More than 2 years later, Taylor Swift's 'folklore' still has its mirrorball shine

It’s been two years since Taylor Swift dropped the surprise album that completely changed the scope of music and her career.

On July 24, 2020, Swift dropped her eighth studio album “folklore,” a subdued and emotional indie-folk record. This album completely departed from her more traditional pop sound, changing many people’s perception of the abilities of the songstress.

The album was crowned the best album of 2020 by Rolling Stone and won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Before “folklore,” many people seemed to either love or hate Swift, praising her lyricism and upbeat pop hits or complaining about the mainstream sound her music touts. With the release of this album, a new army of fans came to Swift’s side, realizing that she truly is a jack of all trades.

To celebrate the monumental album’s two (and a few months) year anniversary, let’s take a look back and highlight some of my personal favorite tracks.

My absolute favorite song off of “folklore” is Swift’s famous track five, “my tears ricochet.” This song transcends any expectation I could have for a moody and emotional ballad, and it truly delivers. Every time I listen to this song, I can instantly feel the pain she's singing about, and I feel like I’m right there with her in her shoes.

Swift has such a powerful ability to paint such a vivid picture with her lyrics, which is why she has been praised her whole career for her lyricism. This album and this song, in particular, paint such a gorgeously tragic picture of a relationship gone sour and the implications it can have on someone who was so deeply invested in the relationship.

“mirrorball” provides listeners with a more upbeat listening experience while still providing a quiet moodiness that strings throughout the song. The lyrical content of this song provides strong metaphors and pairs beautifully with the track’s subtle instrumentation.

Swift uses the idea of a mirrorball as a metaphor for fame, a thing that can break someone into a million pieces and destroy them, but when the light is on them, they continue to shine and provide entertainment for those around them. But once the lights are off, nobody pays attention to them, even though they're still there in the dark.

This song’s phenomenal lyricism and gorgeous hushed vocals provide the listener with a completely out-of-this-world listening and storytelling experience.

Another gut-wrenchingly beautiful song that almost anyone can relate to is “this is me trying.” The feeling of trying your hardest but never being good enough is one that many people have felt or feel on a regular basis, and this song paints that emotion perfectly.

Swift uses her voice and phenomenal songwriting skills to immerse the audience into her world, creating a feeling of pain and sadness within the listener. This track can truly change anyone’s emotions on one listen and is a must when it comes to this album.

In the middle of an extremely downbeat and sad album, “invisible string” comes through to lighten the mood and pluck at your heartstrings. This song illustrates the idea of a “single thread of gold” that has tied Swift to her lover throughout her life, eventually bringing them together.

Swift details that while the heartbreaks and winding roads were tiring, they eventually brought her to who she was meant to be with. This song is truly so heartwarming and a fresh breath of light within the tracklist of a generally sorrowful album.

With “folklore,” Swift delivered a surprising yet desperately needed album. Especially at the time of its release during the pandemic, fans and non-fans alike needed something this comforting and emotionally deep to carry with them in such a hard time.

Even two years later, “folklore” continues to stand the test of time and remains a relevant and extremely important album for the decade.