"Freedom felt like summer then on the coast." What happens when we explore Taylor Swift's music through the lens of summer? In this episode, we explore how summer functions both as a setting and a symbol in Taylor's songwriting. From the cruel intensity of forbidden love to nostalgic August romances and the catastrophic blues of heartbreak, we explore how Taylor uses summer to capture everything from youthful freedom to emotional devastation. Join us as we discuss "Cruel Summer," "august," and "Hits Different" to uncover why summer hits different in Taylor's discography.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Episode Highlights:

[01:12] Introduction to Summer in Literature

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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 aka Scotty Z.

July 31st is Harry Potter’s birthday, so why not celebrate with a repeat of our favorite Harry Potter Holiday Special episode!? This week, let your inner Swifties and Potterhead unite as we discuss the crossovers between Harry Potter and Taylor Swift’s lyrics. Jenn imagines “Look What You Made Me Do” as Snape’s song to Voldermort. Jodi makes the case that “Lover” perfectly captures Lavender Brown’s feelings toward Ron. And Maansi envisions “You’re On Your Own Kid” as an anthem about Harry Potter’s arc throughout the entire series. Whether you’re a fan of the books, the movies, or both, we fully dork out on this episode. Join us! 

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Mentioned in this episode: 

Harry Potter

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma 

TikTok creator who does “Harry Potter Characters as Taylor Swift Songs” Jake L @Jakobcl1989

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Episode Highlights: 

[01:30] Introduction to Harry Potter

[05:25] “Look What You Made Me Do”

[13:30] “Lover” 

[24:08] “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

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“You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you’re talking to me” What happens when we view Taylor Swift’s music through the lens of other female artists, particularly painters? In this Summer favorite repeat, we explore the work of three iconic women in art and connect their paintings to Taylor Swift’s songs. From the intimacy of motherhood in Mary Cassatt’s work, to the surrealism of Remedios Varo, to the medieval renderings of Hildegard von Bingen, we discuss how these themes appear in both art and Taylor’s songwriting. Listen to hear how artist reframes familiar Swiftian themes like mother‑daughter bonds, dream‑logic escapism, and spiritual longing through paint, not lyrics.

Since this is a visual episode, check out the full video episode on YouTube or Spotify!

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Mentioned in this episode: 

Mary Cassatt, Wikipedia

De Young Museum, “5 Things to Know About Impressionist Mary Cassatt”

Mary Cassatt – Bathing the Young Heir (1890-1891)

The Dutch House, Ann Patchett 

Surrealism and the Art of Remedios Varo

Starmaker, Remedios Varo (1958)

Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen's Physica

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Episode Highlights: 

[00:19] This week’s topic: Famous female painters 

[01:09] Mary Cassatt and “The Best Day”

[13:40] Remedios Varo and “This Is Me Trying”

[26:58] Hildegard von Bingen and “Guilty as Sin”

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Contact us at [email protected] 

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.

"Don't blame me, love made me crazy. If it doesn't, you ain't doing it right." This week, we're deep diving into "Don't Blame Me" from the reputation album. We explore the song's gospel influences, religious imagery, and transformation themes as we analyze Taylor's most unhinged declaration of love. From poison ivy to daisies, from halos to falling from grace, join us as we unpack this intoxicating Taylor Swift tale of desire, addiction, and spiritual transcendence.

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Mentioned in this episode: 

E94: Show and Tell - Frankenstein

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Paradise Lost, John Milton

Ellie Goulding - "Love Me Like You Do"

50 Shades of Grey

Rocky Horror Picture Show

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Episode Highlights: 

[02:02] - “Don’t blame me, love made me crazy”

[09:00] - “I’ve been breaking hearts a long time”

[13:07] - “For you I would cross the line”

[22:40] - “My name is whatever you decide”

[33:08] - “I get so high, everytime you’re touching me” 

[41:25] - Purpose of the song

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Contact us at [email protected] 

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 don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me.”  In this episode, we're diving into one of literature's most enduring classics: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. From Victor's scientific ambition to the creature's desperate search for companionship, we explore how Taylor's lyrics illuminate the Gothic themes of isolation, creation, and the consequences of playing God. Join us as we examine "Don't Blame Me," "Look What You Made Me Do," and "False God" through the lens of literature's first science fiction novel—and discover why this 1818 masterpiece feels more relevant than ever in our age of artificial intelligence.

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Mentioned in this episode

***

Episode Highlights: 

[1:45] Quick overview of Frankenstein

[8:00] “Don’t Blame Me” reputation 

[15:56] “Look What You Made Me Do” reputation

[30:24] “False God” Lover

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! 

