I absolutely love your analysis on this album! So many literary connections I can’t even keep up with and your callbacks to previous lyrics are encyclopedic. It’s a refreshing take: to not review if TTPD her best or worst work, but about piecing together the truly tragic themes she’s tried sharing for the last 10 years. She’s begged the mainstream fan base to stop chasing a paternity test for her muses and just hear her words. But they fail to read and listen to what she’s saying. To absorb her stellar commentary on fame, loneliness, loss of a childhood. I can’t wait to read more!
👏👏👏 Love this so much, Ren. The poetry of this album is found beneath the surface, for those who care to look beyond because we believe Taylor has way more interesting things to write about than boyfriends and breakups. Taylor urging fans to make this story theirs, declaring it’s not hers anymore signals the end of all the eras of perpetuating this tired narrative (burn all the files, desert all your past lives). She has indeed been in a trap, a self-made cage that she’s ready to deconstruct like she kicked down the walls of the set in the Lavender Haze music video. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Could NOT agree more. Love your insights, glad to have found your analysis on socials , it’s changed fundamentally how I engage with music, and especially Taylor’s. This album release has recontextualized everything for me. It’s about her. It had always been about her, and always will be and anything else is a red herring
“Sharpened our digital pitchforks” is a line as sharp as the pitchforks themselves. Your analyses continue to talk me down from a very tall something after listening to another standard narrative take. Where are the wise swifties? Darling, I’m scared.
I love your observations! I’ve yet to read a critique of TTPD that looks beyond the headline grabbing relationship narrative. Who TF cares about her love life anymore? Besides her obvious talent for communicating the gut wrenching feeling they can make us all feel, I throughly enjoy her take on the industry, patriarchy, power dynamics, etc. I think she’s an incredible director and I want to see her talents branch out. I was hoping for a book of poetry, with topics that have nothing to do with romantic love. Because her music career while incredibly successful and impressive seems to feel like it’s all been done.
This is so good & you are rearranging my brain, but I’m so confused. I’m am a Taylor fan since debut & a 1975 fan. I totally understand what you are saying. But could it also be about Matty? 2 things can be true. There are just so many parallels between their music & art. The romantic in me wants to believe she is singing about him and they both have been communicating to each other through their art but the critical thinker says otherwise. I always reference back to her NYU speech. She literally says she protects her private life fiercely. That’s why I believe every public relationship of hers has been pr. I’ve known all these years the little references to each other in their art so I tend to believe this is the love she protected fiercely. Or is he just part of the game? Has he been paying along all these years leaving little hints to her so she could respond in her own way. Like they didn’t really have a on & off relationship, but instead were & still are really good friends & are concocting this story for what? Idk all this to say has he also been bait & switching his fans making them think he’s singing about her & in actuality he’s just been playing along the whole time? Ugh sorry so long I’m just so confused.
I feel this-sometimes I wonder if I am setting myself up for disappointment by just wanting it to be deeper than it actually is 😬 but like you with her NYU speech, I always go back to the rep prologue (not to mention the mountain of lyrics that have double meanings and repeat the same patterns that don't make much sense with the public facing narrative and timelines). Idk much about MH but from what I have seen, I don't think it's a stretch that he would be willing (even eager) to be part of a huge piece of performance art playing out to such a massive audience. And like you said, they do seem to be close friends. Also-there are pictures of them at Electric Lady that don't seem to fit the timeline of their "relationship/breakup"? Hard to say because we don't know specific dates, but the timing seems off. I just think she's too brilliant an artist to be so one dimensional, so I'm choosing to have faith unless proven wrong. Just want you to know you're not alone in feeling confused sometimes!
From what I’m seeing she has us all confused, but with the help of Ren & other level headed swifties I think I’m starting to understand it. Yea Matty is all about the performance art. This whole last era of theirs included a whole performance art bit where he focused on being a toxic male rockstar & how toxic masculinity hurts women & men. I don’t know him personally but I do know that he speaks up for women’s rights, lgbtq community, male violence, misogyny & champions climate neutral concerts. But he’s willing to sacrifice his appearance for the art I guess. His parents are both actors so it’s in his blood. I do hope they are still good friends & still believe she is part of “the band”. Thanks for making me feel better about being confused lol!
I’m so confused now… and wanting to know more. Who do we think is the 10 year situationship? Do we think DA was her deepest love and KK was the crook who was caught? I feel like so much of this album could be Karlie coded. Also, I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface on all the literary references. My mind is so blown. Do we really think Joe was a 6 year PR relationship? That’s a long time to be with someone if you’re not into it. I don’t even know what to think about MH and Travis. I 100% have thought Travis was a PR relationship but she does “appear” happy so now I’m just confused. Back down the rabbit hole I go. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us!! I’m shook. Haha.
I've been binging your content since TTPD came out and omg it's like peeling back a layer on her lyrics! i'm seeing all the songs so differently now that I know how to connect them and the themes. you are blessed with true sight!
