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AP Taylor Swift: Daily Summaries Delivered
by AP Taylor Swift Podcast
Taylor Swift is the Shakespeare of our time. And we can prove it. AP Taylor Swift is a weekly literary analysis podcast for Swifties who crave smart, funny, and approachable conversations about Taylor's lyrics. Hosts Maansi Dommeti, Jenn Holcomb, and Jodi Innerfield are three longtime Swifties whose different lives mean they never hear a song the same way. Our Show & Tell episodes connect a theme or rhetorical device to songs across her catalog (think Ecocriticism to Hilary Duff); and our Deep Dive episodes go line-by-line through one song to discover what it's really about. Whether you've got the Eras Tour setlist memorized, or you just know 'Shake It Off,’ class is in session.
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- Today49 min
Cliches in ME!, Betty, and Wood | AP Taylor Swift 148
"I know that I'm a handful, baby, I know I never think before I jump" This week on AP Taylor Swift, we ask whether cliches are lazy writing or useful shorthand in Taylor Swift's songwriting. Jodi covers "ME!" (Lover, 2019), Jenn brings the love triangle in "Betty" (folklore, 2020), and Maansi digs into "Wood" (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025) in a literary analysis of linguistic cliches, narrative cliches, and camp. Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Find us at aptaylorswift.com for more Mentioned in this episode: Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy Twilight, Stephenie Meyer Start with Yourself, Emma Grede Archie Comics George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language" APTS Episode 83: Taylor Swift Is Funnier Than You Think | "Thug Story," SNL, and Her Best Joke Songs Episode Highlights: [01:32] All About narrative and linguistic cliches [09:01] "ME!" (Lover) [26:24] "Betty" (folklore) [37:09] "Wood" (The Life of a Showgirl) Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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.
- 1 weeks ago52 min
“Exile” Lyrics Explained: Taylor Swift and Justin Vernon's Duet| AP Taylor Swift E147
"I think I've seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending" This week we're going line-by-line through "Exile" (evermore, 2020), Taylor Swift's duet with Justin Vernon. We start with what exile actually means, exploring its meaning from the Ramayana to Napoleon, then work through both speaker's perspectives, two unreliable narrators, and a bridge full of signs nobody read. Plus a little post-colonial feminist theory on what it means to be someone's "homeland." Visit APTaylorSwift.com for more! Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Mentioned in this episode: The Odyssey The Ramayana Episode Highlights: [03:56] What exile actually means [07:38] Holding all this love out here in the hall [14:26] You're not my homeland anymore [20:39] Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me [26:25] I'm not your problem anymore [36:07] I gave so many signs [54:27] Our purposes: a duet about two people who can't communicate Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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.
- 2 weeks ago40 min
The Horror! Three Taylor Swift Songs turned spooky, like you’ve never heard | AP Taylor Swift 146
“You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now.” It’s spooky season! So this week, we’re exploring how horror shows up in Taylor Swift's songwriting, even when the songs are not explicitly horror songs. Jodi, Maansi, and Jenn break down the genre's core ingredients, then each bring in a Taylor Swift song to test that lens and show how fear, suspense, foreshadowing, and eerie atmosphere can reshape the way the lyrics feel. If you enjoy hearing literary concepts applied to pop music, this one maps horror, thriller, mystery, and gothic tension onto Taylor Swift in a fun and engaging way. Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Mentioned in this episode: The Hunger Games This Story Might Save Your Life The Golden Spoon The Clockmaker’s Daughter The Merge Rebecca Grendel Beowulf Doctor Faustus Werewolves Within The Cabin in the Woods Wicked Books from this season: https://bookshop.org/lists/season-4-books Episode Highlights: [00:00] The five elements of horror: fear, setting, suspense, foreshadowing, mystery [13:01] Don’t you dare look out your window “Safe and Sound” [22:41] I think I’ve seen this film before and I didn’t like the ending “Exile” [34:19] I attend Christmas parties from the outside “I Look in People’s Windows” Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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.