Contact us at [email protected] 

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." As part of our summer vacation series, we're re-airing one of our most requested episodes! This was the song we'd wanted to analyze since day one: "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)." This isn't just any song analysis—it's a literary deep dive worthy of Taylor's most devastating masterpiece. We're each bringing you a different academic lens to understand what makes this 10-minute epic the storytelling tour de force that has Swifties screaming every word. From narrative structure to nature imagery to the hypnotic power of repetition, discover why this song isn't just a breakup anthem—it's a work of art that rivals the greatest literary achievements.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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

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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 aka Scotty Z.

“It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference.” A little petty, a little philosophical, and exactly the right kind of opener for Lover. In this Deep Dive, we look at “I Forgot That You Existed,” a deceptively breezy track that becomes more interesting the longer you sit with it. We unpack the tonal misreadings this song often gets, the power of the shrug as both emotional and poetic posture, and why this opening song may be one of Taylor’s most sophisticated declarations of agency. 

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***

Episode Highlights: 

[02:30] “I Forgot That You Existed” as a glitter gel pen song

[09:17] “In my feelings more than Drake, so, yeah”

[16:03] “Free rent living in my mind”

[22:02] “Laughed on the school yard as soon as I tripped up and hit the ground”

[27:50] “Sent me a clear message”

[32:52] Purpose of the song

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! 

Contact us at [email protected] 

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

"I haven't decided yet, but I'mgonnagetyouback." From ancient Greek epics to Mean Girls, revenge has evolved dramatically in literature, and Taylor Swift's discography is no exception. This week on AP Taylor Swift, we explore how Taylor serves revenge with a smile, examining the sweet saccharine fantasy of "Speak Now," the cutting indifference of "I Forgot That You Existed," and the delicious ambiguity of "I'm Gonna Get You Back." Whether it's ruining a wedding or simply moving on, we dive into how revenge fantasies reveal character, power dynamics, and the satisfying evolution from teenage retaliation to adult agency. Because sometimes the best revenge is living well; and sometimes it's writing a song about forgetting someone exists.

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Mentioned in this episode: 

The Iliad, Homer

The Princess Bride

The Odyssey, Homer

Hamlet, Shakespeare

Count of Monte Cristo

Wuthering Heights

Mean Girls

Mad Men

John Tucker Must Die

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Episode Highlights: 

[00:46] All about revenge

[07:48] “Speak Now,” Speak Now 

[20:34] “I Forgot That You Existed,” Lover

[29:44] “imgonnagetyouback,” The Tortured Poets Department

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! 

Contact us at [email protected] 

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 can go anywhere I want, just not home” This week on AP Taylor Swift, we take on “my tears ricochet,” the gut-wrenching Track 5 from “Folklore”. From its funeral imagery to what it means for a tear to “ricochet,” we explore themes of grief, regret, and power dynamics. Whether this song is about romantic heartbreak, a friendship gone sour, or even a toxic job, we explore why this song resonates so deeply with so many, and what it means for each of us.

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Mentioned in this episode: 

E67: Greek Mythology

E54: Anniversary Episode

E32: Love Story Deep Dive 

The Little Book of Shakespeare's Insults: The Bard's Best Barbs

Reputation album letter

Jane Eyre  

The Phantom of the Opera

The Little Mermaid

Harry Potter

E56: Guest Episode - DJ Louie XIV 

***

Episode Highlights: 

[01:09] Introducing “my tears ricochet” and our initial thoughts

[07:25] “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”

[11:22] “Look at how my tears ricochet”

[18:05] “You know I didn’t want to have to haunt you”

[25:23] “When I’d fight you used to tell me I was brave”

[29:45] “And I can go anywhere I want, just not home”

[37:15] “You had to kill me but it killed you just the same”

[41:44] What might it mean for tears to ricochet?

[45:24] The purpose of the song

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.

“Fatefully, I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me” This week, we're resisting our episode on Greek Mythology, where we dive into the timeless influence of Greek mythology in Taylor Swift's music by exploring connections between Taylor's songs and classic Greek myths. Jodi finds links between Demeter and Persephone’s sorrow in The Hymn to Demeter and the Folklore song "My Tears Ricochet.” Maansi shows us how  "Long Story Short” sounds like Odysseus recounting his epic journey as he returns home. And Jenn gets into the ancient story of the Labyrinth and how it reflects themes of self-discovery and transformation in "Labyrinth." Is Taylor Swift a modern-day Homer? Listen and find out! 

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Mentioned in this episode: 

Mythology, Edith Hamilton

The Iliad, Homer

The Odyssey, Homer

Metamorphoses, Ovid

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

E44: Metaphors + “The Tortured Poets Department”

E22: Mastermind 

Homeric Hymns 

The Hymn to Demeter

Hadestown (musical)

Hercules (Disney animated film)

E54: One Year Anniversary of AP Taylor Swift

Circe, Madeline Miller

Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

Stephen Fry’s Mythos, Heroes, and Troy 

Episode Highlights: 

[02:15] Introduction to Greek Mythology

[09:01] "my tears ricochet" folklore

[15:22] "long story short" evermore

[32:52]  "labrynth" Midnights

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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.