leaves had turn to gold, yellow or orange.
Just rewatching this again because I love your breakdown of each song- my favorite in this video is the discussion about Mad Woman. That song is just so superior, but I so enjoy the way you two talk about it 😊
“I didn’t know if you care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that” Taylor talking about disappearing and thinking her fans wouldn’t care because of the overparty situation, but she regrets assuming this
Thanks so much to you both for your deep analysis of one of the greatest albums ever made. It's my favorite of all-time, and I've been a huge music fan since the 1960s. This is the absolute perfect music for our current time, and at the same time it is absolutely timeless. I believe it will be held up as a classic - as the Tapestry (Carole King) of our time. It is that perfect. I know I'm using the word "time" an awful lot for such timeless work. I get chills whenever I listen to it, and I've been listening to it, and Taylor Swift, almost exclusively since it was released. I've watched over a dozen reaction videos for folklore, and yours are my favorites. In our current situation, it's the only way of sharing feelings about this with other music fans. Here in America, we are facing tragedy daily at a level most of use have never come close to experiencing in generations. Between the virus, the sickening non-response of our "leadership," the searing political climate we have not seen since the Civil War, folklore will forever be tied to it. But in a wonderful way. It's the ONLY positive (and a HUGE positive at that) of 2020. I will forever be grateful for Taylor Swift and her fans for this experience. I have never really been a fan before. I just haven't paid much attention for some reason. I've liked everything I had heard from her, but never took it beyond that, which is unusual for me with music. Maybe it was for a cosmic reason. But I've been totally immersed since July 24th. I have 8 albums to devour, as well as videos, interviews, documentaries, live performances, et al. The last artist I experienced this type of immersement with was U2, when I "finally" discovered them in 1987. TS has made me (and others) a Swiftie in an incredibly short period of time. Thanks again to you both, to Taylor, and to all her fans. folklore - 6 stars out of 5
I have been binging you gals for the last two days and it's so funny to watch stuff this old. Some things are still so enlightening to me and I continue to learn new things about each song...and others are now 'off the mark' with all the new things we've learned or 'fathomed' as you like to say. Like trying to link Illicit Affairs to Tom cracked me up....and the perfume interpretation being about buying it vs. not wearing it because you can't leave a trace of yourself on him. Still, you girls are the absolute best! Love everything you put out. Can't wait for a Speak Now breakdown before TV comes out!
In Illicit Affair she's talking about how she can't wear the perfume that she picked out for him because it will give them away because his bed will smell like that perfume. The fun goes away when she realizes that this person has let her fall in love with them without any intention of actually giving any parts of their life away to her. Her hope dies over and over again the longer that the affair goes on, realizing she can't have the person. Kind of going in naively then realizing how not-fun and painful it is to want someone you can't even have.
In Taylor’s post about things on the album she mentions “A whiskey bottle beckoning.” I think This Is Me Trying is a about someone with an alcohol addiction who is trying to do better for the person he is singing to. Lines like “I got wasted like all my potential.” “Pouring out my heart to a stranger, but I didn’t pour the whiskey.” And “I had the shiniest wheels now they’re rusting.” And “It’s hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound.” (Because there would be alcohol there.) Just my opinion!
This is 100% my interpretation of the song. I definitely agree with Taylor and Bonny's interpretation of it though, I believe Taylor wrote these songs in two layers: the folklore stories and how they relate to Taylor's life if that makes sense
Pouring my heart out to a stranger but i didn't pour the whiskey reminds me an imagery of taylor crying and complaining to Scott about Scooter and owning her albums.
"Pouring out my heart to a stranger..." people always tell bartenders too much when drunk, I get the visual of someone who fell off the wagon and is sitting at a bar with a bartender "but I didn't pour the whiskey" feels like an excuse, it was the bartender who poured the whiskey. ^_^ just my opinion ^_^
**the time lyric discussion in Invisible string took me back to a favorite** “i found time can heal most anything, and you just might find who you’re supposed to be...” 🤟🏼
Oh yes, never connected those two! An invisible string tying 'Fifteen', 'All Too Well' and 'invisible string' together :P Edit: oh and also kind of Cornelia Street, though that's a hypothetical situation (That's the kind of heartbreak time could never mend)
You guys give so much new context to some of these lyrics! For example, the second verse of 'epiphany' where she could be talking about a patient OR a nurse. Now that I realize all those ambiguities, I'm appreciating that song so much more. One thing came to my mind about the two interpretations of having an epiphany. One is an epiphany for a cure to Covid or something very medical and literal like that, but the other is an epiphany that makes some sense of the psychological wounds (not just flesh wounds)- kind of an answer to the existential question about what is life for if there is going to be so much suffering. A truly superior song. Love your videos, they make me feel so understood ^_^
First of all, let me just say that both of you girls have done a FANTASTIC job at expressing your thoughts and interpretations of each and every song in the 3 parts that are currently out for this video series. What's even crazier to me is how my favorite songs from this album have all lined up with your girls' picks for your top favorites (August and Cardigan, my number 1 and 2 from the album and possibly of all time, and then several others like Invisible String, Exile, and My Tears Ricochet). Speaking of which, both of your interpretations and clarifying of "Exile" and "My Tears Ricochet" meanings helped me to love and appreciate those 2 songs even MORE than I did on my first listen (how did I NOT see that they were about her feud with Scott and Scooter)! Regardless, I adore your girls' channel and I hope to see several more videos relating to our queen, Taylor Swift! Thank you for blessing all of us Swifties with these beautifully worded and well-thought out videos!
I took the perfume line to be about her (or whoever the narrator is) wearing it. Like she picked it out at a store or even from her own perfumes she has but decides not to wear it so she “leaves no trace behind” like the guy’s wife can’t smell the perfume on him. I LOVE your breakdown videos so much!! It makes me appreciate Taylor’s music even more. I love going back and listening to the album again with the new connections you guys have made 🥰
first of all i LOVE THESE VIDEOS lol thank u sooo much for this content !! re picking out perfume in illicit affairs: i think the line is stressing that even though she’s picked out this perfume to wear especially for him, she can’t even wear it because if she meets up with him and then leaves the scent of perfume on him, in his car, in the parking lot etc... all will be revealed and their affair exposed, “leave no trace behind like you don’t even exist” 🖤 luv u gals !!!!
