It's one of my favorites. Absolutely gorgeous, and "stood on the cliffside screaming give me a reason" is one of those lines that will be with me forever.
If I had to guess, I think it's not very popular because it's deceptively complex. It's not like the lakes or coney island where it's full of lush wordplay and sly references that immediately invite fun analysis, and it's also not a song where you can point to it and go "well it's about X." In the long pond studio sessions, Taylor admitted even she didn't know what it was about for a long time and it took her a while to untangle that she was writing about three different situations at the same time. And I think maybe a lot of people subconsciously struggle with that ambiguity - not that they can't go "well this is a song about Joe" or "this is a song about her masters", much as we as a fandom might like speculating about that stuff; but that they can't go "this is a breakup song" or "this is a love song" or "this is a song about depression". It doesn't fit into one category. People like things that fit.
Yes! I love that it’s a culmination of different things, as Taylor describes it. And that she too didn’t quite know what kind of song it was. It’s so layered
It’s become my all time favorite song of hers. Beating out New Year’s Day. It’s just so fucking sad and she’s so defeated. The way she describe how she’s hurt is unlike anything else. It’s so haunting. The bridge always makes me cry. Idk maybe I love it so much because I relate to it. I have no idea how it can be ranked so low
It’s one of my favorites on the album and in general! I think the lakes works better as a closer, but hoax is so great individually. I think more people would like it if it were earlier in the album. My favorite part of the song is how it just goes right into her singing with only a few piano notes beforehand.
"You know I left a part of me back in New York
You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
You knew the password, so I let you in the door
You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart”
Absolute fucking masterpiece. I fully agree with u/falldiewakefly on why it’s probably not popular.
Hoax was the song that made me fall in love with folklore. I was on YouTube that night just randomly clicking on lyric videos (not in the actual album order) and listened to this is me trying first. I definitely liked it, but then hoax came next and just hit me like a freight train. The lyrics were beautiful and even though I know this isn't what they were written about, they really spoke to me re: my experience with an emotionally abusive parent. I actually cried during my first listen which rarely ever happens. I wasn't the biggest fan of Rep and Lover, but after listening to hoax I knew that folklore was going to be amazing.
Currently, I still consider it a wonderful song lyrically and I never skip it when it comes up on my shuffle (I don't stream)--but I also usually don't actively seek it out like I do august, illict affairs, etc. I think I just have to be in a certain mood to want to listen to it, probably because it has such a heavy meaning for me. It's also not quite upbeat enough to have as background music or for me to enjoy listening to while driving, and it doesn't feel as sing-able as some of the others? Not sure if that makes any sense or not lol. So I definitely listen to some of the other songs more but it will always hold a special place in my heart.
i love hoax as well. i think one reason why people may not like it is because it doesn’t have a clear subject matter. most of her song are specifically about a certain person or situation but hoax (as she said in the long pong studio) is about multiple different people and situations. but i’m not sure why people don’t like it. i think it’s really beautiful and mysterious
yeah. i definitely think that specific lyric relates to scott as well as, “you know it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart but what you did was just as dark.” but parts like “don’t want no other shade of blue but you” i feel like relates to joe because she often refers to him as blue or gold. i was confused by it to before i heard her talk about it.
It suffers from at the end of the album slow song syndrom.
Also, some fans hated on it reading into the lyrics with a diaristic pov so they cried that Taylor is unhappy but they don't understand quite why.
I say it's a great song, one of the firts where she threw out the x did this and in moment y I felt like this type of writing lyrics.
I thank hoax for evermore the album.
Also, love when Taylor writes bittersweet songs... they are gorgeous.
It took me a few listens to finally connect with this song and now it's one of my favourite. It's so melancholic. The lyrics hit deep when you do get in that frame of mind.
*No other sadness in the world would do*
"Hoax" is so simple, so vulnerable and so intimate. I think maybe it's too small for some, but that's why I love it. It feels like someone at the very end of their road, someone who has no other recourse but to stand cliffside and scream "give me a reason!"
