my interpretation of the teenage love triangle in folklore, a thread

the three perspectives and songs are:
- betty: cardigan
- an unnamed girl: august
- james: betty

the story begins with betty and james in a happy relationship, as told by betty in cardigan. these experiences together are referenced by james at the end of betty

things begin to go south when betty dances with another boy at a school dance

while james is walking home, jealous and upset, the unnamed girl pulls up next to him in her car and tells him to get in. this is told from both perspectives in betty and august. betty also references this moment in cardigan

they have a summer fling, despite the fact that james is still dating betty. james can’t stop thinking about betty, and the girl knows that his heart will never belong to her. the story of the affair is told in august.

next is betty, which takes place after summer ends and james and the girl’s brief affair is over. rumors spread about james’ infidelity and betty finds out the truth. she briefly references the girl’s seduction of james and the ensuing affair in the first verse of cardigan

betty breaks up with james. in cardigan, she describes the feelings of hurt and betrayal she experienced after finding out about his cheating

james is heartbroken and wracked with guilt. he wants nothing more than to apologize to betty and have her take him back

james shows up on betty’s doorstep while she’s hosting a party and begs for forgiveness

betty hasn’t been able to stop thinking about james this whole time. she knows that she’s the one he truly loves and that he will always come back to her.

betty felt like “an old cardigan under someone’s bed” bc james cast her aside by cheating on her, but now that he’s told her she’s the only one for him (his favorite cardigan), she’s ready to forgive him

the way that taylor weaves the three perspectives together into one storyline is truly incredible, and im in awe of the way she is able to perfectly encapsulate the feelings of high school romance in her lyrics. in my opinion, these 3 are some of the best songs on folklore

end of thread