- 3 weeks ago1h 9m
Taylor Swift's "The Man" Meaning & Lyrics Explained: The Double Standard | AP Taylor Swift 145
"I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type." This week we're going line-by-line through Taylor Swift's "The Man" (Lover, 2019), written by Taylor Swift and Joel Little, in a literary analysis deep dive on masculinity and the gender double standard. We pick apart the conditional mood, the alpha wolf myth, the "they" who write the narrative, and how a woman's personal life gets tangled up with her professional reputation. Then we compare the music video with the Eras Tour staging and share our purposes for the song. Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Mentioned in this episode: APTS Episode 21: Show and Tell - Musicals APTS Episode 100: Taylor Swift Songs That Transcend Time - Blank Space, New Romantics, The Man APTS Episode 130: Alliteration in Taylor Swift's Music | "Our Song," "Call It What You Want" & More APTS Episode 19: Show and Tell - Satire The Canterbury Tales (the Wife of Bath), Geoffrey Chaucer Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare Fiddler on the Roof She's the Man (2006) The Wolf of Wall Street The Revenant 12 Angry Men Miss Americana Rudolf Schenkel's 1940s captive wolf research Episode Highlights: [00:00] Welcome to "The Man" (Lover, 2019), and the title: She's the Man and Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy" [05:14] I would be complex, I would be cool: the conditional mood, "conquest," and who the "they" are [12:25] I'd be a fearless leader, I'd be an alpha type: personal life vs. professional reputation, and the alpha wolf myth [21:38] When everyone believes you, what's that like? and the chorus, I'm so sick of running as fast as I can [33:38] What I was wearing, if I was rude: verse two and the hustle double standard [42:40] I'd be just like Leo in Saint-Tropez: Leonardo DiCaprio and "let the players play" [47:48] It's okay if you're mad: the bridge [55:58] The satirical music video vs. the Eras Tour performance [1:05:28] Our purposes: permission to be mad, the personal-professional blur, and the "they" Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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
- 4 weeks ago53 min
Masculinity in Taylor Swift’s Music | Better Man, The Man, Father Figure | AP Taylor Swift E144
I’ll be your father figure. In this Show and Tell episode, Jenn, Jodi, and Maansi unpack masculinity as a cultural construct, from powdered wigs and heels in 18th century France to Travis Kelce happily playing the less famous partner on New Heights. Jenn kicks things off with Better Man, flipping every one of the ex's flaws to sketch the man Taylor actually wants (grateful, consistent, kind, and secure enough not to talk down to anyone). Jodi brings The Man and gets real about the double standards that turn a woman's "edge" into a man's ambition, plus why leaning in never quite worked. Maansi closes with Father Figure, tracing every Jaguar, chateau, and glass of brown liquor back to the patriarch. (And yes, she researched the history of dick measuring contests. For science.) Along the way, the hosts map R.W. Connell's hegemonic masculinity, Aragorn versus Commodus, the Byronic hero, Hemingway's code hero, and the colonial baggage packed into a single word like "conquest." Pour yourself a whiskey (or don't, it tastes like fire) and press play. Episode Highlights 00:59 Intro to the topic 11:36 Jenn's pick, Better Man, plus its Little Big Town backstory 22:35 Jodi's pick, The Man, and the rebranding of female ambition 37:48 Maansi's pick, Father Figure, and the patriarch in the title Mentioned in This Episode Books The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir Masculinities by R.W. Connell When Women Lead by Julia Boorstin Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Hamlet by William Shakespeare The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Browse every book we've mentioned at our Bookshop.org storefront. Films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Gladiator Casino Royale The Godfather Follow Along Find us at @APTaylorSwift everywhere. TikTok Instagram YouTube Linktree Website aptaylorswift.com Email aptaylorswift@gmail.com Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Intro music by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z. AP Taylor Swift is an independent podcast and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Taylor Swift, her management, or her record labels.
- Oct 7, 202653 min
“Dear John” by Taylor Swift, Lyrics Explained | AP Taylor Swift E143
"I took your matches before fire could catch me" This week we're going line-by-line through Taylor Swift's "Dear John" (Speak Now, 2010). We go through the WWII-era history behind the title, the epistolary letter form, and how a breakup letter becomes an act of reclaiming her own story. And surprisingly, we walk away realizing (spoiler alert) maybe this song isn’t as sad as we thought! Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episode Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com Mentioned in this episode: Dear John, Nicholas Sparks (novel) Dear John (2010 film) "A Dear John Letter" — Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky (1953) The Correspondent, Virginia Evans (novel) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone — wizard's chess scene "Your Song," Elton John AP Taylor Swift: "Dear Reader" episode Episode Highlights: [01:19] Why "Dear John" is such a track five [01:42] What a Dear John letter actually is — the WWII-era origin of the phrase [05:55] "Long were the nights" [10:39] "You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain" [17:48] "don't you think I was too young to be messed with" [36:33] "I took your matches before fire could catch me" [45:53] The turn from "I should have known" to "you should have known" Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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.
