We’ve all been in a lot of lonely places. In this week’s deep dive, your hosts take you back to one of the original sad songs from Taylor’s debut album, “The Outside.” Perhaps more of a deep cut, this song cuts straight to the heart of what it feels like to be left out. Join us to discover what this song meant to us in our high school years vs today. We’ll explore how Taylor’s writing and musical styles may have changed, but she’s always known how to capture some of the most universal experiences, particularly for women! TW: We do discuss eating issues and disorders in this episode. We are fortunately recovered so the ultimate result is body positivity, but FYI! 

Mentioned in this episode: 

The Outside - the song 

Pride & Prejudice 

Lizzie McGuire 

Untangled by Lisa Damour

Queen Bees & Wannabes 

Robert Frost

The Good Enough Job 

Mean Girls 

Hamilton

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

***

Episode Highlights: 

[00:56] Introduction to “The Outside” 

[02:59] Lizzie McGuire captures the spirit of “The Outside” 

[09:11] Taylor references Robert Frost

[17:01] “I’ve never been on the outside” 

[21:35] Is there a bridge in this song? 

[24:09] Feeling on “the outside” when you start a new job 

[30:48] The purpose of “The Outside” 

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

Follow us on social! 

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift