ranking tortured poets and FIXING the track list *controversial* 💀

[@theswiftologist]

Sign up to Riverside here: creators.riverside.fm/Swiftologist and use my code Swiftologist to receive 15% off individual plans! ⭐💞🎤

[@TheDuddelle]

Love the sound of the Evolution of A Snake podcast since Riverside. Thank you.

[@moonbunny1221]

Hopped on here to say we have to talk about this proliferation of toxic subreddits dedicated to Tayvis hate (r/travisandtaylor) as well as Mattyship (r/taylorandmatty) and even Joeship in the new TTPD era. I would love to hear your commentary on that! Why are there people so obsessed with and dedicated to hating Taylor or worshipping failed relationships?

[@ambrosiawillis7459]

I just saw a video that thank you Aimee is about karli Kloss? It's was really convincing for me 😂 😅

[@kianna270]

“It is an insult to say you’re so boring I had to date an idiot to feel something” LMAO that got me, literally have experienced the same thing before.

[@jillsarah7356]

This is so it. Ppl who say Joe didn’t do anything wrong/didn’t get roasted are so wrong lol

[@Inksplatter1991]

​@@jillsarah7356 I wouldn't say he got roasted. Lightly sauteed, perhaps.

[@KateCat420]

​@@Inksplatter1991 I don't know what album you listened too, but I distinctly remember hearing the gobble of a turkey in a bonfire 👀

[@Inksplatter1991]

@@KateCat420 She mentioned that he was sad and quiet. Her busting out of jail/bars was a metaphor for her being cooped up. She never mentioned that being with him was a bad experience. His songs were fine. I can do it with a broken heart - "I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague". So long London - "bluest days and quiet resentment". How did it end - "He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman". And "the black dog" was angry but it didn't mention anything damaging except Joe seems to take off after fights. You guys want to make him the villain when in actuality it was just a normal break up between an introvert and an extrovert. Sometimes different personality types make it work, sometimes they don't.

[@kristiestiles742]

How is that Joe's fault. If you find someone soo boring well just leave, if you stay well you're actually the idiot in the scenario. One person's "boring" is another person's "fun" it's all subjective. Being a quite depressed introvert is not a crime, you don't like it well don't date some who is, it's kinda that simple that's on you-Turkey.

[@andrewcfarmer]

Guilty as Sin is the #1 diva in my mind and I am so happy you agree. The storytelling is so rich- the melody and build-up projects a feeling of REVELING in longing for someone, being with someone in the fantasy of one’s own mind, which is what the song is about. I enter another dimension when this song comes on.

[@emmmma143]

Agreed!!! It’s been my #1 along with the black dog for different vibes/reasons since the first listen. It’s so so so good and the metaphor and production is mwah

[@aster_3188]

I think How Did It End? would make a great opening track. mostly lyrically. imagine releasing an album after a breakup, people tuning in to get the tea and then starting off with that song. that would gag. and it's a beautiful song on top of being a plot twist

[@edenstar196]

My friend said she hears Fortnight as an outro, because the melody kind of sounds like it’s fading away. I think that’s kind of interesting.

[@AlexeBriand2002]

yeah, Fortnight sonically sounds like the last track on an album. it’s hard to explain but some songs to me just sound like that lol

[@jillsarah7356]

YES it sounds like it’s the outro for the Midnights album!!

[@glockenspiel-ti1ms]

I find it interesting that the manuscript also works well as a first song, maybe its in reverse or something

[@Magfirth7900]

Florida should go higher in my opinion

[@edenstar196]

@@Magfirth7900 Florida is a flop

[@elmaxx2177]

Standard Edition: 1. So Long, London 2. Guilty as Sin 3. Fresh Out The Slammer 4. The Alchemy 5. But Daddy I love him 6. The Tortured Poets department 7. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 8. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 9. Down Bad 10. How Did It End? 11. Fortnight (Ft. Post Melone) 12. imgonnagetyouback 13. loml 14. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart 2 AM Edition: 15. I Hate It Here 16. I Look In People's Windows 17. The Albatross 18. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus 19. The Black Dog 20. The Prophesy

[@stephiem09612]

The bolter is good though

[@youronurowndorothea7]

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT : 2AM EDITION (THE TIL' THE DAY EDITION) 21. Florida!!! 22. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? 23. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) 24. Clara Bow 25. So High School 26. thanK you aIMee 27. Cassandra 28. Peter 29. The Bolter 30. Robin 31. The Manuscript

[@ME-HE-HEE]

@@youronurowndorothea7 also the manuscript

[@GrownupPhan]

I was with you until you cut The Bolter

[@djrn1621]

I agree with this list!!!!!! But I need you to include Peter in the 2am edition. It’s too good!

[@Alexis_Renee-ry2yk]

Honestly I think Peter is important in the establishment of how matty healy acted when they were in the relationship and how he promised to fix himself for her. It helps explain the past and how Taylor has finally realized that there’s no helping a lost cause, for the “smallest man who ever lived” can never truly grow up.

