The Taylor Seminars

• From "Burning Red" to "Maroon"

  We dive into the next sleepless night, and we are transported into the Red era. But everything has changed as Taylor reexamines that "passionate as sin" relationship from new angles in Track 2 of Midnights, "Maroon." This tumultuous love affair was chronicled throughout Taylor's fourth studio album, Red, especially in songs like "Red" and "All Too Well," which we definitely reference in this week's episode. Hannah and Exquisite discuss how Taylor dissects the "burning red" color and exposes its many different shades, before she eventually (and perhaps inevitably) identifies a richer, darker, more complex color: maroon. The two also discuss how this song demonstrates how Taylor is a master storyteller and wordsmith. She crafts parallel stories in each verse that have radically different conclusions. We also see how Taylor revisits themes of the power of memory and legacy in the chorus and bridge that she has in so many of her songs. And Hannah and Exquisite discuss how, at midnight, we can finally have an epiphany about the changes we need to make--because we see the connections between our past selves and our present--and so we need to run. BONUS: We also read some "Maroon" analysis from the new book Stars Around My Scars by friend of the podcast, Dr. Elly McCausland. Check out her book here, You can also follow her on Instagram! Enjoy the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠Send us a tip on Ko-Fi! ⁠⁠⁠ Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #MidnightsSeminars Follow us on Twitter: Taylor Seminars Hannah Exquisite Cover Art by Alef Vernon Instagram Patreon

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• The Clock Strikes 12: The Prologue & Lavender Haze

  We met Taylor at midnight, and we were in for an album filled with questions, regrets, self-loathing, hope, fear, anger, and everything in between. Exquisite & Hannah dive into the Midnight's prologue, searching for clues to why she wrote the album--and how it even impacted The Tortured Poets Department. We also delve into the first track, "Lavender Haze," where they talk about analyzing the song as it was written AND how hindsight can change the way we look at songs--but BOTH are valid and important. Enjoying the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send us a tip!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #MidnightsSeminars! Follow us on Twitter @ We're also trying to update an Instagram: ⁠@thetaylorseminars⁠ Cover art by Alef Vernon: Instagram: Twitter:

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• What Happens Before the Clock Strikes Midnight?

  What if we told you we're going back to the Midnights era? For this season of The Taylor Seminars, we're going to examine the tracks of the 2024 Album of the Year Midnights by Taylor Swift. But before we dive into the album, we need to do some context. That's why for this pre-Midnights episode, Exquisite and Hannah discuss two songs that have not been released on a Taylor Swift album: "Renegade," in which Taylor collaborates with Big Red Machine and "You're Losing Me," which was released during the Eras tour, was written in 2021 (!!!), and released as a separate Midnights vault track (but not on any of the deluxe albums). Listen in so you can see why these two songs are crucial for understanding Midnights--and why they're both amazing songs and standouts in Taylor's discography. Enjoying the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send us a tip!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #MidnightsSeminars! Follow us on Twitter: @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @⁠sippingaugust ⁠(Hannah) @⁠exquisitewill ⁠(Exquisite) Cover Art by Alef Vernon: @⁠alefvernonart ⁠on Instagram @⁠alefvernon ⁠on Twitter ⁠Follow Alef on Patreon⁠

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• The Tortured Poets Department - The Aftermath

  It's been an amazing 9-month journey we've been on with The Tortured Poets Department. We're off to one more trip to those shores with our recap episode, "The Aftermath." Listen in as Hannah and Exquisite share their final thoughts on the album (yes we include extra time on "So Long, London"), including what we would consider the "thesis statement" of the album. We'll be back next week... meet us at midnight? Enjoy the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠Send us a tip on Ko-Fi! ⁠⁠⁠ Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #AnthologySeminars! Follow us on Twitter: @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠(Hannah) @⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite) Cover Art by Alef Vernon: @⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram @⁠⁠⁠alefvernon ⁠⁠⁠on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on Patreon⁠⁠⁠

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  1:16:34
• The Manuscript aka GROWTH

  We can't believe it either but we've reached the last track of The Tortured Poets Department: Anthology. That means we've reached "The Manuscript," a self-written closing track that truly helps wrap up this double album. They talk about the song's connection to "All Too Well (10 Minute Version" and its connection to one of the grand themes of TTPD of loss of innocence and yet we see such growth. And we'll be back in the next episode with a wrap-up/reflection of the entire album! Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #AnthologySeminars! Enjoy the podcast? Send us a tip on Ko-Fi! Follow us on Twitter: @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @sippingaugust (Hannah) @exquisitewill (Exquisite) Cover Art by Alef Vernon: @alefvernonart on Instagram @alefvernon on Twitter Follow Alef on Patreon

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