Ranking Every Song on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT 🤍
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- Опубліковано 6 тра 2024
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Hello and welcome to this weird crevasse of the internet where we get really excited about music (particularly Taylor Swift) and break down our favourite albums and songs. Our names are Bonny and Emily, and our aim with these videos is to share our love for music and also share context and understanding around the songs, by highlighting breaking down the lyrics, melodies and production. We are so happy to have created this little community that is just as unhinged as us when it comes to music 🤪
GUYS! firstly, in this video we attempt to rank all TTPD songs and omg it’s so hard, keep in mind we still have soon much to fathom about this album!! Every day we love this album more and more, like how does Taylor keep out doing herself?? Secondly, thank you so much for your support and love on our reaction videos 🤯 grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how we feel! LOVE you guys so much 🤍🩶🖤 TTPD forever!
The fact that you could even do this is so brave, because TRUST I couldn't do this. This album is just so superior, to categories the songs I just couldn't. You guys are BRAVE
HOW DOES SHE KEEP OUTDOING HERSELF?!!?
it is hard! i could never rank this album! they are ALL amazing! i'm so proud of you guys
Hey girls good to see you back with another reaction,I look forward to these videos,,my 2 favourite UA-cam,, hope you both are settling in your new homes,,can't wait till Thursday when the tour resumes to see if taylor adds any new songs to the list,I've tried to figure out how shes going to do that,but no-one but taylor knows so we need to sit back an wait..❤❤
Peter and Cassandra took a few days to grow on me and I love them so much !!!!
It said to be a tradition whenever Taylor Swift releases albums, the Swifties would go straight here and listen to every word these two girls have to say.
fr!!
best tradition
So 44:01
When me and my friends were discussing the meaning of each song the day after the launch that is exactly what I told them: you know what, before I can completely understand everything I need to listen to what Emily and Bonny have to say 😂🤭
Yes! They are the first videos I look for in the next days and weeks after Taylor releases new albums. I do my own listens on repeat and once I'm ready to hear the Swifties takes on the new albums I check for Emily and Benny's videos first. I've watched a few other Swifties videos but I find that I have a lot of the same feelings as they do (but not always which is wonderful the differences help me sometimes fathom what I may be missing). I also love to watch Ally Sheehan another Aussie to who I have similar tastes. The Aussies I love and I'm American! Thanks, ladies for the amazing videos! ❤
“Literally happened to women who were just… too slay” 😂😂
I choked on my coffee 😂
I laughed so hard 😂
Meme potential😂
"they literally just got burnt" lmao
Peter has one of Taylor's most impressive one liners with "Love's never lost when perspective is earned". That is right up there with "Kept you like a secret, but you kept me like a oath" and "so casually cruel in the name of being honest" from All Too Well.
what is your take on it?
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! I think more people are waking up to how incredible this song is. In my mind it shoulda coulda been Track5.
Wow these are also all my favorite Taylor lyrics of all time as well 😭
@@gggabi653well I take it as even if you gain perspective and realise why you weren't meant to be with someone or that it wasn't right, it still doesn't mean that the love once shared needs to necessarily go away. But I think thats one way of looking at it
The lyric reminds me of the one in but daddy I love him: "Time, doesn't it give some perspective" which is honestly one of my favourite lyrics of the song 😊
I LOVE in Guilty as Sin when she ends it with the beggining verse, because it represents that after ALL THAT dreaming and pining for someone, she ends up exactly where she started and absolutely nothing changed, and that makes her want to cry.
Omg so trueeee
guilty as sin is my top1 fav!!! also my bf hahaha. looping this every day
LOML IS SO GOOD, i cant stop listening to it even though i do not relate to it at the moment lol!! its just so beautiful!!!! and the lyrics are heart crushing in the best way possible!
Oooooh i love this!!
THE BLACK DOG DESERVES MORE LOVE! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!! 😭😭😭😭
The black dog needs justice 😭
The black dog is my no.1 Taylor Swift song. That’s how much I love it
Its my fav❤
Agreed. This is a top 5 all time Taylor song
YES when she sings "I still cant believe it" at the end of the song, it brings a tear to my eye EVERY TIME
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” is my top Taylor Swift song of all times. I believe it’s the most relatable and angriest song that Taylor ever released.
The bridge of the bridges like omg i can't stop screaming it
They slept on smallest man
Jjj
SAME TOO
Exactly! For me personally it goes together with all too well 10min version and would've could've should've. It's so deeply relatable.
I love seeing Peter getting what it deserves ✨✨
It’s so good 😩
It is criminal that people don't bow at Peter's f-ing feet.
@@JenniferDonahue702 time will do it justice, I'm sure
My jaw dropped at The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived... that bridge is one of her best ever, what!
Girls... The piano sound on Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, Is the same from the piano at the end of Champagne problems!!!!!
SHUT UP OMG
Fuck omg 😱😱😱😱😱😱
yea right!!!!
yesssss !!! the way i get the chills now every single time i listen to that knowing that😭
Omg yes it is!!!
