Taylor Swift’s “cardigan” joins “august” and “betty” in Folklore’s fictional love triangle. The three songs present connected viewpoints involving Betty, James, and the unnamed female narrator of “august.”
“Cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, “betty” follows James, and “august” focuses on the girl involved in a summer relationship with James. Swift created the characters as part of Folklore’s imagined storytelling rather than presenting the songs as direct accounts of her personal life.
A frequent misunderstanding is that the three tracks tell one continuous scene in chronological order. They are better understood as companion narratives that reveal different emotions and memories around the same relationship. “Cardigan” is also distinct commercially: it served as Folklore’s lead single and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.