Taylor Swift’s dream-pop song “august” resurges in streams every August.
The track’s title, late-summer imagery, and story of a short-lived romance make it especially suited to seasonal listening. Its popularity rises around the month named in the title, and the song has also inspired internet memes and recurring fan posts.
This annual pattern developed after the song’s 2020 release rather than being part of a planned yearly campaign. In 2021, US streams rose by 39 percent during August, while the song experienced another major surge in 2022.
“cardigan” and “betty” are related Folklore songs, but neither names the month or drives the same August-specific listening tradition. That distinction makes “august” the canonical answer.