Take a deep dive into Taylor Swift's lyrical and heart-wrenching compositions

Taylor Swift. File pic

Right from her Eras Tour to restaurants rolling out special menus renamed after her exes, following her rumoured breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn, this month has been all about American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift making headlines across the globe. What's another podcast?

Tay to Z, a podcast by a New York-based couple Devin and Gab, takes the listeners by their hand into Swift's head and heart through all her heart wrenching, and often empowering, mega-hit and underrated songs. This weekly podcast releases episodes alphabetically every Tuesday, each alphabet representing the mood of the song, or simply its initial letter.

They pick one song per episode and discuss it at length. Gab, who likes to be addressed as Gossip Gab, reveals theories that may have influenced the making of the song. Devin exemplifies those theories and takes a deep dive into the meaning of the lyrics, often reading in between the lines. They tell their listeners what it meant to them at different times in their life, narrating hearty anecdotes that run parallel to the presumed story of Taylor behind that particular song. Many Swifties from across the globe also join the conversation.

This writer's favourite episode of the podcast is Episode 132: Maroon, primarily because that is also our favourite song from her latest album Midnight Rains. The most cherished Taylor Swift songs are the songs with colours. And even though the host admitted to the same, their interpretation of the song was completely different from ours. It resonated for us because it was a song about the power of love and its continued legacy held up by royalty, warmth and maturity in the colour maroon. For them, it was the dullness of the colour that continued to darken after her previous album Red, which was known for songs of vengeance and hot but failed romance.

It always fascinates this writer how art, literature and music can have so many interpretations that are neither right nor wrong.

Tune in to this podcast if Swift's lyrics tease you with more questions than answers but still hold a special place in your heart.

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