“Did you have to beam me up?” Today’s Summer School episode has us revisiting Episode 13: Metaphors (Spotify | Apple). There’s no shortage of metaphors across "The Tortured Poets Department," from alien abduction and a city to prison and high school. We unpack some of the metaphors woven through the lyrics to better understand the songs and the album as a whole. 

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Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 13: Metaphors (Spotify | Apple) 

Episode 14: Deep Dive - Getaway Car (Spotify | Apple) 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 

Mean Girls

Catcher in the Rye

The Aeneid, Virgil

***

Episode Highlights: 

[00:56] Introducing Metaphors

[01:55] Down Bad “Did you have to beam me up”

[09:10] So Long, London “So long, London, You'll find someone”

[15:01] Fresh Out The Slammer “Handcuffed to the spell I was under”

[20:08] The Albatross “I’m the Albatross”

[24:28] So High School “Bittersweet sixteen suddenly”

[33:33] Cassandra “I was in my tower weaving nightmares”

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"The sickest army doll purchased at the mall." In this Summer School episode, we delve into Marxist Theory (Episode 11) and its application to “The Tortured Poets Department”. We explore themes of power dynamics, ownership, control, and escape. We’ll introduce topics like Marxist Feminism, repressive state apparatus, ideological state apparatus…just a super light topic for summer!

Mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 11: Marxist Theory (Apple | Spotify)

Louis Althusser 

Office Space

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***

Episode Highlights: 

[00:30] Introduction to Marxist Theory

[04:07] “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”

[10:40] “Fresh Out the Slammer”

[15:25] “Florida!!!”

[20:25] “Guilty as Sin?”

[29:25] “I Hate It Here”

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"I had a marvelous time." In honor of the 4th of July, we're re-releasing our deep dive on “The Last Great American Dynasty,” from folklore. Initially released in November 2023, in this episode our hosts expand on what we learned in our Marxist Criticism episode to take an even closer look at Rebekah Harkness, who she was, and why Taylor Swift wrote a song about her. What do Taylor and Rebekah Harkness have in common, besides owning the same home? Is Rebekah Harkness really “middle class”? How does Taylor build empathy for someone called “mad” and “shameless”? We had a marvelous time diving into this one! 

Mentioned in this episode: 

“Blue Blood,” Craig Unger 

“Atlas Shrugged,” Ayn Rand

Rebekah Harkness NYT Obituary, June 1982

"Is There a Chic Way To Go?" Blue Bloods NYT Book Review, May 1988

The Humble Beginnings Of an Elegant Mansion, NYT July 1971

“Hamilton” 

***

Episode Highlights: 

[02:11] Who is Rebekah Harkness?

[06:24] How Taylor’s country storytelling roots enrich the story 

[11:14] What is an “American Dynasty”?

[16:13] Who’s mad, Rebekah or the townspeople?

[25:45] What's the purpose of the song?

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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.

“A hurricane with my name when it came.” On today’s Summer School episode, we’re going back to Episode 7: Ecocriticism. We’ll cover how Taylor Swift uses nature language, imagery, and metaphors to capture the feelings and emotions she’s trying to convey in her songs on “The Tortured Poets Department.” From exploring nature vs cities, the idea of the civilized vs uncivilized, and ecofeminism, “The Tortured Poets Department” has a lot for us to work with!

Mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 7: Ecocriticism 

Outlander

Witches, Midwives and Nurses

Peter Pan

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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: 

[02:20] Florida!!! “You can beat the heat”

[07:58] Clara Bow “Picked like a rose”

[12:43] I Hate It Here “I will go to secret gardens in my mind”

[16:23] The Prophecy “So I look to the sky and said”

[22:22] Peter “Promises ocean deep”

[27:49] Robin “Dragonflys above your bed”

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"Mr. Steal Your Girl, then make her cry." This summer, we’re bringing you Summer School! Each week, we’ll revisit a topic from this past season within the context of songs from Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” This week we’re covering the topic of toxic relationships from Episode 5. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 5: Toxic Relationships (Apple | Spotify) 

