Taylor Swift released her 8th studio album in the July 24th, 2020. The lead single, "cardigan," debuts on the Hot 100 at no.1, August 8th, 2020.
The track was co-written and produced by Aaron Dessner, of the National, and is not what I would expect from the pop singer, though I am hardly the person to make T-Swift recommendations. Her new album, Folklore, seems fantastic and well regarded by many. After reading this Insider.com track by track review, my interest is peaked! [1] After transcribing most of the lead single though, I'm afraid I won't be as jazzed as those authors.
There are elements of this song that I do like and there are clear similarities between "cardigan" and other no.1 songs through the decades. In the end though, the song is just there. The no.1 status makes me think that the curiosity factor of a surprise Taylor Swift song helped it rocket to the top. If it manages to stay another week, I will be surprised and impressed. This Slate.com article eventually agrees with me and hypothesis why the song reached no.1. [2] Never the less, I will try and set opinions aside and focus on the musical attributes of the song.
August 8th, 2020: "cardigan" by Taylor Swift debuts at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
There are a few surprises in the form. The intro features a wind noise and a faint shaker evolving into a neat hand drum/body percussion sample. Then, all of a sudden, the piano chimes in with verse 1. This "intro" is a total of ten 8th note beats, equal to 1.25 measures. This might be the most challenging part of the song, as the accents in the drum sample don't quite indicate where beat 1 ends up landing.
We then go through a verse/chorus/refrain sequence. The first statements of the chorus and refrain work together and are only separated at the very end, justifying different labels. The third chorus, though, ditches the refrain and gets an extra 4 measures, which are different from the first 4. Each chorus also features different lyrics, furthering the overall story of the song.
The "refrain," in this case, houses the title phrase and is repeated 3 times in total. The closing statement gets a cool treatment with alternate chords, taken from the bridge.
Speaking of bridges, there are two of them. The first begins with 4 measures of an instrumental followed by 4 measures of melody built over new chord changes. The 2nd bridge uses recycled chord changes and features a brand new melody, making it more than a third verse.
There is lots of added production to the entire track ranging from noises, to string samples to a Mellotron part. All of these sounds, combined with the slow tempo certainly create an tangible mood.
Chord Progression
Before looking at any notation, the song utilizes swing 16th notes. This swing feel only occurs with groups of two sixteenth notes and not with two 8th notes. If you feel the micro beat (8th notes), it has the same effect as swung eighth notes.
"cardigan's" opening chord progression is set up by the piano in the first verse:
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| Piano - Opening |
In the key of Eb, this plays out to be:
Fmin / Bb / Ab / Bb
ii / V / IV / V
The chorus delivers the I chord and a familiar chord sequence:
Eb / Bb / Ab / Bb
I / V / IV / V
The refrain uses the verse changes, above.
The first bridge features a different chord progression, which is also used over the final refrain:
Ab / Cmin / Bb / Ab
IV / vi / V / IV
There is a very slight variation used during the second half of the third chorus, which carries over to the second bridge. There, we see the first Bb chord get an F in the bass. This slight shift gives that chord a much different feel when following the Eb.
Melody
The verses share a similar melody, built on two syncopated figures, sang low in T-Swift's range:
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| Verse 1 |
Measures 3,4, 7 and 8 use a triplet theme, which will reoccur throughout the song. Repeated three note groupings of G, F and Eb (3-2-1 in Eb) are borrowed from the piano riff that floats above each section.
The first verse leads directly into the chorus, carrying over both rhythmic entrances and syncopation. The chorus leans on repeated 16th notes, a staple in Swift's melodic arsenal. Each of the two phrases ends with a melisma on Eb-G-F-Eb, the same pitches used in the piano line and the verse triplet figure.
