At the very moment Taylormania was hitting preposterous heights, threatening to turn the artist at its center into an untouchable icon, it turns out that the real Taylor Swift was spending her time between glittery three-hour concerts making some of her most fearless art.
On the new episode of our weekly Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield join host Brian Hiatt for a deep, track-by-track breakdown of the first half of Poets.
(They’ll dig into the second half on another episode, coming soon.)
The album has prompted wildly divergent reactions, but our episode concentrates on unpacking lyrical mysteries, musical influences, and more.
Go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.
Trending The album’s title track drops all obfuscation, cracking her beloved Easter eggs wide open as she directly addresses her short but apparently wildly intense relationship with the 1975’s Matty Healy.
With Joni Mitchell-worthy candor, Swift offers a startling self-assessment of what the two artists had in common: “We’re crazy,” she sings, stacking harmonies on that descriptor for emphasis.
And then there’s “But Daddy I Love Him,” where Swift unleashes pure hellfire on the “fans” who sought to lecture her on the inappropriateness of the Healy relationship.
It has come to light that the real Taylor Swift was creating some of her most daring art in between glittering three-hour concerts, right at the height of Taylormania, which threatened to elevate the artist at its center to an untouchable icon. The Anthology, The Tortured Poets Department, is filled to the brim with Swift’s most raw, angry, and candid songs to date. It’s the exact opposite of the focus-grouped, ingratiating blandness that some might anticipate from a performer with her magnitude of fame.
This week’s Rolling Stone Music Now podcast features a track-by-track analysis of the first half of Poets by host Brian Hiatt, Brittany Spanos, and Rob Sheffield. (They’ll discuss the second half in a future episode. Although there have been a wide range of responses to the album, our episode focuses on exploring lyrical mysteries, musical influences, and other aspects. Choose your preferred podcast provider by going here, or just hit the play button above to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
becoming popular.
In the album’s title track, she breaks all pretense and reveals her love for the 1975’s Matty Healy, opening up about their brief but intense relationship. Swift offers a startling self-evaluation of what the two artists had in common with Joni Mitchell-level candor: “We’re crazy,” she sings, adding harmonies to emphasize the statement. And then there’s “But Daddy I Love Him,” in which Swift lets loose a torrent of abuse directed at the “fans” who tried to teach her a lesson about how inappropriate the Healy relationship was. She bellows almost fiercely, “I’ll tell you something about my good name.”. It’s all mine to embarrass. Not to be missed is the sardonic and terrifying song “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” in which she reprises her role as Dark Taylor from “Look What You Made Me Do,” multiplied by the monster from “Anti-Hero.”. “.
