Taylor Swift - the folklorian rankdown (Winner Revealed!)

[CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker]

I'm hoping to submit tonight

[CF15]

Sent. Average rank for folklore was 17.06, and average rank for evermore was 17.94. It was closer than I expected it to be, which I guess is thanks in part to some nice discoveries from the evermore album tracks that made it pretty high on my ranks.

[nickd]

Jan 17, 2022 20:19:22 GMT -5 CF15 said:

Sent. Average rank for folklore was 17.06, and average rank for evermore was 17.94. It was closer than I expected it to be, which I guess is thanks in part to some nice discoveries from the evermore album tracks that made it pretty high on my ranks.

15.94 evermore and 19.06 folklore for me. Didn't realize I liked evermore more before doing this ranking, although they still both had 5 songs in my top 10 and this ranking might change as I listen to evermore more.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Jesus, looking at my list before submitting it, as a 34-track album (double album), it's super strong but even if I were to select my top, oh I dunno, 18 songs, and rearrange them into a proper tracklist, what a STRONG album. Even further, if I took my top 12 - it could very well be the greatest album of all time!

I got a feeling we're all gonna piss each other off with these rankings. :x

[Gonza'90]

Can I get tagged?

[fearlessarrow]

Jan 18, 2022 15:31:55 GMT -5 Gonza'90 said:

Can I get tagged?

Sure thing!

[fearlessarrow]

Alright everyone, submissions are CLOSED!

We received 44 lists in total, and it's about to be a mess of a reveal. Please be patient as we put finishing touches (graphics and all) and we will see you when reveals come around

If you were say one song away from sending or something at the time of this post please let us know NOW, thank you~

[Future Captain]

I swear to god if my #1 isn't at least in the top half I'm gonna riot

[bat1990]

I don't expect my number one to do well, but I hope you surprise me.

[CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker]

I did my rankings drunk so do with those facts what you will

[bat1990]

[CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker]

Jan 20, 2022 16:51:57 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

No no no, the OTHER Blonde, White, Schoolgirl Pop Star

[bat1990]

To quote the woman in the gif I shared, "I hate f**king waiting"

I just decided to use a gif with less cursing for this thread.

[taylor]

Alright guys, it's time to reveal!!!

We had meant to offer some pre-reveal questions to lead us into the reveals, but I never got the chance to post those. I've been down with a cold since Thursday, which is why reveals hadn't started yet, because I'm the host in charge of the first round of reveals. But I'm feeling a little bit (emphasis on little) better now, so gather round if you're here, because I'm going to jump us right into things!

[taylor]

I know I'm just a
Wrinkle in your new life
Staying "friends"
Would iron it out so nice
Guilty, guilty reaching out across the sea
That you put between you and me
But it's fake
And it's oh so unnecessary.



Placement in evermore's rankdown: #17 of 17


Total: 1,267 (Points: 273)
Average: 28.79
Std. Dev.: 6.49 (Lowest!)

@jadenlefranks - 9
GrinningLikeADevil - 10
@imhappy259 - 15
born - 18
woods - 18
nickd - 19
RoseColoredGirl - 22
bboat11 - 24
someguy - 26
austin - 27
Marooned@Midnight - 27
BB🌕 - 28
Troublemaker - 28
Fire - 28
wyckyd - 28
dremolus - solarpunk - 29
Rhythm Nation - 29
twigs - 29
tim - 30
ClevelandRox - 31
Exclusive - 31
.indulgecountry - 31
neverduplicated - 31
toomuchboy - 31
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 32
lady𝓐fan - 32
samo🦕 - 32
Future Captain - 33
fearlessarrow - 33
Mayman - 33
Mylo13 💜 - 33
reputainbow - 33
willapted33 - 33
sapphire - 34
bat1990 - 34
taylor - 34
CF15 - 34
DistrictTwelve - 34
nick64 - 34
khan - 34
schnetzka - 34
Rose "Payola" Nylund - 34
trilogy - 34
wrip - 34

SPOILER: Click to show

{songs remaining}the 1
cardigan
the last great american dynasty
exile (ft. Bon Iver)
my tears ricochet
mirrorball
seven
august
this is me trying
illicit affairs
invisible string
mad woman
epiphany
betty
peace
hoax
the lakes
willow
champagne problems
gold rush
tis the damn season
tolerate it
no body, no crime (ft. HAIM)
happiness
dorothea
coney island (ft. The National)
ivy
cowboy like me
long story short
marjorie
evermore (ft. Bon Iver)
right where you left me
it's time to go

[born]

Only six people have taste (the top 20 rankers).

[taylor]

Kicking things off is "closure," giving evermore its first loss right away. "closure" is Taylor's middle finger to its subject, a reply to their self-serving request, fake niceties, and pretentious amity. Basically, it's a diss track to Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta, hinted at in the sound that permeates the song, of what sounds like a machine breaking. (Scott founded Big Machine Records, Taylor's former label.) Musically, it's an electro-acoustic and industrial folk song characterized by its unusual 5/4 time signature, and that machine-breaking-sound: a distinctive skittering production of brass, piano, to-and-fro strings, electronic creaks, clattering percussion, and synthesized drums.

