folklore by Taylor Swift (2024)

User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

by Taylor Swift

  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date:Jul 24, 2020
  • Summary
  • Critic Reviews
  • User Reviews

folklore by Taylor Swift (1)

Metascore

88

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score

9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 17537 Ratings

  • Summary: The 16-track surprise release from the pop artist features contributions from Jack Antonoff, Bon Iver, William Bowery, and Aaron Dessner of the National.

Buy Now

Buy on folklore by Taylor Swift (2)
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock
  • More Details and Credits »

Top Track

Try
All I knowIs everything is not as it's soldBut the more I grow the less I knowAnd I have lived so many livesThough I'm not oldAnd the more I... See the rest of the song lyrics

See Full Track List »

Powered byfolklore by Taylor Swift (3)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:

  1. Positive: 25 out of 27

  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27

  3. Negative: 0 out of 27

  1. 100

    Swift explodes the expectations of anyone preparing to call her music "diaristic," writing songs from different perspectives while putting her already-detailed work under a microscope. ... A content smile of an album on which one of the world's biggest pop stars, charts be damned, forges her own path and dares listeners to come along for the ride.

  2. This strange summer of arrested development is steadily ending. Folklore will endure long beyond it: as fragmented as Swift is across her eighth album – and much as you hope it doesn’t mark the end of her pop ambitions – her emotional acuity has never been more assured.

  3. Uncut

    Aug 13, 2020

    90

    It's a sharp turn to the left for Swift and a fine reminder that she is more than just a gleaming pop phenomenon, but a remarkable songwriter too. [Oct 2020, p.36]

    All this publication's reviews

  4. Jul 24, 2020

    87

    One of her best, most perfectly-produced projects ever. In folklore, she wrote a quieter, more thought-provoking chapter in her constantly shapeshifting story.

  5. Jul 29, 2020

    80

    The 16 tunes comprising her latest song cycle oscillate gracefully around piano keyboards and introduce a series of portraits of fictional and real-life characters (from a terrified child with a traumatized best friend to a ghost scrutinizing her enemies at her funeral) to complement her reflections on the social distancing of quarantine time.

  6. Jul 24, 2020

    80

    While the album tends to lull around its middle, folklore is far less concerned with its individual tracks than the greater, twisting conversation — the sort of hours-long, sanity-affirming chats that have become vital over these last four months.

  7. Jul 27, 2020

    60

    “Folklore” songs fall into roughly two camps — excellent Swift-penned songs that are sturdy enough to bear the production, and others that end up obscured by murk.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review

Score distribution:

  1. Positive: 7,081 out of 7707

  2. Mixed: 104 out of 7707

  3. Negative: 522 out of 7707

  1. Stalingrad

    Jul 25, 2020

    10

    In her previous two albums, there was a subtle glimpse of melancholy and introspection - often in the album's best tracks. In folklore, swiftIn her previous two albums, there was a subtle glimpse of melancholy and introspection - often in the album's best tracks. In folklore, swift takes her rare musings that previously only seasoned, and now makes it the base of this new less-pop-more-indie record. Expand

    • 0of 1users found this helpful

  2. ValeriaG

    Jul 24, 2020

    10

    this album is a **** masterpiece! She surprised us all with such an enchanted and magic album! Probably her best album so far!

    • 0of 1users found this helpful

  3. dxvidr13

    Jul 24, 2020

    10

    album of the year. amazing lyrics, amazing production, amazing sounds. taylor swift is the best songwriter of this generation. .

