Which two Folklore songs form the love-triangle companions to Taylor Swift’s “august”?

Taylor Swift’s “cardigan” and “betty” form the love-triangle companions to “august.”

Together, the three songs tell a fictional story involving Betty, James, and an unnamed girl associated with the month August. “cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, “betty” with James’s perspective, and “august” with the third person’s memories of a short summer romance.

Swift described the characters and storylines as products of imagination rather than a literal confession. That framing is central to Folklore, an album that often explores invented histories, imagined relationships, and perspectives outside Swift’s own voice.

Listeners sometimes group other Folklore songs into the trilogy because the album shares recurring themes of memory and regret. However, the specifically identified teenage love triangle consists of these three tracks. “willow” belongs to Evermore, while “illicit affairs” concerns a separate narrative about secrecy and infidelity.