reacting to your INSANE Taylor Swift opinions *ttpd version* 💀

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hey divas...here we are again. if you're reading this in the week I've posted I am living it up in Barcelona or london for the guts tour and then the eras tour! oh and also...EVOLUTION OF A SNAKE LIVE IN LONDON!!!! super excited. today's video is a classic: we're doing more of your insane unpopular tortured poets department opinions, as this record has been rather divisive in the taylor swift community ..... well divisive for those with no taste .... enjoy !!
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[@theswiftologist]

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[@maggieeee54]

get that baggg

[@amymccall2000]

Glasses look good🤓

[@user-gt2pn4vt4j]

Hi Zach, love your content. Just wanted to ask which content creators YOU go to for cultural critique. A lot of posers around in the sphere these days, so wondered if any passed your taste tests

[@GlowingGoldenBoy]

I get the sense that she chose to kinda spare the turkey by eating the rat.

[@LB-xz9ub]

Taylor has a long memory. She'll be cooking him throughout the years

[@mikedebruyn]

Maybe but he does know a lot about Taylor as well. If you break someone down without that person doing you wrong, and their relation fizzled, you can expect it being paid back.

[@kimkardashi-un2.051]

tbh she already had 5 albums about joebless so I think she has moved on from him

[@Inksplatter1991]

​@@kimkardashi-un2.051 He has 3 movies coming out. He has a job. Go back to your 9-5.

[@Inksplatter1991]

​@@mikedebruynI feel like Matty is going to retaliate with his next album. I don't see Joe or Taylor ever attacking each other. Maybe a comment here or there but nothing serious.

[@KatyAnneSmith]

i cannot believe i just opened youtube to a swiftologist video from 38 seconds ago…. i truly won

[@shaunathornton8032]

Same

[@Maryb-j5k]

Exactly! Same! ❤ Zach, you made our day!

[@loribrown9204]

Me tooooo

[@cj3617]

You’re so right about Smallest Man being a track 5. It has mad Dear John energy.

[@melodycook4561]

I've been saying that Dear John walked so Smallest Man could run

[@newromantixx]

@@melodycook4561 no, dear john was running so tsmwel could FLY.

[@hydratedpotato_111]

there is nothing truly like being so chronically online that you catch a swiftoligist within its first 10 minutes of being uploaded .

[@karenb7392]

I think the "functioning alcoholic" line ties into Midnights.The first line about "supposed to be sent away" refers to Hits Different. I get a Lavender Haze vibe from "functioning alcoholic" & I think "nobody noticed my new aesthetic" is saying that the 70s aesthetic on Midnights was referencing 1975/MH but no one knew that until Fortnight the album was released.

[@JS-zh6pw]

I think this is a good interpretation but I still hate the line and find it clunky to listen to😂

[@danamaria80]

Am I the only one who truly likes Fortnight? I love the song. I never skip it.

[@Dmp937]

I love fortnight

[@robnessvic]

I absolutely adore it and I think it’s a great album opener

[@chrissyscholl816]

I love it too

[@audreym.342]

I skip it, have been from day 1

[@danamaria80]

@@audreym.342 do you have a favorite on TTPD?

[@mindymulligan2397]

Unpopular opinion: I like the Anthology, and I don’t think that releasing that many songs is as dramatic of a choice as people are making it out to be 🤷‍♀️

[@Hortonfantastic4]

If it was anyone else it would be a side note and then forgotten. But because it’s her it’s this huge thing (good to fans, bad to haters)

[@jackielehman8945]

Agreeeeeeed.

[@giuliabonechi1864]

The Anthology is SOOO good to me. Every single song grew on me exponentially. BUT, Zach is right nonetheless. Releasing it after just two hours is way too soon.

[@Maryb-j5k]

I love all the songs Taylor gives us! Beautiful lyrics, great choice of words… she’s the strongest lyricist of our time… ❤

[@katsageexe]

I agree with what you're saying but Zack's opinion makes more sense to me, release it maybe a week later after everyone has digested the standard tracks, I love the songs on the anthology but it felt like an overload listening to all 31 on the same day

[@AstroBaby91]

I'm convinced TTPD gets better with every listen. It's SUCH a good album, and not only that, I can see it being more appreciated in the future than it is now.