I actually look forward to these vids (I call them episodes because this is my new fave TV show lol). Your breakdown and analysis of each song is proof to the power of Taylor's music. Her songs are so genius because they have so many levels, so many meanings, so many emotions.
i feel like the „i poured my heart out to a stranger but i didn‘t pour the whisky‘ is about her sharing so much personal stuff in her songs but there is still peopla who want to know more and pry on her personal life.
First of all I LOVE these videos it’s so good to feel understood by people who love Taylor swift as much as me 😭 I took “doing your dirtiest work for you” to be about Kim editing the video for Kanye to start the Taylor swift is over party and I’ve also kind of thought illicit affairs is about Scott just because of how she grouped it on the sleepless night chapter with mtr and exile and hoax etc and I can see the entire bridge being her upset with Scott and “make sure no one sees you leave” to be about her leaving the label and then the perfume being a metaphor for her albums because she’s leaving them behind and she wants them to not exist with Scooter and what started in beautiful rooms could be her first meeting Scott and then ending up with like a fight in a parking lot like “hey you know it doesn’t have to be like this. You could’ve given me my albums” but she knew she was leavinggggg! This could be a stretch but it’s how I’ve interpreted it
Epiphany is such a deep song, I have to skip most of the times because I can't handle... I lost a few people to Corona virus, and that song hit different now. The first few lines comes in and I have goosebumps all over my body. The last chorus is just overwhelming, and the sound of hospital monitors on the background .. I have no words! She has this amazing talent to put hard feelings into words and I really appreciate her!
Ok it’s after midnight and have to work in morning (pulmonary med, I have to work every day) but I’m staying up to get through this video. Fighting covid each day at work #1. Folklore, a close #2.
Ah, me too. I hadn’t listened to a TS album until folklore. I’m now on a journey learning about her music through RUclips reaction videos and through other people doing the same thing during the pandemic. I’m now after 3 mos a Swiftie. I had no idea, it’s like this light bulb has finally gone off and I get it now. These two are the best and being such enthusiasm and insight into the lyrics. I love it. My fav.
I always thought the perfume thing was her saying how she would pick out a special perfume to wear like you would for a date or something special but she has to put it away since it is such a secret that she doesn’t want to leave that lingering smell.
For me I felt that the perfume mentioned in illicit affairs was about the feeling of heartbreak and hopelessness when getting ready to go see the guy in secret and wanting to doll yourself up, pick the best perfume you have and make a good impression but realise that you are not even supposed to be seeing him therefore the lyric "so you leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist"
YAYY Finally been waiting or this , never clicked so fast on a notification Edit : I personally think that the perfume in illicit affairs is to cover up the scent of a person who visited, so that the partner of the cheater can’t recognise or find who visited , which basically means getting rid off evidence
Does anyone else get older guy vibes in illicit affairs? I feel like she's singing about having an affair with an older, possibly married man? "Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him so you leave no trace behind" like she doesn't want the mans wife to smell the perfume on him? And "don't call me kid, don't call me baby" because she's a lot younger than this man he calls her kid?
I think it ties with Cardigan...playin hide and seek and givin me your weekends (Harry). “Don’t call me baby” is a lyric in Harry’s “To Be So Lonely”. And the colors you know I can’t see with anyone else (“the rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming color”) and “mercurial high” ties with his Adore You video he and the fish literally dance like two paper airplanes flying (how she stands in ootw with her arms like a plane). He always quoted the Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here (two fish swimming in a fishbowl year after year-which is how he came to Two Ghosts chorus) and I also think that is why there is the fishbowl in the lover vid...but anyway the mercurial high fits this fish mercury thing and she always referred to him as being like a drug
When they dated at the start they travelled a lot and stayed in fancy places, and he runs... And the secret language is that they have songs about each other like how he said in an interview it is “the most amazing unspoken dialogue”..
I just cleaned our kitchen for the first time in (what seems like) forever. And i never felt tired. Listening to you guys passionately talk about taylor is just so energizing.
I'm a little late but I think that I have a (probably flop) theory about taylor's albums. I noticed that the 2nd to the last song of her albums are like the "theme" , "sound", "concept", "lyrical content" that could fit to her next album. Like A perfectly good heart can fit in fearless The best day could fit in speak now Last kiss could fit in red Starlight could fit in 1989 I know places can fit in reputation Call it what you want can fit in lover It's nice to have a friend can fit in folklore Peace could fit in TS 9 maybe??? Well that's it, sorry for the long comment, I hope you're having a great time and stay safe!
There is a line in the Outlander series (season 1, episode 6, The Garrison Commander) in which he says, "It would be pretty to think so..." I have always thought that Taylor got the idea for this line in Invisible String from that episode.
I love how in mad woman you say in the beginning that the piano itself already sounds so mad and taylor has actually said that when she heard that piano track for the first time she just immediately went "that is the sound of female rage"
In mad woman, the line "my canons all firin at your yacht" makes me think about how when taylor first publicly came out against scooter, shortly after both he and karlie kloss (who we know was previously her best friend) went boating on his yacht together and were posting pictures of it on IG!! which must have felt like such a slap in the face for taylor, that her friend would betray her like that and also publicly rub it in her face that she chooses her career and $$$ (she is managed by scooter) over their yearlong friendship
I love in epiphany the ticking sound in the background which matches the tone of a cardiac monitor and comes in during the hospital part then there are bomb noises added in the outro.
Illicit Affairs reminds me of Call it What You Want. - Hood over your head, keep your eyes down - My baby's fit like a daydream walking with his down im the one his walking to // maybe it's about the first pace of their love story where in they are hiding in people's eyes
And cruel summer - “I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you” “and i snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate.” “Hang your head low.” “Shiny toy with a price”
also ugh I’ve been waiting for you guys to speak about peace!! I love your takes and peace is my FAVORITE off the album and maybe even my new top Taylor song of all time, I think it’s her best, most mature love song she’s ever written, can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!❣️
I listened to the whole album at the very beginning of my relationship with my boyfriend, when I felt like I didn't know if I was good for him and if I was gonna be a good girlfriend to him, cause he's such a gentleman and I'm still all over the place in a lot of ways. When this is me trying came on, I was singing, teary eyed, decided that that's my anthem, that I'm gonna try, and I did. That song is really soothing ❤
I think that these lines "My cannons all firin' at your yacht They say, "Move on", but you know, I won't And women like hunting witches, too Doing your dirtiest work for you It's obvious that wanting me dead Has really brought you two together" are actually about Karlie and Scooter because of the yacht pics and that he managed Karlie at the time. "Doing your dirtiest work for you" could be about Karlie being a double agent for Scooter, giving him info she would find out from Taylor.