The song is fine enough, but that breaking machine is so annoying and gets grating after awhile. Someone needs to put the poor thing out of its misery!

[taylor]

By the way, we have a thing going on where we're keeping track of each individual album's average throughout the rankdown! I believe born came up with this, so I'll let him explain more in depth if he wants to  ;)  but it's essentially a competition between the two sisters to see which album Pulse thinks is better. Feel free to tell us if you're on team folklore or team evermore!

[dremolus - solarpunk]

It's fine, just a bit underwhelming as a conclusion and especially in comparison to the other Bon Iver collaboration that we'll later (hopefully jn the higher regions)

[twigs]

Team Folklore but I LOVE both so much! Folklore just means more to me I think

[taylor]

Fifteen years, fifteen million tears
Begging 'til my knees bled
I gave it my all, he gave me nothing at all
Then wondered why I left
Now he sits on his throne in his palace of bones
Praying to his greed
He's got my past frozen behind glass
But I've got me.

That old familiar body ache
The snaps from the same little breaks in my soul
I know when it's time to go.

Sometimes giving up is the strong thing
Sometimes to run is the brave thing
Sometimes walking out is the one thing
That will find you the right thing.



Placement in evermore's rankdown: #16 of 17


Total: 1,131 (Points: 409)
Average: 25.70
Std. Dev.: 7.18 (3rd Lowest)

CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 6
Mylo13 💜 - 8
CF15 - 13
woods - 13
Troublemaker - 15
austin - 16
lady𝓐fan - 16
Rhythm Nation - 18
BB🌕 - 20
toomuchboy - 21
someguy - 22
born - 23
RoseColoredGirl - 23
Fire - 24
trilogy - 24
GrinningLikeADevil - 25
@imhappy259 - 25
tim - 26
.indulgecountry - 26
khan - 27
willapted33 - 27
sapphire - 28
bat1990 - 28
wrip - 28
neverduplicated - 29
Rose "Payola" Nylund - 29
wyckyd - 29
fearlessarrow - 30
nickd - 30
reputainbow - 30
twigs - 30
bboat11 - 31
Future Captain - 31
dremolus - solarpunk - 31
samo🦕 - 31
DistrictTwelve - 32
Marooned@Midnight - 32
schnetzka - 32
taylor - 33
nick64 - 33
ClevelandRox - 34
Exclusive - 34
@jadenlefranks - 34
Mayman - 34

SPOILER: Click to show

{songs remaining}
the 1
cardigan
the last great american dynasty
exile (ft. Bon Iver)
my tears ricochet
mirrorball
seven
august
this is me trying
illicit affairs
invisible string
mad woman
epiphany
betty
peace
hoax
the lakes
willow
champagne problems
gold rush
tis the damn season
tolerate it
no body, no crime (ft. HAIM)
happiness
dorothea
coney island (ft. The National)
ivy
cowboy like me
long story short
marjorie
evermore (ft. Bon Iver)
right where you left me

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

I don’t even know which team I’m on. I think I enjoy the bulk of folklore as a whole more, but evermore has so many points that I really look forward to so they kind of even themselves out a bit.


I’m glad “closure” is out first. (Perfect rank!) but it has grown a bit on me since the album came out. Honestly, I really think its placement is the single reason behind why I don’t care for it as much as I haven’t. If it followed another uptempo, it wouldn’t sound so brashy and out of place, but coming after something like “Marjorie” just makes it sound so noisy and, idk, shallow I guess?

[taylor]

Next up is "it's time to go," which is evermore's second loss right off the bat. This is a bleak song about the narrator's knowledge of when to exit a relationship, such as a friendship, featuring tales of divorce and losing a dream career to someone who's way less qualified. It contains references to Taylor's masters situation, which I chose as the lyrical highlight.

This song is also fine, but I don't find myself revisiting it unless I'm spinning the entire album.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Loving the visuals too btw 🔥

[taylor]

I can't make it go away by making you a villain

I guess it's the price I paid for seven years in Heaven

And I pulled your body into mine

Every goddamn night, now I get fake niceties

No one teaches you what to do

When a good man hurts you

And you know you hurt him, too

Honey, when I'm above the trees

I see it for what it is

But now my eyes leak acid rain on the pillow where you used to lay your head

After giving you the best I had

Tell me what to give after that

All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness

You haven't met the new me yet

And I think she'll give you that

There'll be happiness after you

But there was happiness because of you, too

Both of these things can be true

There is happiness.



