Months ago I listened to Jad Abumrad’s “Dolly Parton’s America” podcast series, a wonderful story to ponder while crocheting rug yarn into a circle. A great research project that explores every facet of Dolly’s life and soul and symbolism, her prolific work and how she smashed the glass ceiling; “Miss Americana.”
When I was in undergrad, I purchased all of Taylor Swift’s discography. At the time, she had dropped Red and nobody knew 1989 was on its way. I was months from graduation when she announced her genre change, and soon after her new work blessed us. Arguably, Taylor has furthered a lot of Dolly’s work in the country music industry. Taylor is infamous for bringing country back to teen hearts. She updated the tropes and massaged them into contemporary pop, a cool young adult embodying everything Dolly had also sung about. Everything the industry expected of her and of every other woman.
The first time we really saw Taylor’s potential and range was in 1989. Jaw-dropping imagery and sound updating those damn country song tropes. Was she singing them because she believed them? Because that was all she knew? Of course I watched the Netflix documentary on Taylor Swift that dropped not too long ago. Throughout the documentary, it becomes clear that Taylor is another young woman who has been broken by self-esteem issues brought on by a white male-controlled system (The Industry). Did Dolly ever show this struggle so transparently? Or did she leverage the tropes (her sexuality and voice and childhood?) from the start?
Since 1989, we’ve been given Reputation and Lover, which are fine. They are songs I will still listen to and music videos I will still watch, but folklore is what music history needed. folklore is the album I could hear in the newness of 1989. Taylor is finally in charge and owns all of her own work moving forward, starting with her album Lover. This ownership is heard vibrantly in folklore, an energy and freedom that was last seen when she declared her genre change. Her renewed energy as a result of creating outside of her years “in the system.” A re-emergence of higher self-esteem through the pause our global pandemic brought.
folklore by Taylor Swift, album cover.