I've been a fan since her debut album and was lucky enough to attend the Fearless tour in 2009. TTPD has been a fascinating album for me. I find the title & academic aesthetic a bit cringe, but Taylor has never been one to shy away from embracing cringe. TTPD has some career highs for her (Smallest Man Who Ever Lived ) and also some of my least favorite tracks (The Alchemy and So High School are lyrically not standouts to me). The album overall is sitting pretty low on my ranking of her work at the moment but I can see that changing as I understand the project more. It's a lot to unpack at once and I'm curious to see how my perception of it changes over time. I also wanted to admit I too have been a Gaylor at points. At this point, I think my interpretation of her work reflects my own queer identity and I can't speak for her, since she's never said she's anything but straight. Finally.... Travis is mid and I fully believe her best work has been inspired by more unhinged men.
I came around a lot on the Alchemy once I listened to it thinking about it being about her career I think I read so much of this album as her singing to herself (whether in a gaylor way or not, also thank you for the solidarity lol) and in THAT context, "hey you, what if I told you we're cool" saves the entire song for me. Hey you. (self, younger authentic version who was sacrificed for fame/is doing the haunting in Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me.) This pop star who used to be so mocked and reviled and made fun of for being uncool ("who's taylor swift anyway ew"). what if I told you we're cool (now.) as in it's so cool to like Taylor Swift right now like it hasn't ever been before, everyone got so into her during the pandemic. I think it's like Clara Bow and Thank You Aimee where its like expounding on the "I built a legacy that you can't undo" and that really switched it from being a skip to me to where now I can like it. Same with So High School if I divorce the sound and the lyrics. I think it's unbelievable that Smallest Man is not a track five omg. I feel like that was intentional. Like So Long London is a sad song but I think it's not the most "oh fuck" song like Smallest Man is on that first half!!! Genuinely manages to outpace All Too Well which is not something she's come close to many times imo. Even 10 minute version doesn't quite outpace All Too Well stolen version. I can't stop listening to it. I also came around on So High School a little when I went back into gaylor mode with it lol -- I don't think "I'm trying to stifle my sighs" is meant at all to be read as "this is like a shitty comphet teenage relationship and I'm embarassed about it and trying to make myself like it" (cheeks pink in the twinkling lights! she's embarassed) but it's so fun to play pretend like it is lol. It also helps me think "are you gonna marry kiss or kill me, it's just a game but really, IM BETTING ON ALL THREE" is less unsettling if the song is ironic lmao but I fear it is not -- but that whole "get my car door isn't that sweet" that's just delicious to pretend is about her directing a big bearing stunt with her ugly mid boyfriend I unfortunately do believe she is actually with lol. The Black Dog is also a career high for me I think. That ending stretch from Look in People's Window through the manuscript is so good, It's crazy how much the second half of this album saved it for me. If it had just been the first half this really might have gotten me out of the Taylor Swift listening habit for a long time again like Midnights did, but I'm sure she's going to be my top artist again this year lol.
@@ophie-dokie Okay I like that interpretation of The Alchemy! There's a thread throughout this album of her journey as an artist in the public eye that I think is a really beautiful continuation of the themes of Midnights. In that light, The Alchemy is such a self-assured & celebratory song. To be honest, I've been caught up on the football/sports imagery on that track as a misdirection from the "Heroin but this time with an E" line, which I've mentally connected to her time with Matty. It just feels so Matty-core to me in regards to the rest of the mentions of addiction on the album. Getting caught up in the muse debate though can stand in the way of more interesting ideas present in her work. So High School is sonically one of her best tracks. Like The Alchemy, I dislike the sports imagery and I don't know if I'll warm up to it or not. She's SO unhinged for the Marry Kiss or Kill Me line though and I love unhinged Taylor. The sighs being a Gaylor moment really sells the song for me more than the idea of Taylor and Travis getting hot and heavy in front of his friends lmao. As I mentioned earlier though the "2000s coming of age teen blockbuster" vibes of this song are sooooooo good. Totally agree on the second half of the album. Adore The Black Dog, The Albatross, The Prophecy, Robin, I Look in People's Windows... I could go on. I enjoy The Manuscript lyrically more than I do sonically but it really ties together all of her work to date. I'm so excited to see where she goes from here. I'm biased towards Debut because of nostalgia so I'm excited for that re-release. Curious to see what she does with Rep TV too! It's an amazing time to be a Taylor fan.
love the nuance corner and the nuance! i'm a casual Taylor listener, and i've been chewing a lot on TTPD. it's genuinely very enjoyable seeing how much you openly enjoy listening, thinking, and talking about her music whi8le not treating her as a god. thanks for the watch, felt like i was chatting with a friend.
You can’t imagine the pure elation I feel finding someone who feels about Taylor swift the exact same way I do❤ down to feeling the same about midnights!! (That it seemed rushed, although I actually loooove the bonus tracks from midnights because they feel like remnants from the folklore/evermore era to me) Also your prediction about the Kim phone call in the upcoming tour doc is amazing and I really hope that’s the case and that this was something they were both in on for the PR lol
Thank you!!!! I've been spending more time with the midnights bonus tracks this month and I totally agree, they're WAY better than I thought they were at first blush! Hits Different should have been the album closer, another reason I feel like she's pointing us toward the 3am and then 2am and whatever comes after 1 (LGB?!?!). I so hope I'm right about Kim call lol I will never shut up about it if I am lol. Thank you for the comment I'm so glad you enjoyed!!
2:08 well I told a friend of mine once that I was pretty sure Taylor was no stranger to having… uhhh shall we say, “illicit affairs” due to the way I was identifying with certain songs. And ,y friend was like… I don’t see that in those songs at all.. I just think this means… xyz… I think we can all agree I called that right, by this point. I do think there is something to be said for our personal experience and sometimes when you experience something and then identify with other certain things… it can give you some extra perceptibility in terms of that thing. (She said supportively)
I'd love a nuance corner video about Taylor Swift's new album! I haven't listened to it too closely yet but I do like it and your thoughts on it are really interesting.
As someone who knows little to nothing of Swiftie lore this is really fascinating. You should also never apologize for liking Taylor Swift. She is so much fun
