When Taylor Swift released her surprise album 'Folklore' last month, it felt like a whole new chapter in her career. It was an exploration into a different sonic world, embracing wistful indie-folk while adding new collaborators to her musical family.
'Folklore' was also accompanied by the release of an extra track, 'The Lakes', and this one has fans buzzing about it! The song is currently only available on physical copies of 'Folklore' but fans have started petitions to get it on streaming services.
The lyrics of ‘The Lakes’ reveal that Swift has been feeling the need to hide her creativity from the outside world and escape to an exotic place where she can be alone. She says she’s not comfortable with the cycle of rumors that surround her.
She wants to be able to express her creativity better, in a way that feels more natural and authentic. This can be done in nature, in the lakes she mentions, which are reminiscent of the renowned Lake District in England.
This is a popular national park that's known for its scenic getaways, and it was once home to numerous Romantic poets. It's not surprising that Swift wanted to pay homage to the area in this bonus track, and that she even used her boyfriend Joe Alwyn as her muse in this piece of writing!
'The Lakes' is the final bonus track that appears on the deluxe edition of ‘Folklore’. It was co-written and produced by Jack Antonoff, and it's a beautiful, wistful indie ballad with themes of introspection and escapism.
