James is the boy loved by the narrator in Taylor Swift’s “August.”
The song tells the story from the perspective of an unnamed girl involved in a brief summer romance with James. She hopes the relationship might become something lasting, but James ultimately leaves and returns to his former lover, Betty.
This storyline connects “August” with “Cardigan” and “Betty,” three Folklore tracks that form a fictional love triangle. “Cardigan” follows Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” gives James a viewpoint and includes his attempt to repair the relationship.
The characters are fictional creations for Folklore’s imagined narratives. The song’s summer setting and unfulfilled romance inspired the recurring August listening trend, but the narrative is not presented as a direct account of Swift’s personal life.