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| Chorus 1 and Refrain |
After 4 bars of chorus, the chords shift back to the verse progression for the refrain. Here, once again , the triplet rhythm is used, this time descending through the Eb pentatonic scale. The word "cardigan" uses a brand new rhythmic figure and is followed by familiar syncopation. At the tail end of the refrain, we hear a guitar riff which will also reappear throughout the tune and is repeated in verse 2.
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| Basic Guitar Riff |
Verse 2, chorus 2 and the 2nd refrain rehash melodic material from previous iterations. After the second refrain, we head into the first bridge with 4 measures of instrumental plodding. The piano riff retains its rhythmic placement but shifts notes to support the impending C minor chord (C, Eb, F, G, C). When Taylor comes in, we hear:
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| Bridge 1 - meas. 5-8 |
Rhythmic entrances shift to beat 4, instead of beat 2 and the dotted eighth-sixteenth figure is used repeatedly. The first half uses C and G, which resolve down to Eb on the C minor (minor 3rd). The second half shifts those notes down a whole step to Bb and F, retaining the ending descending line.
At this point in the song, we have heard each primary section twice, gotten a brief instrumental interruption and new melody with the bridge. Now, we head into the back half, which picks up the pace. Out of bridge 1 comes the third chorus, an 8 measure variation on the original 4 bar melody:
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| Chorus 3 |
The first 4 bars are like the previous choruses with different lyrics and a harmony added up a third. The last 4 measures start like the chorus proper, but veer off course in measure 6, going lower over the new chord, Bb/F. The last two measures borrow the triplet line from the verse and refrain, only with a new note grouping: Eb, C and Bb.
These last 4 measures create a very subtle shift to the natural minor sound and blend melodic and rhythmic themes used previously. The 8th measure of this chorus (above) is the pickup to the second bridge, a mammoth 12 measure section that expands upon rhythms and melodies presented in the first bridge:
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| Bridge 2 - meas. 1-6 |
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| Bridge 2 - meas.7-12 |
After 8 measures, the chord progression shifts back to verse changes and the pacing slows down. We get 4 repeats of "you'd come back to me," which feel spacious after all the repeated 16th notes. The piano strays from its original feel and the guitar riff weaves in and out.
A returning piano riff sets up the final refrain, this time utilizing the bridge changes. The guitar riff ends the song, repeating the last two notes, played over an Ab chord. There is an "outro" consisting of a faded 3 measure chunk of NIN-esque noise.
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| Guitar - final melodic statement |
Musical Sticking Points
There is certainly an evolution of musical ideas throughout the song. While this is most obviously driven by changing lyrics, the chord progressions sneak in and out. The song is built on, essentially, 5 chords: Fmin, Bb, Ab, Eb and C minor. While the chord progressions vary in chord order, intensity and inversion, they do end up settling into the same harmonic feel.
The melody is crafted well, constantly borrowing rhythms and motifs from itself. The third chorus has a nice mix of several parts and the second bridge logically develops a melody seen earlier in the tune. All of these moments are great, but there is a lot of repetition before we see any development.
The drum part is unique for a pop song. The opening groove is very sparse and sounds like clapping and patting on someone's legs. Eventually, we hear the familiar kick and snare, but they don't play a standard beat. Below is an approximation of the opening/first verse drums feel compared with the chorus feel:
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| Drum approximations - Verse 1 vs Chorus 1 |
Both versions play off of the swing 16th feel and syncopation present in the vocal melodies.
The overall arrangement is pretty slick. On my first few listens, I had trouble distinguishing the parts. This was due, in part, to ever changing lyrics, but also due to borrowed themes. When I wrapped my head around what was actually happening, I could see the quality craftsmanship. Unfortunately, this is not overwhelmingly positive. The dreamy atmosphere can work against itself and create this gray blob of sound that all feels the same.
Lyrics
Taylor Swift is a master at painting vivid portraits with words. She writes these lyrics from the perspective of "Betty," a character featured on the album "Folklore." There is a lot to unpack in these lyrics, and I recommend taking a peek at the Lyric Genius annotations. [3]
The verse uses the rhyme scheme AAB CCB, with B being a refrain, of sorts, "when you are young they assume you know nothing." The chorus reverses this pattern with ABB ACC, this time with A as a refrain of "I knew you."