    • 126of 140users found this helpful

  4. rafsupan

    Jul 28, 2020

    10

    The way Taylor wrote this album is beyond perfection. Nobody can write magical lyrics as Taylor. Plus, the melody of each song is veryThe way Taylor wrote this album is beyond perfection. Nobody can write magical lyrics as Taylor. Plus, the melody of each song is very captivating and enchanting. This probably her best album. Expand

    • 0of 0users found this helpful

  5. littlewolf19

    Nov 1, 2020

    10

    Folklore. What to say about it that hasn’t been said before? Taylor really, truly outdid herself this time. No one was expecting a surpriseFolklore. What to say about it that hasn’t been said before? Taylor really, truly outdid herself this time. No one was expecting a surprise drop from Taylor- she usually sticks to one particular rollout schedule that consists of a lead single, one promotional single, and the album a couple of months later in between the months of October and November. By dropping this in the middle of July, without any build up, she made waves. The album in its entirety is beautiful. The lyrics are reminiscent of those found in Red, which is a fan favorite album across the board and considered to be her magnum opus. She showcases the story telling abilities that she fully brought to the table when she wrote Speak Now all by herself at 19. And just like 1989, it has very few to no references of modern pop culture. No new slang, nothing that could date it- making it a timeless masterpiece. Others may say that the often slow tempo makes it boring, but I would argue otherwise. I was captivated by it from the start. That’s what Taylor does best- she takes feelings we all know and turns them into something that really is magical. And by doing all of this, she is cementing herself as more than just a generic pop star- I’m positive that in another ten years, she’ll be considered an icon and a legend. All of the hype and praise Folklore has received has very much been deserved. I consider this to be my new favorite album of hers, and it makes me extremely excited to see what she’ll do next. Expand

    • 0of 0users found this helpful

  6. Jainapro

    Jul 24, 2020

    10

    Greatest album ever!! Taylor Swift did is back and better than ever. I’m so proud of her growth. She gave the world what they needed

    • 1of 2users found this helpful

  7. ChromaticaRare

    Aug 28, 2020

    While folklore marks a much needed departure from Taylor Swift's outdated soft pop sound, she seems to fall short in the alternative genre,While folklore marks a much needed departure from Taylor Swift's outdated soft pop sound, she seems to fall short in the alternative genre, with more than half of the tracks off this album being snoozefests. Expand

    • 0of 5users found this helpful

See all 7707 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Music

    Every Taylor Swift Album, Ranked

    Published: October 24, 2022

    (Updated July 2023) We rank every Taylor Swift album--from her self-titled 2006 debut to the just-released Midnights--from worst to best by Metascore.

    More »

  2. Best of 2020, Games, TV, Movies, Music

    Metacritic Users Pick the Best of 2020

    Published: January 8, 2021

    Over 2,800 Metacritic users have submitted their favorite albums, movies, games, and TV shows of 2020. Here's what they picked.

    More »

  3. Best of 2020, Music

    The 40 Best Albums of 2020

    Published: December 24, 2020

    We reveal the 40 highest-scoring album releases of the year, as well as some of 2020's bests and worsts in other music categories.

    More »

Awards & Rankings

13

#13 Best Album of 2020

1

#1 Most Discussed Album of 2020

Essential Links

  1. Upcoming Release Calendar
  2. 2024 High Scores
  3. All-Time High Scores
  4. A-Z Index of Artists

Current Music Releases

Full List »

  • By Metascore
  • By user score
99 Band on the Run [50th Anniversary Edition] - Paul McCartney & Wings
95 The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow - Charles Lloyd
95 Brat - Charli XCX
91 COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé
91 The Carnegie Hall Concert - Alice Coltrane
90 Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009 - Broadcast
90 Funeral for Justice - Mdou Moctar
90 Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
90 Here in the Pitch - Jessica Pratt
89 I Got Heaven - Mannequin puss*
89 Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish
89 Congo Funk! Sound Madness from the Shores of the Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982) - Various Artists
89 Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
89 This Could Be Texas - English Teacher
88 Night Reign - Arooj Aftab
88 All Born Screaming - St. Vincent
88 Lives Outgrown - Beth Gibbons
88 Ten Fold - Yaya Bey
88 What Happened To The Heart? - Aurora
88 Umbilical - Thou

All Current Music »

folklore by Taylor Swift (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rubie Ullrich

Last Updated:

Views: 6700

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rubie Ullrich

Birthday: 1998-02-02

Address: 743 Stoltenberg Center, Genovevaville, NJ 59925-3119

Phone: +2202978377583

Job: Administration Engineer

Hobby: Surfing, Sailing, Listening to music, Web surfing, Kitesurfing, Geocaching, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.