Five Years Of Evermore: A Journey Through Each Song

By Kayla Harper

Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album, evermore, was released five years ago today on December 11, 2020.  The album was a surprise-drop much like folklore, which is why it makes sense that evermore is often referred to as the sister-album to Swift’s previous release, folklore (July 24, 2020). While folklore is centered around what feels like small town teenage problems, evermore is more mature as it carries the wisdom that only comes after years of grief and the emotional turmoil that follows.

 

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A reflection of the winter months, evermore contains the same delicate introspective nature as folklore, except it doesn’t just go into itself, it’s empathetic and plants itself inside different perspectives, it tries to understand why someone else did what they did rather than simply blaming them for the heartache it caused. It is confessional in even the deepest feelings we are scared to admit to even ourselves, all the words we don’t dare to whisper outloud, evermore says them with confidence.

evermore is a collection of stories of many lives strewn together with subtle piano melodies and intricately whimsical guitar riffs. Swift’s collaborators between folklore and evermore remained consistent, although, evermore was recorded at Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studio whereas folklore was recorded remotely from Swift’s house and Dessner and Jack Antonoff’s studios. As a result they are quite similar sonically, leaning into the alternative folk-pop style reminiscent of Bon Iver and The National.

A collection of songs made up of intricate storytelling, evermore blurs the line between reality and the place in your head you go to escape it, merging them into one, reconciling the past and preparing for the future in the process.  Learn the story behind and within each evermore track below and find out what track best lines up with your personal story right now.

 

1.  “willow”

evermore opens with the bright acoustic-led “willow”, which is one of Swift’s most underrated and best love songs. Hauntingly romantic, “willow” is both a confession of devotion to one’s lover (“wherever you stray, I follow”), while also addressing the unavoidable fate that brings two people together (“life was a willow and it bent right to your wind”).  “willow” is for the people who believe in fate and can’t help but love deeply, even if they are resistant to it at first.

2. “champagne problems”

“champagne problems” is a collaboration between Swift and ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn who previously collaborated on folklore’s “exile” and “betty”.  A tragic tale of a rejected proposal, “champagne problems” is the perfect soundtrack for a late night dwelling in the guilt and regret for everyone you’ve ever wronged (“you booked the night train for a reason, so you could sit there in this hurt”), but especially that one person.  “champagne problems” is for the people who had to learn how to put themselves first and as a result let that one person down in order to do what was best for them.

3. “gold rush”

“gold rush” is for the hopeless romantics, taking place inside of a hazy daydream, fantasizing about a life with someone who is admired by many.  From their unconditional devotion to the mundane aspects of loving this person (“what must it be like to grow up that beautiful?…I see me padding across your wooden floors”), “gold rush” emphasizes the romance in the everyday simplicities of sharing a life with someone, before pulling listeners out of the daydream into the lonely reality of simply imagining it.

4.  “‘tis the damn season”

The story of someone returning to their hometown for the holiday season, “‘tis the damn season” is retrospective; the regret of everything we would have done differently seeps in through the simple yet haunting instrumental. Feelings of homesickness and longing for what once was, or what could’ve been are enhanced by the monochromatic filter of a world covered in snow. “‘tis the damn season” is for the people who try to escape those feelings, seeking shelter in the warmth of the fireplace glow, surrounded by family they haven’t seen in a long time.  However, they cannot escape the cold that still manifests in the fog on the window pane.

5.  “tolerate it”

evermore’s infamous track five lives up to its pre-established reputation with “tolerate it”. The devastating piano-led ballad exists in a crowded room that feels lonely or an empty room that feels loud, the exhaustion that follows when you’ve given everything to someone who doesn’t value it, and you know you should leave, but you can’t because you remember the ways it used to be. If “tolerate it” is your favourite song on evermore, you probably feel like nothing you do is enough, until it’s too much. However, you deserve better and you know it.

6.  “no body, no crime (feat. HAIM)”

A small town murder mystery including a cheating husband, Olive Garden and a boating license, yes please! “no body, no crime” capitalizes on Swift’s storytelling abilities taking place entirely inside of a fictional world. Swift’s friend Este Haim is not only featured as a character, but Haim is actually featured on the song, marking their first collaboration with Swift.  Swift would later be featured on a remix of Haim’s song “Gasoline” in 2021. “no body, no crime” is for the people who notice everything and whose loyalty is eternal, even six feet under, (“no body, no crime…I ain’t letting up until the day he dies”).

7. “happiness”

A last minute addition to evermore “happiness” is anything, but happy.  Although the song is written specifically about divorce, it captures the essence of what it’s like to live with grief that follows any formative experience that permanently changes a person, (“and in the disbelief I can’t face reinvention / I haven’t met the new me yet”). “happiness” navigates the treacherous terrain that is the journey to finding oneself in the aftermath of loss and the process of granting oneself permission to be happy even in the absence of what used to bring that into your life, (“there’ll be happiness after you, but there was happiness because of you”). “happiness” is for the people who have undergone substantial losses and are learning how to love the new version of themselves.

8.  “dorothea”

Much like how “cardigan”, “august” and “betty” are connected to tell a bigger story on folklore, many fans speculate that “dorothea” is the narrator of “‘tis the damn season”.  “dorothea” feels like a letter addressing the distance that’s grown between two close friends who don’t talk as much as they used to.  However, it’s the kind of relationship where no amount of distance in space or time can change the dynamic between the two people, (“if you’re ever tired of being known for who you know, you know, you’ll always know me”). “dorothea” is for the people who stand back while their friends shine and light them back up when the world dulls their sparkle even if it gets lonely standing in the wings .

9. “coney island (feat. The National)”

“coney island” opens with an ominous and empty instrumental, feelings which are heightened by the lyrics which reflect on everything that went wrong in a failed relationship.  Swift’s first collaboration with The National, Matt Berninger brings a melancholic tone to the track as the two sing back-and-forth, reminiscent of folklore’s “exile”.  “coney island” evokes the kind of nostalgia that you feel in the pit of your stomach, that glazes over you cold to the touch, burning through every year since that moment. “coney island” is for the people who hold on to everything and even years later still feel guilt for the things they couldn’t make right.

10. “ivy”

“ivy” is a whimsically poetic song, taking place outside the candlelit cabin in the midst of the folklorian woods, on a sunny day, frolicking in fields of flowers, not daring to look back at the darkness that lurks beyond the edges of the trees. Literally, “ivy” tells the story of a love affair. Figuratively, “ivy” is the irresistible and unexpected love that finds us in a dark place, whether that is an unhappy marriage as the literal meaning of the song suggests, or a stillness inside of ourselves, either way it’s a lonely place, and “ivy” represents the escape from that place, that feels daunting and unlawful, but is kismet either way.

11. “cowboy like me” 

“cowboy like me” is arguably the most thematically complex song on evermore telling the unexpected love story between two swindlers that either has the happiest or most devastating ending depending on how you listen to it (“now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon / with your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con”).  It’s the kind of love that shouldn’t work, but it does in spite of all odds. “cowboy like me” is for the people who are scared of love, but when they do open up love deeply.

12. “long story short”

“long story short” is the light at the end of the tunnel: sound of the page turning; all the messy ink blots and half-scribbled thoughts coming together to formulate something that makes sense; it is the clarity you thought you’d never grasp. “long story short” is the sudden realization that you’ve made it this far because you are able to look back, even if you aren’t yet where you want to be. It is progress. If your favourite song on evermore is “long story short” you’ve probably been in fight or flight mode for some time now after enduring multiple hardships, but are finally at the point where you can smile again, even if you’re not through it yet, you’re able to find little bits of hope in the madness and you know you’re going to be okay.

13. “marjorie” 

The thirteenth track on evermore, “marjorie”, was inspired by and named after Swift’s grandmother, Marjorie Finlay. Finlay was an opera singer and some of her vocals are featured in the outro of the track. “marjorie” processes the grief of a lost loved one in a beautiful way, reminiscing on the lessons that can be learned by the way they lived their life and the way these people live on through us. So much so, sometimes we forget they aren’t around anymore, (“and if I didn’t know better I’d think you were still around”).  “marjorie” is for the people who will never get over the loss or losses of their loved ones.  The love they hold for the people they care about lives on long after death, carrying the wisdom, memories and lessons from these people with them everyday.

14.  “closure”

Between the messy Nine Inch Nails-esque drums, ominous piano melody and strenuous melody “closure” feels uncomfortable, but that is because it’s supposed to. “closure” is the awkward tension that exists between two strangers who used to know everything about each other. The insistence that you aren’t bothered by it anymore, when really the bitterness of the relationship still sits on your tongue along with the words you never got to say. “closure” is for the people who no longer speak to the person who was their closest confidant and despite moving on, will always be bothered by it deep down.

15. “evermore (feat. Bon Iver)”

The album’s title track perfectly describes what evermore feels like as a whole. “evermore” is the quiet space where feelings just sit, until they grow numb. The kind of stagnance that doesn’t make itself known, but sits in the background of every moment, plaguing even the laughter with the kind of weight that sinks into your stomach. The original piano melody was written by Swift’s ex-boyfriend Alwyn, the duo later collaborated with Bon Iver on the track, who heightened it immensely with his addition to the bridge, which mimics the moments of chaos when it all comes crashing down. In those moments of chaos is when we finally start to see the little glimmers of hope, that maybe, “this pain wouldn’t be forevermore.”