[@TheLizard199]

I think what swiftologist said on the review of the album is right tho, sam or Sophia or Marcus and I can fix him covers this theme though already

[@Gosgos666]

​@@TheLizard199 I feel like peter is more about closing the chapter definitively - like "we are never getting back together", feeling the grief of losing the relationship and idea of it, breaking the destiny's path

[@siracastori01]

We'll never know that, as it should be, we get to perceive these characters as just that, characters (maybe inspired by reality, to a large or small degree, but it's irrelevant), and as far the main character of the record goes, I think it's an ode to limerence over living out the years long fantasy, but I also don't think the narrator wrote out the main character here.

[@Rachels7777]

@TheLizard199 But I Can Fix Him is basically a filler interlude, and Chloe and friends gets overshadowed by more similar songs like How Did It End and loml. Peter has a unique metaphor and conveys it stronger.

[@hatestomakenames]

peter is definitively more impactful than either of those songs and it ties back to cardigan in a big way. i think it deserves its flowers.

[@spameranne]

"earblood" is really quite a lovely, somewhat horrific turn of phrase

[@VEGAS-NERVE]

Lmao I read this comment like a second before he said it and I was like "what could that possibly mean", then immediately said "well yes" 😂

[@piscesmoon9055]

I love your reordered track list for the standard version narratively, BUT the album ending with “try and come for my job 🤪” is sending me lol

[@Gosgos666]

for me it should be "will I always wonder?"

[@cc1526]

I actually love ICDIWABH as the closer, but get rid of the cringy, lack of humility in “try and come for my job.” Just go “cause I’m miserable and no one even knows… cause I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART” and do the chorus one more time. End with “it’s an art, you know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart.” Music stops right on the word heart.

[@swiflte]

​@@cc1526 I think it's cool having that lack of humility, for me TTPD is all about her breaking character and finally starting to not care about what people think or say about her. It's her finally accepting she can be fearsome, wretched and wrong sometimes, cause she's a human like all of us (which is one of her biggest insecurities as she revealed in midnights).

[@will9784]

well yes is now permanently part of my vocabulary and i blame you i literally cant stop saying it 😭

[@Reputation.133]

Exactly , it’s engraved in my vocabulary at this point

[@theswiftologist]

my imapct

[@wohphoto]

Same

[@WiglahWoo]

Same with “cricket” 😭 I keep saying it in front of my friends and they be so confused

[@pavilova29]

@@theswiftologist that’s a real fkn legacy

[@maruchita222]

Peter going in your delete actually hurts my soul

[@IfersInklings]

Shattered. It’s one of my favorite songs.

[@Feriellll-13]

Peter and Cassandra and Florida!!!! are literally my favourite songs on the album

[@tayluvofficial]

Take it with a pinch of salt.

[@florana5961]

Aaron 's productions are so awful

[@akashvalsan6609]

Peter is so beautiful 😢

[@callumcartini]

i get so happy whenever you call me a diva

[@theswiftologist]

exactly, diva!

[@chelleymarie2129]

Florida wasn’t hitting for me at first until I realized Matty is literally the personification of the “Florida man” meme/trope especially since the song itself is a metaphor for a rebound, but using Florida as the “rebound” didn’t make sense until that hit me 🤣😭

[@bluaurora8635]

Omgggg it makes sense now crazy Matty is FL!!!

[@Ali-gp2eq]

Thank you for this. I just didn't understand where this song fitted at all. Now it makes perfect sense.

[@bad-girlbex3791]

Florida isn't a favourite for me because I really don't like Florence's voice. But lyrically it made sense to me. Florida is tornadoes and tropical storms. It's a party place full of serial killers and drug cartels and 'Florida Man' is an epic meme of a person. That was a perfect metaphor for the insanity that was getting together with a destructive person who will pull you into their orbit and 'fuck me up'. The drums are over the top and feel a bit like a hangover where your head is killing you, but it makes sense when the intensity and almost annoying vibe is compared to the experience of being with MH.

[@conversations_with_kara]

one thing about me is i will always be SEATED for a swiftologist ranking & reshuffling

[@pinkieandpie]

Oh, that's another Zachism! My boss posted a really cool talk at work and I actually responded with SEATED

[@karenvalentino3412]

Clara Bow is indeed understated. That’s partly why to me it’s maybe her most evocative song, using fewer words to say so much. I get such big feels out of it, maybe because I’m 71 and you don’t get to my age without experiencing many different kinds of losses. I’m sure I cried the first ten times I listened to it, first for Taylor and then for me.

[@jillsarah7356]

It makes me cry every time.

[@v_loves_books]

I went to n3 of the Paris Eras Tour shows and the TTPD set was incredible. My dad came with me and even though he isn't a Swiftie he was impressed. Also he says his favorite album is Fearless and she played Hey Stephen ( his name is Stéphane ) so I love Taylor for that

[@bad-girlbex3791]

The footage I've seen online of the production of that show was actually incredible. And I loved the songs she picked from TTPD because it was hard to think of which ones would sum it up perfectly, but I think she created the exact right vibe with the ones she chose. Her outfits were gorgeous, and the effects used on the stage were brilliant. (And I'm not even a Swiftie, but I've gotten a bit obsessed with this double album, lol.)

[@v_loves_books]

@@bad-girlbex3791 yes!! The lighting and staging effects, the dancers and everything all contributed to a very impressive performance. It was incredible to witness in person.

