The Taylor Seminars

We are back to talking Evermore (finally), and we're back with one of Taylor's most devastating songs: "Tolerate It." And you better sit down for this one. This song follows a woman who is completely overlooked by her (much older) partner, a story that has been told and retold both in literature and in Taylor's own discography. We travel to songs from "All Too Well"...

Taylor Swift has been named as part of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, entering in her first year of eligibility! The Taylor Seminars wanted to congratulate her by going through the list of five songs she submitted for consideration: "All Too Well (10 Minute Version") "Love Story" "Blank Space" "Anti-Hero" "The Last Great American Dynasty" Our hosts...

We've reached the last track on Taylor Swift's,  The Life of a Showgirl, the title track "The Life of a Showgirl" . This closer features Sabrina Carpenter as "Kitty", and Exquisite and Hannah unpack Kitty's relationship with the song's protagonist. We hope you've enjoyed our journey through this album! Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a p...

It's time for the sweetest song on Taylor Swift's,  The Life of a Showgirl, " Honey" . This underrated gem is full of beautiful sentiment, growth, and a lot of sensuality. Exquisite and Hannah also connect this song to many other Taylor Swift songs, including "Call It What You Want." Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

It's 2026, and for our first episode of the year, we're doing a special recap of "The End of an Era" docuseries on Disney+. Exquisite & Hannah condensed their thoughts into one hour-long episode, where they discuss what stood out, moments that were inspiration, and what made them cry. We're so grateful for this little community here. We'll be back next week to continu...

It's time for "CANCELLED!" Track 10 on Taylor Swift's,  The Life of a Showgirl. This song fully embraces theatricality as its protagonist revels in her perceived wickedness and embrace of those rejected by the public for "one single drop." While Hannah and Exquisite may not have the same opinion when it comes to how much they like the song, they both agree with how infe...

We're so happy that we've reached "Wood," Track 9 on Taylor Swift's,  The Life of a Showgirl. This song combines the joy of "Opalite" and the sweetness of "Wi$h Li$t" to create an infectious song that creates innuendos that make Hannah and Exquisite cackle. We also reference Taylor's poem "If You're Anything Like Me." Want to support Exqu...

We've reached Track 8 on  The Life of a Showgirl,  "Wi$h Li$t," which Taylor Swift has called one of her favorite tracks on the album — and it's easy to see why with her phenomenal vocals and underrated clever lyrics. Join Exquisite and Hannah as they groove to the beat and say how much they love Taylor's performance, especially on the word "wow." And, stick around...

Taylor Swift leans into her Mean Girl persona with "Actually Romantic," Track 7 of he Life of a Showgirl,  In this episode, Hannah & Exquisite talk about how this song isn't about punching down but about hitting back in the pop arena. It's also a song about letting the haters know that we appreciate all their kind and overwhelming attention. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming...

We've reached one of the highlights of  The Life of a Showgirl,  "Ruin the Friendship." Are you ready to go back to high school with us?  Taylor Swift returns to her old high school in Nashville to paint us a picture of what it's like to choose cautious discretion over inconvenient risk—and she realizes it's not worth it. Join Exquisite and Hannah as we drive shotgun with our...

We've reached the Track 5 on  The Life of a Showgirl,  "Eldest Daughter." Track 5s are known as Taylor's most vulnerable album tracks, and so Exquisite and Hannah spend time carefully uncovering the overwriting and cringe allegations. Hint: They're both true—but Taylor does it on purpose. There's a method to her madness, and it leads to one of the best bridges she's e...

Track 4 on  The Life of a Showgirl,  "Father Figure," is one of Taylor's strongest songs on the album, and so Exquisite and Hannah take extra time to delve into every single detail on this album. This song is the perfect example of the type of songwriting Taylor said she wanted to create:  folklore- type storytelling with an infectious pop melody. Here, we clearly see Taylor fully em...

