a lyrical analysis of the strongest soldier on The Anthology - an overlooked masterpiece, one of her strongest pieces of writing, and proof she is Emily Swiftinson.
Seeee this episode is a perfect example of why I love the Lizard review so much. Under normal circumstances it’s very possible I could’ve over looked this song because I didn’t naturally gravitate towards it, possibly just from being bogged down by the sheer volume of content we were given all at once. It could’ve taken months or even years for it to click for me, but fear not! The lizard review has come in clutch, yet again. 💚
Thank you !!! If there’s one thing I love it’s highlighting overlooked songs and to be fair there’s so much on this record it’s easy to not notice this one at first bc it’s a really simple acoustic one
OK I admit, last night in my stalking mode, I watched a 2 hour 1975 concert (Madison Square Garden, 2023) just to get an idea of the attraction. Well... I understand it now. In the second part of the show, Matty really came alive-he was cute, charming , even sexy. But earlier in the show he was drinking, smoking and eating raw meat on the stage, lol. Even did pushups! But as in the song Superstar states- OMG -the girls on the front row were screaming ya'll! Check it out if you have the time. It gave me closure in a way. Great chat Madeline-absolutely LOVE this song!!!
OMFG no it's soooo true....To tell you the truth I've always understood the attraction LMFAOOO like I get he's not conventionally sexy but alternatively sexy is a real thing and plus...he's a legit rock star whether the people want to admit it or not....many women of history have fallen on their swords for gross assholes similar to Matty and it ain't stopping any time soon!!!
Absolutely loved this analysis!! This is my favorite song too. And I honestly think it connects with Peter very strongly. The whole theme of Peter is that she was hoping and waiting for him to grow up so they could eventually work. Then it turned out he didn't, and she was left alone like Wendy. The fact that she dedicated Cardigan to Matty very clearly at the Eras Tour, and that song also refers to him as Peter, just seals the deal for me. I love these two songs as a thematic pair 🤍
Tbh I didn't connect to this song at all, it was just another sad song from Taylor. By the end of this fucking podcast I get it... my eyes teared up girlie
listening to this analysis, my mind kept going to, oddly enough, Fortnight... I think this is making that song click for me. particularly the third verse with the, "I sell my apartment, you have some kids with an internet starlet...could it be enough to just float in your orbit", to me connects to "run into you sometimes, ask about the weather, now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors". much to think about
Came back to say I’m an idiot cause I didn’t notice the FOLLOWING LINE IN “When We Are Together” after the sweater part is “it’s something bout the weather” 😖😖😖 I’m now convinced these are directly linked
Something in Fortnight I noticed today that initially seemed like a throw away line “run into you sometimes, comment on my sweater” made me think of the line “you ask about the cows wearing my sweater” from the 1975’s When We Are Together… idk could just be a coincidence but wether I like it or not my brain is working overtime to make these connections since my perception of reality was permanently altered by TTPD. 🫠🙃
**that song is kind of vague but theres a few lines that indicate it could be about Taylor…. Anyway I will never know peace 🙂
Thanks so much for the comment that the idea of immaturity is linked to the idea of having to be settled with kids by the time you are 34. I know I’m still single with no kids in my 30s and many people are. You don’t just stop having rollercoaster emotions around love and relationships just because you hit 30. Great analysis!
I've listened to your review so many times. I did because it hits different each time. I have had a similar situation (pre my husband) and your right, this Taylor Plath hits like a knife in the heart. Thank you for explaining it to us all. Taylor Plath just always makes me laugh!
I had absolutely no idea about this songs meaning. Your interpretation was beautifully articulated in a way the screams the sorrow from Taylor's heart. I actually cried listening to this episode. Madeline, when I think of you it is usually in thoughts of your humor, sarcasm, and vast vocabulary. There have been a few times when you have been overcome with emotion and I can hear you trying to fight back the tears.
