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PODCAST

The Taylor Seminars

The Taylor Seminars

Studying the impact of Taylor Swift through 1-hour-ish seminars with Hannah (@sippingaugust) and Exquisite (@exquisitewill). The two discuss track-by-track analysis of each track on Taylor Swift"s albums. They are currently discussing "The Life of a Showgirl" and have already completed episodes on TTPD and Midnights. Art Credit: Alef Vernon @alefvernon. Find him on Patreon!

music music commentary

All Episodes

00:52:21

Now the Music Video is "Opalite"!

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/02/08

Let's talk about the music video for "Opalite," track 3 on The Life of a Showgirl. Exquisite and Hannah discuss how Taylor Swift brilliantly captured the essence of the song and flexed her prowess as a director. We see a beautiful three-act structure with tons of symbolism and beautiful imagery. Join us for this Showgirl bonus episode!Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode

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01:04:06

"Tolerate It" Should Be Celebrated

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/02/05

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" to "Dear John" to "Better Man" to "Bejeweled" to "High

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01:00:25

Why Taylor Deserved to be Inducted into the...

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/02/01

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 Exquisite & Hannah go through each song in chronological order, discussing why each song deserved its

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00:37:19

Now YOU Know "The Life of a Showgirl"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/01/23

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 professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode

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00:39:12

Redefine All Of Your Blues with "Honey"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/01/16

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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The TaylorSeminars on Ko-fi

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00:52:18

It's Time for Our "An End of an Era" Recap

The Taylor Seminars ·

2026/01/09

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 continue our The Life of a Showgirl song analyses! Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a

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00:39:20

Good Thing We Like the Song "CANCELLED!"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/12/12

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 infectiously fun the performance is. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate

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00:41:40

"Wood" is Taylor at her Cocky-est (Re-upload)

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/12/06

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 Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here:

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00:37:23

Boss Up, Settle Down, and Listen to our Wish List...

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/12/01

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 for the end to hear what's on Exquisite & Hannah's own wish lists! Want to support Exquisite

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00:39:06

Want to Analyze "Actually Romantic"? Stop Talking...

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/11/23

Taylor Swift leans into her Mean Girl persona with "Actually Romantic," Track 7 ofhe 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 a professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support

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00:44:43

Our Advice on "Ruin the Friendship"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/11/16

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 hair undone in this podcast episode. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming aprofessor

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00:47:37

We're Never Gonna Let "Eldest Daughter" Down

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/11/08

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 ever written. Get ready to lie back and enjoy this episode. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to

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01:06:05

We Protect the "Father Figure"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/31

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 embodying a character who we find despicable, manipulative, and even violent. They take time to differentiate

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00:54:58

Now this Ep is "Opalite" (Oh, oh, oh, oh) (Reupload)

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/25

"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/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The TaylorSeminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠And don’t forget to join the

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00:31:22

Elizabeth Taylor is forever in our minds

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/20

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/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠And don’t forget to join the conversation with #ShowgirlSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on

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00:41:13

We Keep It 100 with "The Fate of Ophelia"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/10

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 this song line by line. We can't wait to do more episodes, and we're so glad you're tuning

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00:56:28

How to Love "The Life of Showgirl"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/06

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 1. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here:

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00:32:46

First Reaction to "The Life of a Showgirl"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/10/03

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 a professor? Donate here: ⁠⁠https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27d⁠⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Taylor

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00:08:59

The Overture to the Showgirl Era

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/09/27

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/ceaf3b27d⁠Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠⁠And don’t forget to join the conversation with #ShowgirlSeminars on

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01:17:24

Marriage in the Taylor Swift Universe (Part 2)

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/09/07

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 evermore. And then as we get into Midnights, we see her questioning her choices in the past and present,

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