PODCAST · music
Swiftory
by Hemlock Creatives
Taylor Swift's music has given a voice to millions of people who've found the narrative arcs of their own lives in Swift's endlessly engaging songs. With Swiftory, two Gen X besties - Alicia, from Trashy Divorces, and Melissa, from Love Letters To... - have a whole new take on Taylor's work, exploring the music as it is, but also as the duo sees it best: as a lens into history. If Taylor's greatest gift is the universality of her experiences, join Alicia and Melissa as they follow those experiences to all the places, personalities, and eras where they lead - and share your takes along the way. As always, we want your Midnights. Reach out at [email protected].
Episodes
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Brigid Kaelin | A Good Thing Happening
Sharing good things happening in the world is essential and in this episode Alicia wants you to know about the good thing going on with Brigid Kaelin. Brigid, talented out the wazoo, is breaking down Taylor Swift's songs on her YouTube channel, and you will never hear Taylor's music the same way...
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SWIFTYNOMICS | Author Misty L. Heggeness Joins Us!
This week Alicia is joined by author Misty L. Heggeness as we discuss her new release SWIFTYNOMICS: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy. Join us for this far-reaching conversation on the dynamics of women on our local and global economies the with Taylor Swift as a muse. Find out more:...
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Joy Blackout
What a month to be a Swiftie! Alicia checks in with all the Taylor joy in December, including the Colbert appearance, the docuseries, and final film. And maybe a little clowning? As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail…
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Twelve Days of a Showgirl | The Fate of Ophelia
Dr. Alicia King Anderson joins Alicia this week as we continue our 12 Days of a Showgirl tour! It is time for the spotlight to shine on track one “The Fate of Ophelia’. There is so much layered into this one – from the real characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the twists of changing the course…
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Twelve Days of a Showgirl | Actually Romantic
Our December journey begins! This month we will be breaking down each track of Taylor Swift's twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl. Today, we start with track seven "Actually Romantic" which does promote a certain attitude, but becomes even more interesting when we view the song as an evolution...
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The Trashy Spiderwebs of Elizabeth Taylor
Alicia's taking over *all* the podcasts this week, with the stories and spiderwebs of screen goddess Elizabeth Taylor. In this week's musically-themed episode, Alicia breaks down some of the lyrics in Taylor Swift's new track, Elizabeth Taylor, from her album The Life of a Showgirl. From…
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The Big Magic Mirrorball of The Life of a Showgirl!
Alicia has now had a week to process album The Life of a Showgirl, and wow – there is a lot happening in 42 minutes of twelve straight bops. Taylor has done something incredible in this release, and this episode provides the foundation of how we are going to unfold the magic of TS 12 on Swiftory....
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The Love Affair of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester | Part Two
Welcome to the finale of the love affair of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, today’s Trashy Royals crossover. When Elizabeth assumed the throne in 1558, she made it clear to the members of her court that they shouldn’t plan to have their wives or female companions around the place. She…
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The Love Affair of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester | Part One
While Queen Elizabeth I of England famously never married, her close relationship with Robert Dudley began when the two were small children together in the court of Henry VIII. Elizabeth was a princess who was downgraded to a lady after her mother, Anne Boleyn’s, death. Robert was the grandson of...
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TS12 TLOAS Intuitions
Alicia takes it super high level this week for her best intuition about what might be going down on The Life of a Showgirl. Part of the fun of being in a Swiftie is the clowning, and Alicia has a feeling that each track may correspond to an actual era. Tune in for the maybe details of how it all...
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Listener Letters and Book Giveaway!
Swiftorians, what an episode this is! Alicia is finally catching up with Listener Letters from all the way back, with so many poignant themes. Sad songs, heartbreak songs, and a historical bend too! We always love a little Tudor action around here. Also included, the winners of our book giveaway…
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Happiness
In this surprise Swiftory episode, Alicia dusts off a vintage file to dig into the song “Happiness” from Evermore. This blast from the past, recorded with Stacie years ago, connects through the current storylines this week on both Trashy Divorces and Done and Dunne as the life, loves, and...
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A Movie? A Movie! And a Book Giveaway Too!
What a day, friends! In this episode, Alicia began with all the rumors surrounding a potential Taylor Swift movie coming to theaters, which happened by the time recording was done! Tune in to find out the rumored details, followed by the facts we know as of this moment. The Swift news is…
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Dear Reader: An Immersive Literary Journey Through Taylor Swift’s Lyrics With Author Viktoria Capek
In this episode, Alicia is joined by Viktoria Capek, author of Dear Reader: An Immersive Literary Journey Through Taylor Swift’s Lyrics - now available at your local bookseller! This book is a delightful gem of an interactive journal blending literature and lyrics, uniting Taylor Swift’s worlds…
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Monologue Song
In today’s episode, we harken back to November 2009 when Taylor Swift hosted Saturday Night Live with perhaps the very best musical monologue in SNL’s history, appropriately enough titled “Monologue Song (La la la).” Stacie joins Alicia in this one for the song’s history and lyrics, in…
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Marjorie
This week we give a lot of love to grandmothers. Taylor Swift wrote a beautiful song for her grandmother Marjorie Finlay, released as Track 13 on Evermore. In this episode we explore a little bit about Marjorie’s life and legacy as well take a look at the lyrics of the song, full of literary...
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How You Get the Girl
On the heels of the last episode in which we explored the Folklore Love Triangle, this week seemed like the perfect time for a little surprise episode about 1989’s Track 10 banger, “How You Get the Girl”. This is Taylor Swift coaching every dumb boy on how to get the girl back after he broke her...
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August, Betty, Cardigan | The Folklore Love Triangle
In today’s episode, we harken back to the Folklore album to get into all the messy teenage drama of Augustine, Betty and James. Taylor writes three songs that unfold this teenage love triangle, August, Betty and Cardigan. Alicia takes you through the details of each track and then details the...
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Everything We Know About TS12: The Life of a Showgirl
In this super-fast emergency episode, Alicia is dropping everything we know about Taylor Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, so far! We all moved Monday night with the countdown, and from that moment it seems collective orange and green fever has swept the world. Clever Taylor was…
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The Glory of Giving Everything: The Taylor Swift Business Model | Author Crystal Haryanto Joins Us!
Crystal Haryanto joins Alicia and Melissa this week for a discussion about her book, The Glory of Giving Everything: The Taylor Swift Business Model. Crystal shares so much about the book as well as her work as the founder of UC Berkeley’s globally recognized course “Artistry, Policy, &...
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The 1, ft. A Long December by Counting Crows
It’s a mash-up episode this week, with Alicia bringing you all the details on “The 1” from Folklore, and its musical journey this summer with the Counting Crows. Adam Duritz is using this Taylor Swift song as a compliment to his “A Long December” on tour this summer. What is the story of these...
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NYC Through the Songs of Taylor Swift
Join us this week as we take a little tour of New York City through Taylor Swift’s songs. Taylor’s love for this city is well known and she references many locations in The Big Apple in her lyrics. Also included, a wonderful excerpt from Dorothy Parker about the city too. As always, we want your...
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Cassandra, with Alicia King Anderson, Ph.D.
In today’s Swiftory journey, Alicia is joined by Alicia King Anderson Ph.D., our resident expert in all things mythology. The Mad Cassandra is our focus this week – the woman who was always correct in her prophecy but never believed. Dr. Alicia leads Swiftory Alicia through Cassandra’s story and...
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The Prophecy
In this little bit of a teaser episode for next week, Alicia is joined by her Trashy Divorces and Trashy Royals co-host Stacie, to break down “The Prophecy,” the track 26 bombshell from TTPD: The Anthology. With a little look ahead to our special guest next week breaking down the mythology of...
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Swift or Shakespeare?
In this kickoff to summer, Alicia and Melissa celebrate Taylor owning her Masters (finally)! But there is so much more. Play along with our quiz this week – Swift or Shakespeare? Alicia brings thirty one lines that are packed with literary power for a quick with zero stakes whatsoever. It’s the...
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There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift | Author Kevin Evers Joins Us!
Alicia and Melissa were thrilled to have a chance to speak with Kevin Evers, Senior Editor at Harvard Business Review and author of There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift. Kevin really brought the goods to Swiftory this week speaking about what makes Swift the savviest...