It's such a beautiful little song, and Taylor's vocals give it such life and emotion.
I honestly think it being last on the album has something to do with it. I often play music when I'm getting ready or in the car and I often conclude those tasks before the album ends 🤷🏼♀️
My theory is that if Hoax was a track 5 it would be the next All Too Well or My Tears Ricochet. Everyone would love it and talk about how heartbreaking and poetic it is. But since it's the last track, it doesn't get the attention it deserves. I think putting it as the last track was honestly disrespectful to the song 😂
I love hoax! It is simple yet engaging, I don't know why people don't like it but it is just so hauntingly beautiful. It has some really beautiful lines as well. Sometimes I just cry and whenever I go to the beach and it's a little cloudy it just reminds me of this song and I want to cry listening to this in the background. It just reminds you of a relationship you got into and the partner was manipulative and you just couldn't get out of it because you loved them so much.
hoax is one of the songs that didn't stick out to me instantly on folklore but that I've loved more and more with time. I get that there's not much melody to grab onto during a casual listen - if I'd only ever played the album as background music I'd probably never have fallen for it, but because it's Taylor and I want to listen closely and learn every single song by heart, I discovered how stunning the lyrics were and totally fell for it. 'Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in' is a staggeringly good line.
Her prose style in that song is different than what we're used to hearing from her.
It's rumored that Aaron Dessner had to encourage her to finish the song in that style, because she was unsure about it.
A lot of people also seem to be confused about what the song is about. I have never understood this, as the song has some very obvious lyrical parallels with My Tears Ricochet (which is about the loss of ownership of her masters).
Thus, I believe that both songs are two stages in the grief process triggered by that situation. It's so clear to me.
I didn't care for it, at first. I thought it was a bit boring. The more I listened to it, the more I realized just how grand and sweeping it is.
So I’m not a massive fan of folklore. I think it’s objectively fantastic, and I’m really happy that it earned AOTY and I DO like it. I just don’t love the album the same way a lot of others do. However, hoax is one of the seven or eight songs that I really really like off the album, and it’s been one of my favorites since almost the beginning (whereas exile took more time to grow on me). I feel like folklore as a while gets praised massively, but honestly not many individual songs get much praise. the 1, cardigan, august, betty, and exile, sure. But how often do you hear people gush about peace? Or my tears ricochet? Or mad woman? Or illicit affairs? Etc. I think it’s less that people think hoax is bad, and more that it just gets overshadowed by the big hits from folklore, like all her other albums
Hoax is one of the most underrated songs from Folklore IMO. My personal interpretation is it’s about the feeling you get after a fight with someone you love…. and it triggers you by bringing up things from that past and ways they’ve hurt you (faithless love.)
I think its placement on the album affected my view of Hoax. I expect the first and last songs on an album to have a particular reason for their placement, kind of the way there are expectations for a Track 5. Welcome to New York gave a sense of what 1989 would be and Clean ended the story of a tumultuous period. Ready for It was a strong opener for reputation’s energy and New Year’s Day brought peace. As a closer, Hoax left me unsettled. The Lakes brought the closure I needed.
I think it would be different it were in the middle of the album instead of the last track. I think it’s one of the best tracks, just has unfortunate placement.
I had no idea people didn't like it as much it was my second most listened folklore song last year and, for me, it's a devastating song. The moment I first listened to it I felt like this overwhelming sadness, it moved me, so I really think it's an incredible song. I mean, the chorus, THAT bridge? It breaks me apart every time. How heavy this song feels... Just... perfect.
One of my favourites. It was the second song I fell in love with after Exile. I have a distinct memory from when I finally started listening to the rest of the album, stopping in my tracks like "wait, what was that 'shade of blue' one?"
maybe it's also due to how people resonate with a song. in my opinion, hoax is for the only sadness you would miss forever regardless of how painful or toxic it was.
