Taylor Swift’s hits ‘Willow’ and ‘Cardigan’ were originally meant for The National.
The tracks from the 2020 sister records ‘Evermore’ and ‘Folklore’, respectively, could have sounded a little different.
Aaron Dessner, 46, and Matt Berninger, 52, of The National worked with the pop megastar on the two records and the latter told The Telegraph newspaper: “I’d taken a swing at [‘Cardigan’] and ‘Willow’ and a couple of others, and I wasn’t having a lot of luck, so Aaron sent them to Taylor.
“I always have a lot of music to work on, and I am looking for something to connect emotionally. The reverse has happened, too, where Aaron wrote something for Taylor, and I dove right in. It works both ways.”
Aaron previously shared how Taylor’s “focus and joy” in the studio rubbed off on him.
The musician produced and co-wrote much of the two albums and he came away learning a lot from the 33-year-old pop megastar.
Speaking to Britain’s The i newspaper, Aaron said of working through the pandemic: “It was almost like I was in some crazy boot camp for making a tonne of music really fast and fully producing it and then it would be released quickly.”
He added of his sessions with Grammy winner Taylor: “And you learn a lot when you’re doing that. Even just working with Taylor, she’s a brilliant musician and so experienced in terms of making records, so I was learning from her – I picked up a focus, and also just the joy that she has.”
Aaron previously said he believes the team behind the records will “continue to be in each other’s artistic and personal lives”.
The musician said: “It’s kind of the thing where I have so many musicians in my life that I’ve grown close to, and make things with, and are just part of my life. And I’ve rarely had this kind of chemistry with anyone in my life — to be able to write together, to make so many beautiful songs together in such a short period of time.
“Inevitably, I think we will continue to be in each other’s artistic and personal lives. I don’t know exactly what the next form that will take, but certainly, it will continue.”
And Taylor has returned the favour by featuring on their track ‘The Alcott’ from their upcoming album ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’, which is released on April 28.