Taylor Swift wrote “august” first among the three Folklore songs about the fictional love triangle.
The connected trio consists of “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” Together, the songs explore different viewpoints and moments involving James, Betty, and the female narrator of “august.”
Swift wrote “august” before the other two songs in the narrative. She began with the idea of an undefined summer relationship involving a girl who falls for someone already connected to another person.
The writing order is easy to confuse with the track order or the story's chronology. “august” is track 8, while “cardigan” and “betty” appear elsewhere on Folklore; the order in which Swift wrote the songs is a separate fact.