[@jackielehman8945]

Agreed. I can see some songs like "I hate it here" and "The Prophacy" becoming folk cult classics once the general public and critics actually learn to listen to what they are hearing. ❤

[@minuishaq631]

Exactly. I did not like it all the first listen. Then 2nd time I was just going to keep a few songs and delete the rest of it. Now I love the album and have listened to it like 3000 times. One of my favourite albums. I was the same with Halsey If I can't have love I want power. I hated it first listen and now its an all time fav record

[@ladychelseatheundead]

One million percent. I went from unsure on the album to it being exclusively the album I listen to since its release.

[@eoiny]

100%! I often find myself with little hooks from TFPD songs stuck in my head throughout the day, and that includes a lot of the Anthology!

[@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices]

TTPD is literally Red reincarnated

[@avioro4822]

27:00 Yes, in her instagram post from April 19th she says, “it’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album” direct quote

[@tiffylew]

You are CORRECT!

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

@@tiffylewalso… love the Swiftologist but he is wrong about *what* a double album is. Folklore and evermore are “sister albums* they are two separate albums NOT a double album. A double album is literally two albums (disks/volumes) releases TOGETHER as one album. (The word “album” being used in two different ways, once as the physical disk, [or the piece of work conceptualized as an individual physical disk] and as the entire body of work called “The Tortured Poets Department: The Antbology.”)

[@avioro4822]

@24kgoldplatedvermeil I mean, I think it was an honest mistake, nobody is going to know every word in every post she publishes lol

[@Anna-lw5hj]

I feel like she might have called it a double album so that TTPD is considered TS11, the Anthology is TS12 and her next album can be TS13 (Karma)

[@dazzlingburritoes5693]

No karma truthers allowed here

[@jackielehman8945]

The 1989 bops are almost untouchable. When that album came out it changed the game.

[@madisonmmurphy]

In Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus Taylor said that he had moved on with an Internet Starlet and she just watched it happen and surprise surprise news just broke that's what he's done!

[@Marielisrouf3]

Tay voodoo 👀

[@LB-xz9ub]

Her foresight, we have to stan

[@junainahrahman4156]

How did he go from "he saw forever so he smashed it up" to getting engaged SO QUICK ?? Did he truly make so many marriage promises to Taylor just to ghost her and put a 💍 on someone else ?? I feel bad for his gf 💀

[@madisonmmurphy]

@@junainahrahman4156 it's giving Justin Beiber

[@Beaglegirl19]

@@junainahrahman4156 It sounds like he used her for publicity and sex. He never loved her.

[@spellhex6213]

I love the coming up teasers that begin the videos-they do a great job at giving the the ambience of the video. Also, I will never forget the gaggery of “your mom is flat and boring”

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

Folklore and evermore aren’t a “double album.” They are two separate albums. A double album is one album that is two separate disks or volumes that come out TOGETHER. The fact that “the anthology” doesn’t come out by itself but only with TTPD is WHY ITS A DOUBLE ALBUM.

[@DefineObsessed]

No a double album is 2 separate albums. The Anthology streams count for TTPD, so it is more of a deluxe album.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

@@DefineObsessed a double album is TWO SEPARATE “albums” as in “disks” that are sold TOGETHER. I’ve been around since “album” was only ever a physical thing. I’m talking before CDs even existed. A double album is NOT two separately purchased albums that are released at different times. That’s literally just TWO ALBUMS. A Double album would come like a Book- two album covers that folded open- the album inside each one and often the lyrics in the middle. A greatest hits album is often a double album. I’m not sure why this is confusing… other than that this generation doesn’t have the conception of an album as an actual physical item that has a limited about of space… unlike a difital album that has no actual physical boundary. TTPD is a double album (which Taylor stated) and Folklore and Evermore are NOT “a double album”

[@zacharyrivas8074]

Well said, Ultra Violet

[@finlayvicar4619]

@@DefineObsessed A double album is one album that is the length of 2

[@iridescentelegance]

If Folklore and Evermore were a double album, they wouldn’t be counted as separate albums in her album count. TTPD is a double album, but overall one album (found as one album on streaming platforms, for instance)

[@freddiemalvaez23]

I can’t! Your little dog in the background randomly staring over at you 🤭

[@twilightfox2559]

I personally have come around on Fortnight, but I am SHOOKETH by how superbly received Fortnight was by the GP (in the UK at least). Like, people bloody LOVE that song, genuinely more than swifties seem to! Trust in Taylor I guess😂

[@theswiftologist]

They do love it …

[@itspricila]

same with florida!!! Locals love it

[@milagill5030]

So high school (to me) is a lot like today was a fairytale in spirit... So it kind of surprises me that not more people get it!

