The listed duration of Taylor Swift’s song “august” is 4:21.
The track appears on Swift’s eighth studio album, Folklore, released in 2020. Its relatively long runtime gives the song room for layered guitars, keyboards, strings, percussion, and atmospheric production rather than a tightly compressed pop arrangement.
“august” is often discussed alongside “cardigan” and “betty,” which together tell parts of a fictional teenage love triangle. The song’s extended instrumental texture helps create its late-summer, reflective mood.
A common mix-up is confusing the song’s runtime with the length of its lyric video or live performances. The 4:21 figure refers to the standard studio recording listed on the song’s Wikipedia infobox.