I have such a new and strong appreciation for every single one of these songs, knowing what I’ve learned from this video! 🥰 Thank you guys so much for sharing your wisdom ♥️
Love yours guys’s videos omg! I’ve always thought the perfume line from illicit affairs “leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him, so you leave no trace behind.” Means that she bought a perfume for herself to wear for him bc she thought he’d like the way it smelled on her. But she doesn’t end up wearing it because perfume scents often linger, and she can’t leave a trace behind when they meet up, because maybe he’s with someone too. And his partner would notice him smelling like a different girl’s perfume. So even though she bought it because he’d like it, she can’t wear it because she doesn’t want to get caught!
I have a theory that illicit affairs is about Normal People. she's written songs inspired by movies and other existing stories before. I just think illicit affairs is such a perfect song describing connell and marianne's relationship. and if you haven't seen Normal People... you must! it will destroy you. it's one of the best shows I've EVER seen
i actually agree she wrote about the normal people story arc but not in illicit affairs. ‘tis the damn season describes the exact theme of marianne and connell in the latest episodes
I love that in Invisible Strings she sings, "time mystical time, cutting me open and healing me fine" because in All Too Well she sang, "time won't fly it's like I'm paralysed by it." Shows how at the time, getting over that breakup felt impossible and never-ending and now she can just look back at it and acknowledge that no matter how badly she has been hurt before, time really does heal all wounds and she's in a better place now. Edit: I paused the video, typed this, and then Emily said the exact same thing 3 seconds later. 😂
“This is me trying” has grown so much in my Folklore list... my perspective in the quote “...pouring out my heart to a stranger...” is that the stranger could be Aaron Dessner since they’ve never work together in the past.
Just love watching these lyric breakdowns!!! Another layer/meaning to these lyrics in Illicit affairs: Leave the perfume on the shelf That you picked out just for him So you leave no trace behind Like you don’t even exist I think she’s saying that she can’t wear the perfume that she initially wore to attract / that attracted him, because then he would smell like her… which would expose the affair 🤫 it’s really emphasising that she’s his dirty secret which adds to the heartache / burn of it all 💔
I love these videos. I really feel like I am chatting with some friends, carefully analyzing every lyric. I have really looked forward to every one of your videos! Thanks for doing this!
Just stumbled across this channel, loved it Em and Bonny!!! ❤👍💕 I am already subscribed to Bonny's personal channel. Epiphany was my favourite on the first listen to folklore and continues to grow on me. Alot of Taylor's songs play at two levels being the personal meaning for her and what the songs can be for fans!
you guys don't know how lucky you are to have each other to talk about this stuff to, i love yours videos, id give anything for friends who would sit with me and talk about music for hours in such a way, iv got good friends but they have kids and get distracted with life and don't really get into it, lana del rey is my fave, pleeease do lana, i would be glued to your conversation lol :D
I loved watching your exciting first reaction to folklore vs now when you've listened to them extensively and know when the awesome verses start and end and more of the meaning behind the lyrics
"Leave the perfume on the shelf..." I interpreted as she's not even wearing her perfume because she doesn't want to leave any evidence she was there, not even her scent. "That you picked out just for him" I took as in she picked it out for a different guy / her current (official) partner so it felt wrong to wear it to her secret one? Like she doesn't want these two worlds to collide because it feels wrong?? This is one interpretation to consider anyway ♡ ♡
For me, "Illicit Affairs" is sort of like if August wrote a song many years later about what she lived with James now that she knows that all the time he wasn't really with her. Is like NOW I see we were an illicit affair and nothing more, something that you enjoyed for a while and then left behind. Of course I know it's not the same but for me they are coming from kind of the same place
My theory with this is me trying is that it is connected to the Love Triangle. I imagine it being James looking back and regretting the affair a la Betty style "I didn't know if you'd care if I came back /I have a lot of regrets about that" - him worrying that Betty is just gonna reject his sorry ass. "And maybe I don't quite know what to say /But I'm here in your doorway" is an obvious reference to James turning up at Betty's party. (Side note: "But I didn't pour the whiskey" maybe because he was only 17 and not old enough to drink?). Finally, the last verse suggests that Betty actually let James into her party, "And it's hard to be at a party/When I feel like an open wound" but did not immediately take him back. Maybe as something of a trial run, to see if he's legit. ("It's hard to be anywhere these days/When all I want is you" - obviously still pining for her). So overall this is James telling Betty that he is trying to make the relationship better, including being at her party, even though she did not take him back and he has to deal with her "stupid friends"
Oh kayyy SO... illicit affairs perspective: this is from the same person who is existing in the love triangle with Betty & James. She’s telling her story of the illicit affair and how it feels to be in this love triangle and feel so in love but also know he’s never going to be hers. The perfume part is meaning that she picked out that scent to wear for him, BUT she can’t even wear it because she can’t leave any trace of her smell behind when she meets up with James because Betty would smell it on him. Some of it doesn’t necessarily quite add up with the Betty-James love triangle timeline, but I think it’s just that feeling of having to fall for someone you’re not allowed to love & know, this is a flame that I am so addicted to, but I die inside knowing this might be the last time he calls because it’s never certain. UGH. I’ve never been in an affair before, but I feel as if I have bc this song makes you FEEL it. Wow.
to me, this is me trying hit me so hard because I see that song as the quintessential gifted kid burnout anthem. Just, the feeling of growing up surrounded by people who insisted that because you’re good at school and smart you’re gonna have life figured out and everything’s gonna come easy for you... and then it doesn’t. But because you have never experienced failure and not being good at something before, you end up stuck in this cycle of self doubt and unhealthy coping mechanisms. It’s just such a beautifully profound and relatable song!
Yes!! I hadn’t seen it that way before but that makes so much sense
totally agree, so paintfull
yea lol
...