[@jackielehman8945]

As an Elder Millennial, this song speaks to my soul in way I understand why some won't understand.

[@kellbelles]

I like Taylor and Travis together, but not obsessively. And definitely not enough that I can’t be critical of songs. And I just LOVE the sweet, silly little song that is So High School. It’s like a good mood pill or something. I don’t care who it’s about, I just like it. 🤷‍♀️

[@wohphoto]

I adore this song.

[@jackielehman8945]

@@kellbelles its not obsessive because it actually seems like it might be healthy.

[@Champagne.Problems.]

Whatever head voice register she goes into on so high school is not for me. It’s similar to seven and it’s nice to have a friend etc. It just sounds off key or something

[@jasminecracknell5612]

Shocked The Prophecy isn't in your top 6 for the Anthology. Its a career highlight for me!

[@Mark-hm4eo]

To counter the first unpopular opinion: the standard version of ttpd is the story. The anthology is the poetry she wrote as the tortured poet. I think that was the point of having it be a double album (ik im probably wrong so be nice and don’t rip me apart😭)

[@2cwn2]

Ooo yes, that makes so much sense! 🫶

[@Hortonfantastic4]

Agree. The more you listen you can see she wanted the story out front. Then her random musings before and after are made poetic on the anthology. But if critics are only listening to the story why did she name it Tortured Poets Department? She should have named it Idiotic Poets Club and people would have gotten the sarcasm more. Then she could have called the anthology tortured poets department since that sounds more serious and there are more serious songs here

[@mikedebruyn]

I can turn this into a question for you :) Midnights got released in October 2022, that means that she was done writing for it summer 2022 or so. What was her initial plan for TTPD? Matty suddenly gave a lot of content but i bet she did not count on that when she started writing. So what was the initial concept? What are original songs for the album?

[@HollyVaughan-wj8nt]

​@@mikedebruynI got the impression all this was a fluke. It seems she was writing this whole performing ERAS and healing her heart. I didn't think she planned to make an album, but this situation led to her writings. IDK I'm a new fan with TTPD

[@JS-zh6pw]

I love this take and will be viewing the album through this lense now

[@Izzywildflowerr]

12:00 i did see someone the other day calling us stupid for not knowing that the alchemy was about karlie kloss and when i read that comment i wanted to jump off a roof. what DELUSION do you have to be having to believe the alchemy with SPORTS REFERENCES is about karlie kloss 😭😭

[@donardodavinci6126]

while that is absolute delusion, I wouldn't agree that it's about Travis either just because it has sport references and he's an athlete

[@underthepink7]

not even 99% of gaylors think she’s with karlie kloss 😩 only a fringe few

[@taracat7723]

Florence and Taylors voices mix nicely on Florida.

[@lautaylorsversion-e4y]

imgonnagetyouback and guilty as sin? stan here since day one. Im also a so high school fan, not because im invested in their relationship (i share the view that you have abt taylors relationships) but because i really appreciated the way it sounds while listening to the anthology cause i was tired and abt to drop it and never going back

[@ME-HE-HEE]

TASTE

[@bethlovesthings]

Yes! I agree completely, also the thing I like about 'So High School' is that it delivered (for me) this musical nostalgia wave when listening to it for the first time. After going through the rest of the album, it felt to me like a simple & happy song. Like this was her coming out the other side of the TTPD. For that reason, I understood why some people criticise it for not flowing with the full album. I don't care about TK at all, so I will ignore all crazed tween fans & will not let them ruin the song for me 😂

[@itssmehailey]

same!! those 3 are like my fave songs

[@naturaldyer]

isn't "nobody notice my new aesthetic" that she was no longer a "functioning" alcoholic, just an alcoholic. Mentally she was struggling, but the show must go on. Hence why nobody noticed.

[@jamiekay3650]

I have always interpreted that line as people (including Joe maybe) not realizing she was drinking so much because she was miserable. “My face was gray but you wouldn’t admit that we were sick.” The worst thing about a cry for help is when people don’t even see it.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

@@jamiekay3650yes so much!!

[@leahmanderson298]

I…still don’t understand 🫣

[@taysamo]

Yeah, that's what I thought. "I was a functioning alcoholic 'til nobody noticed my new aesthetic," I assumed it meant nobody noticed until it was such a severe problem she couldn't conceal it = function

[@kerrisouth]

And if everything is literal, then she wants to kill her cheating husband. Check Clara Bow's life to see if Clara was an alcoholic. Taylor isn't necessarily an alcoholic.