When Bonny said i’m sorry if you related to The Prophecy, i was like thanks for seeing us !! 😂😂
'I look in peoples windows' is one of my fave and the reason for it is this feeling of isolation and longing for a connection. it's like 'the outside' just from a depressed adults perspective. i love it so much.
1:00:03if you notice she says “they filled my cell with snakes” also referencing everyone calling her a snake and literally FILLING HER CELLPHONE with snakes
She is a genius
Apparently one of the Cassandra myths is that she was told truth by snakes so clever double meaning there too
I just choked omg
THE BOLTER NEEDS MORE LOVE!!
OMG YES ITS ONE OF MY FAVS
Absolutely!!
ABSOLUTELY
One of my faves too
It is CRIMINALLY underrated
Emily's bangs are just hairing so perfectly, I can't imagine how long that took. Also the colour scheme of the tiers is amazing
Emily’s hair literally just sits like this naturally 😂
I literally couldn't stop staring, its so gorgeous -- as always!
they are bangin'
As an asexual the colour scheme did make me giggle a little bit! 🖤🩶🤍💜
@@alexrightnow2531 omg i just googled hahaha - we tried to make it all TTPD colours but the black didn't stand out enough so we randomly picked purple to be the colour 🤣
The Black Dog is one of her best songs of all tiiiime.
The magic/tragic fabric of our dreaming…..SLAY
@Laura-rm6us Yeees. And her voice is so beautiful through the entire song, especially the bridge!
YES
The Manuscript I saw as a reflection on the whole re-recording process, and how through this process she is revisiting these past moments in her life. And how her putting her emotions from her lowest lows into a song has resonated with her fans and given her the legacy she has. So now she doesn’t feel the hurt she felt when she wrote her songs, she has reached her peace. The songs are for the fans now, and the stories aren’t hers they are ours.
I was watching the patreon extended version of the reaction to anthology for the 5th time while this was uploaded - sorry this era and this channel are next level superior and cosy and something about the cold and rainy aussie weather right now just makes it such a holistic experience 😗🤌🏼
ahhh you are too amazing, thank you for watching and I am so happy to read this comment 🥰
Bahahaha it's like I'm reading my own comment -- I do the EXACT same thing with their Patreon videos lmao!!
So very grateful for this new album and this channel. Thank you❤
Clara Bow is relatable to anyone who is aging. I’m 71 and I’m sure I cried the first 10 times I listened to it. I cried for Taylor because she sees what’s coming for her, and I cried for myself because you can’t grow older without suffering many kinds of losses. The song says we will all be eclipsed and the gifts we’ve cultivated over the years will fade. I agree this is a song that is deeply personal and will not resonate with the masses, but I thought I would explain here why I love it so much.
@@karenvalentino3412 I’m older than most of these girls as well. I’m 52 and get the meaning as well. Good for Taylor that she understands already so that maybe she can handle it better than the ones that it hits them in the face one day.
Guilty As Sin? has become my new personality. It consumes my every waking moment. Upon first listen I KNEW this was immediately entering Top 5 Taylor songs all time for me. I am SO GLAD y’all gave her her flowers!!!!
realllllll
"The witch metaphor never gets old because its something that happened in history to women who were, honestly, too slay" 😂👏 too true! And this is partly why I love The Prophecy so much, the dark, witchy energy coupled with the devastatingly relatable lyrics are too much... not to mention, it sounds like Landslide. Just feeds my Stevie/Fleetwood Mac heart ❤ Peter is also up there for me (I'm also a cardigan stan) and so is How Did It End?
EMILY I'M WITH YOU ON LOML! The poetic lyrics combined with the OFFENSIVE MELODY just makes it one of my top songs on the whole album. PERFECT SONG
How was this not Track 5?????!!!
It is a perfect song. Top 30 for me, maybe even top 10.
the phantom lyric in the bridge is just... I will NEVER get over that. NEVERRRRR
@@annamiotello4118 The punch of "Nevermind" coming right on the heels of "I'll never leave"...
Yes one of her best songs! 👌
The way i skipped my online lecture and clicked on Thee Chats & Reacts notification in 0.01 Micro Second
Lol I'm supposed to be studying too 😂
GUYS SO LONG LONDON ARE INSANELY GOING UP ON SPOTIII ua-cam.com/video/vHjz0He1Dkw/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
1. the black dog
2. whos afraid of little old me?
3. guilty as sin?
