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Salem to Salem: Willow

Writer's picture: Ralph BurtonRalph Burton

Updated: Jun 23, 2024




I was struck watching The Eras Tour recently, having not listened to Folklore or Evermore, how much “Willow” is reminiscent of Salem to Salem, and specifically the parts of the book where Abigail meets Howie outside after he put a yellow ribbon on her tree. I’m a big Swift fan so it’s surprising I hadn’t conciously heard this song before and its presentation in the concert film with the backing dancers carrying pumpkins naturally appealed. Even more than simply sounding like parts of the book, I think the song also captured the eerie, melancholy feel of Abigail’s pilgrim village, Woodstock, with its autumnal guitar line, intense whispering chorus, and its verses that sound like nineteenth century poetry with their emphasis on things like “wind”, “night” etc. if you ignore the line about “ coming back like a nineties trend”

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RALPH BURTON - AUTHOR

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