[@avaromeoo]

i went to paris n3 too!! the ttpd set was truly incredible, i started sobbing as soon as she came out

[@bethwareing604]

It makes me sad that you don't appreciate How Did It End? I think it's one of the most beautiful and interesting breakup songs she's ever written. The way it hones in on the specific feeling of having to open your wounds every time you explain your breakup to anyone you know and to me it's so eloquent and it hits me so hard every time I hear it!

[@theswiftologist]

i clearly do bc its on my reshuffled list

[@sebastianmothelet8130]

@@theswiftologist oop

[@jeffergzl]

"Those first three songs. That was an interesting journey that we had." Kinda agree. They felt like a three track long "i forgot that you existed"

[@caroline_grace111]

YES! i was so scared the first time i was listening thru them like, is this what the rest of the album is going to be like

[@emma22581]

I feel like it was the first two for me and when it got to track three I was relieved

[@regulusarcturusblack13]

For me it was the first two. When I got to My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys, i breathed a sigh of relief 😂😂

[@maracela103]

Tbh i felt that with the first 4 tracks in my first listen, and from so long london onwards it clicked and made sense to me (i now love down bad and really enjoy my boy and fortnight, but still haven’t really gotten into the title track)

[@truestmermaid444]

@@regulusarcturusblack13 SAMEEE

[@livelurklaugh]

the transition from loml to I Can Do It is the highest peak of the album for me personally. glad to see that you see it too!

[@theswiftologist]

its soooo good

[@theauburnfirefox8767]

the three track run of loml, icdiwabh, and tsmwel is so extremely INSANE. Like those are three off her best songs of her career IN A ROW. Im' gagged, diva down.

[@anupriyajamuar9540]

I’m not the biggest fan of Peter but I find myself going back to it just to skip to the bridge. The whole, “I won’t confess that I waited” part hits somewhere deep😭

[@MilesToGoGo]

Yes that song didn’t grab me at first (I think it being near the end of the album hurt it cuz we were all pretty exhausted by that point lol) but once I went back and really listened to the bridge I was won over. It’s one of her BEST BRIDGES of all time “but the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light” is such beautiful imagery 😭

[@SammySwift3128]

I love how he always says “I’m going to block you if u are annoying or rude” like he’s so real for that

[@antidote775]

People are sleeping on Peter. It’s the sequel to cardigan after all!

[@reflectsonlife]

On first listen of TTPD, Peter was the only song that hit me instantly.

[@kratikshrivastava9297]

Yes people are really sleeping.... On Peter.... Like the repetition in it gives a sense of longing and betrayal " you said you're gonna grow up, then you're gonna come find me........... But never to keep" at the end it gives a realisation also, that Peter is not coming back.

[@SpeakMoew]

Imgonnagetyouback is my obsession. It's playing in my head everyday on repeat.

[@um7239]

Same

[@jubilee4]

Lowkey one of the best up tempo songs on the album!!

[@um7239]

@@jubilee4 100% I’m a slut for those kinds of songs

[@xqueenfrostine]

Taylor sing-screaming “even if it’s handcuffed, I’m leaving her with you!” may be my favorite moment on the entire album. It’s so wildly unhinged, and I love her for it.

[@SpeakMoew]

@@xqueenfrostine so cathartic listening in the car! My favorite part of the bridge is "we broke all the pieces but still wanna play the game...OH"

[@VTSanchez4]

Waiting for Madeline to chime in immediately once Zack mentioned “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” lol 21:07

[@andreaf8404]

truly believe she and i are the number 1 stans of that song

[@ChelseaRoseRiggs]

I am obsessed with that song 😭😭😭😭

[@BottledBlueOnYouTube]

I could be wrong but I’d guess Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me? may resonate more with women - similar to the way mad woman does. there are parallels of lived experience of being lured, hurt, caged and called crazy, but I totally agree I don’t think it’s satire at all !

[@VEGAS-NERVE]

Well yes, but also there’s really no experience more patronizing than being a feminine gay man, so I’m sure it’s relatable in some way.

[@jillsarah7356]

Must we always compare everything? They are different experiences.

[@sunshineyrainbows13]

You think being a gay MAN is harder than being a woman? What a joke. ​@@VEGAS-NERVE

[@reflectsonlife]

It's definitely metaphor, and it's definitely not satire. It evokes horror imo.

[@caleplrent4030]

the most needed reshuffling

[@shadystaff3337]

Idk but ttpd song just gets me i can't stop listening for no particular reason but "everyone we know understands why it's meant to be" line is just a vibe

[@emilyfisher6478]

agree

[@tarathoughts13]

@@Jasmine-k9m2b same. it feels like soemthing from a movie, it's a very visual song, and as a visual girlie, i could imagine the scene playing out in my head as i listened to it. i know everyone hates and despises the second verse, but i can imagine it like a movie scene when i listen (great imagery i will say) - yea i love movies and movie soundtracks so that's probably why.

[@rachel-8636]

Same. I find it so catchy

[@MonikaGeca]

Yes girl, I love it so much too, and I listen to it frequently

[@shadystaff3337]

@@Jasmine-k9m2b definitely!

[@emma-fv8of]

I think the tagline for Fortnight is literally “I love you, it’s ruining my life” which to me seems to encapsulate most of the records narrative as a ‘tortured poet’ that was the vibe I got at least🤷‍♀️ great video!🫶

[@BottledBlueOnYouTube]

I love the idea of the album starting with ‘Oh, here we go again’ and ending with ‘How did it end?’ 🥲 So here’s my track list: 1. My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys 2. Down Bad 3. Guilty as Sin? 4. So Long, London 5. loml 6. Fresh Out The Slammer 7. The Alchemy 8. The Tortured Poets Department 9. But Daddy I Love Him 10. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) 11. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 12. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart 13. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus 14. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? 15. The Black Dog 16. The Prophecy 17. How Did It End?

[@bhaktiagarwal5859]

Oh this is such a perfect tracklist!

[@Gosgos666]

omg it's so similar to mine 🖤

[@nupurgupta9]

ikrrr!! loml is such a track 5 😭🤌🏼💔

[@jcksparrowfan]

Black Dog is my "ABSOLUTELY NEVER SKIP KNIFE TO YOUR THROAT" song. The guitar riff on "screaming" is gorgeous.

[@bad-girlbex3791]

"Old habits die screaming" will now forever be in my vocabulary.

[@blueregret3620]

“thanK you aIMee, delete” Well yes!!! “And yknow what, where’s Cassandra? She’s going there too” IM GAGGEDDD 💀💀💀 That 1,2 punch was so funny I can’t

[@Rachels7777]

But it was undeserved, at least for Cassandra 😭 but he’s a man so I get it lol

[@Dani-vu7em]

@@Rachels7777 well as a woman, I agree with him lol

[@blueregret3620]

@@Rachels7777 thanK you aIMee getting the boot was just good clean fun. I always skip Cassandra too cuz I don’t want to hear about kimye anymore 🫠

[@sunsetsbymidnights]

It was so good and correct 😂

[@tarathoughts13]

@@Rachels7777 i hate cassandra, im sorry, it was interesting idea, but my god, the production is boring, and i don't wanna hear about it anymore!! at least thanK you aIMee was fun and had a vibe to it, cassandra is just kimye piano with nothing. i'm not saying taylor cannot talk about kanye+kim, obv they hurt her, but like, it's been years, i don't wanna hear about they filled her cell with snakes.

[@junainahrahman4156]

Peter deserves better ! The bridge is such a standout. I absolutely can't agree with Peter erasure.

[@Inksplatter1991]

One of her best bridges 💜

[@That_BrownGirl]

​@@Inksplatter1991 I'm not that big fan of Peter but "Love is never lost when perspective is earn" is just so beautiful. I love it so so much ❤

[@popebonifaceviii2736]

Peter’s bridge is objectively the best on the album 😭 like how can you cut that

[@That_BrownGirl]

@@popebonifaceviii2736 I mean that's your opinion, you are entitled to have one but people don't have to agree with it u know

[@popebonifaceviii2736]

@@That_BrownGirl I know!! I don’t feel any differently towards him bc of his opinion, I just question it!!

[@MattNavarro-ct5io]

I felt so good and so heard when you said the opening track is So Long, London, i have said since the album came out, So Long, London is the perfect opening track, honestly i 100% agree with the first 3 tracks

[@annaphallactic]

I made an edited playlist and also put SLL as track one. For me the album kinda drags until that song hits, and it builds the tension that the album desperately needs.

[@SandraGrauschopf]

So Long London has such an unexpected start that it would have been amazing as the first song!

[@nirvanessa]

Yeah I agree it's the answer to you're losing me so it gives at the same time the continuation and the closure of that relationship.

[@witchywoman2008]

I’m imagining how I would have felt clicking play on the album on release day and hearing the intro to SLL and I WOULD BE GAGGED

[@Webanglikethat]

20:43 the anthology is woodvale’s reincarnation

[@Laura-rm6us]

“Our field of dreams…” “ Your arsons match” perfection. Love your shuffle.

[@jenniferhart3941]

I love “I Hate It Here” because I am love disassociating!

[@M0RNINGSTVR]

It’s one of my absolute faves too

[@SophiaFran13]

I think it's so interesting how everyone is so sure that Cassandra is about snakegate, because I don't think it is. She wouldn't have needed to use Cassandra as a character for that! Cassandra is a figure from greek mythology that was the priestes of the temple of Apollon in Troy (the one with the Troyan horse, which she told people about beforehand). The god Apollon took a liking into her, so he gave her the gift to foresee the future with extreme accuracy. He then tried to make a move on her and when she didn't give into his sexual assault, he couldn't take the gift away, so he instead cursed her, so that no one would ever believe her, even tho if they did, terrible things could be prevented (like Troy being destroyed) Now what does that have to do with Taylor Swift? She herself had a SA case a couple years ago and on her Rep Tour gave a speech about how glad she was, that the jury chose to believe her and rule in her favor and how she doesn't know where she'd be if she hadn't been believed (she included that speech in the movie, so it was clearly important to her that as many people as possible heard it) To then go and choose a character as a standin for herself, that was literally cursed to never be believed because she didn't give into sexual assault speaks volumes to me. This song is about men claiming power over women, men being believed over women in our society, men only being okay with women having power, as long as it serves them, men thinking women owe them sexual favours for being nice. I can't dislike this song because of this very powerful message it holds, when you take the whole of it into account (which doesn't mean I'm trying to change your mind, if you don't like it that's that, I just think it's terribly slept on and misunderstood)

[@jazminepoirier1841]

Im so glad you shared your interpretation! It makes me see the song in a new light

[@happycommuter3523]

YES. I think this song is about three things: the SA case, the Kim/ Kanye debacle, and the sale of her masters. She uses the myth of Cassandra to explore women’s experiences not being listened to or believed. It’s incredibly powerful, even if it doesn’t fit thematically with some of the rest of the album.