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah that's how the song landed with me too, and you put it so well... ugh hits home
Just a quick appreciation comment not only for the queen that is Taylor but also the queens that are Em and Bonny. We all know how much effort it is to not only film for this amount of time but for editing! Four! Hour! Long! Videos! I'm sure you could get more views and more subscribers by branching out and not focusing so much on Taylor but it really warms my heart that you are so passionate about Taylor and the community that you don't care about that :) we really appreciate you Em and Bonny. Thank you so much for making these videos :)
Awwwww this is so sweet, thank you so much 😭😭😭 we love connecting with other Taylor fans and it’s soooo nice to be appreciated 💜 Bonny is the editor so spends a lot of time on these videos, I will make sure she reads your comment 😆 - Em
Also please tell me you guys sat on cushions! 😂 And had breaks to eat and drink and stretch. I'm just old lol..
@@chatsandreacts time for part 3!!! 4 words
Long 👏pond 👏studio 👏session👏
WE LOVE IT
In regards to Mad Woman- I saw something online that says that when you get a number one album in Nashville, your record company puts a huge sign with your picture on it on Music Row. Scooter and Scott would literally see her face in their neighbor's (her record company's) lawn for Lover being #1.
Leave the perfume on the shelf line means to not put on perfume before you meet the person so that they don't smell like you afterwards when they go back to their partner or whatever (so you leave no trace behind)
So I think This is me trying is about mental health
"Could have followed my fears all the way down" relates to suicide
"Pouring my heart to a stranger" is talking to a therapist
"But I didn't pour the whiskey" means not coping by drinking
I think the song is about coping from a past relationship that has left you broken
Yes totally!! Putting the words mental health definitely brings it to life, like I said it feels like her going through life and struggles and trying to get through it! 💛
i think its about her eating disorder
0:17 This Is Me Trying
16:10 Illicit affairs
23:46 Invisible string
37:59 Mad Woman
53:26 Epiphany
💜
aw, that's nice of you! thanks! 💕
@@sandraswift7280 No problem! Glad you find it useful! 💜 Thanks for your words!
The more I listen to Mad Woman, the more pissed I get at SB - the level of gaslighting is so titanic… 🤬
When I first heard Epiphany I didn't like it and I couldn't figure out why. It's since sunk in that because I work in the medical field that this song hit me so hard subconsciously that it's hard to listen to because it captures the reality of having to deal with patients dying in front of you (not just due to covid) so perfectly that it's hard to face those emotions outside of work and the fact that Taylor could capture those feelings so precisely in a song is incredible!
I agree! I am a nurse, and the lyric "some things you just can't speak about" hit me so hard. Like you see all of these things, and there is no release because you can't really speak about it, and when you can it is hard for others to understand what you've seen and experienced (covid or not). Being around so much death is traumatic, but you're trained that it's the job and you do push it down and I don't think we are always consciously aware of how much the pain and trauma effects us until we are burned out completely
Epiphany is my fave off the album, it's such a selfless and beautiful tribute. "doc i think shes crashing out" makes me bawl every single time i hear it. i cant imagine being a nurse and a swiftie she wrote a song for them ❤️
The more I listen to this song the more it hits me in the my soul. All those lives lost in war and also all the lives we are losing from Covid. Plus fighting the Covid deniers. Its a hauntingly deep song.
I think "this is me trying" may be connected to "mirrorball", and she's telling the fans and everyone who's supported her that she's not done just yet- despite everything she's gone through, she's still trying.
I so agree !! 👏🏼 -B
@@chatsandreacts yes!! she also says "i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere" and a mirrorball would also physically be a sphere :)
these are my favs my heart
This is me trying hit me SO hard. I was freshly sober, a grown, disillusioned previous "wunderkind" who ended up an addict and then getting sober and just trying and trying.. My mom was like "this song could have been about you!" and are unfortunately many. It's so deep and profound to me how she puts it into words. She helped me pull through some dark times.
When Folklore came out, I had been working as a pharmacy technician, and it was hell. The day after the album's release I went on vacation where I decided to go on hikes. I played Epiphany on repeat ever day as I hiked for hours as it captured what it felt like to be working and struggling through Covid. It's my favorite TS song. It brings me peace, and, during that time, it brought me the epiphany that everything was going to be okay. Love it.
45:28 Watching Emily rant about Scooter gave me LIFE. The passion. The energy. We LOVE to see it ❤️
Thank you so much for this! Great analysis as always..love you guys soo much! ❤️❤️❤️
Ikr, she just goes "Useless" and I'm like 😂
When she says "do you see my face on your neighbor's lawn" is a metaphor for her being in her new label and her continuing to make music and be on the media and the news. Record companies are referred to as "neighbors" of each other.
Also, apparently, 🛴lives near her LA home, so when he drives home, he might have to pass her road, and literally see her face outside his car window.
Love this!!!
Wanted to add that I believe the illicit affairs lyric "leave the perfume on the shelf" refers to the narrator's own perfume that she won't wear when she's going to see him. because her smell would linger around on him/his room and give away the fact that she had been there. "leave no trace behind/like you don't even exist"
soo true
Was going to come say the same thing! Such a sad lyric
So glad someone else made this comment and now I don’t have to type it out (also you said it better than I would have😂)
In illicit affairs the lyric "You showed me colours you know I can't see with anyone else" always reminds me of Out of the Woods ("The rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming colour")
That's one of my fave lyrics
I love these videos so much! So happy I found people who love Taylor’s music as much as I do
Taylor as well!
Taylor literally firing shots at Scooter and then Bonny firing shots at JB, gotta love it ❤ you two seem so on point with your theories about each song its incredible. This album is such a work of art we're so lucky to have an artist like Taylor Swift in our lives who can create such masterpieces
THE SHADE to justin not writing his music 😭😭 LOUDER PLS
Time stamp?
Time stamp?
I think 46:03 but I'm not sure
I mean its at 53:05
IT WAS SO FUNNY💀💀
"leave the perfume on the shelf, that you've picked out just for him" - I would imagine means that she can't wear the scent she would want to for him in case he has another partner at home "so you leave no trace behind, as if you don't even exist" - so his significant other wouldn't suspect another woman
Finally!!!! I have been waiting 😭😭😭
Edit: can I just say... I love this album so much, but your videos and song breakdowns have made me appreciate the songs even more, if that’s even possible.
I have friends who like folklore but not at this level where we analyze the album’s lyrics and appreciate deciphering it all. They’ve only listened to the album once and they don’t listen to it anymore because they can’t digest the lyrics.
