"Cardigan" (stylized as "cardigan") is the lead single and second track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's eighth studio album, folklore, released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records.
Background[]
The Taylor Swift Inner Circle got access to the song before it was announced, and hinted to its release, though many fans interpreted the hint as a possible collaboration with Cardi B.
Swift confirmed the existence of the song through social media on July 23, 2020, through her announcement of the album.[1] The song is a part of the Teenage Love Triangle, making it a sister to "august" and "betty."
Aaron Dessner and Swift penned the song on April 28, 2020. The song was originally an instrumental demo titled 'Maple' that Dessner had written previously, initially intended for The National before being sent to Swift.[2][3]
Dessner said of the song: "I sent [Taylor] a folder of stuff I had done that I was really excited about recently. 'cardigan' was one of those sketches (...) I sent [the file] at 9 p.m., and around 2 a.m. or something, there was 'cardigan', fully written. That’s when I realized something crazy was happening. She just dialed directly into the heart of the music and wrote an incredible song and fully conceived of it and then kept going."
"It harkens back to lessons learned, or experiences in your youth, in a really beautiful way and this sense of longing and sadness, but ultimately, it’s cathartic. I thought it was a perfect match for the music, and how her voice feels. It was kind of a guide. It had these lower register parts, and I think we both realized that this was a bit of a lightning rod for a lot of the rest of the record."[2]
Themes[]
"cardigan" has two main storylines. The first and most obvious is its relation to the Teenage Love Triangle. The song is told from the perspective of Betty, reminiscing on her memories with James before he cheated on her with Augustine and knowing that he would come back to her in the end. This is enforced with lines such as "Chase two girls, lose the one" and "I knew you, hand under my sweatshirt, baby, kiss it better".
The second main theme of the song is told from Swift's own perspective, about her fans and the public and knowing they would come back to her after the media backlash and controversy with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2016. This can be seen in lines like "I knew you, playing hide and seek and giving me your weekends." This refers to the Easter eggs that Swift leaves her fans ("Playing hide and seek") and her fans coming to her tour shows ("Giving me your weekends").
The refrain, "And when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite" can be seen as Betty talking to James and as Swift talking to her fans.
Music video[]
The music video was released on July 24, 2020, at midnight and was edited by Chancler Haynes, with special effects by David Lebensfeld and Grant Miller and set design by Ethan Tobman. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, social distanced from each other, and Swift did her own hair, makeup, and styling.[4] It was directed by Swift, with cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto, production by Jil Hardin, it was executively produced by Rebecca Skinner and AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osborne.[5]
Premise[]
The video revolves around pianos, Taylor travels through them to different locations, sometimes through the top, also through the piano bench. In the end of the video, Swift puts on a cardigan, the same one available as merchandise. The plot is continued in "willow".
Gallery[]
Pre-premiere photos[]
The following images were posted as the thumbnail for the live release before the music video premiered.
Behind the scenes[]
A behind the scenes video was released on December 13, 2024.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Vintage tee, brand new phone
High heels on cobblestones
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
Sequin smile, black lipstick
Sensual politics
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Chorus]
But I knew you
Dancing in your Levi's
Drunk under a streetlight, I
I knew you
Hand under my sweatshirt
Baby, kiss it better, I
[Refrain]
And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite
[Verse 2]
A friend to all is a friend to none
Chase two girls, lose the one
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Chorus]
But I knew you
Playing hide-and-seek and
Giving me your weekends, I
I knew you
Your heartbeat on the High Line
Once in twenty lifetimes, I
[Refrain]
And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite
[Bridge]
To kiss in cars and downtown bars
Was all we needed
You drew stars around my scars
But now I'm bleeding
[Chorus]
'Cause I knew you
Stepping on the last train
Marked me like a bloodstain, I
I knew you
Tried to change the ending
Peter losing Wendy, I
I knew you
Leaving like a father
Running like water, I
And when you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Verse 3]
But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss
I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs
The smell of smoke would hang around this long
'Cause I knew everything when I was young
I knew I'd curse you for the longest time
Chasin' shadows in the grocery line
I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired
And you'd be standing in my front porch light
And I knew you'd come back to me
You'd come back to me
And you'd come back to me
And you'd come back
[Refrain]
And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite
Note: Lyrical changes between versions have been italicized.
[Verse 1]
Vintage tee, brand new phone
High heels on cobblestones
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
Sequin smile, black lipstick
Sensual politics
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Chorus]
But I knew you
Dancing in your Levi's
Drunk under a streetlight, I
I knew you
Hand under my sweatshirt
Baby, kiss it better, I
[Refrain]
And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite
[Verse 2]
A friend to all is a friend to none
Chase two girls, lose the one
When you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Chorus]
But I knew you
Living in a gold age
Sneaking to my birdcage, I
I knew you
Laughing like a damn fool
Breaking every damn rule, I
[Refrain]
And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite
[Bridge]
And to kiss in cars and downtown bars
Was all we needed
You drew stars around my scars
Now, I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding
[Chorus]
'Cause I knew you
Stepping on the last train
Marked me like a bloodstain, I
I knew you
Tried to change the ending
Peter leaving Wendy, I
I knew you
Dancing in your Levi's
Drunk under a streetlight, I
I knew you
That when you are young, they assume you know nothing
[Verse 3]
But I knew you'd linger like a stolen kiss
I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs
The smell of smoke would hang around this long
'Cause I knew everything when I was young
[Outro]
I knew I'd curse you for the longest time
I knew I'd wish you would've changed your mind
I knew you'd miss me once the moment died
I knew to love would be to lose my mind
Cabin in candlelight visualizer[]
Live performances[]
Swift performed "cardigan" for the first known time on March 14, 2021, at the 63rd Grammy Awards, as part of a medley alongside "august" and "willow". The song was also performed throughout The Eras Tour. It originally served as the seventh song in the folklore section of the setlist, and as the thirty-first song overall. On May 9, 2024, in Paris, France, Swift altered the setlist to include songs from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. From this show until the end of the tour, the song served as the first song in the folklore + evermore section of the setlist - and as the eighteenth song overall.
References[]
- ↑ Aaron Dessner on Twitter, March 15 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gerber, Brady "The Story Behind Every Song on Taylor Swift’s folklore" Vulture, July 27 2020
- ↑ McCormick, Neil "How The National became the world’s most influential band" The Telegraph, April 20 2023
- ↑ Twitter - Editor Chancler Haynes, special effects wizards David Lebensfeld & Grant Miller and set designer Ethan Tobman. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling 😂
- ↑ Twitter - The music video for “cardigan” will premiere tonight, which I wrote/directed. A million thank you’s to my brilliant, bad ass video team - Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, executive producer Rebecca Skinner, AD Joe ‘Oz’ Osbourne
| folklore | ||
|---|---|---|
| "the 1" • "cardigan" • "the last great american dynasty" • "exile" • "my tears ricochet" • "mirrorball" • "seven" • "august" • "this is me trying" • "illicit affairs" • "invisible string" • "mad woman" • "epiphany" • "betty" • "peace" • "hoax" | ||
|