AP Taylor Swift

Latest Episodes:

E21: Show and Tell - Musicals Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

If I was a [rich] man, I’d be the man. Curtain up! Light the lights! Today we are finally devoting an entire episode to one of our favorite topics: MUSICALS. Jenn identifies “The Outside,” from Taylor Swift, as the perfect song for the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. (Never seen it? No worries, Jenn gives a full synopsis!). Then, Jodi finds parallels between “The Man” and “If I Were a Rich Man,” from Fiddler on the Roof. And finally, we can’t talk about musicals without Hamilton! Maansi brings it home by comparing “Midnight Rain” to “Satisfied,” and we wonder if (and when!) Lin Manuel Miranda and Taylor Swift will bring their lyrical genius minds together.

Mentioned in this episode:

“The Outside,” Taylor Swift, 2007

Phantom of the Opera Movie

Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux Book

Phantom of the Opera: Live from London

“Musicals that wouldn’t exist if the man had just gone to therapy”

“The Man,” Lover, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof

“If I Were a Rich Man,” Chiam Topol, Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

“Midnight Rain,” Midnights, 2022

“Satisfied,” Hamilton

Hamilton

Singin’ in the Rain

Mean Girls

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Looking for an audio book? Check out our Libro.fm playlist https://tidd.ly/47uhRVI

***

Episode Highlights:

[02:01] Curtain up: Introduction to Musicals

[06:47] “The Outside” and Phantom of the Opera

[23:34] “The Man” and “If I Was a Rich Man,” Fiddler on the Roof

[36:50] “Midnight Rain” and “Satisfied,” Hamilton

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E20: Deep Dive - Mastermind Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

None of it was accidental. This week we’re going deep into Midnights favorite “Mastermind.” After looking at this Taylor Swift song from the perspective of satire in our previous episode, we take another look to examine what Taylor is actually “mastermind”-ing. Is it a relationship? Or is it a nod to her many (many) easter eggs she leaves her fans? Maansi explores how Taylor weaves strategic language into the lyrics to reclaim the idea that she’s “calculating.” Jodi finds connections to The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, and Greek mythology to bring this to an AP-level conversation. And Jenn shares more context about why “all the wisest women had to do it this way,” has deep roots in literature and history. Join us as we unpack this cryptic and potentially Machiavellian song!

Mentioned in this episode:

TIME Magazine December 7, 1981 “Crazy Over Cats”

TIME Magazine Person of the Year 2023

Phantom Thread

Mythology, Edith Hamilton

The Odyssey, Homer, Emily Wilson translation

Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

Guys and Dolls

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Hamilton

Founding Mothers, Cokie Roberts

RBG

Jackie

The Voices of Neims, Suzannah Lipscomb

Matilda, Roald Dahl

Harry Potter, JK Rowling

Broadway Sings

Mean Girls

The Woman in Me, Britney Spears

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

I Care A Lot

Looking for an audio book? Check out our Libro.fm playlist https://tidd.ly/47uhRVI

***

Episode Highlights:

[02:23] “And now you’re mine” - WHO?

[05:05] Mastermind: Benji’s Vision

[10:00] “The planets, and the fates…” Greek mythology

[16:26] “We were born to the the pawn in every lover’s game”

[26:44] “I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since” The Bridge!

[33:40] “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian cause I care”

[43:31] “Check Mate: I couldn’t lose”

[47:23] What is the purpose of this song?

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig akaScotty Z.

E19: Show and Tell - Satire Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

I’m dying to see how this one ends. We talk about satire - what it is, how it’s different from parody or hyperbole, how Taylor uses it and why. Jodi starts with the quintessential satirical example from Taylor’s catalog - “Blank Space,” Jenn argues that Reputation is actually a satirical album, and Maansi makes a case for satire in “Mastermind.” Find out what witch hunts and chess have to do with it all. We acknowledge that satire is an intellectual form of comedy, which requires us to examine what Taylor is saying in a more nuanced way. Hear our first read interpretations, and then hunker down for the second read interpretations that unravel the threads of satire a bit to get to the heart of what she’s trying to say.

Mentioned in this episode:

Looking for an audio book? Check out our Libro.fm playlist https://tidd.ly/47uhRVI

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:38] What is satire and how is it different from Parody?