4. i can fix him (no really i can)
5. so long, london/how did it end?
i love all of these so much though and i want them all at 1 😭
the way that i picture myself running through a sunny field in slow motion when i listen to but daddy i love him!! SUPERIORRRR
Peter IS a top tier song & it hurts my feelings 🥺
I’ve seen TikTok edits of the song to Peter Pan & the Chronicles of Narnia (the eldest brother is named Peter) & they HIT HARD 😭😭😭
The song can just be applied to so many scenarios
The edits to Peter pevansie FROM SUSANS PERSPECTIVE BROKE ME
i can’t believe the amount of varying themes in this album, some we just never would’ve expected. It makes so much sense when taylor refers to this album process as her lifeline. It is about so many aspects of her life and looking back 🥺
Loml are topping the charts ua-cam.com/video/vHjz0He1Dkw/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
The Black Dog is one of my favourite Taylor Swift Songs of all time, I RAN to get that vinyl. Its shocking that this isnt up there for you both - it's one of her most personal songs shes ever self written
I find it really fascinating that The Alchemy has the right beat for CPR, especially given all of the references to stopping CPR in so long, London and the heart stopping in You’re Losing Me. Like Joe killed her, but then Travis revived her.
Omg STOP RIGHT NOW
EXCUSE ME
I don't think people realise that the following is another meaning of the word alchemy. Which I think is so perfect for the song - "a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
"finding the person who's right for you requires a very subtle alchemy" " ❤
Yes!! I was just thinking I don't think their interpretation of the word alchemy is even correct. They seem to be of the belief of it creating "false" gold, but alchemy in history was moreso about trying to turn base metals INTO gold... As in taking something that is fairly basic and looks to be easily found and then turning it into something valuable and treasured. I never once got a negative connotation about alchemy even reading the song title from the start.
I think they might be misinterpreting it because they're misinterpreting what alchemy means in the first place.
@badgerclaws I absolutely agree with you! Alchemy involves turning base metals like lead into precious metals such as gold. Since this song comes after the low point of loml and Smallest Man, I think it’s about taking her leaden feelings (depression and anger) and letting them turn into the golden feeling of love.
I did my own research about "the alchemy" in a love context and it made me love the song so much more. What stood out for me was this: Integration of Opposites (this is so Taylor and Travis): A central concept in alchemy is the reconciliation of opposites, often symbolized by the union of masculine and feminine energies. In relationships, this can represent the coming together of two individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives, creating a harmonious and balanced partnership.
Agree! Alchemy = Chemistry like no other. She’s basically telling us that this bone deep, chemical connection between them is so rare and so special that it only happens “once every few lifetimes.” All the child’s play with the amateurs doesn’t even matter anymore because this is the one - the thing she’s been waiting for. She’s telling us she’s found her soul mate. And yes, it’s a very sexy, sultry song!
@@breathmusic1312 Beautiful! ❤️
i love how you review the songs and the categories are not just “mid” or “trash” or “skip” like most people’s tier rankings. especially when it comes to taylor’s music her songs really grew on you even if you didn’t like it at first listen.
Yes!! It makes so much sense
I love how in florida she mentions “and your cheating husband disappeared well no one asks any questions here” and in fortnight she says “my husband is cheating I wanna kill him” which implies that she did in fact kill him
oh my god how did I not pick up on this
that's actually so crazy
Oh my gosh thank you Emily for putting “I Hate it Here” in your top 30!! I also don’t understand why I love it but it’s sooooooooo gooooood. This is also how I feel about Chloe or Sam so I can’t wait for you to fathom moreeee
Same.
18:50 OMG guilty as sin is my favourite too, it’s the silence to- “what if he’s written ‘mine’ on my upper thigh…” 😫😫😫
and her pronunciation on “upper” 😩🔥
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus is my most repeated song! OMG you have to listen to it more! The lyrics are so heartbreaking. It's soooooooo gooooooooooooood.............. It's my top 30 worthy!!!!! So far probably my number 1 song on TTPD!! Very folklore vibe. SUPERIOR!!!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Couldn’t agree more. It’s on repeat for me and it’s definitely one of my favorites on the album.
Yessss
def top 30 omg it’s incredible
THANK YOU
We would loooooove an updated version of this video once the breakdowns are over!!!!!!! This is such a blessing to be living this new era with you guys here and over on Patreon… CHATS AND REACTS FOREVER!!🤍🤎🩶🖤
I absolutely love Robin and it makes me cry every time I listen to it. I connect to it more when I think of Taylor looking at Robin and being reminded of when she was a child and the innocence of youth and how adults protect children from the dangers and evils of the world. But she notes in the bridge that at some point they must go out and face things themselves. And I imagine Taylor looking at the hurt she has been through during her lifetime and remembering that there was also a time when she was innocent and protected. There's something nostalgic and accepting about the song and its connection with the cycle of life.
I can't even fully express what I mean, but I do see this song as much more than just observing a child and it being very much connected to Taylor's reminiscing on her life and her youth and her struggles and how everything has brought her to where she is now.
My Mum’s name is Robin so I am expecting big sobs from that song in future 🥹
@ceciliarogers5287 Thank you so much, I feel the same!! It's one of my favourites from the album - so touching, I cry every single time!
I just tried to put this into words in my comment and then I found yours. You hit the nail on the head. Robin is a grower and it became huge for me!
