In the Long Pond Session, Taylor said to her James and Betty wind up together, but August is sensitive and really cares for James. Taylor drew on her personal experience to comment on the tendency to blame the 'other woman'. Similar to combining Better than Revenge and Slut! in the Era's show, Taylor shows a perspective growth.
While in Cardigan and Betty relate Betty to Taylor and James to Harry. August is a composite character:
To me, the title August is in part inspired by Connor Kennedy, who Taylor had a summer fling with July - mid-August before getting back together with Harry by September.
Summer Love by One Direction has a similar meaning. It's one of only 2 songs on the standard album the boys are credited on. Take Me Home was recorded in the period Harry and Taylor were apart May - August 2012.
Harry later wrote 'I love you' performed by Alex and Sierra in 2014 which is also referenced.
August is not co-written with William Bowery, but Joe Alwyn has a production credit.
Salt air, and the rust on your door
I never needed anything more
Whispers of "Are you sure?"
"Never have I ever before"
I love this verse. It sets the scene in Hyannis Port where Taylor briefly owned a home and spent time with Harry and Connor.
The innocence of the end of this verse warms my heart because after dating men nearing their 30's, Taylor dated teenagers.
But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
'Cause it was never mine
And I can see us twisted in bedsheets
August sipped away like a bottle of wine
'Cause you were never mine
In 1D's Summer Love, the fling also ends in August "'Cause you were mine for the summer / Now we know it's nearly over / Feels like snow in September"
However Taylor also relates Harry not being hers in Say don't go: "And I'm yours, but you're not mine"
Your back beneath the sun
Wishin' I could write my name on it
Will you call when you're back at school?
I remember thinkin' I had you
In I love you Harry wrote “You ran your finger down my back and you spelled out your name / While we lay there on the soft warm ground / For a week and 13 days” in ILY TS/Betty writes her name on HS/James back, but August doesn’t
Taylor has a lot of school/high school analogies in Haylor songs, to me “back at school” is a stand in for HS returning to the 1D tour/promo schedule
Summer Love also refers to “But I always will remember / You were my summer love”
Back when we were still changin' for the better
Wanting was enough
For me, it was enough
To live for the hope of it all
Cancel plans just in case you'd call
And say, "Meet me behind the mall"
So much for summer love and saying "us"
'Cause you weren't mine to lose
You weren't mine to lose, no
August cares for James, but they aren’t meant to be.
Still Changing for the better is such a sad lyric, to me it sounds like TS didn’t feel that way when she wrote it
The line “meet me behind the mall” reminds me of Coney Island’s “we were like the mall before the internet” where TS and HS are the mall, but August and James are meeting behind it.
Cowboy like me, also has waiting for a call “Now I'm waiting by the phone / Like I'm sitting in an airport bar”
She also said 'meet me behind the mall' was a lyric she had a lot time that inspired the song.
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