Placement in evermore's rankdown: #13 of 17


Total: 1,093 (Points: 447)
Average: 24.84
Std. Dev.: 7.77

@imhappy259 - 7
taylor - 8
ClevelandRox - 9
khan - 10
Exclusive - 12
bat1990 - 13
wrip - 16
dremolus - solarpunk - 18
bboat11 - 19
Mayman - 19
DistrictTwelve - 20
nick64 - 20
Mylo13 💜 - 20
Rose "Payola" Nylund - 20
Future Captain - 23
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 23
willapted33 - 23
@jadenlefranks - 25
sapphire - 27
reputainbow - 27
Rhythm Nation - 27
Marooned@Midnight - 28
schnetzka - 28
someguy - 28
twigs - 28
woods - 28
CF15 - 29
tim - 29
fearlessarrow - 29
GrinningLikeADevil - 29
RoseColoredGirl - 29

I Can't See Facts Through All Of My Fury
samo🦕 - 30
BB🌕 - 31
austin - 32
Troublemaker - 32

toomuchboy - 32
wyckyd - 32
.indulgecountry - 33
born - 33
lady𝓐fan - 33
nickd - 33
trilogy - 33
Fire - 34
neverduplicated - 34

SPOILER: Click to show

{songs remaining}the 1
cardigan
the last great american dynasty
exile (ft. Bon Iver)
my tears ricochet
mirrorball
seven
august
this is me trying
illicit affairs
invisible string
mad woman
epiphany
betty
peace
hoax
the lakes
willow
champagne problems
gold rush
tis the damn season
tolerate it
no body, no crime (ft. HAIM)
dorothea
coney island (ft. The National)
ivy
cowboy like me
long story short
marjorie
evermore (ft. Bon Iver)
right where you left me

[lady𝓐fan]

Definitely team evermore! Love the warmth and winter vibes of the album as a whole, it feels more comfortable and cohesive than folklore. "right where you left me" is a career highlight and I hope it's appreciated in this rankdown :)

[taylor]

evermore instantly takes three hits in a row with the loss of "happiness," which is easily the most disappointing of these three losses. This song is so gorgeous, and features some of the best lyricism of Taylor's entire career imo. No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you/And you know you hurt him too?! OW?!?! Can't believe some of y'all are so tasteless as to bring this song into the bottom 3. </3

"happiness" is an ambient ballad with a delicate arrangement of hazy synthesizers, hi-hats, violin, bass, organs, piano and a soaring drone. The song channels a stream of consciousness in which the narrator empathizes with the subject after their divorce, contemplates the split, and apologizes for losing track of facts, and affirms happiness will be found again for both of them. It also contains references to the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby.

[DistrictTwelve]

oh this is so low wtf lol

[taylor]

You know I left a part of me back in New York

You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for

You knew it still hurts underneath my scars

From when they pulled me apart

You knew the password, so I let you in the door

You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?

You knew it still hurts underneath my scars

From when they pulled me apart

But what you did was just as dark

Darling, this was just as hard

As when they pulled me apart.



Placement in folklore's rankdown: #16 of 16


Total: 1,077 (Points: 463)
Average: 24.48
Std. Dev.: 8.05

ClevelandRox - 5
@jadenlefranks - 5
toomuchboy - 6
Exclusive - 8
Fire - 11
CagedJuggalo The Third Tanker - 13
taylor - 17
BB🌕 - 19
Future Captain - 19
wyckyd - 20
bat1990 - 21
Mylo13 💜 - 21
nickd - 21
bboat11 - 22
Marooned@Midnight - 22
born - 22
DistrictTwelve - 24
lady𝓐fan - 25
Mayman - 25
willapted33 - 26
CF15 - 27
dremolus - solarpunk - 27
Troublemaker - 27
RoseColoredGirl - 27
austin - 28
Rhythm Nation - 28
nick64 - 29
khan - 29
trilogy - 29
wrip - 29

What You Did Was Just As Dark
sapphire - 30
@imhappy259 - 30
.indulgecountry - 30
neverduplicated - 30
GrinningLikeADevil - 31
woods - 31
fearlessarrow - 32
reputainbow - 32
twigs - 32
schnetzka - 33
someguy - 33
Rose "Payola" Nylund - 33
tim - 34
samo🦕 - 34

SPOILER: Click to show

{songs remaining}
the 1
cardigan
the last great american dynasty
exile (ft. Bon Iver)
my tears ricochet
mirrorball
seven
august
this is me trying
illicit affairs
invisible string
mad woman
epiphany
betty
peace
the lakes
willow
champagne problems
gold rush
tis the damn season
tolerate it
no body, no crime (ft. HAIM)
dorothea
coney island (ft. The National)
ivy
cowboy like me
long story short
marjorie
evermore (ft. Bon Iver)
right where you left me

[taylor]

folklore finally takes its first loss as we round out the bottom 4, with the reveal of "hoax." This one is just gorgeous...I'm sad this one didn't get to do a little better. It certainly deserves better than being in the bottom 4!!! </3

The standard edition of the album closes with this song, a slow piano ballad with emotionally raw lyrics that detail a flawed but everlasting relationship, ending the album on a despondent note of sadness.