August (song)
"August" | |
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Song by Taylor Swift | |
from the album Folklore | |
Released | July 24, 2020 |
Studio | |
Genre |
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Length | 4:21 |
Label | Republic |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | |
Lyric video | |
"August" on YouTube |
"August" is a song by the American singer-songwriter
Music critics lauded the production and lyrics as captivating, and some deemed it a standout on Folklore and a career highlight for Swift. Some media publications deemed "August" a seasonal success that resurge in popularity around August each year; the track peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Global 200 and in the top 40 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, and Singapore, and the United States. Swift performed "August" live at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021 and included the song in the set list of her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024).
Background and production
Lyrics and composition
Swift wrote "August" as part of three Folklore songs (together with "Cardigan" and "Betty") that explore a love triangle between James, Betty, and Augustine.[6] It was the first song of the three that Swift wrote.[3] According to Swift, she wanted to explore the idea of a girl in an undefined relationship: the lyrics are in the viewpoint of "August", who falls in love with James, who is already in a relationship with someone else.[3][7] The song was inspired by what Swift described as the image of "the sun drenched month of August, sipped away like a bottle of wine".[8] Throughout the song, imagery of late summer is prevalent: "Your back beneath the sun / Wishing I could write my name on it."[6] Set in a suburban area with "salt air", "August" captures feelings of a teenage girl who goes through an unrequited love in the summer.[6] She naively believes that she is in love, pondering on her summer romance: "August sipped away like a bottle of wine / Because you were never mine."[6][9]
While the narrators of "Cardigan" and "Betty" are explicitly named, the narrator of "August" is never mentioned by name, which Vulture's Nate Jones considered a highlight of her "relative unimportance in her lover's life".[6] Swift said that she did not determine a name for the protagonist of "August", calling her "Augusta" or "Augustine" inside her head.[7] As the summer romance progresses, the narrator is portrayed as unassertive and inexperienced, recalling the times when she "canceled my plans just in case you'd call".[6] Though she knows she and James will never become a couple, she tells herself that it was enough "to live for the hope of it all".[6] She attempts to run away with James: "Remember when I pulled up and said 'Get in the car' / And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call?"[8] Finally, when the summer ends, so does the romance, and the narrator is left with a revelation: "You weren't mine to lose."[6] Swift explained that after this summer romance, James and Betty later return to each other, while the "August" protagonist mourns the summer fling which she considered love.[7]
Compared to the overarching
Commercial performance
Upon the release of Folklore, "August" debuted on various singles charts worldwide. In the United States, the song entered at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated August 8, 2020.[20] It charted on the Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks.[21] The song simultaneously debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs,[22] where it stayed for 20 weeks on the chart.[23] "August" experienced a 39 percent gain in streams in the US in the 2021 month of August. In 2022, the song resurged once again the same month, with its daily streams skyrocketing 277 percent. Billboard called it Swift's "seasonal streaming perennial" similar to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994).[24]
"August" peaked within the top 20 on singles charts of Malaysia (11),
Live performances
At the
Critical reception
Critics praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting, and opined that the third-person perspective of its lyrics—a departure from Swift's trademark confessional narratives inspired by her personal life—showcased her maturity as a songwriter.[44][45] Valerie Magan from Clash remarked that the lyrics feel "vouyeristic, as we lean in to hear all the stories that 'innocent-era' Swift would've kept secret".[46] The same magazine's Lucy Harbron lauded Swift's ability to portray "niche" emotions and her storytelling prowess.[19]
Music journalist Jody Rosen, in a review for the Los Angeles Times, appreciated the shift from "pure first-person subjectivity" to fictional narratives.[47] Sheffield picked "August" as one of the album's highlights, calling the song "the album's most plainly beautiful ballad".[9] He placed it fifth on his 2021 ranking of all the 199 songs of Swift's discography.[16] Ellen Johnson from Paste labeled the track one of the best in Swift's discography as well.[48]
The A.V. Club's Annie Zaleski and
"August" featured on lists of the best songs of 2020 by publications including Rolling Stone (No. 5),
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from Tidal.[59]
- Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer
- Jack Antonoff – producer, songwriter, recording, live drums, percussion programming, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Joe Alwyn – producer[b]
- Evan Smith – saxophones, flute, electric guitar, keyboards
- Bobby Hawk – strings
- Laura Sisk – recording
- Mike Williams – string recording
- Jon Gautier – string recording
- Jonathan Low – mixing, synth bass, synth bass recording
- Randy Merrill – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
‹See Tfd›Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[67] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[68] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV)[70] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP)[71] | Gold | 5,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[72] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Greece (IFPI Greece)[74] | Gold | 1,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Notes
- Sterling Sound studio in New York City. Instruments were recorded at Rough Customer, Long Pond, Pleasure Hill Recording in Portland, Maine, and Sound House Recording in Lakeland, Florida.[1]
- ^ a b c In the liner notes of Folklore, only Swift and Antonoff are credited as producers. The Recording Academy recognized Alwyn as the track's co-producer after Folklore won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[2]
References
- ^ Folklore (album booklet). Taylor Swift. Republic Records. 2020.
{{cite AV media notes}}
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