@ceciliarogers5287 thank you for putting into words exactly what I feel each time I listen to this masterpiece not only do i cry but each word that you have written is truly What I Feel . Truly the most beautiful song in every way ( 🖤in sweetness 🤍)
SAME!!! I cried the first ten times I heard Robin, and it always touches some deep-down longing in me for my own childhood. I think she is singing this song to her inner child and that thought KILLS ME. I just posted a similar comment and then saw your very eloquent description. You hit the nail on the head, and once more people fathom this interpretation, I think it will grow in popularity. So dismayed to see it at the bottom of many people’s ranking. I hear them say “it’s a kids’ song”, but that is far from all it is.
Oh my god I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY HERE!!
So long london are so fuked up ua-cam.com/video/vHjz0He1Dkw/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
both of your looks this era have been such huge slays like everything from the hair & makeup to outfits and even the background settings everything is so chic, i love it🤍🤍
I Look In People's Windows is so beautiful and resonates with the isolation one has when seeing happiness on the street, online, or for one's friends and only being an observer. Top Tier. Top Tier.
You guys! The Black Dog is AMAZING
I know when I first heard it my jaw dropped when the electric guitar started!!!
actually alchemy is the process of creating gold (not necessarily fake). in this case she's changing the meaning of gold to 'love' instead of 'joe' necessarily. Also it sounds to me like waiting for a love potion to brew at an apothecary.xD
Love this take! Thank you 🤍
@chatsandreacts
I encourage you to read the comments about The Alchemy being about The Eras Tour and connection with fans rather than romantic love!
This interpretation is very compelling and I think it better fits 1) The album progression 2) the "casting a spell" vibe.
I hope you fathom The Black Dog soon because I cannot stop listening to this song!!! For me it feels like the same punch to the gut from My Tears Ricochet, especially the bridge when she sings “even if I die screaming.” It’s a top 30 for me
I Hate It Here and The Prophecy were the songs that personally hit me the hardest. When I was 13/14 I was being bullied in school. I was so depressed and I hated having to go to school and I read HP over and over and over to take me out of that feeling. I completely felt every part of that song. And The Prophecy took me back to late teens/early 20s. I was the only one out of my friends without a boyfriend and I felt like no one wanted me. I was the girl that the guy dated for a few weeks/months got ghosted and they immediately had a girlfriend after me. I thought there was something wrong with me and I'd never have what every one else does. I've been with my husband for 10 years now, but it took me right back to that time when I thought so little of myself. I wish I could go back and tell myself it was all going to be okay x
The Alchemy - I agree with Bonny, its sensual and seductive kind of vibes - "These chemicals hit me like a white wine"
My take on the manuscript is that it's a look through her past relationships that have affected her the most, on one sense or another, working through her feelings about them during and after them, and coming to terms with everything that might have happened. It's her healing journey, of accepting it as part of her life and experience and growth as a person and an artist. Particularly the line "The Professor said to write what you know lookin' backwards might be the only way to move forward" brings me back to Dear John and Would've Could've Should've, because she did revisit that relationship years later and expressed how it really made her feel, how she feels about it now. And having released not only that, but also the rest of TTPD and Midnights, which together do provide a a journey through most of said relationships, she is finished with that part of her life, she's finished that manuscript, she's ready to move on from that. It's a full stop to that era, and it's not her story anymore because she's done telling it, and furthermore, it's literally not her story, because she's not living in it anymore, she's not letting that past define who she is now. (Is it obvious I'm passionate about this song?)
“One last souvenir from my trip to your shores” never fails to make me cry. In my head Taylor is having one last amicable chat with Joe before she left London for good. I may be wrong, but the story isn’t hers anymore 😢
@suryapontanugraha9000 totally! And the shift to first person in the outro of the song is so powerful. Also, "you" could mean any of her past relationships (romantic or not, because it can also refer to the rerecordings and owning the original masters, "the last souvenir" being the original versions, not being hers anymore, but she has the new versions) and the line can be read as longing/nostalgic and also as relief that this is the only thing left between them, depending on who she's talking to.
I already shared this with @chatsand reacts on their patron, but I wanted to share it with you guy here. Here's my take on the manuscript, which is I think she's looking back at her whole career and past relationships.
The piano hits 11 chords before the singing starts for the 11 original albums.
As the song starts she says:
"Now and then she rereads the manuscript
Of the entire torrid affair" --“Entire” being key here.
"They compared their licenses -- Taylor got her doctorate from NYU, so she is a doctor now (and she knows how breathing works.) That must have been a massive achievement for her and her family were probably so proud.
He said, 'I'm not a donor but
I'd give you my heart if you needed it'" -- Taylor Lautner and his wife, Taylor, have a podcast dedicated to healing and mental health.
"She rolled her eyes and said” -- An action of a child or teenager
'You're a professional'
He said, 'No, just a good samaritan'" -- Maybe to Scott B, because he signed her on, when she was a young girl, like he was helping her get her career started.