I went into a deep dive of Matty Healy actually after I listened to the eposide of him as a muse for Halsey and Taylor. He is not perfect by any means but he is absolutely misunderstood and rumors, and comments have been taken out of context. I absolutely see the attraction now after my findings. I honestly didn't see the appeal at first but not to the point where I would join the, Speak Now movement.
I absolutely am in love with the song, About you and paired with Guilty as Sin is masterfull. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
I think she wrote it during that time at the end of Joe where she had come back in contact with Matty again through Jack. Matty talked about them working in the studio together during the Midnights era, but nothing made got recorded. So she was still with Joe, but the relationship was dead and she was recording You're Losing Me and locking it in a vault. I think this was when she began re-obsessing with Matty, and I think he played right into it. The beginning of Guilty As Sin?... "You sent me "Downtown Lights""... so he's sending her songs that have meaning to them in their past, while she is still with Joe. And it prompts her to set her bedsheets aflame.
this is just spectacular. despite so much ttpd writing on the internet, i was sorely missing a well-informed, empathetic, and thoughtful analysis like this.
being a (very) lowkey tay75 girlie, when i slowly started to realize what this song was about, it just broke me. you put it all together, so eloquently--especially the part about his being in love with her past self. i remembered that his favorite ts song is hey stephen, a song from about 18 taylors ago. and so much of this album is about how her experiences have hardened her and about her rage and bitterness over having to become that way. it's not just about him, of course, but there's a part of her that must resent those experiences a little bit extra because they widened the gap between the idea he turned her into and the reality of her
Thank you for the beautiful words. I am not a huge swiftie but like some of her stuff and this one is gorgeous. I agree this humanizes matty h as well. He should have handled differently but I also think he felt a lot of pressure
I did not see that coming but this may be the best podcast I ever listened to. Amazing break down, you explain it so well, I can't. Every Taylor Swift fan needs to hear it because it just changes the look on whole album!
It really is the tortured lizard’s department now
I saw this in my inbox and was like wow... can she really do it.... get through the entire 40 minutes without crying.......... we shall see
Seeee this episode is a perfect example of why I love the Lizard review so much. Under normal circumstances it’s very possible I could’ve over looked this song because I didn’t naturally gravitate towards it, possibly just from being bogged down by the sheer volume of content we were given all at once. It could’ve taken months or even years for it to click for me, but fear not! The lizard review has come in clutch, yet again. 💚
Thank you !!! If there’s one thing I love it’s highlighting overlooked songs and to be fair there’s so much on this record it’s easy to not notice this one at first bc it’s a really simple acoustic one
OK I admit, last night in my stalking mode, I watched a 2 hour 1975 concert (Madison Square Garden, 2023) just to get an idea of the attraction. Well... I understand it now. In the second part of the show, Matty really came alive-he was cute, charming , even sexy. But earlier in the show he was drinking, smoking and eating raw meat on the stage, lol. Even did pushups! But as in the song Superstar states- OMG -the girls on the front row were screaming ya'll! Check it out if you have the time. It gave me closure in a way. Great chat Madeline-absolutely LOVE this song!!!
OMFG no it's soooo true....To tell you the truth I've always understood the attraction LMFAOOO like I get he's not conventionally sexy but alternatively sexy is a real thing and plus...he's a legit rock star whether the people want to admit it or not....many women of history have fallen on their swords for gross assholes similar to Matty and it ain't stopping any time soon!!!
Absolutely loved this analysis!! This is my favorite song too. And I honestly think it connects with Peter very strongly. The whole theme of Peter is that she was hoping and waiting for him to grow up so they could eventually work. Then it turned out he didn't, and she was left alone like Wendy. The fact that she dedicated Cardigan to Matty very clearly at the Eras Tour, and that song also refers to him as Peter, just seals the deal for me. I love these two songs as a thematic pair 🤍
Agree! To me Peter feels wise like this one
Tbh I didn't connect to this song at all, it was just another sad song from Taylor. By the end of this fucking podcast I get it... my eyes teared up girlie
SAYYY THATTTTT
listening to this analysis, my mind kept going to, oddly enough, Fortnight... I think this is making that song click for me. particularly the third verse with the, "I sell my apartment, you have some kids with an internet starlet...could it be enough to just float in your orbit", to me connects to "run into you sometimes, ask about the weather, now you're in my backyard, turned into good neighbors". much to think about
Very interesting, I haven’t given fortnight a fair enough shake but lately it’s been stuck in my head !!!!!