Thank you both so much for this.
thank you that means a lot! Literally why wanted to make this channel😂 it NEEDS to be discussed, just to overwhelming otherwise haha💜💜-B
I really hope taylor sees these videos, you’re amazing
Omg, same! Sheee neeeds to see this❤️
We would die if Taylor saw them! 😭 the dream!! - Em
@@chatsandreacts i think Illicit Affairs is from Augustine pov years later
Epiphany makes me cry almost every time I hear it. It is the SADDEST SONG EVER, but written so beautifully. My god, this woman is a poet 😭
Just LOVED how you two finished this part of the analysis of Folklore lyrics with Epiphany. It's one of those songs that makes me cry. Actually, the song itself give us time to experience an epiphany. She paints two stories so vividly and emotionally that I feel like I'm feeling as same as that soldier & that nurse. Also in the lyric, "some things you just can't speak about", I feel like she wants to convey the message that in those moments in the song, we can't falter or takes time to speak about what's happening but to act or react. The song lyrically ask us to make sense of things, what we do etc. Also, there are two types professions we considered more as a service to the society than as actual professions. In fact, they are as serving as a soldier & as serving as a physician/nurse in medical field. These two careers are the most highly regarded services in our world. This song is sooo perfect in every way.
I did read someone’s semi-joke opinion that “Illicit Affairs” is about Carrie and Big from Sex and the City (when they’re both cheating on their partners) 😂, further evidence being him calling her “Kid” and “Baby” all the time. I do kind of love the idea that she was just binge-watching Sex and the City and ended up writing that song haha.
The illicit affairs bridge truly owns my entire heart it's overwhelming
AND THE WAY YOU DESCRIBED ITTTTTTTTTT
About the perfume lyric in "illicit affairs": I have always taken it to mean that the protagonist of the song picked out a perfume to smell nice especially for this man. But now she doesn't want to use it (leave it on her shelf) so her scent won't linger on him or his clothes and there will be no trace of her left behind when he goes about his separate life after their meeting..
Also, absolutely love your videos! They make me feel like I can discuss Taylor's music with friends who are equally passionate about it :)
Exactly this! Can’t leave a perfume scent for others to pick up on 👀
yes!! i had never thought about the lyric the way they had because i’d always thought about it this exact way.
I grinned when Bonnie was explaining her interpretation because I was like oh my, she is such a pure soul to not even put that together 💗
"Time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine" also reminds me of Sad Beautiful tragic when she sings "and time is taking its sweet time erasing you" 😭
Also the bridge of invisible string absolutely kills me every time!! fucking perfection if you ask me!!
Omg YESSSSS I LOVE THIS COMPARISON!!! - Em
Just downloaded this song a week ago. Listening via ear buds while outside doing yard work....I must have replayed it a dozen times (or more). So sad and yet so beautifully soothing...I kept listening for better understanding...finding it hard to believe someone could put war and covid together in such a remarkable and deeply touching way. I kept having my own epiphany. Thank you two for your reactions! Love you guys!
TBH, epiphany has been the song I skip. And because of that, I never really listened to the lyrics. Now I have and, oh my, did this song fuck me up! It just hits so deep. My grandpa was a World War Two vet. As a kid I always played with his helmet, which had a whole in it from where he was hit in the head with shrapnel, a “flesh wound.” He died of COVID in March, at the age of 97, with someone else holding his hands through plastic gloves, since family was not allowed to see him. I’m a healthcare worker in the US and have seen the absolute carnage this disease has caused. I can absolutely relate to just wanting to close my eyes and find some relief, even if it is just a dream. I’ve listened to the song on repeat for about an hour now. I’m wrecked. I stumbled onto one of your first videos a couple of months ago and you have made me fall in love with Taylor Swift all over again. Her music and your videos have been my relief lately, so thank you!
I'm so ready for her to start re-recording her old albums in the next few weeks!
I think some themes of Illicit Affairs ties into August. “End in meetings in parking lots”/ “meet me behind the mall”.
"Gold was the color of the leaves." Maybe she is talking about how they went to centennial park during Autumn and how leaves had turn to gold, yellow or orange.
Oh for sure!! But I was just meaning these are the little reasons she connects the golden to how throughout all her songs 😍☺️
Just rewatching this again because I love your breakdown of each song- my favorite in this video is the discussion about Mad Woman. That song is just so superior, but I so enjoy the way you two talk about it 😊
Ughhhh it’s illegal to produce such superior content tbh 😂 is 1989 next??? If so I am not ready for it.
YESSSS !!!! 💜
“I didn’t know if you care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that” Taylor talking about disappearing and thinking her fans wouldn’t care because of the overparty situation, but she regrets assuming this
That's what i think too 💚
You’d think after 3 Folklore commentaries we’d be over it...but absolutely not 😍 just proving how phenomenal of an album it actually is 🙌🏼
Thanks so much to you both for your deep analysis of one of the greatest albums ever made. It's my favorite of all-time, and I've been a huge music fan since the 1960s. This is the absolute perfect music for our current time, and at the same time it is absolutely timeless. I believe it will be held up as a classic - as the Tapestry (Carole King) of our time. It is that perfect. I know I'm using the word "time" an awful lot for such timeless work. I get chills whenever I listen to it, and I've been listening to it, and Taylor Swift, almost exclusively since it was released.
I've watched over a dozen reaction videos for folklore, and yours are my favorites. In our current situation, it's the only way of sharing feelings about this with other music fans. Here in America, we are facing tragedy daily at a level most of use have never come close to experiencing in generations. Between the virus, the sickening non-response of our "leadership," the searing political climate we have not seen since the Civil War, folklore will forever be tied to it. But in a wonderful way. It's the ONLY positive (and a HUGE positive at that) of 2020.
I will forever be grateful for Taylor Swift and her fans for this experience. I have never really been a fan before. I just haven't paid much attention for some reason. I've liked everything I had heard from her, but never took it beyond that, which is unusual for me with music. Maybe it was for a cosmic reason. But I've been totally immersed since July 24th. I have 8 albums to devour, as well as videos, interviews, documentaries, live performances, et al. The last artist I experienced this type of immersement with was U2, when I "finally" discovered them in 1987. TS has made me (and others) a Swiftie in an incredibly short period of time.