[@misskittycatcat123]

I completely agree with you!

[@theoriginal4ever7]

This interpretation just gave added a whole new dimension to this song for me! Thank you!

[@tanyahotchkiss5403]

I agree! The use of Cassandra as a figure is telling. This song speaks more about the overall feeling of being a woman who is not heard. I find it highly relatable and moving.

[@20erzet00]

I really like that you only do sponsers that you Genuinely use yourself and believe in

[@theswiftologist]

🩷 that’s very important to me! I don’t wanna sell you guys stuff I don’t use x

[@MSerrada1]

Defending WAOLOM: IMO it goes so hard at Taylor's pain, frustration & anger at all the various people (both professional & personal), media (social & professional), and fans/haters who have negatively impacted her. It evokes so many emotions that I'd feel a huge loss if it suddenly disappeared.

[@devikabrendon7198]

It is a brilliant, brilliant song. I’m loving the way she performs it, too, in the Eras Tour

[@cottage-core_]

It definitely needs more story. She doesn't explain why she's someone to be afraid of.

[@cheshirecatswiftie]

I think TS herself summed it up perfectly, it’s “female rage” in a song. People who say she doesn’t explain exactly who she’s mad at- she rarely specifically names anyone (with the exception of Dear John) & it’s about her relationship with fame, with womanhood, being disrespected, ect. Classic Taylor goddess lyricism of specific imagery, that’s also very relatable. The people who don’t get it- won’t. But those of us who do get it, bawl our eyes out & scream sing along. It was my favorite from 1st listen to where it stays on repeat. 🩶

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

@@cottage-core_ it´s an amazing song but it does need 1 or 2 extra songs like But Daddy I Love Him for example to give a context why she´s angry. It must be part of an album, it wouldn´t work as a standalone track without an album that gives it context.

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

I think it's a Gorgeous Girl for sure.

[@benistheproblem]

I feel like fortnight is about forever running into an ex over and over when you’ve both moved on and you have the urge to delete both of your new partners and risk it all to get back with them even though it was a quick fling, using settling down in a suburban way as a metaphor. How the hospital imagery makes sense with that, idk…. The song makes more sense with each listen but it’s still really weird

[@mollypocrass4562]

the video not really matching the song reminds me of i can see you

[@hanaz1023]

Yes! I was SO CONFUSED when I first heard it but now I can kinda see the vision. Literally clicked for me just today. Which, honestly, I think is a bad thing.

[@benistheproblem]

@@hanaz1023 You make a good point. Like, the entire first verse still makes absolutely no sense to me. No one noticed my new aesthetic? Huh? But the rest clicked eventually. I wonder why she picked such a confusing song to not only open the album but to also be the first single?

[@xqueenfrostine]

@@benistheproblemthat line may be my least favorite on the album. I can’t figured it out. It sounds like she’s saying she stopped being an alcoholic because no one noticed, which is usually the opposite of what happens. I like fortnight, but that line’s a clunker.

[@bonjourista]

​@@xqueenfrostine I think she might mean that she was an alcoholic, screaming for help, using it as copium, but then stopped because nobody noticed she needs helps so in her mind she wasn't really addicted, she just wanted help and she didn't get it. I don't particularly like this meaning of it, but I can't really imagine that line being about something else. I like how she sings it and how it sounds but...

[@katie9646]

since you asked for non-taylor-related video suggestions- I remember you mentioned wanting to talk about chappell roan, and I personally would devour that video!

[@theswiftologist]

coming up soon!!

[@TheBlissfulReactions]

Well well well… not that we care, but let’s talk for the sake of conversation 😅. I typically agree with most of what you say, and that stands in this video. BUT… I’ve always found the fandoms opinion of track 5 to be so interesting. It seems to be a popular opinion that SLL isn’t the best track 5, and to that I say, who are we to say what a track 5 should be? Track 5 isn’t ours, it’s Taylor’s. When she places a song there, she’s telling us something. She’s placing her most emotionally jarring song there, not ours. With that said, I think SLL is the perfect track 5. I think the breakdown of a 6 year relationship is massively complex and confusing and drawn out… it’s much easier to write about an intense 2 week situationship than it is to peel back all of the layers of a longterm relationship and expose yourself to the feelings about a relationship you thought was the last one… the forever. And if we really think about it, the rest of the album is a result of her leaving that relationship, wanting something entirely different, and realizing she threw yourself head first into something that was ultimately similar to the last. I think for track 5 to be directly linked to the turkey, when the rest of the album is either pointedly about the rat and/or a mixture of the 2… well, yes. Is that not the ultimate track 5? Is that not her saying hey, I’m distracting you with all of this chaos over here, but don’t you see…. the ending of my life in/with London was actually the most devastating thing to have happened to me? 🤔

[@xJentaa]

*insert choir sounds* this is exactly it!!

