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The Tortured Podcasters Department

The Tortured Podcasters Department

Written by: The Tortured Podcasters Dept
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Our department is taking a deep-dive through Taylor Swift's discography from beginning to end. With new episodes releasing weekly on Tuesday mornings, our team is dedicating one season per album and one episode per song with a few bonuses sprinkled in.

We'll be examining relevant background information for each track, as well as looking at songwriting style, literary references, and production choices.

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Episodes
  • S1E7: "Tied Together With a Smile"

    S1E7: "Tied Together With a Smile"
    Jul 14 2026
    Welcome to The Tortured Podcasters Department. On the agenda for today…

    • Hosts: Amy, Caraline, and Lucy
    • Swift Facts: Liz Rose co-wrote 7 of the 11 songs on Taylor Swift’s debut album.
    • Department Findings: We dive into the background, production, and lyrics of “Tied Together With A Smile.”
    • Disclaimer: This episode contains discussions of sensitive topics surrounding mental health, eating disorders, and body image. For a lighter discussion, skip this episode. If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health, please seek professional support.
    • The background story of this song is sadly very relatable and relevant.
    • We can picture a music video for this song so vividly.
    • It’s difficult to live up to other people’s view of you and easy to feel like you aren’t doing enough to meet their expectations.
    • We go down a deep rabbit hole about cleaning the Statue of Liberty.
    • The Collaborators Archive: We learn a bit more about Liz Rose, who has co-written a whopping 17 Taylor Swift songs total over the years. Liz was an early collaborator and mentor to Taylor. Liz won her first Grammy alongside Taylor for “White Horse” in 2010.


    Connect with Us:
    Send a department memo or follow us on social media by clicking here.


    Music/Sound Credits:
    Intro Music: "A Stylish Beat (Infinite Echoes)" by ONALDIN via Pixabay
    Tay-Lore: “Lullaby Sleeping” by Music_for_Videos via Pixabay
    Taylor Terminology: “Classical Royal British Music” by DELOSound via Pixabay
    Various sound effects: Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • S1E6: "The Outside"

    S1E6: "The Outside"
    Jul 7 2026
    Welcome to The Tortured Podcasters Department. On the agenda for today…
    • Hosts: Amy, McCormick, and Lucy
    • Swift Facts: Taylor wrote “The Outside” when she was 12 years old making it one of her earliest written songs to be released.
    • Department Findings: We dive into the background, production, and lyrics of “The Outside.”
    • Typical 2000s pop country sound to the production of this song.
    • The music is upbeat, but the lyrics are kind of a downer.
    • McCormick went down a rabbit hole about the difference between a violin and a fiddle. Amy clarifies: there is none. It has to do with the style in which you play it, but the same instrument is used for both.
    • “The Road Not Taken” comes up again, this time the Robert Frost poem is referenced directly in the song.
    • Things not working out the first few times is a theme in Taylor’s music. In “Mirrorball,” she claims to have “never been a natural.” This has the same vibes.
    • The use of a question to bring the audience into the conversation.
    • We don’t miss high school.
    • “The Outside” perfectly captures the feelings and emotions from watching other people make plans to hang out right in front of you and consistently feeling left out.
    • Tay-Lore: We revisit the hidden messages in the lyrics in the CD booklet for the self-titled album. Sam sure did mess up.


    Connect with Us:
    Send a department memo or follow us on social media by clicking here.


    Music/Sound Credits:
    Intro Music: "A Stylish Beat (Infinite Echoes)" by ONALDIN via Pixabay
    Tay-Lore: “Lullaby Sleeping” by Music_for_Videos via Pixabay
    Taylor Terminology: “Classical Royal British Music” by DELOSound via Pixabay
    Various sound effects: Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • S1E5: "Cold As You"

    S1E5: "Cold As You"
    Jun 30 2026
    Welcome to The Tortured Podcasters Department. On the agenda for today…
    • Hosts: Amy, McCormick, and Liz
    • Swift Facts: "Cold As You" started the Track 5 tradition – with Taylor famously putting some of her most emotional and personal songs in the 5th spot on her albums.
    • Department Findings: We dive into the background, production, and lyrics of “Cold As You.”
    • Another Liz Rose co-written track, Taylor once said she believed this song was one of the best the two have ever written.
    • This song is just super depressing four lines in.
    • “Cold As You” shows off Taylor’s vocals in a way that reminds us of her later music.
    • To quote McCormick, if we were to make a pro/con list “there are no pros” for the “Cold As You” guy.
    • Unbalanced power dynamics are a theme throughout a lot of Taylor’s discography.
    • Taylor’s use of shades of gray and painting walls appears in other songs such as “Everything Has Changed,” “Peace,” and loosely in “Honey.”
    • Taylor Terminology: The word to define and use in a sentence is: Condescending.


    Connect with Us:
    Send a department memo or follow us on social media by clicking here.


    Music/Sound Credits:
    Intro Music: "A Stylish Beat (Infinite Echoes)" by ONALDIN via Pixabay
    Tay-Lore: “Lullaby Sleeping” by Music_for_Videos via Pixabay
    Taylor Terminology: “Classical Royal British Music” by DELOSound via Pixabay
    Various sound effects: Pixabay
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
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