Mary Shelley and Percey Shelley’s Relationship tl;dr 

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

The Lottery, Shirley Jackson

Frozen

Wicked

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Episode 25: Pride and Prejudice (Apple | Spotify) 

***

Episode Highlights: 

[00:19] Welcome to Summer School

[02:45] “The Tortured Poets Department”

[08:46] “But Daddy I Love Him” 

[13:52] “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me”

[20:14] “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”

[23:45] “loml”

[26:46] “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”

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Like we were in Paris. This week we’re over-analyzing Taylor Swift's song “Paris” from the album Midnights. We explore the imagery and metaphors used in the lyrics, like “stumbled down pretend alleyways” and how that relates to what it’s like to be early on in a relationship. Are they really in Paris? What does it mean to be “in Paris”? Why does she choose “Paris” and not another city? What makes “Paris” different? We try and unpack it all!

Mentioned in this episode: 

Midnight in Paris 

Peter Pan, JM Barrie

Practical Magic

Isn’t It Romantic?

***

Episode Highlights: 

[01:40] How we do a deep dive 

[5:00] “Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling”  

[8:53] “Like we were in Paris”

[12:48] “Levitate above all the messes made”

[19:47] “I want to brainwash you into loving me forever”

[27:17] “My love, we were in Paris”

[30:04] The purpose of the song

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The lights are so bright, but they never blind me. This week we’re taking a tour of Taylor Swift’s favorite cities to sing about. We explore the personification of different cities, and how Taylor uses these cities to tell her stories. In this episode, we’re covering “Welcome to New York” from 1989, “London Boy” from Lover, and “Paris” from Midnights. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

The City, Langston Hughes 

The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe

Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf 

Mrs. Dalloway’s Map of London

Jodi's London Boy Map of London

***

Episode Highlights: 

[1:03] Introduction to Cities 

[2:38] “Welcome to New York” 1989

[27:54] “London Boy” Lover

[46:16] “Paris” Midnights

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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

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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.

Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? Love or hate The Archer (Lover 2019), we all agree that we have no idea what this song is about. Such an obscure song calls for a proper, literary style close reading. Join us as we go line by line to understand what Taylor is trying to say with the obscure lyrics of this incredibly poetic song.

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Tom Cruise movies

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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: 

• [01:43] Baseline: How we all feel about The Archer

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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.

I don't need your closure. In this week’s episode, we discuss the art style of surrealism and explore how it relates to Taylor Swift. Abby Aleksinas, of @arthistoryabby on TikTok, joins us to help us understand how visual arts can connect to music. We dive into “The Archer” from Lover, then we look at “closure” from evermore, and wrap it up with “Lavender Haze” from Midnights. Join us as we dive into the unconventional pairings, unexpected imagery, and use of surrealism to convey emotions and create a dreamlike atmosphere!

Mentioned in this episode: 

• @arthistoryabby

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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: 

[00:29] Introduction to Surrealism

[01:15] Art History with Abby

[20:15] “The Archer”

[32:17] “closure”

[43:20] “Lavender Haze”

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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.

Salute to me I’m your American Queen. In this episode, we deep dive into Taylor Swift's song “King of My Heart” from reputation. Join us as we discuss the power dynamics and military references in the song, as well as themes of wealth, luxury, and the British Royal Family. We even attempt to dissect how the music changes to reflect the song’s themes and lyrics. We’re left wondering: is this just a schoolgirl crush? Infatuation? Or the love of the speaker’s life, the end of all the endings? Tune in and find out! 

Mentioned in this episode: 

King Arthur

"You’re Losing Me"

Marxist Theory Episode

Switched on Pop (Book) 

Switched on Pop (Podcast) 

Satire Episode 

“Satisfied,” Hamilton

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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: 

[1:50] How we do a deep dive 

[4:06] “Salute to me I’m your American Queen”

[9:23] “All the boys and their expensive cars”

[11:00] How the music changes to reflect the song’s lyrics

[13:47] “Now you try on calling me baby…”

[20:37] “Is this the end of all the endings?”

[29:23] What is the purpose of the song?

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

Follow us on social! 

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift

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.