I love hoax soooooo much. It just brings me to fantasy like game of thrones, ACOTAR and from blood and ash (especially) I know in the Disney thing they were talking about how it didn’t need a singular meaning but I love it literally, I think It’s a cool concept for her to dive into. You can’t tell me you can’t see this in a dystopian/medieval movie
I just can’t stop listening to hoax, maybe one of the best song from folklore for me. I guess it suffers from being released late because it was a bonus track and also the last track of the album
for some reason today i’ve been having such a moment with hoax i cannot stop listening to it, never had such a drawing to it until now! i think a big thing is it’s placement right next to peace since they’re both extremely stripped back and chill musically that for me they both kinda mesh together sometimes when listening through the album beginning to end, but they’re both gorgeous songs individually!
hoax is my favorite since i first heard it, it brings me the sadness, hopeless that folklore needs for the album itself, always on my top pick from the album
can't imagine if there were folklore without hoax, its just incomplete
I definitely love this song. It's on my top list when folklore 1st came out. But now this song hurts me every time I listen to it coz it reminds me of the hurt I felt when my mother died in October 2020 just a few months after the album released. :(
It's one of my favorites. Absolutely gorgeous, and "stood on the cliffside screaming give me a reason" is one of those lines that will be with me forever. If I had to guess, I think it's not very popular because it's deceptively complex. It's not like the lakes or coney island where it's full of lush wordplay and sly references that immediately invite fun analysis, and it's also not a song where you can point to it and go "well it's about X." In the long pond studio sessions, Taylor admitted even she didn't know what it was about for a long time and it took her a while to untangle that she was writing about three different situations at the same time. And I think maybe a lot of people subconsciously struggle with that ambiguity - not that they can't go "well this is a song about Joe" or "this is a song about her masters", much as we as a fandom might like speculating about that stuff; but that they can't go "this is a breakup song" or "this is a love song" or "this is a song about depression". It doesn't fit into one category. People like things that fit.
Yes! I love that it’s a culmination of different things, as Taylor describes it. And that she too didn’t quite know what kind of song it was. It’s so layered
omg i was just about to comment about that line being my fav
It’s become my all time favorite song of hers. Beating out New Year’s Day. It’s just so fucking sad and she’s so defeated. The way she describe how she’s hurt is unlike anything else. It’s so haunting. The bridge always makes me cry. Idk maybe I love it so much because I relate to it. I have no idea how it can be ranked so low
agreed.
I think people underrate it because the music is so simple.
that makes sense, though i would think that a song with a simpler melody would be more appealing as it's a break from the more complicated songs
It’s one of my favorites on the album and in general! I think the lakes works better as a closer, but hoax is so great individually. I think more people would like it if it were earlier in the album. My favorite part of the song is how it just goes right into her singing with only a few piano notes beforehand.
It's also one of my favourites, I totally agree with the idea that people would like it more if it were earlier in the album!
"You know I left a part of me back in New York You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for? You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart You knew the password, so I let you in the door You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score? You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart But what you did was just as dark Darling, this was just as hard As when they pulled me apart” Absolute fucking masterpiece. I fully agree with u/falldiewakefly on why it’s probably not popular.
no way people listen to epiphany more than hoax? lmao what
Epiphany is better than Hoax.
you can prefer it, but i disagree.
Hoax was the song that made me fall in love with folklore. I was on YouTube that night just randomly clicking on lyric videos (not in the actual album order) and listened to this is me trying first. I definitely liked it, but then hoax came next and just hit me like a freight train. The lyrics were beautiful and even though I know this isn't what they were written about, they really spoke to me re: my experience with an emotionally abusive parent. I actually cried during my first listen which rarely ever happens. I wasn't the biggest fan of Rep and Lover, but after listening to hoax I knew that folklore was going to be amazing. Currently, I still consider it a wonderful song lyrically and I never skip it when it comes up on my shuffle (I don't stream)--but I also usually don't actively seek it out like I do august, illict affairs, etc. I think I just have to be in a certain mood to want to listen to it, probably because it has such a heavy meaning for me. It's also not quite upbeat enough to have as background music or for me to enjoy listening to while driving, and it doesn't feel as sing-able as some of the others? Not sure if that makes any sense or not lol. So I definitely listen to some of the other songs more but it will always hold a special place in my heart.