[04:33] Jonathan Swift satire

[07:33] Blank Space

[20:28] I did something bad

[32:28] Mastermind

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E18: Deep Dive - Death By a Thousand Cuts Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

My, my, my, my. We get deep into our feelings on this deep dive today with “Death By a Thousand Cuts,” from Lover. With a title referencing an imperial form of torture, what is this Taylor Swift song really about? As always, our hosts look at the lyrics from very different perspectives based on our own personal experiences, from moving out of a childhood home (“chandelier still flickering here”) to a breakup (“You said it was a great love”) to Spiderman (“I see you everywhere”). We talk about idioms, loss, grief, the emotional burden of pain, and how asking the traffic lights for answers maybe isn’t as far-fetched as some of us originally thought. Will we ever hear this song the same way again? “I don’t know!”

Mentioned in this episode:

***

Episode Highlights:

[02:15] Defining “death by a thousand cuts”

[08:18] My, my, my, my: What is this opening?

[15:50] United we stand: The things shared in a relationship

[20:03] Paper thin plans: Connecting this song to “Paper Rings”

[22:11] Trying to find a part of me you didn't take up: Why this love is so hard to get over

[28:11] I ask the traffic lights: Looking anywhere for answers

[34:00] It's just a thousand cuts: The purpose of the song

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E17: Show and Tell - The Great Gatsby Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year. Taylor Swift loves to make direct and indirect references to the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. So we decided to dive into those connections and see what all the fuss is about. In this week’s episode, we each picked a song that we wanted to relate to The Great Gatsby. Join us as Maansi brings the party with “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” Jenn explores Gatsby’s motivations with “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” and Jodi brings it all together by digging into the character of Daisy with “happiness.”

Mentioned in this episode:

“This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” reputation

“Death by a Thousand Cuts” Lover

“happiness” evermore

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Taylor’s 2014 Gatsby-Inspired People Magazine cover

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling

“Funny Girl”

Zelda Fitzgerald - The History Chicks Podcast

"Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald," by Therese Anne Fowler

"The Edible Woman" by Margaret Atwood

"Romeo & Juliet," by William Shakespeare

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:30] Introduction to The Great Gatsby

[07:25] “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” reputation

[23:21] “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” Lover

[34:35] “happiness,” evermore

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

Re-Release: Deep Dive - Enchanted Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

Enchanted to (re)meet you. Revisit one of our favorite early episodes with us! As a holiday treat, we are giving our Deep Dive into “Enchanted” its own time to shine. In our first deep dive episode, we did a deep reading of Taylor Swift’s song “Enchanted” from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). We’re wonderstruck as we learn how to analyze a text using the rhetorical triangle to better understand who is speaking, who they are speaking to, and the purpose of the text. We find connections to “Pride and Prejudice,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” Barbie, Cinderella, college, and Greek mythology…all in one 5ish minute song. We left no lingering questions to keep us up!

Mentioned in the episode:

“Enchanted” by Taylor Swift

“Cinderella” Disney Film

“Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen

“Singin’ in the Rain”

“Barbie,” 2023 movie

***

Episode Highlights:

[01:30] APTS 101: How to analyze a text

[02:54] Who is this speaker forcing laughter, and does she fit in?

[04:21] Why “Enchanted” is “Pride and Prejudice”-coded

[06:28] Exploring word choice to examine the time period

[08:44] How the song ruminates on a single moment and feeling

[10:48] Who is the song speaking to? A person? The Universe?

[16:53] Why “Hey Stephen” and “Enchanted” feel so different

[19:02] The words and phrases that create mystique and depth

[22:15] “Flawless,” “Forever,” and the power of hyperbole

[24:00] Our takeaways from our playful conversation

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E16: Deep Dive - tis the damn season Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Messy as the mud on your truck tires. We couldn’t let a holiday season go by without THE song about THE damn season, could we? Continuing the conversation from our Show and Tell episode on holidays, this week we deep dive “tis the damn season,” from evermore (2020). We start by diving into Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” to get a better understanding of the song. Then our hosts spend a lot of time trying to figure out who the characters are, what their relationship is to one another, and what exactly they’re trying to call “even.” From examining what makes this a small town song, to figuring out why it “always” leads to “you” and “my hometown,” to imagining this song as a movie–we go on a whole deep dive journey on this one, with a lot of film, TV, and music references. Listen to see what “300,” “Groundhog Day,” and “Friends” all have in common with this song!

