Swiftory

Hemlock Creatives
  • 5.0 (12)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Swiftory

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 swiftorypodcast@gmail.com.

  1. FEB 13

    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 Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford. As our Swiftorians ponder their stories, an array of Taylor's songs come into focus: Mad Woman, Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince, Haunted, Fifteen, Long Story Short, and Guilty as Sin?, among others. Join us for a ride across the centuries and an ocean, back to the Tudor court and an out-of-control monarch! As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 18m

  2. FEB 11

    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 songs end up making us feel better. It turns out Taylor's not kidding about putting narcotics in her songs - sad songs have been shown to activate regions of the brain tied to emotional cues, processing, and regulation, which consequently flood the brain with various neurotransmitter chemicals tied to feelings of pleasure, comfort, and reward. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. What are your favorite Taylor Swift sad songs, and why? How about your favorite of Taylor's love songs? Help us craft a special upcoming episode with your musical gems from Taylor – we want to know. To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Sources Why The Brain Seeks Out Sadness in Music (integrishealth.org) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    28 min

  3. FEB 4

    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 for him - which is certainly one part of this song's origin story - to the glittering emotional clarity of these lyrics, our Swiftorians drink in this phenomenal and heartbreaking story set to music. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Sources Rolling Stone: Taylor Swift (Amazon.com) All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (Lyric Video) (YouTube) Taylor Swift - All Too Well (Sad Girl Autumn Verion) - Recorded at Long Pond Studios (YouTube) Taylor Swift - All Too Well: The Short Film (YouTube) The Movie Star and Me, by Domenica Feraud (medium.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  4. JAN 28

    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 in to play Fairy Godmother to Taylor. Is I Bet You Think About Me the spiritual descendant of Fleetwood Mac's Silver Springs? Our Swiftorians think so! As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Sources Taylor Swift ft. Chris Stapleton - I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (Official Video) (YouTube) Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (Lyric Video) (YouTube) Taylor Swift - If guys don't want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn't do bad things (YouTube) 52nd Annual Grammy Performance with Taylor Swift (Facebook) Fleetwood Mac - Silver Springs (Official Live Video) [HD] (YouTube) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr

  5. JAN 23

    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 inspired to dig into your own creative process, and hand you some tools for that journey, too. Email swiftorypodcast@gmail.com with the subject line Invisible Strings to enter our drawing to win your own copy! As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  6. JAN 21

    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, upbeat, and lyrically fluid praise song for all the good things that have come into Taylor's life by, as she says, keeping her side of the street clean. As Alicia says - Karma's not just a song; it's a movement, and it's a lifestyle. As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! Sources Taylor Swift - Karma (Lyric Video) (YouTube) Taylor Swift ft. Ice Spice - Karma (Official Music Video) ft. Ice Spice (YouTube) Grading Taylor Swift's 'Karma' With a Buddhist-Studies Professor (vulture.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min

  7. JAN 14

    Kristie Frederick Daugherty and Invisible Strings

    It's one thing to talk Taylor with friends, but what if your friends are some of the finest poets in the world? That's where professor, poet, and editor Kristie Frederick Daugherty found herself when Taylor announced The Tortured Poets Department, and she did what anyone in her position would do: She put out a call for poems, which became the exceptional new book Invisible Strings: 113 Poets respond to the songs of Taylor Swift. Alicia and Melissa were so excited to talk the poetry of Taylor Swift and the art of poetry itself with Kristie, who also shares stories of her own trips to the Eras Tour, meeting Andrea Swift, and being dazzled by the artistry of the Shakespeare of the 21st Century. Keep in touch with Kristie on the web and on Instagram, and see if your interpretation of the poems matches the poets' with the Invisible Strings Song List! Email swiftorypodcast@gmail.com with the subject line Invisible Strings to enter our drawing to win your own copy! As always, we want your Midnights! Share your Swiftory stories at swiftorypodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 404-594-3658. We may use your Swiftories on a future episode! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    58 min

  8. JAN 12

    The Swiftory of Catherine of Aragon

    Alicia is leading a Swiftory takeover of her podcast channels! To celebrate the launch, she's taking you into one of its origin stories - the life of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, through a five-song arc of Taylor Swift songs, as told to Melissa. This one will sate the palate of both Trashy Divorces and Trashy Royals listeners - and of course, Swiftorians! Subscribe to Swiftory on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Here are lyrics and live performances for you to enjoy your own musical journey! Links with lyrics This Love: Taylor Swift - This Love (Taylor's Version) (Lyric Video) Long Live: Taylor Swift - Long Live [Lyrics] (Taylor’s Version) Gold Rush: Taylor Swift - gold rush (Official Lyric Video) Death By a Thousand Cuts: Taylor Swift - Death By A Thousand Cuts (with LYRICS) Peter: Taylor Swift - Peter lyrics Links to live performances This Love, live from 2015: [Remastered 4K] This Love - Taylor Swift - 1989 World Tour 2015 - EAS Channel Gold Rush, Live from Philly: gold rush live at the eras tour (surprise song) DBATC, Tiny Desks: Taylor Swift - Death By A Thousand Cuts (Performance Legendada - Live) Peter, from Stockholm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZt7nrE6GIo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 13m
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Trailer

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

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, 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 swiftorypodcast@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Hemlock Creatives
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    13
  • Copyright
    © (c) 2025 Hemlock Creatives
  • Show Website
    Swiftory

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