"Opalite" from  The Life of a Showgirl  is infectiously comforting, full of advice that lifts you up up up up! Join Exquisite and Hannah as they discuss track 3 and how its advice shows Taylor's growth from reliving bad habits to realizing that she makes her own sunshine—and so can you!  Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming aprofessor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d...

Elizabeth Taylor from “The Life of a Showgirl” is full of references to the famous actress, but it’s also full of confidence from Taylor Swift herself. Join Exquisite and Hannah as they discuss this standout track 2.  Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤...

We're SO back with Track 1 of The Life of a Showgirl : "The Fate of Ophelia." With references to Shakespeare and Taylor Swift's own "The Albatross," this glorious song is a triumphant return to Taylor's bright pop creativity while also retaining the lyrical and storytelling strengths she has cultivated throughout her career. Join Exquisite and Hannah as they analyze...

We dive deeper into The Life of a Showgirl as Taylor pulls back the curtains via her album poem and Showgirl film . In fact, we think getting the right context for this album is crucial to truly appreciating it. So listen in as Exquisite and Hannah read and analyze the poem and discuss "The Fate of Ophelia" music video. ( You can read the entire poem here .) Join us next time as they discuss Track...

The Life of a Showgirl is out! And Exquisite and Hannah are here with their initial reactions of the album. (Spoiler: They love it). Listen as they talk about the album overall and give their first impressions of each track in this short episode. But don't worry, they'll be back again to give more reactions after they both see the film. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming...

It's now less than one week until "The Life of a Showgirl" drops, and Exquisite and Hannah are balls of anxiety. They drop in for a quick update to let you know our upcoming schedule. We can't wait to listen to this album with you!!!!!!!!!!!! Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here: ⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠ Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠Support...

To continue to celebrate the engagement of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce, Exquisite and Hannah go through the theme of marriage (and separation) in Taylor's discography, from folklore to The Tortured Poets Department . (Check out our previous episode for Part 1!) Taylor Swift gives a more complex and nuanced view of long-term relationships through the safety of auto-fiction in folklore and e...

To celebrate the engagement of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce, Exquisite and Hannah go through the theme of marriage in Taylor's discography, from Taylor Swift to Lover . (They would've kept going but the episode went too long.) Taylor Swift talks about this institution in myriad ways, whether daydreaming about it, taking inspiration from others' marriages, and creating fictionalized...

We're out of the haze and back under dazzling lights in this new episode of The Taylor Seminars, and we're ready to discuss more of this new universe Taylor is revealing, variant by variant. So yes, we talk about the covers, but we also talk about the feeling of accomplishment that comes with each performance, even if it's accompanied by exhaustion. We also apologize to evermore . So j...

Even though they predicted it, Exquisite and Hannah were shocked by the drop of TS12, aka The Life of a Showgirl . They interrupt this "evermore" season with their first reactions to the new album. Listen in to hear their overall thoughts and a track-by-track sort-of-rapid-fire impressions. Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠   Follow us on Twitter: - ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

One of the greatest holiday songs to come out this century, "Tis the Damn Season" from evermore is a Taylor Swift song that's a modern take on the classic story of returning to one's hometown--and all the complex feelings and love that we rediscover. This gorgeous song features hints from her past albums, like Fearless Taylor's Version and also looks forward to songs like &qu...

What must it be like to write the hauntingly beautiful, "Gold Rush," track 3 of Taylor Swift's album evermore ? Join Hannah and Exquisite as they mine the depths of this gorgeous song, including its fascinating song structure and the beauty of the rhymes. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️ And don’t forget to join the conversation with #EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter   Fol...

Join Exquisite and Hannah as they discuss Eras-tour favorite "Champagne Problems" from Taylor Swift's album evermore . This track 2 features incredible storytelling from beginning to end, with a protagonist who wishes the best for her former partner while subtly disclosing that maybe he never really loved her--or knew her. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️...