Alliteration in Taylor Swift's Music | "Our Song," "Call It What You Want" & More

“I’ll be your father figure.” This week, we’re diving deep into one of Taylor Swift’s most underrated literary tools: alliteration. From the phonetic cadence of a teenage Taylor on Debut to the silky-smooth flow of reputation’s Call It What You Want, to the hard-hitting, power-packed punch of Father Figure from The Life of a Showgirl, we trace how Taylor uses the repetition of consonant sounds to create rhythm, evoke emotion, and tell a story. Whether she’s channeling JFK-level emphasis or crafting an earworm you can hit the notes on without music, alliteration is a tool Taylor reaches for selectively and with purpose. Join Maansi, Jennifer, and Jodi as they break down soft sounds, staccato slams, and everything in between.   Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe. After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics!   Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com   Mentioned in this episode: “Our Song” – Taylor Swift (Debut, 2006) “Call It What You Want” – Taylor Swift (Reputation, 2017) “Father Figure” – Taylor Swift ft. George Michael interpolation (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025) “Pied Beauty” – Gerard Manley Hopkins “The Raven” – Edgar Allan Poe JFK Inaugural Address – John F. Kennedy (1961) Grammarly: What Is Alliteration?   Episode Highlights: [01:32] Defining alliteration: Initial rhymes, brand names, and types (symmetrical, unvoiced) [07:04] “Our Song” (Debut, 2006): Slamming screen doors and the phonetic cadence of baby Taylor [14:43] “Call It What You Want” (Reputation, 2017): Soft sounds, effortless love, and the R&B-adjacent flow [22:19] “Father Figure” (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025): Hard consonants, hard power, and the father figure persona   Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro   Contact us at [email protected]   Affiliate Codes: Krowned Krystals – krownedkrystals.com — use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!   Libro.fm – Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here: tinyurl.com/aptslibro   This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z