Can we always be this close? We’re celebrating our first anniversary! This week we’re reminiscing about our first year of this podcast by talking about some of our favorite podcast moments in Year 1, and the songs we surprisingly haven’t covered yet. And we’re responding to listener requests, diving into specific lyrics requested by our dear listeners.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sisyphean task

Bookshop.org/shop/APTS

The Daily, “The Year of Taylor Swift”

E42: Ecocriticism + TTPD

Animal Theory Substack

E9: Fall Songs (aka Cornelia Street Moment)

E24: Deep Dive - Right Where You Left Me

E51: All Too Well (10 Minute Version) - Three Ways

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) Short Film

“Reformed Rake” trope

E33: Animal Theory

You Know How to Ball, I Know Aristotle on TikTok

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Episode Highlights:

[01:38] Songs we surprisingly haven’t covered yet

[08:46] “My Tears Ricochet” Bridge

[19:20] “Robin”

[22:51] “Right Where You Left Me” pre-chorus

[26:45] “When your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones” All Too Well 10 Minute Version

[32:36] “Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there” Coney Island

[38:28] “We can’t make any promises now can we babe?” Delicate

[44:28] Season 2 sneak peek

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• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
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• Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
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• 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.

"I'm so in love that I acted insane." This week we dive into “The Way I Loved You.” One guy’s screaming and fighting, the other is sensible and incredible. We go line-by-line to identify who’s involved in this love triangle, the emotions behind the narrator’s dilemma, and why the narrator doesn’t seem to want the sensible, incredible, comfortable partner. Is this a lyrical analysis or a relationship analysis? Listen and find out!

Mentioned in this episode:

E52: Psychoanalytic Theory

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

E25: Pride and Prejudice

Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë

Matchmaker Maria

Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller

E5: Toxic Relationships

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Episode Highlights:

[01:53] Rhetorical triangle reminder

[02:18] Who are the characters in the song?

[08:38] The role of the love triangle

[13:29] Who’s acting insane?

[19:12] “I’m perfectly fine” “I’m comfortable”

[26:28] “He can’t see the smile I’m faking”

[31:38] “You were frustrating, intoxicating”

[38:14] The purpose of the song

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

Follow us on social!

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
• YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
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• 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.

"I have this dream where I get older but just never wiser." In this episode, we use Psychoanalytic Theory to unpack the deeper meanings behind three of Taylor's songs: "That's The Way I Loved You," "Look What You Made Me Do," and "Anti-Hero." From our personal experiences to Freud’s writings, we explore how Taylor’s lyrics tap into the subconscious. Get ready to dive into the psyche of Taylor Swift's music!

Mentioned in this episode:

Sigmund Freud Reader

Civilization and Its Discontents

Carl Jung

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Miss Americana

Lizzie McGuire

Switched on Pop: Beyonce’s Country

E31: Show and Tell - Shakespeare

Victorian man meme

Anti-Hero Music Video (featuring Mary Elizabeth Ellis a.k.a. “The Waitress” from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Joseph Campbell: Hero With A Thousand Faces

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:57] Intro to Psychoanalytic Theory

[09:28] “The Way I Loved You” from Fearless

[24:04] “Look What You Made Me Do” from reputation

[44:29] “Anti-Hero” from Midnights

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

Follow us 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

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.

It was rare, I was there, I remember it. To kick off our second year (sophomore year?) of AP Taylor Swift, we’re tackling a song we have wanted to tackle since the very beginning: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” And to stay consistent with our Show & Tell format, we’re each bringing you a different lens through which we analyzed this song! Join us as we introduce you to narratology, revisit ecocriticism, and look for poetic repetition in this song to understand what makes it the epic favorite that we all know and love.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Last Five Years

E7: Ecocriticism

E9: Fall Songs

E27: Poetic Repetition

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

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:40] Our topic for the day: ATWTMV 3-ways

[1:27] A new lens: narratology

[13:03] A literary theory: Ecocriticism

[30:35] A literary device: Poetic Repetition

[44:40] Bringing all the theories together

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

Follow us 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

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.

“So Long London.” In our final Summer School episode, we say so long to summer as we revisit Episode 39: Cities within “The Tortured Poets Department.” London, Destin, Manhattan, Los Angeles–we explore these cities' role in the album and why Taylor Swift may have chosen these specific cities to tell her stories.

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 39: Show and Tell - Cities (Spotify | Apple)

A Very Potter Musical

Fry’s English Delight: Metaphors

“Florida,” Lauren Groff

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel

Fun Home: The Musical

Suffs

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

***

Episode Highlights:

[01:41] Introduction to Cities

[02:48] “So Long London”

[12:56] “Florida!!!”

[22:57] “Clara Bow”

[32:42] Summer School Extra Credit: “The Manuscript”

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

Follow us 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

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.

"You look like..." We’re throwing it back to Episode 27: Poetic Repetition, but this time we’re doing it Summer School style and looking at poetic repetition in “The Tortured Poets Department.” We cover AP English favorites like anaphora, epimone, alliteration, and assonance. And, we explore how poetic repetition can emphasize something important, create feelings of dwelling, evoke religious or holy imagery, or taunt someone.

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 27: Poetic Repetition

Ted Lasso “Semantic Satiation” Episode

Episode 18: Death By A Thousand Cuts Deep Dive

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:51] What is Poetic Repetition?

[02:15] “The Tortured Poets Department”

[11:08] “So Long London”

[19:21] “Florida!!!!”

[27:18] "Clara Bow”

[30:11] “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”

[37:39] “The Prophecy”

Follow us 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

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.

“I was supposed to be sent away.” Today’s Summer School episode has us revisiting Episode 23: Mad Women (Spotify | Apple). We’ve discussed examples of mad women in Taylor’s Discography, but there hath been no woman scorned like the one in The Tortured Poet’s Department. After all, Taylor herself called it Female Rage: The Musical. But what about the other definitions of “madness” too? From the manic feeling of “Florida!!!” to the rage in “thanK you aIMee,” we get into it all in this week's episode!

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 23 - Mad Women

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Harry Potter

Mad Men

Florence + the Machine

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Crime and Punishment by Dsotevyskey

Donald Glover stand up about crazy exes

***

Episode Highlights:

[00:50] Introducing Mad Women

[02:20] Fortnight

[10:28] Florida!!!

[17:00] ThanK You aIMee

[29:03] I Look In People’s Windows

[37:28] The Prophecy

[42:50] Honorable Mentions

Follow us 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

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.

“Come one, come all, it’s happening again.” This week we’re going back to Episode 25 “Pride and Prejudice” to find parallels between the novel and “The Tortured Poets Department.” We analyze lyrics from some of our favorite TTPD songs and draw parallels to the story’s plot points, characters, and key relationships in Jane Austen’s novel.

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

***

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 25 “Pride and Prejudice”

Pride and Prejudice

***

Episode Highlights:

[02:29] “But Daddy I Love Him”

[10:59] “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”

[16:56] “The Alchemy”

[25:58] “How Did It End?”

[32:57] “I Hate It Here”

***

Follow us 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

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.