Swift - Cardigan | Taylor

Years later, Betty reminisces on her first love with James and the pain of his infidelity.

"Cardigan" is the lead single from Taylor Swift’s eighth studio album, folklore , released on July 24, 2020. The song marked a major artistic shift toward an indie-folk and "cottagecore" aesthetic, written and produced in collaboration with Aaron Dessner during the COVID-19 isolation period. Taylor Swift - cardigan

The track is primarily written from the perspective of a fictional character named . It is the first part of a "Teenage Love Triangle" trilogy on the album, which explores a single story from three different perspectives: Years later, Betty reminisces on her first love

James's attempt to apologize to Betty at age 17 after his mistake. The track is primarily written from the perspective

Follows the girl James had a summer affair with, focusing on her feelings of being a "summer thing".

Swift has also stated that the song explores why young love leaves such an "indelible mark" on our memories. Some fans also interpret the lyrics as a metaphor for Swift’s relationship with her fans, particularly the feeling of being "put back on" after public controversy. Something went wrong and an AI response wasn't generated.