AP Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" Meaning & Lyrics Explained: Hamlet, Beauty and the Beast & More | AP Taylor Swift Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

"It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” This week, we (finally) go line-by-line through what might be Taylor Swift's most psychologically dense song: “Anti-Hero” from Midnights (2022). From the Hamlet-coded antihero definition, to the “Beauty and the Beast” reference lurking in "tale as old as time," to ghosts and Freud, this song keeps delivering new angles. We each came to the song with our own anxieties, and we leave with three potentially different purposes of this high-anxiety, deeply revealing song.

Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe.

After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics! Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

🔎 In this episode:

Episode Highlights:

[01:34] “Antihero” defined

[05:45] “I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser”

[11:06] "All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room"

[19:06] "Tale as old as time"

[28:00] “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me”

[38:00] "Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby and I'm a monster on the hill"

[45:00] “Pierced through the heart but never killed”

[55:06] The bridge!

[1:03:00] Purpose of the song “Anti-Hero”

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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.

"I’ll Stare Directly at the Sun, But Never in the Mirror": Taylor Swift's Mirror Moments from Debut to Midnights | Tied Together With a Smile, Begin Again, and Anti-Hero May 27, 2026

Show notes

“Seems the only one who doesn’t see your beauty is the face in the mirror looking back at you.”This week, we’re doing a Show and Tell on one of literature’s most enduring symbols: the mirror. From Narcissus to Dorian Gray, Snow White’s magic mirror to Alice Through the Looking Glass, mirrors have long served as devices of identity, vanity, the supernatural, and the soul, and Taylor Swift is no stranger to the motif. We trace mirrors across three songs: Tied Together with a Smile (Taylor Swift, 2006), Begin Again (Red, 2012), and Anti-Hero (Midnights, 2022). Along the way, we explore distorted self-perception and the inner child, the mirror as a post-breakup identity reset, why Taylor would rather stare directly at the sun than face her own reflection, and what social media has to do with all of it. Plus: Dorian Gray, Narcissus, vampires without souls, the Bloody Mary game, and an accidental Justin Timberlake shout-out.

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Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Alice Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll

Reflection — Mahesh Dattani (Indian play)

Reflection — Mulan (1998 film)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

Greek Mythology: Narcissus

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Mirror of Erised), J.K. Rowling

Tied Together with a Smile — Taylor Swift (2006)

Begin Again — Taylor Swift, Red (2012)

Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift, Midnights (2022)

Episode Highlights:

[01:13] Mirrors in literature and the arts: identity, vanity, and the soul
[09:00] Song 1: Tied Together with a Smile — the fractured self and distorted physical perception
[23:52] Song 2: Begin Again — “Took a deep breath in the mirror”
[34:11] Song 3: Anti-Hero — “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror”

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

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals — krownedkrystals.com — use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm — Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here: tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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

Taylor Swift's "Our Song" | Meaning & Lyrical Analysis | "Taylor Swift" Debut (2006) May 20, 2026

Show notes

“I was ridin’ shotgun with my hair undone,” and the rest is history. This week, we do a full line-by-line deep dive into a classic, “Our Song” (Taylor Swift, 2006). Join us as we discuss the self-referential recursion (she wrote a song about their song, and that song is their song) and the sounds and silences Taylor chose to define a teenage romance. This is Taylor before anyone believed in her, holding the pen, writing herself into her debut album.

For more on "Our Song" in the context of Taylor's full debut album, become a paid subscriber at aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe — we go deep on the album in our After School series.

📩 Want more? Subscribe to our Substack for free to read our Extra Credit essays: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe. For more on "Our Song" in the context of Taylor's full debut album, become a paid subscriber— we go deep on the album in our After School series and give you exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics!

🎧 Listen to APTS on all platforms:

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Spotify
Podbean

Mentioned in this episode:

“Replay,” Zendaya

“Replay,” Iyaz

“Your Song,” Elton John

Inception, 2010

Mean Girls, 2004

“God is a DJ,” Pink

American Beauty, 1999

Inferno, Dante Alighieri

The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

Harry Potter, JK Rowling

***

Episode Highlights

[03:40] A song about a song
[11:02] "Baby" - a term of endearment
[22:55] The "Replay" Era
[30:29] A very short, very dramatic bridge
[37:01] She is the writer

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Featured in Axios Indianapolis.

#TaylorSwift #OurSong #TaylorSwiftLyrics #LiteraryAnalysis #SwiftieTok #TaylorSwiftDeepDive

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

Taylor Swift's Fearless Album | Song-by-Song Lyrical Analysis | After School Paid Preview May 18, 2026

Show notes

“It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something, it's fearless.”Over on our paid feed on Substack, we’'re in our Fearless era (literally), diving deep into Taylor's second album track by track for our After School paid subscribers. We go through all 13 original tracks, from the sparkly country-pop opening of "Fearless" to the quietly defiant closer "Change,” examining what each song adds to the album, what literary and emotional threads connect them, and how this era set the template Taylor would spend the next eras of her career perfecting. Along the way, we track the evolution of Taylor's fearlessness from a teenager writing on tour buses to the artist who re-recorded her masters and looked the whole industry dead in the eye.

Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe.

After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics! Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

This episode is exclusively for our paid subscribers. Thank you for supporting AP Taylor Swift!

Mentioned in this episode:

Album context, album art, and the “Fearless” era’s place in Taylor’s discography
Track 1: “Fearless”, previously covered in Episode 88: Weather Songs
Track 2: “Fifteen”, previously covered in Episode 124: Time & Episode 125: Deep Dive
Track 3: “Love Story”, previously covered in Episode 31: Shakespeare & Episode 32 Deep Dive
Track 4: “Hey Stephen”, previously covered in Episode 1 “Songs that Made us Swifties”
Track 5: “White Horse”, previously covered in Episode 33: Animal Studies and Episode 110: High School Musical
Track 6: “You Belong With Me”, previously covered in Episode 98: Unreliable Narrators
Track 7: “Breathe” ft. Colbie Caillat
Track 8: “Tell Me Why”
Track 9: “You’re Not Sorry”
Track 10: “The Way I Loved You”, previously covered in Episode 52 Psychoanalytic Theory & Episode 53 Deep Dive
Track 11: “Forever & Always”
Track 12: “The Best Day”, previously covered in Episode 81: Female Artists
Track 13: “Change”, previously covered in Episode 110: High School Musical
The purpose of the album as a whole: what Fearless was trying to do when it came out in 2008, and what it means now looking back across the full discography

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Welcome to After School — Fearless era begins

[01:11] Fearless as a sophomore album: branding, stakes, and proving it wasn't a fluke

[06:46] Why "Fearless" and not "Love Story": the title as identity

[09:00] The album's critical reception and Billboard dominance

[12:14] The Kanye VMAs moment and what it meant for the era

[29:43] Track 1 — "Fearless": dancing in the rain, connective tissue to debut

[01:35:44] Track 13 — "Change": ending on a note of inevitability

[01:43:31] What the album is actually about: manifesting fearlessness

[01:46:01] The lesson from Fearless: just do the thing, even badly

[01:49:27] Taylor's Version and why she started with Fearless

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Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

Alliteration in Taylor Swift's Music | "Our Song," "Call It What You Want" & More May 13, 2026

Show notes

“I’ll be your father figure.” This week, we’re diving deep into one of Taylor Swift’s most underrated literary tools: alliteration. From the phonetic cadence of a teenage Taylor on Debut to the silky-smooth flow of reputation’s Call It What You Want, to the hard-hitting, power-packed punch of Father Figure from The Life of a Showgirl, we trace how Taylor uses the repetition of consonant sounds to create rhythm, evoke emotion, and tell a story. Whether she’s channeling JFK-level emphasis or crafting an earworm you can hit the notes on without music, alliteration is a tool Taylor reaches for selectively and with purpose. Join Maansi, Jennifer, and Jodi as they break down soft sounds, staccato slams, and everything in between.

Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe. After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics!

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode Highlights:

[01:32] Defining alliteration: Initial rhymes, brand names, and types (symmetrical, unvoiced)
[07:04] “Our Song” (Debut, 2006): Slamming screen doors and the phonetic cadence of baby Taylor
[14:43] “Call It What You Want” (Reputation, 2017): Soft sounds, effortless love, and the R&B-adjacent flow
[22:19] “Father Figure” (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025): Hard consonants, hard power, and the father figure persona

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Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals – krownedkrystals.com — use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm – Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here: tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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

Taylor Swift's "Elizabeth Taylor" Meaning & Lyrics Explained | The Life of a Showgirl (2025) May 06, 2026

Show notes

"What could you possibly get for the girl who has everything and nothing all at once?"

What happens when you reach a level of fame so singular that there's almost no one left who can truly understand your life? That's the question at the heart of "Elizabeth Taylor" (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025), and it's why Taylor Swift had to go all the way back to Hollywood's golden age to find her patron saint. This week, we go line by line through one of the standout tracks from “The Life of a Showgirl”, unpacking the Portofino references, the white diamonds, and why the bridge answers the song's central question in the most unexpected way.

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Intro to "Elizabeth Taylor"

[03:00] Who was Elizabeth Taylor? The Vince Canby quote that sets up everything

[04:30] "Do you think it's forever?"

[13:00] "All the right guys promised they'd stay"

[17:00] "Been number one, but I never had two"

[30:00] "Be my NY when Hollywood hates me"

[36:45] "The girl who has everything and nothing all at once"

[40:00] “I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust (just kidding)"

[45:00] “Yhey say I'm bad news, I just say thanks"

[52:00] The bridge: White Diamonds, lovers, and what's actually forever

[57:45] Purpose round: Elizabeth Taylor as patron saint, mentor, and mirror

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Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

Luxury & Status in Taylor Swift's Music | "Bejeweled," "Elizabeth Taylor" & More | Literary Analysis Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

“Best believe I’m still bejeweled” and diving into an incredibly rich discussion this week! In this week's show and tell episode, we’re examining the age-old literary theme of luxury in Taylor Swift's music, through the songs “I Bet You Think About Me” (Red Taylor’s Version, 2021), “Bejeweled” (Midnights, 2022), and “Elizabeth Taylor” (Life of a Showgirl, 2025). Join us as we dive into how the meaning and significance of luxury changes through each of these songs that span across Taylor’s discography, and how luxury can be used to comment on social status, identity, and emotional depth.