"He said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was
Soon they'd be pushin' strollers
But soon it was over" -- These lines seem to be about Matty Healy. She put several lyrics in TTPD about Matty talking to her about rings, marriage and babies, but the relationship was over almost as soon as it started.
"In the age of him, she wished she was thirty
And made coffee every morning in a Frеnch press
Afterwards she only atе kids' cereal
And couldn't sleep unless it was in her mother's bed" -- These line seem to be about Jake Gyllenhaal. In ATW, he tells her "if we had been closer in age, maybe it would've been fine" and later "...sippin' coffee like you're on a late night show." and in the short film, Sadie laying in bed, crying her eyes out. **Or the coffee line could be about Harry Styles, from the 300 take out coffees later line from Is It Over now? but then I don't know what to do with the cereal and mom's bed lines, unless its referencing her break down following the Kim and Kanye thing and disappearing for a year.
"Then she dated boys who were her own age
With dart boards on the backs of their doors" -- She did date a few boys her age, Joe Jonas, Lucas Till, Harry Styles. I don't know what age they/she was when they were dating, but it was much closer to her age than John or Jake.
"She thought about how he said since she was so wise beyond her years
Everything had been above board
She wasn't sure" -- These lines are giving me John Mayer. From Dear John to Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve, she knows there was something wrong about that relationship and it was not ok.
"And the years passed like scenes of a show" -- 6 years with Joe Alwyn, an actor
"The professor said to write what you know" -- Taylor has always written songs about her life and experiences. With her doctorate she could teach at a collage level and so SHE is the professor.
"Lookin' backwards might be the only way to move forward" -- These lines may be the re-records and the whole thing with Big Machine Records
"Then the actors were hitting their marks" -- Making ATW the Short Film plus the other directing projects she's done, or maybe even being in Cats the movie and other films.
"And the slow dance was alight with the sparks" -- the ERAS tour, or maybe all the tours she's done in the past
"And the tears fell in synchronicity with the score" -- Could still be the ERAS Tour, specifically when you add in "I can do it with a broken heart" But it could also be loosely nodding to Travis with the mention of "Score"
“And at last, she knew what the agony had been for” -- Looking forward with hopefulness with all the bad stuff behind her, and the resolution of the re-records and Travis as positives.
"The only thing that's left is the manuscript
One last souvenir from my trip to your shores " -- Could be specifically be Joe and Matty, being from England, or it could be collectively all of these past relationships if you take the "shores" less literally to mean into their lives/homes. Shores could also mean the Tour stops domestic and international
"Now and then I reread the manuscript" -- Of course she'll always remember the pain of her past, and never stop looking back at it.
But the story isn't mine anymore." -- This seems to refer to her telling the fans how she’s always given us her most painful songs. And we'll take them in and give them back to her as something beautiful.
What do you think?
Yup! It's like a summary of ALL her relationships, friendships, business relationships, etc.
i so agree! i do think the manuscript is partly about all too well but i really think it's taylor looking back at all her previous relationships, coming to terms with them and letting them go.
Before you influence me, my top 10 is:
- How Did It End?
- So High School (obv)
- imgonnagetyouback (interesting it's missing the ' in i'm)
- The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- So Long, London
- Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
- Down Bad (obv)
- Clara Bow
- The Black Dog
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (obv)
I must need to fathom Guilty As Sin? more. I do enjoy the melody. I will keep you posted when you do an update haha
Yessss How Did It End? Is so incredible
For me, the black dog is like the moment of spiraling and realizing it’s over just by seeing one small thing. Like you’re checking his social media (old habits) and see he liked a girls picture or checking his location and seeing he’s at a bar and you just come undone. You start picturing them without you and you picture all the time you spent together and you’re just losing it, getting more hurt and more angry. The old habits die screaming makes me thing that her doing something as simple as checking in on him like she always does hurt her in ways she couldn’t imagine but she kept doing it. Like it took true emotional pain to get her to let go of it.
Hope it helps you fathom! We all have different opinions ofc but this is truely one of the best songs she has ever written. The production and the lyrics melt together in the most relatable borderline psychotic girly breakdown.
I agree and relate so hard to what she’s feeling in this song.
I think the Albatross references the poem, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The albatross represents a symbol of foreboding and bad things to come but also holds the key to fixing it all as well. You should check out that poem for more clarity on that song!
thank you for making this era so so special🥺✨🤍
Nouu the Manuscript is her rerecording all her works and going over the manuscripts (songs) of all her past loves. How she dated people in their 30s, then her own age and her experiences and how now all these stories arent hers anymore now they are ours. The perfect way to end the album
Yes!! Tell it!!!
I have people! Hello!
yep, it's another Dear Reader type song, love it!!
the bolter supremacy FOREVEEER !!! i literally cannot wrap my head around how deeply concerning this song is in so many levels and how directly it impacted since day one. love your videos with my whole heart and i cannot wait for the all the song breakdowns, love you guys 🤍🤍
Interpreting "The Alchemy" as a song written for her fans during the Eras Tour has changed it for me - I wanted to share it so it might change it for you as well!
