Maps of Music

folklore (2020)

Where the lyrics of folklore take you, and where it was really made.

Written and recorded during lockdown with collaborators working apart, the album was revealed only 16 hours before its release.

Key places

Home studio in Los Angeles (2020)

Recording site Kitty Committee — Studios were closed during the pandemic, so Swift built a home studio at her Los Angeles residence. Her vocals were recorded there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles (2020)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed among the recording sites for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Electric Lady Studios in New York City (2020)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Electric Lady Studios in New York City is listed among the recording sites for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley (2020)

Recording site Long Pond Studio — Long Pond Studio hosted the sessions for the concert film. The point is placed at the Hudson Valley city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Folklore: eighth studio album by Taylor Swift
• Surprise-released 24 July 2020 through Republic Records
• Explores escapism, nostalgia, and romanticism
• Mellow ballads led by piano, strings, orchestration, and muted percussion
• Genres: chamber pop, indie folk, electro-folk, folk rock, and indie rock
• Cottagecore visual aesthetic
• Companion concert documentary: Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions

Background

• Conceived in quarantine in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Lover Fest tour cancelled after the pandemic began
• Released eleven months after Lover, the fastest Swift studio turnaround at the time
• Swift moved away from autobiographical songwriting and used characters and story arcs
• Title inspired by the lasting legacy of folktales

Recording

• Swift recorded her vocals in her Los Angeles home studio
• Producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff worked remotely from the Hudson Valley and New York City
• Dessner is guitarist of the American indie rock band the National
• Bon Iver's Justin Vernon sings his part on "Exile"

Cover

• Standard cover shows Swift as a 19th-century pioneer sleepwalking in a nightgown
• Artwork made with photographer Beth Garrabrant
• Photos shot at a friend's house in Lewisboro, New York

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania.
• Named after singer-songwriter James Taylor.
• Moved to Nashville area at 14 to pursue a country music career.
• Signed with Big Machine Records in 2005.

Career

• Debut album Taylor Swift (2006) peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200.
• Fearless (2008) spent eleven weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the best-selling album of 2009 in the US.
• Shifted from country to pop with 1989 (2014), which spent eleven weeks at number one.
• Released Folklore and Evermore (2020), indie folk albums that debuted at number one.
• Re-recorded her first six albums after a dispute over her master recordings.
• The Eras Tour (2023–2024) became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
• Holds 14 Grammy Awards, including a record four Album of the Year wins.
• Named Time Person of the Year in 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album widespread acclaim for its emotional weight and intricate lyricism
• Metacritic average of 88 from 27 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield praised her songwriting, calling it her most intimate album so far
• BBC News's Mark Savage classified it as an indie record dealing with nostalgia and mistakes that resonate with the times
• NME's Hannah Mylrea called it a bold attempt but said the 16-song run can sometimes drag slightly
• Variety's Chris Willman considered it a first-rank album
• Robert Christgau was most moved by the youth-themed Seven and Betty
• The New York Times's Jon Caramanica praised the songwriting but found the indie rock arrangements burdened

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone ranked it number 170 in its 2023 revision of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
• Rolling Stone also placed it at number five in its 2025 list of the 250 greatest albums of the 21st century so far
• Billboard called it a commercial smash and one of the quintessential quarantine full-lengths
• NME wrote that it will be remembered as the quintessential lockdown album

Records

• Topped the Billboard 200 for eight weeks, the longest-charting number one album of 2020
• Best-selling album of 2020 in the US
• Certified six-times platinum by the RIAA
• Won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, the first woman to win the award three times
• Five Grammy nominations at the 63rd ceremony
• Topped the charts in Australasia and various European countries

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lyrics hide Easter eggs, and a trio of songs called the Teenage Love Triangle shows one love triangle from three perspectives.
• The word Woodvale on the Hide and Seek edition was a code name that was accidentally printed on the final products.
• The characters Betty, James, and Inez are named after the daughters of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
• Joe Alwyn used the pseudonym William Bowery for his credits, and Swift later confirmed it.
• During the filming of the Cardigan video, Swift wore an earpiece and lip-synced to prevent a leak.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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