- Sep 30, 202649 min
Taylor Swift and the Game Metaphor | Dear John, Foolish One, End Game
I wanna be your end game. Roll the dice, pick your teams, and pull up a chair, because this week is all about games (decidedly not sports). Taylor reaches for game metaphors constantly, and once you start looking, you find chess boards, poker hands, and team rosters all over her catalog. Jenn kicks things off with the big thinkers of play, from Johan Huizinga’s magic circle to Roger Caillois’s four types of play to game theory, the field that treats every board game as a tiny model of human decision making. Then Jodi takes us inside the chess game of “Dear John,” where somebody else keeps changing the rules. Jenn lays her cards on the table with “Foolish One” and explains why showing your hand first is a classic game theory mistake (hello, sucker’s payoff). Maansi closes with “End Game,” tracing “end game,” “first string,” and “A-Team” back to chess, medieval archery, and the US Army, and landing on a very different kind of game where both players finally sit on the same side of the board. Along the way we detour through Jumanji, Lord of the Flies, Alice in Wonderland, The Queen’s Gambit, a Garry Kasparov masterclass, and the ancient Indian roots of chess. Grab your game pieces and play along! Episode Highlights [01:27] Jenn sets the stage with games as a core part of being human [09:44] Jodi on “Dear John” [22:46] Jenn on “Foolish One” [37:28] Maansi on “End Game” [52:57] Honorable mentions lightning round Mentioned in This Episode Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga Man, Play and Games by Roger Caillois Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg Lord of the Flies by William Golding Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks The Mahabharata Browse all our picks at bookshop.org/shop/apts Film and TV The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) Jumanji (1995) The A-Team (1983) Follow Along Website aptaylorswift.com Instagram @APTaylorSwift TikTok @APTaylorSwift YouTube @APTaylorSwift Linktree @APTaylorSwift Email aptaylorswift@gmail.com Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen, and tell us your favorite game reference in the comments! Extra Credit on Substack We barely scratched the surface on games (we didn’t even get to video games). Find more extra credit on our Substack at aptaylorswift.substack.com, and join After School, our paid tier, for bonus content from all three of us. Intro music by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z. AP Taylor Swift is an independent podcast and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Taylor Swift, her team, or her record labels.
- Sep 23, 202654 min
"False God" Lyric Analysis | Taylor Swift's Sales Pitch for Blind Faith | AP Taylor Swift E141
"They say the road gets hard, and you get lost when you're led by blind faith." This week we're going line-by-line through "False God" (Lover, 2019). We trace the blind faith, the confession and forgiveness, and the New York City vs. West Village metaphor to figure out who's the deity and who's the devotee in this relationship. Check out more at aptaylorswift.com Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift: Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next. Subscribe: http://aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe First 50 people to grab a Substack After School annual plan get 40% off: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/wishlistmemberdiscount Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes Mentioned in this episode: APTS Episode 107: State of Grace Deep Dive "Like a Prayer," Madonna Arrested Development Episode Highlights: [00:15] What is a “false god”? [02:27] "We were crazy to think, crazy to think that this could work" [08:29] "Like I'm not your favorite town... I'm New York City" [15:38] "You get lost when you're led by blind faith" [25:46] "Even if it's a false god, we'd still worship this love" [40:09] "Heaven's a thing... hell is when I fight with you" [46:18] "You're the West Village" Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast 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 Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com 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.
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About AP Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is the Shakespeare of our time. And we can prove it. AP Taylor Swift is a weekly literary analysis podcast for Swifties who crave smart, funny, and approachable conversations about Taylor's lyrics. Hosts Maansi Dommeti, Jenn Holcomb, and Jodi Innerfield are three longtime Swifties whose different lives mean they never hear a song the same way. Our Show & Tell episodes connect a theme or rhetorical device to songs across her catalog (think Ecocriticism to Hilary Duff); and our Deep Dive episodes go line-by-line through one song to discover what it's really about. Whether you've got the Eras Tour setlist memorized, or you just know 'Shake It Off,’ class is in session.
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