Thanks again to you both, to Taylor, and to all her fans.
folklore - 6 stars out of 5
“Trying is all we can really do at the end of the day” - Bonnie
I’m quoting this🔥 Thanks guys, because I’m having a blast with your reactions💕
I have been binging you gals for the last two days and it's so funny to watch stuff this old. Some things are still so enlightening to me and I continue to learn new things about each song...and others are now 'off the mark' with all the new things we've learned or 'fathomed' as you like to say. Like trying to link Illicit Affairs to Tom cracked me up....and the perfume interpretation being about buying it vs. not wearing it because you can't leave a trace of yourself on him. Still, you girls are the absolute best! Love everything you put out. Can't wait for a Speak Now breakdown before TV comes out!
In Illicit Affair she's talking about how she can't wear the perfume that she picked out for him because it will give them away because his bed will smell like that perfume. The fun goes away when she realizes that this person has let her fall in love with them without any intention of actually giving any parts of their life away to her. Her hope dies over and over again the longer that the affair goes on, realizing she can't have the person. Kind of going in naively then realizing how not-fun and painful it is to want someone you can't even have.
In Taylor’s post about things on the album she mentions “A whiskey bottle beckoning.” I think This Is Me Trying is a about someone with an alcohol addiction who is trying to do better for the person he is singing to. Lines like “I got wasted like all my potential.” “Pouring out my heart to a stranger, but I didn’t pour the whiskey.” And “I had the shiniest wheels now they’re rusting.” And “It’s hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound.” (Because there would be alcohol there.) Just my opinion!
This is 100% my interpretation of the song. I definitely agree with Taylor and Bonny's interpretation of it though, I believe Taylor wrote these songs in two layers: the folklore stories and how they relate to Taylor's life if that makes sense
this is such a good interpretation!! i totally agree with you xx
Pouring my heart out to a stranger but i didn't pour the whiskey
reminds me an imagery of taylor crying and complaining to Scott about Scooter and owning her albums.
"Pouring out my heart to a stranger..." people always tell bartenders too much when drunk, I get the visual of someone who fell off the wagon and is sitting at a bar with a bartender "but I didn't pour the whiskey" feels like an excuse, it was the bartender who poured the whiskey. ^_^ just my opinion ^_^
**the time lyric discussion in Invisible string took me back to a favorite**
“i found time can heal most anything, and you just might find who you’re supposed to be...” 🤟🏼
Wow! I didn’t notice that at all! That’s so profound!!
Oh yes, never connected those two! An invisible string tying 'Fifteen', 'All Too Well' and 'invisible string' together :P
Edit: oh and also kind of Cornelia Street, though that's a hypothetical situation (That's the kind of heartbreak time could never mend)
You guys give so much new context to some of these lyrics! For example, the second verse of 'epiphany' where she could be talking about a patient OR a nurse. Now that I realize all those ambiguities, I'm appreciating that song so much more. One thing came to my mind about the two interpretations of having an epiphany. One is an epiphany for a cure to Covid or something very medical and literal like that, but the other is an epiphany that makes some sense of the psychological wounds (not just flesh wounds)- kind of an answer to the existential question about what is life for if there is going to be so much suffering. A truly superior song.
Love your videos, they make me feel so understood ^_^
First of all, let me just say that both of you girls have done a FANTASTIC job at expressing your thoughts and interpretations of each and every song in the 3 parts that are currently out for this video series. What's even crazier to me is how my favorite songs from this album have all lined up with your girls' picks for your top favorites (August and Cardigan, my number 1 and 2 from the album and possibly of all time, and then several others like Invisible String, Exile, and My Tears Ricochet). Speaking of which, both of your interpretations and clarifying of "Exile" and "My Tears Ricochet" meanings helped me to love and appreciate those 2 songs even MORE than I did on my first listen (how did I NOT see that they were about her feud with Scott and Scooter)! Regardless, I adore your girls' channel and I hope to see several more videos relating to our queen, Taylor Swift! Thank you for blessing all of us Swifties with these beautifully worded and well-thought out videos!
I took the perfume line to be about her (or whoever the narrator is) wearing it. Like she picked it out at a store or even from her own perfumes she has but decides not to wear it so she “leaves no trace behind” like the guy’s wife can’t smell the perfume on him. I LOVE your breakdown videos so much!! It makes me appreciate Taylor’s music even more. I love going back and listening to the album again with the new connections you guys have made 🥰
first of all i LOVE THESE VIDEOS lol thank u sooo much for this content !! re picking out perfume in illicit affairs: i think the line is stressing that even though she’s picked out this perfume to wear especially for him, she can’t even wear it because if she meets up with him and then leaves the scent of perfume on him, in his car, in the parking lot etc... all will be revealed and their affair exposed, “leave no trace behind like you don’t even exist” 🖤 luv u gals !!!!
I agree, I was gonna comment the same thing!! ❤️
I actually look forward to these vids (I call them episodes because this is my new fave TV show lol).
Your breakdown and analysis of each song is proof to the power of Taylor's music. Her songs are so genius because they have so many levels, so many meanings, so many emotions.
Yessss!!! Thank you! I have been checking my notification so frequently. Never clicked this fast!
i feel like the „i poured my heart out to a stranger but i didn‘t pour the whisky‘ is about her sharing so much personal stuff in her songs but there is still peopla who want to know more and pry on her personal life.
YES YES I agree 🤯 - B
First of all I LOVE these videos it’s so good to feel understood by people who love Taylor swift as much as me 😭 I took “doing your dirtiest work for you” to be about Kim editing the video for Kanye to start the Taylor swift is over party and I’ve also kind of thought illicit affairs is about Scott just because of how she grouped it on the sleepless night chapter with mtr and exile and hoax etc and I can see the entire bridge being her upset with Scott and “make sure no one sees you leave” to be about her leaving the label and then the perfume being a metaphor for her albums because she’s leaving them behind and she wants them to not exist with Scooter and what started in beautiful rooms could be her first meeting Scott and then ending up with like a fight in a parking lot like “hey you know it doesn’t have to be like this. You could’ve given me my albums” but she knew she was leavinggggg! This could be a stretch but it’s how I’ve interpreted it
Epiphany is such a deep song, I have to skip most of the times because I can't handle... I lost a few people to Corona virus, and that song hit different now. The first few lines comes in and I have goosebumps all over my body. The last chorus is just overwhelming, and the sound of hospital monitors on the background .. I have no words! She has this amazing talent to put hard feelings into words and I really appreciate her!
Me too! I don’t think I’ve ever made it to the end, it’s too much
I also skip every time, it’s so heavy and emotional I’m not ready for it!
Ok it’s after midnight and have to work in morning (pulmonary med, I have to work every day) but I’m staying up to get through this video. Fighting covid each day at work #1. Folklore, a close #2.