Mentioned in the episode:

“tis the damn season,” evermore (2020)

“The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost

“Midnight Rain,” Midnights (2022)

“Say don’t go,” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), 2023

“You’re On Your Own Kid,” Midnights (2022)

“300” (2007)

“Phantom of the Opera” (2004)

“Before Sunset” (2004)

“Before Sunrise” (1995)

“Groundhog Day” (1993)

“Friends: The One With the Red Sweater” (S8 E2)

“Don’t Blame Me,” reputation (2017)

“Enchanted,” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) 2023

E2: Deep Dive - Enchanted

“The Great” (2020)

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022)

***

Episode Highlights:

[01:09] We could call it even: Who are the characters here?

[06:25] The road not taken looks real good now: The role of Robert Frost’s poem

[08:58] You can call me babe for the weekend: What’s the relationship here?

[12:45] Remember how you watched me leave: Why do they only have the weekend together?

[19:16] So I’ll Go Back to LA: Choosing big-city life over small town life

[22:26] And the heart I know I’m breaking is my own: Y tho?

[29:40] To leave the warmest bed I've ever known: Debating the emotions of the song

[33:15] And I’ll be yours for the weekend: It’s always the bridge!

[39:40] It always leads to you in my hometown: What is the purpose of this song?

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E15: Show and Tell - Holidays - New Years Day, tis the damn season, champagne problems Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Soon they’ll have the nerve to deck the halls. On this week’s episode we attempted to lean right into the festivities of the season with a Holidays themed episode. But…did we actually pick holiday songs? We start by defining what the “holiday season” even means in an attempt to answer the question. Jodi discusses “New Year’s Day,” with the thesis that it’s a song about the everyday, not necessarily the holidays. Jenn brings on the holiday melancholy with “champagne problems,” sparking a hot conversation about holiday engagements and the challenges of family gatherings during the holidays. And Maansi, naturally, shares “tis the damn season,” prompting a conversation about how we really feel about the holiday season and whether they “linger like bad perfume” for us. Are Taylor Swift holidays actually happy holidays? Listen and find out!

Mentioned in the episode:

“Under the Tuscan Sun”

“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”

“Book Lovers,” Emily Henry

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” JK Rowling

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” film

“Inside Out”

***

Episode Highlights:

[02:28] How do we define the holiday season?

[06:56]New Years Day:I’ll be picking up bottles with you

[23:24] champagne problems: Your mom's ring in your pocket

[37:49] tis the damn season: We could call it even

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E14: Deep Dive - Getaway Car Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

“It was the best of times, the worst of crimes.” In this episode, we do a deep dive into “Getaway Car” to explore why this particular metaphor is so powerful. We first explore the historical context by discussing the true story of Bonnie and Clyde, and then we dive into the lyrics to discuss the themes of agency, deception, and the shifting dynamics of relationships. Come along for the ride as we figure out what Don Draper has to do with this song, the layered meaning of “poisoning the well,” and why this song is cemented as one of the greats.

Mentioned in this episode:

FBI webpage on Bonnie and Clyde

"Bonnie and Clyde"

"Mad Men"

"A Tale of Two Cities," Charles Dickens

"Ocean's 11"

"Thelma and Louise"

***

Episode Highlights:

[01:15] How to analyze metaphors

[03:00] The original getaway car

[5:55] We were jetset. The real-life Bonnie & Clyde

[12:43] We're driving in a...Getting into “Getaway Car”

[17:05] He poisoned the well

[22:05] The continuity of reputation

[29:04] Left you at the motel bar.Interpreting the bridge

[38:17] The purpose of “Getaway Car”

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

E13: Show and Tell - Metaphors Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

"Some things you just can’t speak about." Taylor Swift’s superpower is being able to convey very specific emotions to millions who may or may not have ever experienced those emotions before. The way she uses metaphors is one of the ways she makes these songs universally relatable. But not only does she use metaphors in her lyrics, sometimes the songs are metaphors. In this show & tell episode, we each bring a song in which the whole song seems to be a metaphor for something else. Tune in to hear us discuss “Clean,” “Getaway Car,” and “epiphany,” and join us as we try to “make some sense” of the language Taylor uses to so effectively communicate some very powerful emotions.

Mentioned in the episode:

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:25] Songs that are metaphors

[01:18] “Clean,” - Gone was any trace of you

[14:13] “Getaway Car,” - Nothing good starts in a getaway car

[23:55] “epiphany,” - Somethings you just can’t speak about

[40:18] What do these metaphors have in common?

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

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