Came back to say I’m an idiot cause I didn’t notice the FOLLOWING LINE IN “When We Are Together” after the sweater part is “it’s something bout the weather” 😖😖😖 I’m now convinced these are directly linked
Something in Fortnight I noticed today that initially seemed like a throw away line “run into you sometimes, comment on my sweater” made me think of the line “you ask about the cows wearing my sweater” from the 1975’s When We Are Together… idk could just be a coincidence but wether I like it or not my brain is working overtime to make these connections since my perception of reality was permanently altered by TTPD. 🫠🙃
**that song is kind of vague but theres a few lines that indicate it could be about Taylor…. Anyway I will never know peace 🙂
Thanks so much for the comment that the idea of immaturity is linked to the idea of having to be settled with kids by the time you are 34. I know I’m still single with no kids in my 30s and many people are. You don’t just stop having rollercoaster emotions around love and relationships just because you hit 30. Great analysis!
I've listened to your review so many times. I did because it hits different each time. I have had a similar situation (pre my husband) and your right, this Taylor Plath hits like a knife in the heart. Thank you for explaining it to us all. Taylor Plath just always makes me laugh!
I'm also taken hostage by ttpd. Glad I'm not alone.
I had absolutely no idea about this songs meaning. Your interpretation was beautifully articulated in a way the screams the sorrow from Taylor's heart. I actually cried listening to this episode. Madeline, when I think of you it is usually in thoughts of your humor, sarcasm, and vast vocabulary. There have been a few times when you have been overcome with emotion and I can hear you trying to fight back the tears.
I went into a deep dive of Matty Healy actually after I listened to the eposide of him as a muse for Halsey and Taylor. He is not perfect by any means but he is absolutely misunderstood and rumors, and comments have been taken out of context. I absolutely see the attraction now after my findings. I honestly didn't see the appeal at first but not to the point where I would join the, Speak Now movement.
I absolutely am in love with the song, About you and paired with Guilty as Sin is masterfull. I would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Thank you so much, I’m sooo happy to get people on the COSOSOM train!!!
So good! This episode got me through a whole run! Thank you!!
I think she wrote it during that time at the end of Joe where she had come back in contact with Matty again through Jack. Matty talked about them working in the studio together during the Midnights era, but nothing made got recorded. So she was still with Joe, but the relationship was dead and she was recording You're Losing Me and locking it in a vault. I think this was when she began re-obsessing with Matty, and I think he played right into it. The beginning of Guilty As Sin?... "You sent me "Downtown Lights""... so he's sending her songs that have meaning to them in their past, while she is still with Joe. And it prompts her to set her bedsheets aflame.
this is just spectacular. despite so much ttpd writing on the internet, i was sorely missing a well-informed, empathetic, and thoughtful analysis like this.
being a (very) lowkey tay75 girlie, when i slowly started to realize what this song was about, it just broke me. you put it all together, so eloquently--especially the part about his being in love with her past self. i remembered that his favorite ts song is hey stephen, a song from about 18 taylors ago. and so much of this album is about how her experiences have hardened her and about her rage and bitterness over having to become that way. it's not just about him, of course, but there's a part of her that must resent those experiences a little bit extra because they widened the gap between the idea he turned her into and the reality of her
Thank you for the beautiful words. I am not a huge swiftie but like some of her stuff and this one is gorgeous. I agree this humanizes matty h as well. He should have handled differently but I also think he felt a lot of pressure
I did not see that coming but this may be the best podcast I ever listened to. Amazing break down, you explain it so well, I can't. Every Taylor Swift fan needs to hear it because it just changes the look on whole album!