Thank you for your service in the COVID war. I have become a swiftie during the pandemic. I find these two a great solace along w/TS
Ah, me too. I hadn’t listened to a TS album until folklore. I’m now on a journey learning about her music through RUclips reaction videos and through other people doing the same thing during the pandemic. I’m now after 3 mos a Swiftie. I had no idea, it’s like this light bulb has finally gone off and I get it now. These two are the best and being such enthusiasm and insight into the lyrics. I love it. My fav.
Thank you so much for all you are doing 💛👏🏼 glad we can provide some entertainment !!
I always thought the perfume thing was her saying how she would pick out a special perfume to wear like you would for a date or something special but she has to put it away since it is such a secret that she doesn’t want to leave that lingering smell.
Lowkey I'm waiting for Bonny and Em to create a discord server where fellow swifties can talk about things like this more in a safe place
For me I felt that the perfume mentioned in illicit affairs was about the feeling of heartbreak and hopelessness when getting ready to go see the guy in secret and wanting to doll yourself up, pick the best perfume you have and make a good impression but realise that you are not even supposed to be seeing him therefore the lyric "so you leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist"
for illicit affairs i think the line “meetings in parking lots” means leading to meet to drop off kids to switch for divorced parents
This is me trying is so special... I definitely relate to it 💙💙'I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere'
YAYY Finally been waiting or this , never clicked so fast on a notification
Edit : I personally think that the perfume in illicit affairs is to cover up the scent of a person who visited, so that the partner of the cheater can’t recognise or find who visited , which basically means getting rid off evidence
Does anyone else get older guy vibes in illicit affairs? I feel like she's singing about having an affair with an older, possibly married man? "Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him so you leave no trace behind" like she doesn't want the mans wife to smell the perfume on him? And "don't call me kid, don't call me baby" because she's a lot younger than this man he calls her kid?
Yesss this makes so much sense, I wonder if that is a story she thought of or maybe inspired by her friend/personal life!
I think it ties with Cardigan...playin hide and seek and givin me your weekends (Harry). “Don’t call me baby” is a lyric in Harry’s “To Be So Lonely”. And the colors you know I can’t see with anyone else (“the rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming color”) and “mercurial high” ties with his Adore You video he and the fish literally dance like two paper airplanes flying (how she stands in ootw with her arms like a plane). He always quoted the Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here (two fish swimming in a fishbowl year after year-which is how he came to Two Ghosts chorus) and I also think that is why there is the fishbowl in the lover vid...but anyway the mercurial high fits this fish mercury thing and she always referred to him as being like a drug
When they dated at the start they travelled a lot and stayed in fancy places, and he runs... And the secret language is that they have songs about each other like how he said in an interview it is “the most amazing unspoken dialogue”..
The bridge in illicit affairs I want again....I basically want it as a chorus...love "dont call me kid, dont call me baby"....give me it again lol.
Completely agree!! Totally getting Alanis Morissette younger girl-older guy vibes.
Your use of the word “superior” is superior
I just cleaned our kitchen for the first time in (what seems like) forever. And i never felt tired. Listening to you guys passionately talk about taylor is just so energizing.
Can you please react to folklore the Long Pond studio sessions! I’m obsessed! 😆🥰
Hugs to you both!
How does the end of epiphany sound like a fading heartbeat wow
It's 1am in Peru, South America.
I wanted to go to sleep now, but your videos make me so happy that I am here :)
OMG thank you for posting the video of Aaron playing/singing Invisible String. I'd never seen it! It's totally different than her melody!
I'm a little late but I think that I have a (probably flop) theory about taylor's albums.
I noticed that the 2nd to the last song of her albums are like the "theme" , "sound", "concept", "lyrical content" that could fit to her next album.
Like
A perfectly good heart can fit in fearless
The best day could fit in speak now
Last kiss could fit in red
Starlight could fit in 1989
I know places can fit in reputation
Call it what you want can fit in lover
It's nice to have a friend can fit in folklore
Peace could fit in TS 9 maybe???
Well that's it, sorry for the long comment, I hope you're having a great time and stay safe!
Wait this makes so much sense, and also the second to last songs on Taylor’s albums are always the most under-appreciated songs
Love this theory! In actually think the archer could be on Folklore!
YESSSS
There is a line in the Outlander series (season 1, episode 6, The Garrison Commander) in which he says, "It would be pretty to think so..." I have always thought that Taylor got the idea for this line in Invisible String from that episode.
What a treat to watch this on a cozy Saturday morning. Love you girls! OMG a part 4 :)
And WE can't stop watching your videos!! *GIVE ME ALL 6 HOURS of the breakdown*
I love how in mad woman you say in the beginning that the piano itself already sounds so mad and taylor has actually said that when she heard that piano track for the first time she just immediately went "that is the sound of female rage"
I love how you defend and explained epiphany in the most superior way!!
In mad woman, the line "my canons all firin at your yacht" makes me think about how when taylor first publicly came out against scooter, shortly after both he and karlie kloss (who we know was previously her best friend) went boating on his yacht together and were posting pictures of it on IG!! which must have felt like such a slap in the face for taylor, that her friend would betray her like that and also publicly rub it in her face that she chooses her career and $$$ (she is managed by scooter) over their yearlong friendship
I love in epiphany the ticking sound in the background which matches the tone of a cardiac monitor and comes in during the hospital part then there are bomb noises added in the outro.
Illicit Affairs reminds me of Call it What You Want.
- Hood over your head, keep your eyes down
- My baby's fit like a daydream walking with his down im the one his walking to
// maybe it's about the first pace of their love story where in they are hiding in people's eyes
And cruel summer - “I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you” “and i snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate.” “Hang your head low.” “Shiny toy with a price”
also ugh I’ve been waiting for you guys to speak about peace!! I love your takes and peace is my FAVORITE off the album and maybe even my new top Taylor song of all time, I think it’s her best, most mature love song she’s ever written, can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!❣️
I love how the invisible string track literally sounds like strings :')
can i just say. you guys are my comfort swifties.
