Peak
37
Weeks
2
Score
254
Chart Year
2020
According to Taylor Swift, this ode to love started off with the imagery of "a single thread that, for better or for worse, ties you to your fate." That picture in her mind led to a song in she reflects the serendipities that bring two soulmates together. And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me? The "invisible string" references an ancient Chinese folk myth about a red thread of fate tying two people together. The man and the woman are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance. The song is one of the more personal ones on Folklore, as Swift reflects on the journey that led to her relationship with her actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn. She starts by recalling her teenage dreams of meeting her life partner in Nashville's Centennial Park; at the same time, across the Atlantic, Alwyn was working at Snogs' Frozen Yogurt in London. Swift goes on to express gratitude for romances that didn't work out as they paved the way for finding fulfillment in her relationship with Alwyn. Throughout the song, Swift plays with the idea of colors to show her emotions. Bad was the blood of the song in the cab On your first trip to LA For Swift the color red conveys intense emotion, something she previously sang about on the tracks "Red" and "Bad Blood." One single thread of gold Tied me to you Swift has used the color gold to describe her love for someone. She started doing so on her 2008 tribute to her mom, "The Best Day," when she sang "Look now, the sky is gold. I hug your legs." Later she started using gold to describe her love for Joe Alwyn. On "Dancing With Our Hands Tied," Swift sings: My love had been frozen deep blue, but you painted me golden And on "Daylight," Swift croons: I once believed love would be (burnin' red) But it's golden The National multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner produced the track, one of 11 he worked on for Folklore. He told Vulture it originated with some folky music he'd been dabbling with for a couple of months. When he played the tune to Swift on his guitar she responded, "You know, I love this and I'm hearing something already." She decided it would fit some lyrics she'd written recounting the origin of a relationship, and he told Dessner, "This will change the story." Taylor Swift sang of her love for England's capital city on the Lover track "London Boy." Here she references another part of Joe Alwyns's native country, The Lake District. Bold was the waitress on our three-year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes She said I looked like an American singer It seems Swift and Alwyn had a third-anniversary break in the beautiful British world heritage site. Swift pays further tribute to the area on the Folklore bonus track "The Lakes." Cold was the steel of my axe to grind For the boys who broke my heart Now I send their babies presents Swift revealed in her Disney+ concert film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions the above lyric really did happen. "I remembered I wrote it right after I sent an ex a baby gift," she recalled. "And I was just like 'man, life is great.'"
Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park I used to think I would meet somebody there Teal was the color of your shirt When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop You used to work at to make a little money Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me? Ooh Bad was the blood of the song in the cab On your first trip to LA You ate at my favorite spot for dinner Bold was the waitress on our three year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes She said I looked like an American singer Time, mystical time Cuttin' me open, then healin' me fine Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me? Ooh A string that pulled me Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you Cold was the steel of my axe to grind For the boys who broke my heart Now I send their babies presents Gold was the color of the leaves When I showed you around Centennial Park Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven Time, wondrous time Gave me the blues and then purple pink skies And it's cool, baby, with me And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me? Ooh Hee Ooh (Oh, ooh) (Oh, ooh)
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 8, 2020 | 37 | 89 |
| 2 | Aug 15, 2020 | 85 | 41 |