The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, finds the songwriter in the world of literature. She interweaves personal romance with mythical creation and quotations from high and low culture: Genesis, Peter Pan and even Playstation. Despite calling herself a "modern idiot," less-than-subtle nods to Sylvia Plath, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, D ... Show More
Jun 27
How Americana helped mainstream country find its soul
As we've been examining over the course of Country Week, country music has found a larger audience, in part by widening its sonic palette. For the final episode of this series, we take a look at a genre on the outskirts of country – Americana music – and how it's being used to co ... Show More
35m 22s
Nov 2022
Is Taylor Swift Our Greatest Living Poet?
Following the release of her latest album, 'Midnights', Greg and Bella find out if Taylor Swift is a great poet, as well as a great songwriter.English teacher Miss Tiddy is a Taylor Swift superfan, with an encyclopedic knowledge of Taylor Swift's music (and dating history!). In t ... Show More
42m 50s
Apr 2024
The ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Mailbag | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
The Tortured Podcasters Department meets again, this time to open up the mailbag! Nora and Nathan answer a bunch of listener questions about whether their opinion has changed on any songs, what they want to hear next from Taylor, and much more (4:13). Then they answer rapid-fire ... Show More
1h 21m
Jul 2020
Taylor Swift Loves Indie, Too
Last week, Taylor Swift surprised her fans with the announcement of the imminent release of a new 16-track album, entitled folklore. The National’s Aaron Dessner co-wrote or co-produced 11 of the songs, and it also features collaborations with Bon Iver and Jack Antonoff. “Most of ... Show More
24m 31s
Mar 2021
'Speak Now' | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Nathan and Nora are here to talk about Taylor Swift's third album, 'Speak Now.' Beloved by fans, the album shows Taylor's continued turn away from country and into pop, displays her sharpening songwriting skills, and includes canonical songs like 'Mean,' 'Back to December,' and o ... Show More
1h 20m
Dec 2023
Taylor Swift is TIME’s Person of the Year | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was named TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year, and in conjunction with that honor gave a rare interview for the profile. Nora and Nathan talk about why she might have decided to give the interview (1:00), some of the major revelations that came from the piece (15:58), and ... Show More
1h 22m