The Lakes (song)

Initially, "The Lakes" was exclusively featured as a bonus track on physical deluxe editions of Folklore, which were issued on August 7, 2020. The song was made available on digital and streaming platforms on August 18, 2020, along with a lyric video published to Swift's YouTube channel.[1][2]

William Wordsworth, the 19th-century English poet known for his Romantic works, is referenced in the lyric "tell me what are my words worth"—a pun on his name.

"The Lakes" is a melodramatic, midtempo indie ballad[3] driven by acoustic guitar, with lush orchestration heavily laden with strings and an "euphoric" crescendo of violins.[4] Swift's vocal range in the song spans between D₃ to F♯₄.[5] The song is written in the key of D major and has a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute.[6]

The poetic lyrics see Swift introspecting on her semi-retirement in Windermere, the largest lake in England, located in the Lake District of the country. Swift fantasizes about a red rose growing out of tundra "with no one around to tweet it", indicating her idea of an utopia free of social media, feuds and urban settings,[7][8][9][1] getting away from the society, her critics and detractors, and finding solace with her lover in the wilderness, like the Lake Poets did.[10][4] The songwriting exudes a depressive tone coupled with escapism, with references to Wisteria, a genus of aquatic flowering plants, and William Wordsworth, the 19th-century English poet who is recognized for his Romantic works.[11] Aaron Dessner, Swift's collaborator on Folklore, stated the song uses hints of tragic Greek poetry, and feels like getting "lost in a beautiful garden".[12] Mainstream media has surmised the song's subject, whom Swift refers to as "muse" and "beloved", to be her boyfriend and British actor Joe Alwyn. The lyric "I've come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze" is interpreted as a subtle hint at her publicized disputes with Kanye West and Scooter Braun.[13]

The song received widespread critical acclaim. Hannah Mylrea of NME opined that "The Lakes" is more poetic and romantic than any song on the standard edition of Folklore, and praised the song as "allusive".[14] Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos wrote that the song channels Romantic-era poetry, by depicting unconditional love "within a controversial life and painful experiences".[15] In agreement, Wren Graves, writing for Consequence of Sound, also found the song to be Romantic, inspired by "one of the great periods in English literature".[16] Sammy Andrews of Redbrick stated that the song demonstrates "exceptional" lyrical sophistication and maturity, attesting to Swift's "talent and craftsmanship as a songwriter".[4] Tom Breihan of Stereogum called it a "soft, small-scale" love song about avoiding the public eye and "finding escape in some secluded enclave".[17]

Gil Kaufman of Billboard found "The Lakes" delightful, and complimented the sparse instrumentals,[1] while Josiah Hughes of Exclaim! commended its "lush and elaborately produced" indie sound.[3] Mike Wass of Idolator labelled it a "dreamy anthem".[18] Complimenting Swift's vulnerability and honesty, Sputnikmusic praised "The Lakes" as "an ideal product of its time", naming it one of the best songs Swift has ever written, and asserted it as the perfect closing track to Folklore.[19] Gary Dinges of USA Today deemed the song a "serenade", mimicking a bittersweet version of Swift's 2017 song "Call It What You Want".[20] Also comparing to "Call It What You Want", Emily Tannenbaum of Glamour defined the song as a melancholic love letter, and highlighted its macabre.[13]

After three days of tracking, the song debuted at number five on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, and at number 18 on Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.[21][22] It also reached the top-20 on New Zealand Top 40 Singles and Canadian Digital Song Sales charts, and the top-30 on Hungarian Singles, Scottish Singles and the UK Downloads charts.

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[23]