The line "This happens once every few lifetimes" already suggests it's not a love song because in this album alone, there are three men she's written songs about, but The Eras Tour and all the vibe that came with it happen once every few lifetimes. She hasn't come around in so long, but she came back so strong! She always performs at stadiums, which in most cases are football stadiums. When she touches down in a city, the city's team leaves the stadium, and she takes it over; she's the one to beat. Some joke that it's heroin, but this time with an "E" because she's the most powerful when she's on the stage. These blokes (the football team that was playing before the concert) warm the benches, we (as in Taylor Swift and her fans) been on a winning streak!
Also, the placement of this song in the album makes more sense when it's about the Eras Tour:
"I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" - About her heart being broken but still performing on stage, it's about her career
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" - In terms of where it sits in the album, it doesn't matter if it's about Matty Healy or Scott Borchetta; it makes sense in both ways.
"The Alchemy" - About the Eras Tour
"Clara Bow" - Her career and the music industry.
So the last 4 songs in the first album is about her career and relationship with fans.
Came here to say this as well!
"Sign on your heart" => signs in the crowd. "You" is the fans, "he" is separate and actually just there as the prize. (She does a distinct difference between He and You in Fresh Out the Slammer as well, so there's precident). SHE is the greatest in the league (where's the trophy? HE is walking over now)
Cool theory! What do you make of the meaning of Alchemy in this context? Turning base metals to gold. Weren’t we fans gold already? 😂
@@karencardozo5623 The alchemy also means "a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way" I think this meaning fits perfectly in this context!
i like this interpretation but i think it’s definitely intended to be about Travis and her making a “comeback” to being herself again and being ready for another relationship. alchemy can be another word for chemistry so saying “who are we to fight the chemistry?” when talking about the beginning of the relationship makes sense. “these blokes warmed the benches” could be in reference to her latest exes, since ‘bloke’ is British slang and they were all British. they helped give her life and relationship experience to prepare her for “the one”, so the metaphorical bench is warm for Travis to sit comfortably. “when i touch down, call the amateurs and cut ‘em from the team” probably means that when she touches down in her plane to see Travis, he can write off any other potential partners, because as Taylor says, she’s the one to beat. “cause the sign on your heart says it’s still reserved for me”, probably in reference to how we knew Travis was interested for a while before they met, and Taylor was probably hesitant because of her last two relationships so she held off meeting him for a bit, or maybe even outright rejected him at first. but he was still waiting for her. “where’s the trophy? he just comes running over to me” is the biggest clue that this is about Travis lol, definitely in reference to her going down onto the field at the ends of his football games.
this is a really cute interpretation though!! i just think Taylor wouldn’t make a fan song so vague(?), and it would be a lot more in our faces like Long Live lol 😅
Omg amazing theory 👏
my top 10 ranking after listening obsessively for nearly two weeks:
- The Prophecy
- So Long, London
- How did it end?
- The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- Hate it here
- loml
- The Bolter
- Guilty as Sin
- The Black Dog
- Cassandra
Flawless choices
I am obsessed with The Prophecy right now! If you put on good headphones and listen closely to all the different layers, it really is amazing and beautiful. The section where she ‘howls’ and the way it ends with all the instruments swirling around each other and then you’re left with her vocal line pleading ’Please.’ 😭🤯
I hope it gets more attention!
@@catrionathepoet130 thank you!
@@woodelf27 I agree! The strings and all the vocal layers are so captivating and beautiful! I WISH she would perform this live but that's probably not going to happen (except maybe once acoustically)
loml has my whole entire heart. “Are they secondhand embarrassed that I can’t get out of bed cause something counterfeits dead?” Are you kidding meeeeee? I feel that on an astronomical level.
I’VE BEEN HOPING YOU WOULD DO THIS!!! i am so so so excited i fucking love you
Did u read my mind?? Straight up yesterday evening i searched for a song ranking and here you are. The queens queening like always!
I love you both so much! Im struggling a little bit in my life right now and you two and your content (and Taylor of course) is bringing me so much comfort so thank you 🥰
I became a fan of you guys from your newest reactions to TTPD and I regret not having been sooner. I rewatched all your old reactions and it reminded me of the first time I listened to those albums. I’m a newer swiftie who didn’t get into Taylor until the release of midnight but your reactions were so amazing to watch and your eras vlogs as well. Also I love your guys vocabulary like “fathoming” or “superior” and yall r really smart at decoding or predicting songs and their meanings. Anyways thought I’d say all that and that you guys are is instantly part of my Taylor swift routine for updates, album releases, fathoming for songs I still don’t understand and everything else. Love yall!! ❤❤❤
I feel like a trip to Florida would GREATLY help the fathoming of Florida!!! It is one of my favorites off the album and is SO deeply superior to me as an American🫶
I’ve been to both Miami and Orlando 😬 but maybe need to go again purely for a fathoming of the song? 😂
@@chatsandreacts please do!!!! I love you all so much🫶
I moved to Florida 5 years ago, and I deeply relate to that song. Plus, when Florence sings about "me and my ghost had a hell of a time," I'm wondering if that had an extra meaning. Taylor refers to her "beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, D Y I N G." Anyway, I loved Florence before this, so having the two collaborating is fabulous!
