E108: ”That’s a Real Legacy to Leave”: Taylor Swift and the Art of Intentional Ambiguity in seven, Maroon, and loml

"That's a Real Legacy to Leave." This week, we're diving deep into the art of double meanings in Taylor Swift's songwriting! Join us as we explore how Taylor crafts lyrics that can be interpreted in multiple ways simultaneously, and how she uses this technique to add layers of depth to her storytelling. We analyze three songs where the titles themselves contain double meanings: "seven" from folklore, "Maroon" from Midnights, and "loml" from The Tortured Poets Department. From the ambiguity of hitting your peak at seven (feet? years old?) to the devastating transformation from "love of my life" to "loss of my life," we uncover Taylor's intentional wordplay and what it reveals about her meticulous craft.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Hamilton
• Homer's The Odyssey
• Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
• The Summer I Turned Pretty

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Introduction and After School content announcement
• [01:37] What is double meaning? (Plus the difference from double entendre)
• [04:53] "Seven" - Peak at seven feet or age seven?
• [15:58] "Maroon" - The color and being marooned
• [24:06] "LOML" - From love to loss of my life
• [36:40] Pattern discovery: Why titles matter

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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.