Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” tells the Folklore love triangle from Betty’s perspective.
The three connected songs are “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty.” “Cardigan” focuses on Betty, “august” presents the viewpoint of the unnamed girl involved with James, and “Betty” is written from James’s perspective.
Together, the tracks show how the same relationship can look different depending on who is speaking. “august” captures a fleeting summer romance, while “Cardigan” looks back on Betty’s emotional experience and connection with James.
The song titles are easy to confuse because all three belong to the same narrative. The month-themed track is “august,” the character-perspective track for Betty is “Cardigan,” and James’s song is “Betty.”