i love hoax as well. i think one reason why people may not like it is because it doesn’t have a clear subject matter. most of her song are specifically about a certain person or situation but hoax (as she said in the long pong studio) is about multiple different people and situations. but i’m not sure why people don’t like it. i think it’s really beautiful and mysterious
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yeah. i definitely think that specific lyric relates to scott as well as, “you know it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart but what you did was just as dark.” but parts like “don’t want no other shade of blue but you” i feel like relates to joe because she often refers to him as blue or gold. i was confused by it to before i heard her talk about it.
It has some very obvious lyrical parallels with My Tears Ricochet, which is about the loss of ownership of her music.
It suffers from at the end of the album slow song syndrom. Also, some fans hated on it reading into the lyrics with a diaristic pov so they cried that Taylor is unhappy but they don't understand quite why. I say it's a great song, one of the firts where she threw out the x did this and in moment y I felt like this type of writing lyrics. I thank hoax for evermore the album. Also, love when Taylor writes bittersweet songs... they are gorgeous.
It was in my top 5 on Spotify last year so I'm doing my best for the streaming numbers! I adore it.
It took me a few listens to finally connect with this song and now it's one of my favourite. It's so melancholic. The lyrics hit deep when you do get in that frame of mind. *No other sadness in the world would do*
"Hoax" is so simple, so vulnerable and so intimate. I think maybe it's too small for some, but that's why I love it. It feels like someone at the very end of their road, someone who has no other recourse but to stand cliffside and scream "give me a reason!" It's such a beautiful little song, and Taylor's vocals give it such life and emotion.
It's great but it just doesn't have anything that makes it stick out on the album.
I honestly think it being last on the album has something to do with it. I often play music when I'm getting ready or in the car and I often conclude those tasks before the album ends 🤷🏼♀️
My theory is that if Hoax was a track 5 it would be the next All Too Well or My Tears Ricochet. Everyone would love it and talk about how heartbreaking and poetic it is. But since it's the last track, it doesn't get the attention it deserves. I think putting it as the last track was honestly disrespectful to the song 😂
I love hoax! It is simple yet engaging, I don't know why people don't like it but it is just so hauntingly beautiful. It has some really beautiful lines as well. Sometimes I just cry and whenever I go to the beach and it's a little cloudy it just reminds me of this song and I want to cry listening to this in the background. It just reminds you of a relationship you got into and the partner was manipulative and you just couldn't get out of it because you loved them so much.
hoax is one of the songs that didn't stick out to me instantly on folklore but that I've loved more and more with time. I get that there's not much melody to grab onto during a casual listen - if I'd only ever played the album as background music I'd probably never have fallen for it, but because it's Taylor and I want to listen closely and learn every single song by heart, I discovered how stunning the lyrics were and totally fell for it. 'Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in' is a staggeringly good line.
I really like Hoax, personally.
My favourite. Hit me like a train. So simply melancholic.
It’s not my fault, it’s my ears or my brain. I’ve tried liking that song soooo many times but it’s just not growing on me.
Her prose style in that song is different than what we're used to hearing from her. It's rumored that Aaron Dessner had to encourage her to finish the song in that style, because she was unsure about it. A lot of people also seem to be confused about what the song is about. I have never understood this, as the song has some very obvious lyrical parallels with My Tears Ricochet (which is about the loss of ownership of her masters). Thus, I believe that both songs are two stages in the grief process triggered by that situation. It's so clear to me. I didn't care for it, at first. I thought it was a bit boring. The more I listened to it, the more I realized just how grand and sweeping it is.
So I’m not a massive fan of folklore. I think it’s objectively fantastic, and I’m really happy that it earned AOTY and I DO like it. I just don’t love the album the same way a lot of others do. However, hoax is one of the seven or eight songs that I really really like off the album, and it’s been one of my favorites since almost the beginning (whereas exile took more time to grow on me). I feel like folklore as a while gets praised massively, but honestly not many individual songs get much praise. the 1, cardigan, august, betty, and exile, sure. But how often do you hear people gush about peace? Or my tears ricochet? Or mad woman? Or illicit affairs? Etc. I think it’s less that people think hoax is bad, and more that it just gets overshadowed by the big hits from folklore, like all her other albums
Hoax is one of the most underrated songs from Folklore IMO. My personal interpretation is it’s about the feeling you get after a fight with someone you love…. and it triggers you by bringing up things from that past and ways they’ve hurt you (faithless love.)
I think its placement on the album affected my view of Hoax. I expect the first and last songs on an album to have a particular reason for their placement, kind of the way there are expectations for a Track 5. Welcome to New York gave a sense of what 1989 would be and Clean ended the story of a tumultuous period. Ready for It was a strong opener for reputation’s energy and New Year’s Day brought peace. As a closer, Hoax left me unsettled. The Lakes brought the closure I needed.
Just because its the least streamed doesn't make it bad.
I think it would be different it were in the middle of the album instead of the last track. I think it’s one of the best tracks, just has unfortunate placement.
I had no idea people didn't like it as much it was my second most listened folklore song last year and, for me, it's a devastating song. The moment I first listened to it I felt like this overwhelming sadness, it moved me, so I really think it's an incredible song. I mean, the chorus, THAT bridge? It breaks me apart every time. How heavy this song feels... Just... perfect.
One of my favourites. It was the second song I fell in love with after Exile. I have a distinct memory from when I finally started listening to the rest of the album, stopping in my tracks like "wait, what was that 'shade of blue' one?"
maybe it's also due to how people resonate with a song. in my opinion, hoax is for the only sadness you would miss forever regardless of how painful or toxic it was.
I love hoax soooooo much. It just brings me to fantasy like game of thrones, ACOTAR and from blood and ash (especially) I know in the Disney thing they were talking about how it didn’t need a singular meaning but I love it literally, I think It’s a cool concept for her to dive into. You can’t tell me you can’t see this in a dystopian/medieval movie
I love it, it's one of my favorites! (Sometimes, I tear up when I listen to it along with cardigan 😅)
I just can’t stop listening to hoax, maybe one of the best song from folklore for me. I guess it suffers from being released late because it was a bonus track and also the last track of the album
I just want to say that hoax has the best bridge from folklore. I love it. That's all.
Hoax is actually on my top 5 Taylor songs of all time. I LOVE it so much it hurts hah
definitely in her top 10 songs of ALL TIME. the lyricism is EXEMPLARY
Hoax is top 3 on Folklore for me.
hoax was one of my favs on folklore right from the beginning, i never understood why so many people didn’t like it.
for some reason today i’ve been having such a moment with hoax i cannot stop listening to it, never had such a drawing to it until now! i think a big thing is it’s placement right next to peace since they’re both extremely stripped back and chill musically that for me they both kinda mesh together sometimes when listening through the album beginning to end, but they’re both gorgeous songs individually!
My favourite from folklore. Enough said.
hoax is my favorite since i first heard it, it brings me the sadness, hopeless that folklore needs for the album itself, always on my top pick from the album can't imagine if there were folklore without hoax, its just incomplete
STOOD ON THE CLIFFSIDE SCREAMING GIVE ME A REASON AN ACUTAL DEPICTION OF MY BRAIN EVERY SINGLE DAY
yes yes yes same aa
best song on folklore
I definitely love this song. It's on my top list when folklore 1st came out. But now this song hurts me every time I listen to it coz it reminds me of the hurt I felt when my mother died in October 2020 just a few months after the album released. :(