AP Taylor Swift

"I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you" This week on AP Taylor Swift, we're going line-by-line through Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" (Lover, 2019). This episode turns into a deep dive into fever dreams, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, attachment theory, and the surprising twist that the real red flag in this song might be Taylor herself.

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 Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Romeo and Juliet

A Midsummer Night's Dream 

Attached

 

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Episode Highlights: 

[04:02] How we do a deep dive 

[06:48] “Fever dream high in the quiet of the night”

[11:34] “Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes”

[13:20] “It’s blue, the feeling I’ve got”

[19:20] “Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine”

[25:10] “Cut the headlights, summer’s a knife”

[29:47] “I’m drunk in the back of the car” 

[34:15] “He looks up grinning like a devil”

[40:08] Purpose of the song 

 

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

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.

"Now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings" This is a re-air of one of our favorite episodes. We’re  looking at the literary symbolism of summer — freedom, danger, nostalgia, and everything in between. Jenn breaks down "Cruel Summer" (Lover, 2019), Jodi covers "August" (folklore, 2020), and Maansi digs into "hits different" (Midnights, 2023). Along the way we bring in The Great Gatsby, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and more to unpack why summer shows up in literature as both a season of freedom and a season that can cut you to the bone.

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 Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Room with a View, E.M. Forster

A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare

My Ántonia, Willa Cather

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle

What Happened to Goodbye, Sarah Dessen

"White Houses", Vanessa Carlton

 

Episode Highlights:

[02:30] Topic introduction — Summer in literature

[09:32] "Cruel Summer" (Lover, 2019)

[20:05] "August" (folklore, 2020)

[34:05] "hits different" (Midnights, 2023)

 

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.

"I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings." To celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding, we each picked a song from Taylor's discography that captures a different perspective on marriage:  the fairy tale proposal of "Love Story" (Fearless, 2008), the anti-materialist love declaration in "Paper Rings" (Lover, 2019), and the suburban married-life contentment of "Wi$h Li$t" (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025). 

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:

E32: Love Story Song Analysis

De Beers Diamond Marketing Campaign History

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

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Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Congratulations to the happy couple!

[06:52] "Love Story" — the fairy tale proposal

[17:09] "Paper Rings" — I don't need the shiny things 

[32:35] "Wishlist" — boss up, settle down 

[46:00] The songs we didn't pick (and why)

[48:44] What was their first dance?

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.

“Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind”  This week, we finally try to find the actual meaning behind Taylor Swift's "willow" (evermore, 2020), starting with the witchy mythology behind the title (hello, Hecate, Greek goddess of magic and the underworld) and tracing a real power dynamic underneath it. 

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:

"willow", evermore (2020)

“The Odyssey” Deep Dive (E136) 

Aesthetic Theory (E29)

Witches (E60)

Hecate, Greek goddess of magic and the underworld

Harry Potter and the Whomping Willow

Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow

"WAP", Cardi B

How I Met Your Mother

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Intro — continuing last week's Odyssey deep dive into "willow" 

[01:59] The title: willow mythology, Hecate, and witchy vibes 

[05:26] “I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night”

[17:07] “Lost in your current like a priceless wine”

[28:55] “Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind”

[42:49] “I come back stronger than a 90s trend”

[59:04] The purpose of the song 

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.

“In silent screams and wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this. This love is good. This love is bad. This love is alive back from the dead.”

This week we’re setting sail on one of history’s greatest epics, Homer’s The Odyssey, and asking a very important question... did Taylor Swift write it? (We’re mostly joking. Mostly.) In this Show & Tell episode, we each make the case for a Taylor Swift song that illuminates a different facet of the Odyssey, from Penelope’s 20-year vigil to Odysseus weeping on a gorgeous island, to the sirens, the wine-dark sea, and a very significant scar. Along the way, the hosts dig into questions of translation and interpretation — particularly the significance of Emily Wilson’s landmark female translation of the text — discuss the role of Athena in the story of the epic, and geek out about the archery contest that shows up in both the Odyssey and two Indian epics. Plus: the upcoming Christopher Nolan adaptation, the musical Epic by Jorge Rivera, Madeline Miller’s Circe, and why All Too Well (10 Minute Version) might just be Taylor’s own Odyssey.

 

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

 

Songs Discussed in This Episode:

This Love — Taylor Swift (1989, 2014) | Written by Taylor Swift and Nathan Chapman

I Don’t Want to Live Forever — Taylor Swift & Zayn (Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, 2017) | Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Sam Dew

Willow — Taylor Swift (evermore, 2020) | Written by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner

 

Honorable Mentions:

Long Story Short (evermore) — previously discussed in our Greek Mythology episode (E67)

Breathe (Fearless)

Treacherous (Red)

The Great War (Midnights)

The Story of Us (Speak Now)

High Infidelity (Midnights)

Castle’s Crumbling (feat. Hayley Williams, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version))

Dear Reader (Midnights)

State of Grace (Red)

Gold Rush (evermore)

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Odyssey, Homer (trans. Emily Wilson)

The Odyssey, Homer (trans. Robert Fagles)

Circe, Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood

Epic: The Musical, Jorge Rivera-Herrans

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (upcoming film)

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) — mentioned as a potential “Taylor’s Odyssey”

Ulysses, James Joyce (briefly mentioned)

 

Episode Highlights:

[~00:01] Welcome and why the Odyssey, why now

[~10:45] Maansi’s pick: This Love as Penelope’s story — the weaving scheme, the suitors, and letting go

[~24:00] Jenn’s pick: I Don’t Want to Live Forever as Odysseus refusing immortality on Calypso’s island

[~38:27] Jodi’s pick: Willow — ships, the wine-dark sea, Charybdis, the sirens, and the bait-and-switch of Odysseus’ return

[~01:00:19] Honorable mentions: Breathe, Treacherous, The Great War, The Story of Us, High Infidelity, Castle’s Crumbling, Dear Reader, State of Grace, Gold Rush

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.