I listened to the whole album at the very beginning of my relationship with my boyfriend, when I felt like I didn't know if I was good for him and if I was gonna be a good girlfriend to him, cause he's such a gentleman and I'm still all over the place in a lot of ways. When this is me trying came on, I was singing, teary eyed, decided that that's my anthem, that I'm gonna try, and I did. That song is really soothing ❤
I think that these lines "My cannons all firin' at your yacht
They say, "Move on", but you know, I won't
And women like hunting witches, too
Doing your dirtiest work for you
It's obvious that wanting me dead
Has really brought you two together" are actually about Karlie and Scooter because of the yacht pics and that he managed Karlie at the time. "Doing your dirtiest work for you" could be about Karlie being a double agent for Scooter, giving him info she would find out from Taylor.
Came to watch this video again because I thought I missed part 4 of this!!!!! Love it❤❤
I have such a new and strong appreciation for every single one of these songs, knowing what I’ve learned from this video! 🥰
Thank you guys so much for sharing your wisdom ♥️
Love yours guys’s videos omg! I’ve always thought the perfume line from illicit affairs “leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him, so you leave no trace behind.” Means that she bought a perfume for herself to wear for him bc she thought he’d like the way it smelled on her. But she doesn’t end up wearing it because perfume scents often linger, and she can’t leave a trace behind when they meet up, because maybe he’s with someone too. And his partner would notice him smelling like a different girl’s perfume. So even though she bought it because he’d like it, she can’t wear it because she doesn’t want to get caught!
I have a theory that illicit affairs is about Normal People. she's written songs inspired by movies and other existing stories before. I just think illicit affairs is such a perfect song describing connell and marianne's relationship. and if you haven't seen Normal People... you must! it will destroy you. it's one of the best shows I've EVER seen
love this!
i actually agree she wrote about the normal people story arc but not in illicit affairs. ‘tis the damn season describes the exact theme of marianne and connell in the latest episodes
I love that in Invisible Strings she sings, "time mystical time, cutting me open and healing me fine" because in All Too Well she sang, "time won't fly it's like I'm paralysed by it." Shows how at the time, getting over that breakup felt impossible and never-ending and now she can just look back at it and acknowledge that no matter how badly she has been hurt before, time really does heal all wounds and she's in a better place now.
Edit: I paused the video, typed this, and then Emily said the exact same thing 3 seconds later. 😂
Love you gals!! Can't wait for part 4 hopefully soon!! 🤞🤞🥰🥰🥰
I like u girls.. Ur friendship ur vibes together its just make me smile all the time
“This is me trying” has grown so much in my Folklore list... my perspective in the quote “...pouring out my heart to a stranger...” is that the stranger could be Aaron Dessner since they’ve never work together in the past.
Just love watching these lyric breakdowns!!!
Another layer/meaning to these lyrics in Illicit affairs:
Leave the perfume on the shelf
That you picked out just for him
So you leave no trace behind
Like you don’t even exist
I think she’s saying that she can’t wear the perfume that she initially wore to attract / that attracted him, because then he would smell like her… which would expose the affair 🤫 it’s really emphasising that she’s his dirty secret which adds to the heartache / burn of it all 💔
I love these videos. I really feel like I am chatting with some friends, carefully analyzing every lyric. I have really looked forward to every one of your videos! Thanks for doing this!
Just stumbled across this channel, loved it Em and Bonny!!! ❤👍💕 I am already subscribed to Bonny's personal channel. Epiphany was my favourite on the first listen to folklore and continues to grow on me. Alot of Taylor's songs play at two levels being the personal meaning for her and what the songs can be for fans!
you guys don't know how lucky you are to have each other to talk about this stuff to, i love yours videos, id give anything for friends who would sit with me and talk about music for hours in such a way, iv got good friends but they have kids and get distracted with life and don't really get into it, lana del rey is my fave, pleeease do lana, i would be glued to your conversation lol :D
I loved watching your exciting first reaction to folklore vs now when you've listened to them extensively and know when the awesome verses start and end and more of the meaning behind the lyrics
I’ve been waiting for this! This is great, keep up the great work.
"Leave the perfume on the shelf..." I interpreted as she's not even wearing her perfume because she doesn't want to leave any evidence she was there, not even her scent. "That you picked out just for him" I took as in she picked it out for a different guy / her current (official) partner so it felt wrong to wear it to her secret one? Like she doesn't want these two worlds to collide because it feels wrong?? This is one interpretation to consider anyway ♡ ♡
For me, "Illicit Affairs" is sort of like if August wrote a song many years later about what she lived with James now that she knows that all the time he wasn't really with her. Is like NOW I see we were an illicit affair and nothing more, something that you enjoyed for a while and then left behind. Of course I know it's not the same but for me they are coming from kind of the same place
My theory with this is me trying is that it is connected to the Love Triangle.
I imagine it being James looking back and regretting the affair a la Betty style "I didn't know if you'd care if I came back
/I have a lot of regrets about that" - him worrying that Betty is just gonna reject his sorry ass. "And maybe I don't quite know what to say
/But I'm here in your doorway" is an obvious reference to James turning up at Betty's party. (Side note: "But I didn't pour the whiskey" maybe because he was only 17 and not old enough to drink?).
Finally, the last verse suggests that Betty actually let James into her party, "And it's hard to be at a party/When I feel like an open wound" but did not immediately take him back. Maybe as something of a trial run, to see if he's legit. ("It's hard to be anywhere these days/When all I want is you" - obviously still pining for her).
So overall this is James telling Betty that he is trying to make the relationship better, including being at her party, even though she did not take him back and he has to deal with her "stupid friends"
wooow this is such an interesting perspective, I love your view on it! Thanks for sharing 🥰
I check your page every day - SO excited for the next vid from you! Especially if it’s another Tswift
Oh kayyy SO... illicit affairs perspective: this is from the same person who is existing in the love triangle with Betty & James. She’s telling her story of the illicit affair and how it feels to be in this love triangle and feel so in love but also know he’s never going to be hers.
The perfume part is meaning that she picked out that scent to wear for him, BUT she can’t even wear it because she can’t leave any trace of her smell behind when she meets up with James because Betty would smell it on him.
Some of it doesn’t necessarily quite add up with the Betty-James love triangle timeline, but I think it’s just that feeling of having to fall for someone you’re not allowed to love & know, this is a flame that I am so addicted to, but I die inside knowing this might be the last time he calls because it’s never certain. UGH. I’ve never been in an affair before, but I feel as if I have bc this song makes you FEEL it. Wow.
You guys are brilliant.
RUclips please disable the dislike button, its irrelevant.
Here to declare that you two are *superior* humans. :)) thank you