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jane Austen

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wild

***

Episode Highlights

[00:00] Introduction to luxury as a theme in literature and music
[03:00] “Bet You Think About Me” - the contrast in social classes
[10:50] “Bejeweled”- precious jewels and self-worth
[20:36] The luxurious, lonely life of “Elizabeth Taylor”
[34:31] Conclusion: The Multifaceted Nature of Luxury in Taylor's Music

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Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

Taylor Swift's Debut Album | Track-by-Track Lyrical Analysis, Part 2 | After School Paid Preview Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

This week, we are continuing our full album deep dive series for our paid subscribers, and finishing up our analysis of Taylor Swift's self-titled debut (2006). In this preview, we dig into the second half of this album where we start to really get a sense of who Taylor Swift was and the budding talent of the Taylor Swift we know today!

Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe.

After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics!

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

🔒 Subscribe on Substack to hear the full episode, including:

Track 8: “Stay Beautiful” (Written by Taylor Swift and Liz Rose; produced by Nathan Chapman)

Track 9: “Should've Said No” (Written by Taylor Swift; produced by Nathan Chapman)

Track 10: “Mary's Song (Oh My My My)” (Written by Taylor Swift, Liz Rose, and Brian Maher; produced by Nathan Chapman)

Track 11: “Our Song” (Written by Taylor Swift; produced by Nathan Chapman)

Unreleased Vault Song: “I’d Lie” (Written by Taylor Swift; produced by Nathan Chapman)

Album Purpose: All three of us hosts go around to discuss what we think the overall purpose of Taylor Swift’s debut album was, how she accomplished it, and how this album gives us a peak into the mind of the pop superstar to come.

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!
TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts
Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro
Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com

Affiliate Codes:
Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!
Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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

Taylor Swift's "Opalite" Meaning & Lyrics Explained | The Life of a Showgirl (2025) Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

"You had to make your own sunshine, but now the sky is opalite." This week we’re deep diving the second single from “The Life of a Showgirl,” Opalite! We’ll explore why Taylor chose “opalite” over “opal,” what it means to create your own luck instead of waiting for it, and the song’s shift from being stuck in a cycle to finding resilience. Along the way, we debate who’s really speaking—is Mama Swift talking the whole time?—trace the song’s self-referential connections to “Daylight,” “Fearless,” “right where you left me,” and more, and unpack how this bubblegum pop track is actually a deeply philosophical song about agency, community, and paying it forward.

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Right Where You Left Me - Deep Dive

The Fate of Ophelia - Deep Dive

Metaphors Show & Tell

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Episode Highlights:

[01:57] What is “Opalite”?

[08:06] “I had a bad habit…”

[16:14] “Life is a song, it ends when it ends”

[20:59] “Dancing through the lightning strikes”

[28:38] “Sleepless in the onyx night”

[33:23] “You finally left the table”

[46:51] “All of the foes, and all of the friends”

[50:21] “This is just a temporary speed bump”

[59:48] “Oh my lord never met no one like you before”

[01:01:11] The Purpose: “But now the sky is Opalite”

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

Transcendentalism in Taylor Swift's Music |"The Lakes," "Opalite" & More | Literary Analysis Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

"Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die." What's an AP class without a not-so-brief discussion about touching grass? In honor of Earth Day, we're exploring Transcendentalism — the 19th-century movement that said the divine lives in nature, not in dusty pews — and finding it everywhere in Taylor Swift's music. Jenn returns to "the lakes" (folklore, 2020) and pairs it with Ralph Waldo Emerson's foundational essay Nature to explore how Taylor's retreat from society mirrors the transcendentalist search for truth in the natural world. Maansi takes on "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" (Midnights, 2022), tracing its imagery and cosmic grief through themes of universal divinity and interconnectedness. And Jodi brings "Opalite" (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025) to pose a question: is this song an acceptance of transcendentalism — or a rejection of it? Dust off your Emerson, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to go touch grass with us.

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Discover all our book recs and episode guides: https://swift-recs-explorer.lovable.app/

Mentioned in this episode:

Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson
Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson
Walden, Henry David Thoreau
E7: Ecocriticism — our original nature episode
E8: Deep Dive - the lakes
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
Walt Whitman
Margaret Fuller

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:30] Introduction to Transcendentalism

[08:29] "the lakes,” folklore

[18:28] "Bigger Than the Whole Sky," Midnights

[30:16] "Opalite” The Life of a Showgirl

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

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.

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