[@teopricop7155]

👆💯

[@bad-girlbex3791]

Not being a Swiftie, I have no prior knowledge of whatever the track 5 theory is about, but it's been interesting learning about this being a phenomenon that reoccurs in her albums. If I've learned anything from finding how much I love this album, is that there's so much more to so many of her songs and lyrics, which makes me more inclined to want to listen more to her back catalogue and see what else I can now get out of them. I really enjoy it when musicians use Easter Eggs in their work for fans to hunt down and make sense of. There's a lot more depth to her songs than I previously assumed there to be.

[@qxnly]

exactky what i was gooing to say. you can't judge her on her track fives, because it's what SHE thought was most heart hitting for her. not you. she takes no value in her fans or anyone else'd opinion if a song is suitable as a track five, its completely for her. we dont have any right to judge that.

[@MinervaLavender2371]

For me, when something just makes sense and is perfectly balanced, all I can do is sigh with happiness at the feeling that all is right with the world. You put so much thought into this revised track list, and all I can do is sigh at its perfection.

[@parkhae-il9211]

PREACH! taylor literally outdid herself with "Guilty as Sin?" no one can change my mind

[@Seraqueenyuh]

I mean you only speak facts it’s clearly the best song on the album, much better than the overrated but daddy I love him and who’s afraid of little old me

[@That_BrownGirl]

​@@Seraqueenyuh I'm a Guilty as sin stan but Daddy I love him is not overrated at all, can't say the same about WAOLOM.... DILH is just so so good of a song and after the performance I'm obsessed 😂😂

[@Seraqueenyuh]

@@That_BrownGirl agree to disagree, for me but daddy I love him is too annoying to listen to. Me personally I think it’s corny and mediocre but at least it’s not as bad as Who’s afraid of little old me and Florida

[@That_BrownGirl]

@@Seraqueenyuh Florida just has that one hook "Floridaaaaa it's one hell of a drug" but other than that I don't listen to it much either

[@legrand123]

Thank you for making a Spotify playlist with your reorganized track list! I’ve been listening to her “5 stages of grief” playlists and it’s an interesting new way to listen to her music vs album by album. I think your track order makes a lot of sense and I look forward to listening to it.

[@lanadelrayloveyou]

I personally think fearless doesn't even need a tracklist remake for me fearless tracklist is the more organized one. BUT DEBUT IS BEGGING for a tracklist remake because that wasn't even a tracklist it was just a collection

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

Debut is a complete mess but Fearless standard could also use bit of re-shuffling: 1. Fearless 2. You Belong With Me 3. Love Story 4. Hey Stephen 5. White Horse 6. Fifteen 7. Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat) 8. Forever & Always 9. Tell Me Why 10. You´re Not Sorry 11. The Way I Loved You 12. The Best Day 13. Change This way it sounds like 1 cohesive story from start to finish

[@folklore9062]

Fearless needs to be shorter that's it tbh

[@KateCat420]

​@@folklore9062 the standard edition of the album was only 13 songs, less than an hour. Taylor's Version is longer because of the bonus tracks and vault tracks, but the og is a pretty perfect length.

[@jaqijarboe3374]

I’m gagged on the disrespect for ‘ I can fix him, no really I can” that whole “good boy that’s right” ARTISTY sends me

[@xqueenfrostine]

The production on that song is excellent too!

[@annaphallactic]

The production twist at the end of FOTS is so fun. The way the music gets a bit nebulous for a few seconds and then shifts to something else entirely is really cool and one of my favorite bits of the album.

[@TheLizard199]

That’s been a consistent top three for me

[@astaldaron9724]

can we just call is slammer plz FOTS sounds like a disease

[@annaphallactic]

​@@astaldaron9724 😂

[@giuliaccampos]

I think you absolutely NAILED the reshuffling of the album. Story wise it just makes so much more sense 👏🏻

[@Jessica-jl7dx]

I agree with a lot of what you said. Skips for me: Thank you Aimee Robin The Manuscript Florida!!! Cassandra (most times) Except: Peter however is a masterpiece in my household. Just a stunning song. Same for So high school. Same for The Bolter MBOBHFT is a bop! So fun.

[@sarahs7058]

I so agree on your skips and that Peter is just in another stratosphere. For me…one of her best songs of all time.

[@earthlingphilosophy3531]

Hard agree!

[@Jessica-jl7dx]

@@sarahs7058 dare I say one of the best she’s ever written…….

[@faithmoir1637]

so high school is so fun but i don’t think it fits on this album. i think she could have held it back for the inevitable travis album that we’ll get in 2026

[@lunawolf6288]

I like thank you Aimee but that’s your opinion

[@raecakes079]

i have to say I love how you are very honesty with your love and criticisms of taylor. I’ve been a swiftie from literally 2007 but I haven’t always been involved in fandom bc people can be a bit intense but I so respect and vibe with how you discuss her and how you view her work and her as a public figure

[@purpleseas]

i feel like thank you aimee was put on the album because of kim using "speak now" on her instagram story as a reminder "i still hate you"

[@happycommuter3523]

I like how she uses the metaphor of a high school bully in this song.

