The folklore streak continues with Taylor and Big Red Machine’s ‘Renegade’
I absolutely CANNOT get my shit together because have you heard this song? I’m literally screaming and crying because this is what a ‘perfect storm’ sounds like .This one is, just as, if not more, cathartic than the entire body of work that folklore and evermore is and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. So let’s just get into it.
Earlier this week Big Red Machine, which is an Indie duo comprising The National’s Aaron Dessner - one of the masterminds of Taylor’s recent works, 2021 Grammy’s Album Of The Year -folklore and its sister album evermore- and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who also is featured in the Grammy nominated track, Exile, from folklore, and the title track to evermore ; teased their new album ‘How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last’ in a series of very distorted clips on Twitter.
Eagle-eyed Swifties were quick to spot Taylor from her handwriting and piece two and two together from the above tweet, pointing out to an obvious collaboration coming their way. What we weren’t told was, it’s not one, but two songs — tracks 4 , ‘Birch’ and 5, ‘Renegade’ which has been released today.
Co-written by Swift and Dessner, the song features additional contributions by Vernon on vocals and guitar, Dessner's brother and The National bandmate Bryce on strings and drumming by Sō Percussion’s Jason Treuting.
‘Renegade’ gives us a insight on the inner turmoil of one of the partners in a relationship, where the other one deals with severe anxiety and mental health issues and how it affects, not only the person struggling directly, but also their partner and their whole relationship. The song opens with “I tapped on your window on your darkest night” which sounds like a subtle nod to 2017’s ‘Call It What You Want’ where she sings “Starry eyes sparking up my darkest nights.” This is also why many theories suggest the song could be a reflection of the beginning of her own relationship in late 2016, from the perspective of her partner. It might be entirely fictional much like most of folklore and evermore , but it doesn’t sound entirely impossible. We know for a fact how much Taylor was struggling with her mental health, how she felt something akin to “jagged and weak”, full of anxiety and battling an eating disorder, after a tumultuous year where the world had collectively “cancelled” her, without much thought, right at the peak of her career- something she herself addressed in her documentary Miss Americana and on the ‘Lover’ track, ‘The Archer’. That was also around the time where she’d met a certain ‘London Boy’, who we now know “stayed anyway”.
Speaking about working with Big Red Machine, Swift said in an Instagram post “I can’t believe I get to work with Aaron Dessner,”. “When Aaron came into my life, I was ushered into his world of free-flowing creativity where you don’t overthink, you just make music. His generosity of spirit and humility bleeds into every part of his life, and that’s why so many artists have jumped at the chance to be a part of his collaborative project, Big Red Machine. A song we wrote (which also features Justin Vernon) is out today! It’s called ‘Renegade.’ Thanks Aaron for asking me to show up at your party.”
Said Dessner, “While we were making ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ last year, Taylor and I sometimes talked about experimenting and writing songs together some day for Big Red Machine. Making music with your friends just to make it — that’s how Big Red Machine started and has grown — and that’s how ‘Renegade’ came about, too. This song was something we wrote after we finished ‘Evermore’ and it dawned on us that this was a Big Red Machine song. Taylor’s words hit me so hard when I heard her first voice memo and still do, every time. I’m so grateful to Taylor for continuing to share her incredible talent with me, and that we are still finding excuses to make music together.” To be honest, I love their work so much I wouldn’t mind them finding excuses to keep making more music together because… everything from starting from folklore to ‘Renegade’ is just — * chef’s kiss *.
Taylor takes the lead on the vocals throughout the whole song and it keeps shuttling between the frustration one would inevitably feel whilst being with an emotionally distant partner, as is clearly expressed in the post chorus — Is it insensitive for me to say “Get your shit together so I can love you?” — and the love that is clearly there when she says “You’ve come a long way, open the blinds, let me see your face/You wouldn’t be the first renegade, to need somebody” which sounds just the right amount of adoration, comfort and empathy, one would need from their lover. But there’s also a dash of insecurity lingering at the end of the chorus as she questions — Is it really your anxiety that stops you from giving me everything? / Or do you just not want to? , because really… that’s just how human nature is.
As the second verse rolls in there’s subtle hints of the relationship turning toxic with — “You fire off missiles ’cause you hate yourself /And do you know you’re demolishing me? /And then you squeeze my hand as I’m about to leave.” and by the time we reach the bridge which is a repetition from somewhere near the beginning of the song we realize just how emotionally draining it must be to remain stuck in a relationship where there’s obviously love but also dark, looming demons that just won’t leave, as she is compelled to confess -“And if I would have known /How sharp the pieces were you crumbled into /I might have let them lay.”
The song finally closes with one last repetition of the chorus where Justin Vernon’s rich baritone accompanies Taylor’s soulful vocals and that’s it for ‘Renegade’.
If you listen closely, this song clearly stems from a place of deep hurt and suffering, that a partner, who choses to stay, endures, with an emotionally distant, significant other. It must hurt to have to stay strong for two people and and not break; how sometimes, regardless of much love there is, it reaches a tipping point where one’s patience tends to run thin and what started off as beautiful and loving, nears it’s ultimatum. Conversely, it is also true that a person becomes emotionally absent because they have been hurt in the past and the prospect of something new, which doesn’t entail any guarantee of ending up differently, sounds scary must cause serious anxiety. It’s just that if both parties choose to stay, whilst battling all these internal storms, it really must be something. Which is exactly what the heart-wrenchingly beautiful , ‘Renegade’ captures at the core of it.
And remember, if you are suffering — “You wouldn’t be the first renegade, to need somebody.” So please go off and just be. Love, and don’t be scared to do so. Reach out when you need to and keep holding onto that hand that willingly extends it your way.
Watch out for Big Red Machine’s album (also named by Taylor) — ‘How Long Do You Think Its Gonna Last’ coming to stores and streaming services on August 27th, sporting another T. Swift collab — ‘Birch’ and while we await that stream/watch/buy ‘Renegade’.
