Taylor’s track 2, “Elizabeth Taylor,” is about both the shine and the shadow of mega-celebrity life. In the lyrics, our showgirl narrator examines the way fame can make you priceless, but also untouchable.  In this analysis, we’ll explore how Taylor Swift exposes the grief of glamour, mourning the loneliness of being loved as an image instead of a person. Beneath the sparkle lies something devastatingly human: the longing to be seen, not just watched. We’ll give some essential context into Elizabeth Taylor (hint: her name was Kitty), look at the parallels between the two Taylors in life and in love, then dive straight into the lyrics.  Rolling Stone Elizabeth Taylor Interview ✨ Swiftly Sung Stories dives deep into Taylor Swift’s storytelling craft, exploring her lyrics through the lens of literature, emotion, and the art of songwriting.  📚 Subscribe for more Taylor Swift lyric analysis, literary breakdowns, and storytelling deep dives.  Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series, along with lyrical analysis of 250+ songs, close readings of all of Taylor’s prologues, lyric quizzes, and more at SwiftlySungStories.com. Video Versions on YouTube Find me on TikTok Instagram

Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” reimagines one of literature’s most tragic heroines, and asks what it really means to be saved. In this lyric analysis, we’ll explore how Taylor draws from Hamlet’s Ophelia while unraveling the contradiction at the heart of the song: the fantasy of the white knight versus the truth of self-rescue. Through themes of heartbreak, rebirth, and emotional transformation, Taylor turns despair into hope. But is our narrator really the damsel in distress, or has she always had the power to save herself? How is this song informed by others in Taylor’s discography, and how has her idea of happily ever after changed?  ✨ Swiftly Sung Stories dives deep into Taylor Swift’s storytelling craft, exploring her lyrics through the lens of literature, emotion, and the art of songwriting.  📚 Subscribe for more Taylor Swift lyric analysis, literary breakdowns, and storytelling deep dives.  Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series, along with lyrical analysis of 250+ songs, close readings of all of Taylor’s prologues, lyric quizzes, and more at SwiftlySungStories.com. Video Versions on YouTube Find me on TikTok Instagram Andrew Scott in Hamlet 

When you’re trying to understand a new Taylor Swift album, the best place to start is always the prologue. Taylor has included a prologue in every album since her self-titled debut, and they are always helpful in providing context, setting the scene, and understanding the “why” of the art that she creates.  In this episode, we’re dissecting her longest prologue yet: the epic 6-stanza poem from The Life of a Showgirl. I’ll take you line by line through the whole thing to see what we can learn about the album, the stories within it, and how this poem sets the scene for the narrative of Showgirl.  This episode kicks off my complete lyrical analysis of The Life of a Showgirl, with a 3 episodes released each week throughout the month of November.  📚 Subscribe for more Taylor Swift lyric analysis, literary breakdowns, and storytelling deep dives.  Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series, along with lyrical analysis of 250+ songs, close readings of all of Taylor’s prologues, lyric quizzes, and more at SwiftlySungStories.com. Video Versions on YouTube Find me on TikTok Instagram

Taylor Swift isn’t just a songwriter - she’s one of the greatest storytellers of our generation. But how does she craft these compelling narratives in song after song, and why do they hit us so hard? What’s her secret sauce?  In this episode of my Taylor Swift 101 series, we’re breaking down Taylor’s storytelling techniques piece by piece. We’ll dive into each of her narrative and literary elements, from point of view to metaphor to imagery to character building, dissecting some of her most potent lyrics as examples along the way.  The secret of Taylor’s storytelling is all right here, in one video. And whether you’re a lit nerd already familiar with these concepts, or if you’re just learning the craft of writing, you’ll feel right at home here.  📚 Subscribe for more Taylor Swift lyric analysis, literary breakdowns, and storytelling deep dives.  Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series, along with lyrical analysis of 250+ songs, close readings of all of Taylor’s prologues, lyric quizzes, and more on SwiftlySungStories.com.  Audio-Only Podcast  Find me on TikTok Instagram

After reputation, Taylor Swift pressed the reset button. She had a new record label, a new outlook, and set out to make a new kind of album. But it wouldn’t be all rainbows and purple-pink skies: there were storms brewing on the horizon.  In the 3rd episode of my Taylor Swift 101 Series, we pick up where we left off in part 1 with the release of reputation. We’ll explore Taylor’s career from her Lover era through The Tortured Poet’s Department. We’ll cover the pandemic years with her journey into the folklore & evermore woods, her splash back into pop music with Midnights, the re-record process with her Taylor’s Version albums, the roller coaster ride of The Eras Tour, and her introspective look at fame and identity in TTPD.  Through it all, we’ll uncover how and why her songwriting and storytelling has changed, and what it might be able to tell us about the upcoming The Life of a Showgirl.  Please note: in this episode, like in all of my work, I don’t discuss Taylor Swift’s personal or private life. My focus is on the art and how the artist creates it, and while her muses do matter in some contexts, I prefer to study her storytelling craft and professional endeavors.  Check out the full TS 101 Series at SwiftlySungStories.com Video Episodes: YouTube Audio-Only Podcast TikTok: @SwiftlySungStories

There was a time when Taylor Swift got rejected from every record label she approached. Today, there would be a billion-dollar bidding war to get the chance to work with her. So how did she get here?  In the second episode of my Taylor Swift 101 Series, we're going back to the first page. This is part one of the complete timeline of Taylor Swift’s career, from her beginnings as a small town girl in Pennsylvania to her rise to the top of the charts. We’ll uncover how she crafted one of the most remarkable careers in modern music, and how she used storytelling to get there.  We’ll discuss her fresh-faced country debut with her self-titled album, the bold and glittering fairytale of Fearless, her first concept album Speak Now, the heartbreaking tracks of Red, the pop-minded 1989, and her post-cancellation comeback (and most iconic album), reputation.  Through her eras we’ll uncover how she built the Swiftie fandom brick by brick, what made her unique in the pop music landscape, and how her songwriting has changed from album to album.  This is the story of Taylor Swift, from one carefully crafted era to the next.  Please note: in this episode, like in all of my work, I don’t discuss Taylor Swift’s personal or private life. My focus is on the art and how the artist creates it, and while her muses do matter in some contexts, I prefer to study her storytelling craft and professional endeavors. Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series at SwiftlySungStories.com Video Episodes: YouTube Audio-Only Podcast TikTok: @SwiftlySungStories

Taylor Swift is about to take over the world again with her highly anticipated release of TS12: The Life of a Showgirl. But how did she get here, how did we get here, and why does she even matter?  How did a young girl from Pennsylvania become the most significant, prolific storyteller of our time? Why does she captivate us to the point of madness, why does her music resonate so deeply, and how do her stories reflect our own stories?  In the first episode of the Taylor Swift 101 series, your Swiftie English teacher dives into 5 major reasons why Taylor really matters, and the answers might not be what you think.    Resources  Check out the full TS 101 Lesson Series at SwiftlySungStories.com, along with lyrical analysis of 250+ songs, close readings of all of Taylor’s prologues, lyric quizzes, and more.  Find My Video Episodes on YouTube TikTok: @SwiftlySungStories