Taylor Swift’s “august” appears on her eighth studio album, Folklore.
Folklore was Swift’s eighth studio album and was surprise-released on July 24, 2020. The album marked a major shift from the more autobiographical pop writing associated with several of her earlier records. Instead, Swift built fictional characters, settings, and story arcs, including the interconnected narrative heard in “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.”
The album was created during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Swift worked remotely with producers and writers including Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, while developing a quieter sound influenced by indie folk, chamber pop, and alternative rock. “august” is one of Folklore’s most prominent late-summer songs, but its seasonal popularity should not be confused with the album’s release month: Folklore arrived in July, not August.
Folklore became a major commercial and critical success. In the United States, it spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the best-selling album of 2020.