TTPD: THE ANTHOLOGY DEBRIEFING

TL;DR Nuggets on writing, persuasion, marketing, and poetry from a Taylor Swift album review.

U.I. PROLOGUE

Not gonna lie.

This is everything I had hoped TS10 would be, coming out of folklore and evermore.

But I suppose Midnights allowed for a fresh break from the cottagecore theme.

The songs on TTPD sound very similar music-wise on your first listen. But 31 tracks is just unreal.

I understand how they can easily influence each other and sometimes even overlap; especially if they were brought to life simultaneously.

The succeeding rounds are a different experience once the initial style, storytelling, and overall vibe become a little familiar.

Straight away, the level of misery felt reminiscent of the previous eras.

She's uncovered so much that it feels like you're reading diary entries from when she first started her career.

It's not all romantic pain even though they might be disguised as such.

Which means I'm thoroughly enjoying this album.

Which brings me to my next point.

U.I. CHAPTER I: YOUR LENS MATTERS

I wanna talk about something I don't really discuss with random people.

Whenever I listen to her music, I make sure to have a different lens on.

Because the general public has this straightforward, relationship-update lens.

There's nothing super crazy about that.

I grew up enjoying different genres, and country music has that distinct storytelling device.

Taylor’s narratives reach so many people because they speak to us on a very personal level.

Like someone's writing the soundtrack of our lives.

I keep saying this because that's exactly how it feels.

If she's done it as a teenager, she's doing it as an adult with so much depth, decoding, and layers blended in.

Where it goes wrong with the rest of the world is that when you dive into her songs exclusively through the public-shitshow lens, the scenes tend to register as very shallow given the gravity of the pain she's conveying.

In a sense that people wonder why she's so miserable when her "only problem" is losing the damn man or her beef with other celebrities.

She's the biggest artist and yet she can't get what she wants?

First of all, being THE music industry does not guarantee her happiness bar is soaring high.

Just because someone has a glamorous life does not mean they aren’t allowed to cry about the things that we cry about.

It doesn’t mean they don’t experience the same longing and pining we do.

Nothing makes us less human—not money, not fame.

They might actually be struggling more because they’re so huge.

Second, does it always have to be about that? She calls out the music industry and people in the business, at times through romantic songs.

Because they’re more interesting and easier for her audience to digest that way.

It’s sad to see how they minimize her because she’s such an easy target—she's everywhere.

Not to mention minimize her struggles because she appears to have everything anybody could wish for at this point in her career.

To some extent, I understand that if a casual listener takes the lyrics very literally, that’s how they’re gonna perceive her.

But that’s also where I recognize her versatility as a writer.

U.I. CHAPTER II: THE ART OF PERSUASION

Recently, I’ve been consuming a lot of "how to write this and that".

Everyone reiterates how you should make the reader feel seen, heard, and understood.

Let them know you’re a real person to build that connection.

Be authentic. Be vulnerable. And then be persuasive.

The last part is not obvious but Taylor is an expert at this.

She understands persuasion to the T and I'm convinced it’s still what keeps her up there.

Her songwriting is impeccable because of her ability to say something that persuades someone to listen more.

To uncover the secrets. To connect the dots. To follow the trail.

No matter where they're coming from.

No matter if they've been fans for life.

It doesn't matter.

She does her job and she does it unbelievably well—she keeps her audience hooked.

All the while saying one thing that can potentially mean another.

It's like she disguises her most grueling pain with the more obvious details of her public life.

Like a new story lies within, ready to be found for the ones who know how to read between the lines.

She has said this herself through the reputation prologue:

"We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them that they have chosen to show us."

This is wild considering everyone thinks they know her through her confessional songwriting.

But it also makes things clear for people who get it—we can make sense of the gravity of the pain she's conveying when we understand that what we see so obviously is merely the tip of the iceberg.

U.I. CHAPTER III: THE MARKETING GENIUS

It's not news that people are disgustingly obsessed with her love life.

But do you ever wonder how she says she wants to keep that private, yet we have songs about specific people tied with very specific events that we then hear referenced in songs?