Not a fan of Florida but do enjoy FLORIDA!!!
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived going into the “still need to fathom” category was too much for me 😩 it’s the best bridge she’s ever written
Yeah I don’t get the placement, at all.
I'm also blown away by this album. I love all 31 songs. I can't remember the last album (other than Taylor's) where each song is consistently re-listenable. I can go back all the way to the 80's where only 1-3 songs were listenable on "good" top charting albums. Taylor is on another level! All hail this "once in a lifetime" God level talent! ❤❤❤
As an Evermore girlie, Albatross and Chloe et al are God tier for me. Can’t wait for you two to feel that way also, because I sense you will. 🤍
YASSSS!! So excited for this one girlies. A fortnight on, still DEEPLY UNWELL over this album. It’s so raw, honest and emotional yet with so much humour. A masterpiece! 🤍🖤
“Swirled you into all of my poems” in Fresh Out the Slammer makes me think there are several songs about both Joe and Matty!
Justice for i look in ppls windows!!!! Bc i too look in strangers windows 😂 also cassandra i always think of the kimye thing personally! And for the manuscript, i think of it as her looking back on multiple past relationships. The one with the kids cereal and things being above board bc she was mature for sure brought john mayer to mind and the ending bit with the tears falling to the score and the actors certainly feels like a nod to all too well. But i think of it more as her looking back at previous relationships in her life and releasing the pain of them to us for us to consume if that makes sense. Healing through feeling the pain and expressing it.
I love it how you guys have your own ranking system, and you're so honest but also so respectful of Taylor's work, and of everyone's different experiences with music
I feel so warm and welcome here, thank you so much 🥰
I LOVE how much you love Guilty As Sin! We usually have the same faves (like I genuinely believe you guys are the only people on the world who get my love for Ivy) and I knew you guys would love it on my first listen. Thank you for always sharing your thoughts on these songs with us!!
i love bonny's hair sm 💟
I just love how this record and my favorite songs change every day 😅 🤩 there is simply sooo much to unpack that it took me nearly two weeks to fathom it in anyway and I still discover new things everytime I listen to it 😍🤩 I am just in love with this record, the blood and pain Taylor put into it and how brutally raw and honest it is! This was such a blessing 🤩
So props to you two, ranking this so soon 😅🫠
me trying not to scream in offense every time you ranked one of my favs low😭
still loved the video, this channel is my comfort place fr
you ladies have GOTTEN ME THROUGH the past 6 weeks of hell been bedridden, you have no idea how much better life is as a swiftie after joining you on patreon! ilyyyyyy
SO EXCITED! Love you girls 🤍🫶🏻
thanK you aIMee is my #1 song on TTPD and just like they said, not bc of the tea but bc its just a really good song like the melody and the way Taylor sings it its soooo good i just love it so much and being able to relate to it as well makes it so much better.
Everytime a new taylor album releases my brain cannot fathom the fact that i can get my new favorite songs of all time because i’m like “folklore and evermore exist. speak now exists. like they have some of my favorite songs ever, how could she ever top that?” and then she hits me with peter, the prophecy, how did it end, i can fix him and fresh out the slammer and im DEAD! i cannot even talk about how much i love peter, i’m still processing 😭 and also on my first listen i put a mark on every single song, that never happened before i was crying
also, i completely agree with the expectations put on the songs can damage the experience, i think i loved the second part sooo much more because i didn’t have time to even try to guess what most songs were about
first of all, bonny's hair is so fucking cute
second of all, OH MY GOD IT'S LITERALLY HERE!!!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING
I HOPE YALL ARE DOING WELL WITH 31 OF THEMMMM!!!!!
fucking love y'all
My ranking
Top 30 worthy 💛
-Fresh out the slammer
-Guilty as sin?
-Loml
-I can do it with the broken heart
-The Black Dog
-So high school
-Robin
-The manuscript
Deeply Concerning 🩵
-Fortnight
-The tortured poets department
-My boy only break his favorite toy
-Down Bad
-But Daddy I love him
-The smallest man who ever live
-The alchemy
-Clara Bow
-imgonnagetyouback
-The Albatross
-How did it end?
-I hate it here
-thanK you aIMee
Superior ❤️
-Florida!!!
-Who's afraid of little old me?