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The Swiftory of Anne Boleyn | My Tears Ricochet
In our BIG finale of All Songs Anne Boleyn week, there could be no other song to send this Queen of England into her afterlife. Our featured song this week is “My Tears Ricochet” from Taylor Swift’s 2020 Folklore album. Alicia breaks down this haunting, ghostly classic from Taylor’s point of view...
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The Swiftory of Anne Boleyn | False God and If This Was a Movie
In this continuing arc of Anne Boleyn’s Swiftory Playlist, Alicia continues with songs three and four of Anne’s traumatic 1536, "False God" and "If This Was a Movie". These choices, from Lover and Speak Now respectively, provide an insight into Anne’s thoughts and feeling through this very...
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The Swiftory of Anne Boleyn | Paper Rings
In this second installment of the Taylor Swift Playlist of Anne Boleyn, it's time to pull out the anti-Anne song Paper Rings from the Lover album. Alicia feels that Anne gets handed a terrible reputation through history as a scheming homewrecker, but the real story is quite a bit different. This...
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The Swiftory of Anne Boleyn | The Archer
In this episode, Alicia begins her Anne Boleyn/Taylor Swift playlist with The Archer, from the Lover album. This song is packed full of literature references along with self-sabotage, revenge and so much more! You will likely not ever think of Henry the VIII or Anne in quite the same way! As...
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The Swiftory of Mary, Queen of Scots | Anti-Hero, Cruel Summer, Evermore
This week, Alicia takes us through her imagined Taylor Swift musical journey of Mary, Queen of Scots! Mary has been the focus of one of her other podcasts, Trashy Royals, recently, and there is so much more to say about Mary, a glamazon queen with a terrible picker. Talk about being born at the...
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Introducing: Psychedelic Women
Hello Swiftorians, I want to tell you about a new show that I’m really excited about. My friend Rainbow Valentine has been collecting the stories of the first generation of women to have access to The Pill, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and LSD. In her podcast Psychedelic Women, Rainbow talks to the women who...
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The Swiftory of Queen Victoria
This week, Melissa takes us through The Swiftory of Queen Victoria, with seven songs to take this long-reigning Queen of England from childhood through her romantic entanglements. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at [email protected], or leave us a voicemail…
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22
In this episode of Swiftory, Alicia and Melissa are feeling 22! From Taylor's RED album, 22 is a joyous glitter pen ride of a song. It is hard not to groove along to this one - this one is truly 22,000 times more fun than the actual age. Also included in this one, a TTPD ChatGPT listing which is…
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I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
This week, Alicia and Melissa reveal their love for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, the standout track 13 from The Tortured Poets Department. This one has a real message within its infectious pop beat, and we are here for it! As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at...
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thanK you aIMee
In this week’s Swiftory, Alicia and Melissa dissect this most triumphant diss song from Taylor Swift’s TTPD, The Anthology. Who saw thanK you aIMee coming? Not us. There is a whole lot of alternate perspectives, past hot gossip, and joy included in this one. As always, we want your Midnights!…
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Dear John
This week, Alicia climbs right up on her soapbox about the song “Dear John” from Taylor Swift’s third album release Speak Now. Swift uses the Dear John letter device to express some strong sentiments, and we all have big feelings about it, and the song’s inspiration too. As always, we want your...
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The Swiftory of The Gilmore Girls | Rory Gilmore
The Swiftory of the Gilmore Girls would not be complete with Rory Gilmore. In today’s episode, we visit the youngest Gilmore and journey in song about her friends, loves, mother, and community too. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at [email protected], or…
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The Swiftory of The Gilmore Girls | Lorelai Gilmore
This week, we turn our attention to Lorelai Gilmore and her catalog of Taylor Swift songs. It's a little complicated, just like Lorelai’s character. With some opposing sun sign magic thrown in, we explore Lorelai’s journey, including youth, motherhood, daughterhood, and her love life too. We have...