That's not a coincidence. That's all intricately crafted because that's what keeps them watching.

This has been her marketing approach from the start.

Fans want to know which songs are written for whom.

We can't deny this is the very reason the world is so involved.

thanK you aIMee demonstrates this when she says:

“I don’t think you’ve changed much and so I changed your name and any redefining clues. And one day your kid comes home singing a song that only us two is gonna know is about you.”

Do you really believe it’s mainly to reopen that can of worms?

I don’t think so gauging by the fact that it’s so blatantly in-your-face (hint the obvious title).

Don’t you think it’s funny how it contradicts the actual lyrics?

The main message is nobody will truly know apart from her and whoever she's singing to.

But.

She’s using the Kim situation (which she can because they've wronged her) for the trauma they've caused her in the past.

This creates buzz. It’s gossip. Again, marketing.

Because that’s what works. Two birds with one stone.

There’s always been Taylor (the woman) and Taylor Swift (the brand).

She’s mastered how to creatively weave these two personas together she’s built an empire upon them.

So if you're wondering why she’s so successful…it’s because she's not only a vulnerable and persuasive writer, she’s also a genius businesswoman.

U.I. CHAPTER IV: THE POETRY

Every writer knows that to make your writing stand out, you have to find your voice.

Because anyone can take a course on vulnerability and persuasion, but if you don't weave your personality into your pieces, they will sound generic.

You'll end up being just another writer saying the same things someone already said yesterday.

This is what I admire most about Taylor. She has gone beyond vulnerability and persuasion over the years.

Her lyricism has evolved because she's not afraid to experiment.

She uses literary references with a modern spin.

She retells experiences in evocative ways that make the listener go, "How does she know exactly how I feel?"

You know why?

Because she goes deep into her feelings and creatively talks about them.

That's why the songs on this album resonate with me, and they resonate hard.

If you’ve gone through the stages of grief, you’ll feel it.

If you’ve experienced any type of loss at some point, you’ll feel it.

If you've fallen in love, you'll feel it.

If it's unreciprocated love, you'll feel it.

No matter who you are, something will hit you like a shit ton of bricks.

Let me just say how the theme of forbidden love is always mind-blowing to me.

It's authentic pain.

“If it's make-believe, why does it feel like a vow we'll both uphold somehow? … If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me, they don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly, I choose you and me religiously.” – Guilty as Sin?

Or how about this simple yet beautiful line?

“She’s too young to know the song that was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming. Old habits die screaming.”

It’s even just a bonus how incredibly she strings words together for their specific themes with catchy melodies.

It's poetry.

She has a way with words.

Period.

U.I. CHAPTER V: THE CRITICISM

Yes, I've read the articles.

They’re picking out the worst and weirdest lyrics.

But I don't really need random ghostwriters talking about an artist I’ve known since I was a teenager.

Because they don’t truly care about her as a creator.

They need to pump out content and they will look for the worst parts because that’s what gets clicks and eyes.

That's how much judgment and criticism she deals with.

She opens her heart and talent to the world at the mercy of random people's opinions.

Many exist for the sole purpose of picking her work apart and ridiculing her.

What a tough life it must be.

Do you know how scary it is to throw your thoughts out there, especially the ones that are flops?

I do. I write. Some of my pieces are wow. Most of them are meh.

I don't even have a proper audience and it’s already overwhelming as it is to share my work in public.

How much more for her?

So no, it doesn't bother me that some lines are weird or childish.

She’s an artist.

A creator who needs to vent, just like the rest of us.

U.I. EPILOGUE

TTPD has the lyricism and the vibe.

Beyond the cryptic messages, Taylor (the woman) struggles with heartbreak, criticism, and finding peace and normalcy as ordinary people do.

But that pain is magnified exponentially because of Taylor Swift (the brand).

She expresses this loudly in But Daddy, I love him.

That exponential pain?

That's what makes this project heavily emotional.

Give the album a listen and let me know what you think.

Talk to you next week,

Jopaz