-COSOSOM
-The Prophecy
-Peter
-The Bolter
Still need fathoms 💜
-So long London
-I can fix him (no really I can)
-I look in people's window
- Cassandra
So watching The Eras Tour in Paris, I connected “he can be my jailer- Burton to this Taylor” to Fresh out The Slammer- but she didn’t sing it. But the continuation of the jail theme 🤍
Can I just say that you two are exceptional at the way you de code these songs! I newly discovered you before this album release, although I've been listening to Taylor for a while. You're videos are so fun and I'm glad that there's a community like this! 💙💜 I now have some new favourites to keep listening too
The Prophecy hurts me more when I look at it with a friendship lens 😢
Can we acknowledge the magic of Taylor's music in how each of us has our deep bonds to particular songs that we can't endure others not feeling it? We respect peoples right to their own opinions, but she is such a talented writer that for all the myriad of planets on which we dwell, she has an iconic song for that planet. Songwriter!
I’m sat. I cannot believe you are able to rank and fathom so much of this album already!!
I have cried multiple times over The Prophecy even though I've been happily married for many many years. I remember feeling like love would pass me by--no one captures angsty wonderings like TS
Ajayll and both of you are only channel I watched when it comes Taylor reaction very genuine and honest.
I’m just up to the Alchemy and I felt similar to you guys, but I heard it live in Paris N4 and now I can’t get it out of my head 🤩🥰
This is my first era with y’all and I’ve been MISSING OUT! I absolutely adore and love you ladies, you match my energy so well 😂🫶🫶
THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING GUILTY AS SIN!!!!!!! I feel like people aren’t acknowledging how superior it is.
MY CLICKING SPEED HAS NEVER BEEN ANY FAST THAN THIS 😭 ITS DEEPLY CONCERNING.
Girls, The Manuscript's chords at the beginning are straight from All Too Well. Try singing ATW to it where the word "walked" in "I walked through the door with you" hits on the very first chord. The 2nd chord will play between that line and "the air was cold." It's the same tempo.
Yes please do another ranking in the future! I enjoyed this video so much! Thanks, girls!! ❤
So long, london might be my all time favorite!!
Guys! When you think and search for alchemy in a love context, you realize why Taylor chose that word, in many ways, it describes them perfectly. I'll leave here what stood out for me (but there's more):
1- Transformation: Love has the power to change us, just like alchemists aimed to transform base metals into gold. Being with someone you love can refine you, challenge you to grow, and bring out the best in you. (This reminded me for some reason people saying Travis plays better when Taylor is there and how his coach said he's a better and happier man now that Taylor's in his life)
2 Unity of Opposites (This one fits them the best): Alchemy often talks about the reconciliation of opposites, like the union of masculine and feminine energies. In love, this concept can be seen in the merging of two individuals with their own unique traits, backgrounds, and perspectives. The alchemical process of integrating opposites mirrors the journey of two people coming together in a relationship, learning to embrace and harmonize their differences (this is exactly what Taylor is doing, embracing their differences, especially with the line "You know how to ball, I know Aristotles" in "So High School". An interesting contrast to her exes who were more similar to her.)
3- Inner Work: Alchemy wasn't just about creating gold; it was also about the alchemist themself. Likewise, true love often involves self-reflection and growth. As we love another, we learn more about ourselves and what makes a healthy relationship (this makes me think a lot about this album, Taylor has done a lot of inner work with this album, especially with The Anthology which may have allowed her to heal and align herself on the path to building a healthier relationship. )
Such a fun video and I LOVED ranking the songs right along with you. Guilty As Sin? went straight to the top of my list as well - PERFECT song! Also this has to be shaping up as both your favorite albums - so many top 30 worthy songs!
I Hate It Here has become a hit in the bookish community fyi - it’s on everyone’s reels, we all relate to the escapism and the book vibes 🤍🤍🤍 I LOVE this song!
So high school is breaking the top 30 for me so easily- the glitter gel pen travis songs hit different!!!🥹🤍
It just me want TS12 to be a throwback rock type album even more 😭
HOW DID IT END? IS MY FAVORITEEEEEE !!! thank you so so much girls you make my day when you release a videeo and I LOOOVE when you rank songs. Love youuuu
The manuscript is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard and I cannot listen to it without crying!!!!! You guys are great ♥️
I agree with Em’s feeling … re the Alchemy … to me it feels as if it started to be written with MH and repurposed for TK
I agree. The idea of alchemy (a false or hopeless search for gold) and an old love coming back fits much more with the Matty narrative but then why the heavy handed football lyrics? It’s weird to have both within one song bc they seem contradictory. However I still turn it up bc melodically it’s a bop.
THE WAY IM EXCITED AND HORRIFIED AT THE SAME TIME🫠
The Tortured Poets Department song scratches such an itch in my brain. Everything about it reminds me of a John Hughes movie, The Breakfast Club in particular lol 🤍🤍🤍
THANK YOU EMILY for vaidating my love for 'I Hate it Here', I do not understand how it has been looked over. But one of my favourites from first listen to now.