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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!

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All Episodes

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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01:05:17

Marriage in the Taylor Swift Universe (Part 1)

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/08/29

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 stories. In other words, buckle up for "hellos" and "coming homes."Enjoy the episode

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00:37:51

The Life of a Showgirl: A Closer Look

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/08/22

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 join Exquisite and Hannah as they talk about what it means live in The life of A Showgirl.

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01:06:40

We Welcome "The Life of a Showgirl"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/08/15

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:- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)-

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00:46:27

Tis the Episode to Talk About "Tis the Damn Season"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/08/08

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 "You're On Your Own," and "Midnight Rain." Join Hannah & Exquisite for this

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00:29:06

We Excavate "Gold Rush"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/08/01

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 Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-

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00:42:13

Let's Drink to Her "Champagne Problems"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/07/25

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! ❤️And don’t forget to join the conversation with#EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:-

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00:38:29

Life was a "Willow" and We Bent Right To Its Wind

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/07/18

Join Exquisite and Hannah as they analyze Track 1 of Evermore , "Willow." This witchy track by Taylor Swift is filled with metaphors that remind us of so many of her past and future songs. (There's one connection that made Exquisite feel crazy!!!) Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don’t forget to join the conversation with #EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-

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00:33:03

For "Evermore"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/07/11

Step out of the labyrinth and into the witchy woods of Evermore in our latest season of "The Taylor Seminars." Exquisite and Hannah visit this beautiful album and discuss the themes and context around this beautiful album. Plus they share their favorite (and least favorite) tracks on the album. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don’t forget to join the conversation with#EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:-

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00:31:34

Meet Us at "The Alcott"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/07/04

Taylor Swift was featured in the beautiful song "The Alcott" from The National's album First Two Pages of Frankenstein, and Exquisite and Hannah wanted to cover it. Why? Well because it's also connected to "Exile", "Coney Island," and "You're Losing Me." Join them on this episode that links us to the next series we'll be covering in the Taylor Seminars: evermore.Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don’t forget to

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00:37:53

This Episode "Hits Different"

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/06/27

We come to the close of Midnights by Taylor Swift with the bonus track "Hits Different." Exquisite and Hannah parse the lyrics of this descriptive song, especially the word-vomit-y bridge in this latest episode. Listen to these argumentative, antithetical dream girls!Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don’t forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:-

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00:38:14

"Dear Reader" and the Weight of Being the Brightest Star

The Taylor Seminars ·

2025/06/20

Join Exquisite and Hannah as they discuss the closing track of Midnights by Taylor Swift, "Dear Reader." In this song that directly addresses her audience, Taylor drunkenly pours out her heart to us--strangers--AND pours the whiskey. Listen in as they connect this song to "This is Me Trying," "Mirrorball" and more. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don’t forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on

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