[@PiLarTheStarlet]

I love your new track listing! I’m going to listen tonight 😊

[@alinehankhan5137]

Thats such a cool tracklist! Here is mine: 1. The Black Dog (opening track) 2. So Long, London 3. How did it end? 4. My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys 5. loml 6. Guilty As Sin? 7. Fresh out the Slammer 8. The Tortured Poets Department 9. But Daddy I love him 10. I can fix him (no really I can) 11. I hate it here 12. Down Bad 13. I Can Do it With a Broken Heart 14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 15. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus 16. I Look in People's Windows 17. The Bolter 18. The Prophecy (end track)

[@bethannybiscuits]

Ohhhh this is good

[@Lee-Ann-g1n]

Zachary Thank you. I was really struggling to appreciate TTPD, finding I’d tuned out about half way through the track list, so not even really hearing the last tracks. Then I created your suggested track list (I don’t stream) and I am now loving it. It really has been transformational.

[@Emmy-rw8yl]

Can’t wait to watch!! I always love seeing how you re-shuffle the albums since your track lists always make sense and this album desperately needs some reshuffling 😭

[@theswiftologist]

hope you likeeee it

[@viboshinibose2130]

We love it ​@@theswiftologist

[@steph_nation]

Putting Fortnight after that run of songs makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE, it's an 'oh yeah she's gone a bit nuts, fair' after everything we've just listened to in that order. Love this as a more narrative driven track list, will definitely be using this playlist

[@folklore9062]

Peter and how did it end are soo good...

[@gingeraiyle]

I really like your take on rearranging the track list and your explanation of why you've put each song where it is. So glad to see you put together playlists of these as well! I'm looking forward to listening to it in this order. Also I'm fairly new to the channel but what I've seen, I love. Your personality is so fun and you present things in such an informative yet conversational way and I just find you really entertaining.

[@theswiftologist]

Thank you so much!! I hope you stick around

[@jjl3530]

Thank you Z! I thought this Sunday was going to be boring but you‘ve blessed 😇

[@theswiftologist]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@jjl3530]

@@theswiftologistof course I am a glutton for Swiftologist videos! Your Tracklist literally is the same as mine but I had “how did it end?” As the second song of “TTPD my Version” and our rankings are the same except for Cassandra 🥲 but I see that song more in relation to Greek mythology not as Taylor & Haters & 🛴 etc.. 😂😅 thanks your for making this Sunday not boring 💖

[@rasamusic2000]

I'm here just jumping around your videos from different times and I'm enjoying bingeing everything! I don't regret that this channel has become my new hyperfixation

[@theswiftologist]

enjoy!!

[@bethannybiscuits]

Omg! You literally articulated everything I've been feeling. I felt like my thoughts would be unpopular opinions, but we are really on the same page.

[@TheKarasworld]

my boy online breaks his favorite girl is my favorite by far! the chorus is amazing with its vocal layering, it creates an incredibly fitting mood for the message

[@edenstar196]

In my version of the album I have smallest man and then black dog, those are the angry sister songs to me. She’s just pissed as hell 😅

[@theswiftologist]

lmaooooo

[@bethannybiscuits]

Thanks!

[@dexlopez9198]

Joe Alwyn is such a flop he couldnt even get the main role on his break up album

[@rinarinachan_]

I died at this comment dead 😂😂😂😂

[@sigyn27]

🤣

[@rosieoftheunderground]

your tracklistings are literally always better than the actual album, they make me enjoy the music so much more so she should hire you really

[@Melwnc8]

Florida!!! is straight into the cannon for me lmao I love it

[@Melwnc8]

and Dorothea 🤣

[@vedanshchn]

Thank you so much for putting The Black Dog straight into the canon. Although I wish it was more upbeat, I love it so much!

[@Dani-vu7em]

I love your takes, even when I don’t necessarily agree with them all of them time. But you did not miss with your ranking! I may have shifted a couple of the songs up or down one category, but damn this is a great ranking!

[@theswiftologist]

thank you

[@SymphonyOfNaked]

I love listening to you talk about I Hate It Here because I'm not a big fan. Mixing phrases like "finance guy" and "lunar valleys in my mind" creates a tone that feels awkward and disjointed to me. BUT I love how you explain what you love about it, and this is the only corner of swiftiedom that I feel can think and be critical at this level and not just mindlessly trying to find agreement on all things. So, thanks for the great work as always!

[@balladofolivia]

so high school is one of my favorites it’s always in my head😭

[@NateSullivan813]

0:36 me when i lie

[@lola-el8fv]

thank you we've been waiting for this

[@kitchensinkchronicles3272]

zack i just listened to the (standard edition) playlist all the way through and getting to I Can Do It With a Broken Heart at the end was HEALING i was jumping around my room and shit, great work as always i always look forward to your tracklist re-shuffling, they're just so good. if i ever make music i'm just gonna call you to order my albums lol also any word on the olivia re-shuffling? would love to hear your take on it

[@izzie740]

I usually work double shifts on Sunday (in a restaurant to finance my studies) and when I'm finally done, I have food from the kitchen and a video from the swiftologist waiting for me. So yay me!

[@gabbykersey9343]

I've been watching every one of your videos and your ability to speak so clearly and with such precise direction is a gift to Taylor Swift listeners, everywhere. ALSO, our "straight into the canon" is the EXACT same. Honestly, the entire ranking is the same-I just kept finding myself nodding and smiling. Once again, showing me how smart and discerning you are when it comes to her writing skill and vocal ability and what we should expect from her.

[@areynaschmidt2497]

THE MOMENT WE ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THANK YOU DIVA 🩷

[@kristiw158]

You should definitely give Cassandra another try, it’s quickly become one of my favourites! the comparisons with Greek mythology are so interesting!