Bridge 1 is comprised of internal rhymes resulting in (AA)B (AA)B. The second bridge moves through 4 sets of rhyming and/or near rhyming couplets ("long" and "young"; "expired" and "light").
The refrain also uses a near rhyme with "cardigan" and "bed."
Overall, the lyrics are well crafted and contain some cool imagery and lots of "Easter Eggs," which Taylor has become known for.
Common Threads
This has been an epic round "on the 0's" with data points from 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, two songs from 2010 and now, four songs from 2020. For each song, I have compiled a list of common musical elements present and then see where the analysis in question figures in. Adding "cardigan" into the mix, we see:
- Repeated melodic motifs - this song expertly reuses themes in each section. This song is right up there with "Rain On Me" in the way melodic motifs are recycled and repackaged.
Strong harmonic motion from V to I-While there is a strong pull to V, it doesn't actually function like V. The pull from IV to I is noticeable.- Background singers contribute to melodic/harmonic texture - I'm not ready to cross this one out due to the presence of the vocal harmonies from the first bridge through the end of the tune. They are not, however, such and important contributing force to the melody or the overall textural presentation. The instrumental arrangement is far integral in that picture.
Modulation-- New material presented at the end - technically, there is not new material at the end. There is however, is different twist on something we already heard: the refrain lyrics and melody combined with the bridge chord progression.
Hook that uses the title of the song- I'm not even sure what the hook is, or if there is a hook. I chose "you put me on and said I was your favorite" because it was the one part I could easily sing along with, it stayed lyrically consistent and featured a melody used elsewhere in the song. Any way you slice, it doesn't use "cardigan" in the most singable part of the melody.- Contains a lyrical refrain - This could get triple points, as there are several lyrical refrains: "when you are young they assume you know nothing," "I knew you," and "when I felt like I was an old cardigan...."
- Evolution of musical elements - The melodic development and ending chord rearrangement qualify this for sure.
Final Takeaways
After this entire analysis, I'm still not sure where I land on "cardigan." On paper, I love it. I think the way the melody and chord changes seamlessly move between and play off one another is genius. The lyrics are rich with description and references to provoke the imagination of any listener. The whole song has a vibe that can't be denied and I found this song affecting my mood.
Listening to it, though, is not as fun as talking about it. It's so slow and all of the similar melodies blend together, resulting in forgettable melodies. The hook in this song is hard to pin down, which for a pop tune, is a very surprising.
All of that being said, I would be happy to hear or play an acoustic rendition of the tune. I actually started thinking about how this song would translate with just chords and melody. Well, Taylor must have thought that too, because there is a lovely acoustic version. When the production is taken away, you can hear the song for what it is, a lovely ballad. All of this is fine, it's just not what I would expect from a no.1 hit song, even if it has some great musical elements at work.
I will be very curious to see if this song lasts another week at no.1 or if its popularity is largely due to the curiosity factor. 2020 has seen a lot of 1 week reigns at no.1, which I'm willing to bet has happened before, through the decades. Perhaps I should take comfort in the adventurous taste of music consumers. Taylor did not have to rap about her wealth or romantic prowess to make it to no.1 Instead, she wrote a beautiful song that people want to hear.
What do you think of "cardigan?" Am I missing something, or is kind of boring? If you read this before August 15th, 2020, do you think it will make another week at no.1? Leave me a comment!
Up next time, the "on the 0's" recap round, where I will look at all the songs analyzed and see if there is any definitive common ground between musical elements.
[1]https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-folklore-review-tracklist-breakdown-2020-7
[2]https://slate.com/culture/2020/08/taylor-swift-folklore-sales-cardigan-billboard-hot-100.html
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