[@nickneime_]

i must confess ratty being the muse kinda blew me off at first, because i thought the interlude was going to be like this family scandal we try to sweep under the rug. but now i'm kinda like yeah girl go get him

[@beverleyeliane]

As a millennial So High School is fun because it sounds very nostalgic to us, like it purposefully sounds like an early 00’s song. So that may be the part some younger listeners aren’t connecting with fully.

[@kellbelles]

That song is such a bop. I’m older too and get exactly what you mean. It just takes you back to that time.

[@amandaleighplans]

Literally that opening guitar is SOOO early 2000’s. The sound of iiii feel so high schoool - i swear i can find so many songs in early 2000’s movies that sound like that. What a bop!!

[@wa11ie]

i‘m gen z, i was born in the early 2000‘s, i love that sound. so high school is by no strech of the imagination the pinnacle of her discography, the main thing it is is fun. did it have to be on the album? no but it is and i‘m not going to be mad about it.

[@emilyc4499]

Totally agree it feels so nostalgic to me

[@jennifernicolae]

As a millennial, I can understand the nostalgia feeling, but something about her voice on that track makes me skip.. I love her lower register but I just can’t with so high school…. Maybe it’s a phase and I will eventually like it, but for me, it’s a skip… also thanK you aIMee 😬

[@Elway0757]

Canceling twitter and scrolling and blocking on tiktok has made my mental health so much better. Social media is absolute brain rot. Love your content.

[@jillsarah7356]

Huge agree. I quit Twitter in 2016 and frequently block on tiktok

[@marireadsbks]

sis drop the skincare routine, you are GLOWING

[@juliavoltmann8046]

he posted a skin care routine video about a year ago! (while reacting to more unpopular opinions)

[@marireadsbks]

@@juliavoltmann8046 then maybe an updated version c:

[@sea_hous]

I feel loco. “Fortnight” for me is loaded with meaning. Am I projecting? I can see Matty as the neighbor who has a wife. I can see her Turkey husband who’s cheating on her. I can see the sweater (cardigan). -all my mornings are Monday stuck and down bad I took the miracle move on drug the effects were temporary- Being near insane and self medicating from a low energy relationship and losing the limberant object who’s hand you once secretly caressed under the the table (sotospeak)- longing stares with the rat who I’m guessing didn’t live that far from her in London. Then fleeing to Florida. The whole thing feels like an overview of the album. Like a table of contents. Just packaged in an interesting trope of philandering neighbors.

[@Karensmusic292]

You are 100% correct. Taylor said, "‘Fortnight’ is a song that exhibits a lot of the common themes that run throughout this album. One of which being fatalism - longing, pining away, lost dreams. I think that it’s a very fatalistic album in that there are lots of very dramatic lines about life or death. ‘I love you, it’s ruining my life.’ These are very hyperbolic, dramatic things to say. It’s that kind of album."" I agree with you that this song explains a lot and is the perfect opener. The problem with a lot of Swifties is that they take every word too literally. Since this isn't a straightforward autobiography, they don't like the song because they don't understand it. It's a shame, because it's a great song that says so much - just in a uniquely weird way.

[@sea_hous]

@@Karensmusic292 Here here. 📠 [Pretend this is a typewriter]

[@pressleypowell3179]

Best way I could have put it

[@dramatictoons9303]

21:25 i disagree so hard!! The bolter is a bop!!!!

[@Starbuxlvr1313]

One of the best songs on the album!

[@HollyVaughan-wj8nt]

He must have forgotten the prophecy 😂

[@alizalieb3962]

@ahsoka510 when i think of the word bop i think of something kinda fun and upbeat, something you can bop your body and your head along to. i love the prophecy but i would not consider it a bop lol

[@JuliePask-y2p]

You had me at "heirloom turkey slander will live on forever" ROFL xx

[@danijela._.]

This album takes time to digest and unpack and truly get into it, thank you Zach for still feeding us

[@Benspoetsdepartment]

These unpopular opinion videos always fuel my rage , other than that im always excited for these 😂😂

[@Des-Laine]

I love your videos, and I really appreciate this distraction today, being its father's day. My dad's funeral was last Sunday,so this is my first father's day without him. I'm a mess. Waking up to a video from the Swiftologist is a treat! 🦋🌞

[@robnessvic]

Sorry for your loss ❤️ I’m sure your dad would be so proud of you

[@carolclayton6442]

I’m so sorry for your loss.

