cardigan

Cardigan's harmony is deceptively simple — the I–V–vi–IV progression is one of pop music's most ubiquitous patterns, but Dessner and Swift elevate it through the piano's distinctive arpeggio voicing and the elegant E/G# inversion that creates a chromatic descending bass. The lack of harmonic complexity is by design: it allows the poetic lyrics and atmospheric production to take center stage, embodying the folk and chamber pop aesthetic that defined Folklore's departure from Swift's pop-maximalist era.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020, Taylor Swift began secretly working on what would become Folklore. On April 27, 2020, Aaron Dessner sent Swift a folder of instrumental demos, including one called 'Maple.' After hearing it, Swift sent a voice memo back and the pair wrote the song in just five hours, collaborating remotely via digital files due to lockdown restrictions. Dessner's brother Bryce later added orchestral arrangements to the track.

The lead single from Swift's surprise pandemic album Folklore, 'Cardigan' marked a dramatic artistic pivot into indie folk territory. Co-written with The National's Aaron Dessner, the song weaves a narrative of nostalgic romance through stripped-down piano, delicate orchestration, and Swift's most literary lyrics to date, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.