Where Did I Put My Sweater?

“When you are young, they assume you know nothing” ~ Taylor Swift/Aaron Dessner, from the song “Cardigan”.

And with that one line, Taylor Swift spoke a universal truth with stunning matter-of-factness. Would you dare disagree with her?

Just a disclaimer of sorts here: I have been aware of Ms. Swift for some time now (hard not to be, given the media coverage she gets!), but I can’t really say I am a fan. I’m not NOT a fan either. I just have never delved into her repertoire very deeply.

I was aware that her song “Cardigan”, co-written with producer Aaron Dessner, was a mega-hit from her 2020 album “Evermore”. So I thought I’d give this song a proper listen-to from a songwriter’s perspective.

My oh my. Taylor Swift may be considerably younger than me, but I could learn a lot from her!

There is gorgeous imagery in the lyrics, right out the gate, with the noteworthy “when you are young…” line showing up a mere ten words in, and repeated multiple times in the song. Impactful to say the least. 

I guess this is the chorus, though melodically speaking, it’s a bit hard to tell. (And anyway, does it matter?):

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone’s bed

You put me on and said I was your favorite

I never met-a-phor like that! Pretty cool.

And you know what else? I dig Taylor’s vocals on this song. So many of her age-peers, especially young female singers, tend to sing with breathy hardly-there whispers, or try to do vocal acrobatics like springing into falsetto range for no apparent reason except to grab our attention. And although Ms. Swift’s voice in this song is subdued, it’s also paradoxically assertive and confident. I like that.

I also love the arrangement of this song. Mainly because the producer had the good sense to keep the instrumentation - piano, light percussion, strings and synth sounds - from overwhelming this lyric-rich song of nostalgia and heartache.

If I have one criticism of this song, it’s the lack of movement in the melody. Maybe that’s because I have a personal preference for melodies that have a lot of range and movement. That said, simple, relatively restricted melodies are usually more sing-able by both the artist and her fans. So there.

Well, I’m not sure I’d call myself a “Swiftie” based simply on a deep listen to “Cardigan” but I gotta say, from a songwriter’s POV, I’m impressed!

Rock on, Taylor!