Taylor Swift wrote “august” first among the three Folklore songs about James and Betty.
The three-song narrative consists of “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty.” They explore a fictional love triangle from different perspectives: Betty’s perspective appears in “cardigan,” James’s in “betty,” and the unnamed girl involved with James in “august.” Swift developed the songs as imagined stories rather than straightforward autobiographical accounts.
The writing order is a behind-the-scenes fact that is easy to miss because the songs are often discussed as a connected set. “august” was the first of the three that Swift wrote, even though “cardigan” became the album’s lead single and opens the narrative for many listeners.
“The 1” is also on Folklore, but it is not one of the three love-triangle songs. The characters’ names are another useful clue: James and Betty are central to the linked storyline, while the narrator of “august” is not given a name in the lyrics.