[@stedlouie]

I'm going to make a case for so high school. At first listen I thought WTF? Why is this on the anthology? I understand feeling like it doesn't fit the narrative of the album, but the song has grown on me a great deal and I think including makes it a more impactful song. The juxtaposition of the devastation over the Matty breakup, to then finding someone who makes you feel like you're 16 again is powerful.

[@LWYMMD]

The Black Dog has been my comfort song anytime I feel anxiety since the album dropped. I love it sm. Just makes me feel calm separate from LOVING the lyrics.

[@theswiftologist]

its amazing

[@lunawolf6288]

@@theswiftologistmakes me tear up

[@trankhanh1444]

Loving this reordering of the tracklist Zach!! I just wonder if you have to add "clara bow" where would you put it? In my mind, its like an end credit to "i can do it with a broken heart" or the entire album and like u i also love this song so so much 😭

[@pavilova29]

WE ARE BEING FED BY SWIFTILOGIST!!! Truly thank you so much you just make my weekend so much better!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@theswiftologist]

always

[@AlexRoshanStewart]

I clicked faster than you could say saboteur

[@fotinik1259]

Zachary you're getting so big with the latest videos we're so proud of you 🥲

[@christopherdy3572]

Thank you for giving Guilty as Sin? and Fresh Out The Slammer the recognition it deserves!! At first, they weren’t my favorite upon first listen but after a couple of re-listens they have been on my top 5 from the album.

[@NickyfromNz]

Your track list makes so much sense to me. This was the edit we needed! Also thank you for the consistent black dog appreciation, how can people not adore that song??

[@luciwfalcon]

I have been waiting for this for so long

[@LK1989]

Almost 100k!! So excited for you to hit that milestone. I think I found you around 22k subs. Congrats on the success!

[@theswiftologist]

[@dakotalee6990]

I’ve found I like Cassandra a lot more when I think of it as a fictional story about someone who was friends/lovers with “Cassandra” and was ostracized by the same people who killed her. It’s one of my favorites in that light.

[@KateCat420]

This interpretation gags me so hard, I LOVE it

[@jillsarah7356]

Ooh love this interpretation

[@happycommuter3523]

Interesting! That song stuck me as a woman’s experience of not being believed.

[@dakotalee6990]

@@happycommuter3523 it definitely is! In the story I’m imagining, Cassandra was trying to expose the corruption of a powerful family who took her out and Taylor had always maintained that Cassandra was right, which is why she’s ostracized. Then years later when the truth comes out, no one acknowledges it of the suffering they put her and Cassandra through.

[@sebastianbenavidesmorales2274]

so high school may not fit on the album at all BUT it's such a guilty pleasure, it's just a fun and cute happy song on a heartbreaking album like stay x3 on red, so it has grow on me, i actually love it!

[@xqueenfrostine]

So High School reminds me of Paris, a guilty fave of mine off Midnights. That song is silly and maybe a little dumb too, but so damn catchy that I don’t care.

[@alexarobertson17]

When you said “Scorpio Taylor” I felt so seen! lol 😂 as a fellow Scorpio, I’ve always felt that she must have some heavy Scorpio placements in her chart. When I googled the first thing I found was Scorpio in Mars, Pluto and ascendant. She also has a lot of Capricorn mixed in which also tends to be a bit vindictive and reactive when hurt. Everyone knows about the scorpions sting, but a Cap will hold a grudge just as long as we scorps will.

[@VictoriaCavazos]

I love your storytelling in the new tracklist. I think it's wonderful to base it on the core emotional content and not the literal muses we guess at for any given song, especially since they so often seem to weave inspirations from multiple sources. On that note, if you ever wanted to, I'd LOVE a video on just thanK you aIMee and Cassandra and the theories about potential additional themes there beyond Kim. Also, the MANY themes for the most perplexing song, Robin (Christopher Robin, Robin Williams, Scott Swift (?!!!), Aaron's son, her aging cats - which is my favorite theory).

[@theswiftologist]

oooh good idea!

[@aziumic]

we cheered! been waiting for this since RELEASE DAYYY P.S. love the new pfp!

[@finalmovieac]

I really liked the re organized track list. You really did a great job with it. I love the story telling aspect of it because as you list the songs (even for the side B Zack Edition), the story/message makes sense!

[@theswiftologist]

thank you!! x

[@blackice27]

WAOLOM is my fav off the entire album. I think the live performance is also *perfection*

[@OliverCurtis2010]

"I HATE IT HERE" IS THERAPY. IT SHOULD BE A SINGLE

[@stelladarcy4270]

I honestly think “fresh out the slammer” would be a perfect opening but that would mean cutting so long london entirely and basically picking up where you’re losing me left off (i do like so long london dont get me wrong but i think that exactly story was told with you’re losing me already)

[@theswiftologist]

yeah i definitely toyed with that as the opener for a few days

[@Vimge4]

Interesting to hear you linking The Bolter to Evermore. Every time she goes “started with a kiss, oh we must stop meeting like this…” my mind goes straight to “our song was the slamming screen door…” Maybe is what I have interpreted to be references to Rep. & Debut TV on the chorus, but “The Bolter” reminds me of “Our song.” Must be why I like it so much!

[@heaveninhiding6970]

This is the only valid TTPD tracklist btw!