AP Taylor Swift

E50: Cities + “The Tortured Poets Department”

“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
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***
 
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”
 
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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.

E49: Poetic Repetition + "The Tortured Poets Department"

"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. 
 
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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” 
 
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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
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.

E48: Mad Women + “The Tortured Poets Department”

“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! 
 
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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
 
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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.
 

E47: Pride and Prejudice + "The Tortured Poets Department"

“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. 
 
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***
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”
***
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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.

E46: Musicals + "The Tortured Poets Department"

“Lights, Camera, B*tch, Smile!” This week we’re covering a podcast-favorite topic: MUSICALS! Other than calling “The Tortured Poets Department” Eras tour set “female rage the musical,” we compare songs to “Hamilton,” “Les Miserable,” “A Chorus Line,” “Waitress,” “Six,” and “Wicked!” Can you guess which songs map to which musicals?
 
Mentioned in this episode: 
“Waitress”
Girls5Eva
“Six”
“The Other Boleyn Girl,” Phillipa Greggory 
Alison Weir
“Wicked”
“A Chorus Line”
“Hamilton”
“Les Miserables”
Affiliate Codes: 
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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: 
[02:30] “Guilty as Sin”
[08:53] “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me”
[16:17] “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
[24:47] “The Black Dog”
[31:18] “How Did It End?”
[32:54] “Cassandra”
 
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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.

E45: Satire + The Tortured Poets Department

“She fell through the ice and came out alive.” Today’s Summer School episode has us revisiting Episode 19: Satire (Spotify | Apple). We explore how Taylor uses different types of Satire on the album as a way of adding exaggeration, emphasis, and impact to her storytelling. 
 
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Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 19: Satire
Oxford Dictionary definition of Satire
SNL
1984, by George Orwell
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift
Love Story, Taylor Swift
Gilmore Girls
Mastermind, Taylor Swift
Blank Space, Taylor Swift
Forrest Gump
 
***
 
Episode Highlights: 
[01:11] Introducing Satire
[03:37] But Daddy I love him
[12:06] I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
[17:54] The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
[24:31] imgonnagetyouback
[31:40] The Bolter
 
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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
 
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.

E44: Metaphors + “The Tortured Poets Department”

“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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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.

E43: Marxist Theory + “The Tortured Poets Department”

"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
 
Affiliate Codes: 
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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: 
[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”
 
Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe
 
Follow us on social! 
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Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
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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.

"The Last Great American Dynasty" Deep Dive - 4th of July Re-Release

"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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Follow us on social! 
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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.
 

E42: Ecocriticism and "The Tortured Poets Department"

“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
 
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: 
[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”
 
Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe
 
Follow us on social! 
TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
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Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
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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.