Epiphany

"Epiphany" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is the thirteenth track on Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore, which was released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records. Written by Swift and its producer Aaron Dessner, "Epiphany" honors the services provided by the frontliners of the COVID-19 pandemic, over an ambient-chamber pop composition consisting of a slow piano line, cinematic strings and howling brass. Swift empathizes with doctors and nurses on "Epiphany", who serve the affected despite their harrowing work and the mental trauma they have to experience while handling loss of human lives, correlating the modern situation with the emotional anguish and physical exhaustion the soldiers of World War II endured, especially her veteran grandfather Dean. Upon release, "Epiphany" received favourable comments from music critics, many of whom praised the song's emotion, themes, lyrics, and Swift's vocal ability, though some found its slow-moving pace and production drowsy. The song peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 50 of single charts in Australia, Canada, and Singapore. Background and release Folklore was conceived by Swift as figments of mythopoeic visuals in her mind, a result of her imagination "running wild" while isolating herself during the COVID-19 pandemic. One such visual was of her paternal grandfather Dean, who fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal, an American military campaign against the Empire of Japan, fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 in World War II. The song also visualizes "hands held through plastic", in reference to the quarantine protocols that were followed in the pandemic. These two concepts formed the central idea of "Epiphany".