I absolutely love your analysis on this album! So many literary connections I can’t even keep up with and your callbacks to previous lyrics are encyclopedic. It’s a refreshing take: to not review if TTPD her best or worst work, but about piecing together the truly tragic themes she’s tried sharing for the last 10 years. She’s begged the mainstream fan base to stop chasing a paternity test for her muses and just hear her words. But they fail to read and listen to what she’s saying. To absorb her stellar commentary on fame, loneliness, loss of a childhood. I can’t wait to read more!
I think it's because her fan base is younger than she is. They're not at the same life phase.
👏👏👏 Love this so much, Ren. The poetry of this album is found beneath the surface, for those who care to look beyond because we believe Taylor has way more interesting things to write about than boyfriends and breakups. Taylor urging fans to make this story theirs, declaring it’s not hers anymore signals the end of all the eras of perpetuating this tired narrative (burn all the files, desert all your past lives). She has indeed been in a trap, a self-made cage that she’s ready to deconstruct like she kicked down the walls of the set in the Lavender Haze music video. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Could NOT agree more. Love your insights, glad to have found your analysis on socials , it’s changed fundamentally how I engage with music, and especially Taylor’s. This album release has recontextualized everything for me. It’s about her. It had always been about her, and always will be and anything else is a red herring
i think this is my favorite piece you’ve written yet. so well written
Thank you!!! Even my gaylor group chat won’t stop stalking about all these MEN and it’s driving me BONKERS
“Sharpened our digital pitchforks” is a line as sharp as the pitchforks themselves. Your analyses continue to talk me down from a very tall something after listening to another standard narrative take. Where are the wise swifties? Darling, I’m scared.
I love your observations! I’ve yet to read a critique of TTPD that looks beyond the headline grabbing relationship narrative. Who TF cares about her love life anymore? Besides her obvious talent for communicating the gut wrenching feeling they can make us all feel, I throughly enjoy her take on the industry, patriarchy, power dynamics, etc. I think she’s an incredible director and I want to see her talents branch out. I was hoping for a book of poetry, with topics that have nothing to do with romantic love. Because her music career while incredibly successful and impressive seems to feel like it’s all been done.
This is so good & you are rearranging my brain, but I’m so confused. I’m am a Taylor fan since debut & a 1975 fan. I totally understand what you are saying. But could it also be about Matty? 2 things can be true. There are just so many parallels between their music & art. The romantic in me wants to believe she is singing about him and they both have been communicating to each other through their art but the critical thinker says otherwise. I always reference back to her NYU speech. She literally says she protects her private life fiercely. That’s why I believe every public relationship of hers has been pr. I’ve known all these years the little references to each other in their art so I tend to believe this is the love she protected fiercely. Or is he just part of the game? Has he been paying along all these years leaving little hints to her so she could respond in her own way. Like they didn’t really have a on & off relationship, but instead were & still are really good friends & are concocting this story for what? Idk all this to say has he also been bait & switching his fans making them think he’s singing about her & in actuality he’s just been playing along the whole time? Ugh sorry so long I’m just so confused.
I feel this-sometimes I wonder if I am setting myself up for disappointment by just wanting it to be deeper than it actually is 😬 but like you with her NYU speech, I always go back to the rep prologue (not to mention the mountain of lyrics that have double meanings and repeat the same patterns that don't make much sense with the public facing narrative and timelines). Idk much about MH but from what I have seen, I don't think it's a stretch that he would be willing (even eager) to be part of a huge piece of performance art playing out to such a massive audience. And like you said, they do seem to be close friends. Also-there are pictures of them at Electric Lady that don't seem to fit the timeline of their "relationship/breakup"? Hard to say because we don't know specific dates, but the timing seems off. I just think she's too brilliant an artist to be so one dimensional, so I'm choosing to have faith unless proven wrong. Just want you to know you're not alone in feeling confused sometimes!
From what I’m seeing she has us all confused, but with the help of Ren & other level headed swifties I think I’m starting to understand it. Yea Matty is all about the performance art. This whole last era of theirs included a whole performance art bit where he focused on being a toxic male rockstar & how toxic masculinity hurts women & men. I don’t know him personally but I do know that he speaks up for women’s rights, lgbtq community, male violence, misogyny & champions climate neutral concerts. But he’s willing to sacrifice his appearance for the art I guess. His parents are both actors so it’s in his blood. I do hope they are still good friends & still believe she is part of “the band”. Thanks for making me feel better about being confused lol!
I’m so confused now… and wanting to know more. Who do we think is the 10 year situationship? Do we think DA was her deepest love and KK was the crook who was caught? I feel like so much of this album could be Karlie coded. Also, I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface on all the literary references. My mind is so blown. Do we really think Joe was a 6 year PR relationship? That’s a long time to be with someone if you’re not into it. I don’t even know what to think about MH and Travis. I 100% have thought Travis was a PR relationship but she does “appear” happy so now I’m just confused. Back down the rabbit hole I go. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us!! I’m shook. Haha.
I've been binging your content since TTPD came out and omg it's like peeling back a layer on her lyrics! i'm seeing all the songs so differently now that I know how to connect them and the themes. you are blessed with true sight!