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The Swiftory of the Gilmore Girls | Emily Gilmore
Travel with us to Stars Hollow this week as Alicia and Melissa begin The Swiftory of The Gilmore Girls. Of course, we must begin with the matriarch of all matriarchs, Emily Gilmore. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at [email protected], or leave us a…
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Introducing The Glamourous Gabors
The Gabor sisters were some of the most iconic cultural figures in the second half of the 20th century, having arrived on our shores from Nazi-occupied Hungary, where they experienced loss and engaged in heroic resistance. Along with their mother, Jolie, sisters Eva, Zsa Zsa, and Magda, stormed…
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Fifteen
It's such a hard age, but it makes sense that Taylor Swift entirely nailed it when she wrote Fifteen for her 2008 album Fearless. After all, she was just a few years past it, and - because everything is copy - had a true-life anecdote from her friend Abigail to narrate. Our Swiftorians dive into...
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Blank Space
Today, our Swiftorians head back to 1989, pull out their dance cards, and dive into Taylor's 2014 bop Blank Space. To say this song was a monster hit doesn't really capture things - it was Taylor's first song to hit one billion streams on Spotify, and topped charts around the world on the way to...
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Welcome To New York (From Our Vault)
From the vault, welcome to Swiftory's first ever episode! Notably, Welcome To New York was not released as Episode 1, but why not for Episode 13? In it, our Swiftorians - Alicia and Melissa - take a look at New York City, its real estate, and the power of place. As always, we want your Midnights!...
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The Swiftory of Catherine Howard and Jane Boleyn
Alicia and Melissa are back with a bonus episode this week to commemorate two significant Tudor-era murders. On February 13, 1542, Queen Catherine Howard of England, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, was executed on Tower Green, in the Tower of London, along with her lady in waiting, Jane…
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Love Letters and Sad Songs
In this unexpectedly solo episode, Alicia announces the four winners of the Invisible Strings book contest (congrats!), and shares some of your reflections on Taylor's All Too Well (10 Minute Version). The core of the episode centers around some neurological research pointing to why, and how, sad...
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All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
This week, Alicia and Melissa wander back in time as Taylor revisits a long-ago love affair that left her feeling like a crumpled up piece of paper lying here - and they remember it all too well. From Scarf Stealer's (Jake Gyllenhaal's) apparent continuing pattern of seducing women way too young...
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I Bet You Think About Me, Featuring Stevie Nicks, Fairy Godmother
How does one even decide to own a million dollar couch? This week, Alicia and Melissa tackle I Bet You Think About Me, from 2012's Red and 2021's Red (Taylor's Version). Along the way, Jake Gyllenhaal gets a nickname (Scarf Stealer!), F. Scott Fitzgerald gets a shout out, and Stevie Nicks swoops…
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Poet's Corner: Melissa Studdard
Alicia and Melissa sit down with award winning poet Melissa Studdard, whose Invisible Strings contribution, When You Rise from the Dead, I Drive You to the After Party, responds to Taylor's song Karma. This is a heartfelt conversation about the power and joy of language that will leave you…
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Karma
One of Taylor's more interesting compositions is from her 2022 release, Midnights. Karma, which also served as the Eras Tour closing song, was widely expected to be a thorough takedown of the many industry figures who've wronged Mother over the years - but it turns out to instead be a canny,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Taylor Swift's music has given a voice to millions of people who've found the narrative arcs of their own lives in Swift's endlessly engaging songs. With Swiftory, two Gen X besties - Alicia, from Trashy Divorces, and Melissa, from Love Letters To... - have a whole new take on Taylor's work, exploring the music as it is, but also as the duo sees it best: as a lens into history.
If Taylor's greatest gift is the universality of her experiences, join Alicia and Melissa as they follow those experiences to all the places, personalities, and eras where they lead - and share your takes along the way.
As always, we want your Midnights. Reach out at [email protected].
HOSTED BY
Hemlock Creatives
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Swiftory have?
Swiftory currently has 57 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Swiftory about?
Taylor Swift's music has given a voice to millions of people who've found the narrative arcs of their own lives in Swift's endlessly engaging songs. With Swiftory, two Gen X besties - Alicia, from Trashy Divorces, and Melissa, from Love Letters To... - have a whole new take on Taylor's work,...
How often does Swiftory release new episodes?
Swiftory has 57 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Swiftory?
You can listen to Swiftory on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Swiftory?
Swiftory is created and hosted by Hemlock Creatives.
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