[@theswiftologist]

Sending you a big hug 🫂

[@elizabethdeatrick6644]

Love & hugs! That’s so so rough ❤

[@jillsarah7356]

Sending 🫶💛

[@itsjoeycaleb]

It bangs like pots and pans over your head when you’re trying to sleep 😭

[@alexnicole6806]

Breakfast and new swiftologist video? Name a better Sunday. Take us to church, Zack

[@hkandm4s23]

"Trying too hard to be poetic" is such a self report. I mean, the number of college educated, American twenty somethings that had to Google every other word and told Taylor to 'put away the thesaurus' while getting confused by every single metaphor makes me worry about gen z's reading comprehension skills.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

I know they can’t conceive that people actually *know* and use these words. And I’m tied of hearing people say “what’s the Chelsea hotel and who are Dylan Thomas and Patty smith.”

[@Hortonfantastic4]

Same. They just must not be reading. Because I am not college educated but I am a chronic reader. I had very little trouble with her vocabulary or historical figures and locations. I assumed it was because I’m old but perhaps it’s because I read. Moral… read folks. It’s important

[@Gabreyes093]

It feels gimmicky at times. I’m a reader and love an obscure word. But it feels forced. She has said she has a list of words she likes and tries to put them in her lyrics, and it sometimes shows

[@Aleee89]

@@Gabreyes093 I'm really curious about what felt forced to you. English is not my first language but apart from a few words here and there, it all felt pretty straight forward. Like if we really want to talk about forced, let's direct our attention to The Lakes...

[@Hortonfantastic4]

@@Aleee89 “sanctimoniously performing soliloquies” is the finest example. Although that might have been the point. The subject matter probably wouldn’t know she was talking about them anyway

[@TylerTuel]

i feel like fortnight was very needed because even if it’s not about anything it’s a good intro to the standard edition to this album in my opinion

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

It’s totally needed. I don’t get how people say this

[@jamiekay3650]

My guess about why she dumped all 15 extra songs now is they they are about this era of her life, and she didn’t want to be seen as still pining over these exes so long after the breakups. Though she could have released 2 months later instead of 2 hours and had a better impact of the anthology.

[@adriananabananana]

Or even 2 days! Or 2 weeks

[@Alcove333]

Fortnight is one of her best songs! "I was a functioning alcoholic....." This sentence alludes to the first line, " I was supposed to be sent away...." Basically, my addiction was getting worse and worse because nobody noticed until it was obvious and they were going to come and get me.

[@danamaria80]

TTPD made me a Swiftie! I’ve been sort of a fan for years and attended her concert years ago when I got a free ticket. She’s sorta been on my radar but now I’m kinda obsessed.

[@IrisKelly2002]

Welcome to the Family ❤🎉

[@danamaria80]

@@IrisKelly2002thanks babe

[@danamaria80]

@@IrisKelly2002thanks babe

[@danamaria80]

@@IrisKelly2002thanks babe!

[@danamaria80]

I don’t know if I should admit I’m also a Dead Head and I’ve seen Dead & Co (John Mayer) several times. If I see them again, I’ll definitely be wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt. It’s the least I can do.

[@epiphanyedits]

releasing 16 more songs 2 hours after the standard edition also makes the crowd chant "MORE!" taylor works hard and drops new things way more than other artists. thats why a week after ttpd, people were right back on begging for reptv. i think people need to chill out and let taylor breath, but she's also kind of doing it to herself by dropping so much product. i wish she would take a break so she doesnt burn out.

[@LimeliA]

27:15 Taylor used the expression “double album” when she announced the anthology in her IG She typed sth like “it’s a double album✌️” to show us what the ✌️✌️✌️ were about ❤

[@stardustmelody2709]

Zach, I have to disagree that Taylor is all about the money. I think she’s all about the records she can break or set. The money just comes with it. I really do think that is what drives a lot of her choices. She wants to be number one.

[@ck4yismee13]

maybe just because of the criticisms ttpd got, she didnt give a fuck when midnights got blocked by sos for several weeks

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

I think TTPD was a huge risk but she was in a position to take that risk without it doing a lot of damage to her overall. However it definitely paid off.

[@Aleee89]

This. I think she couldn't care less avout the money, it is just accessory. She's very driven by records, cultural impact and power. She made it pretty clear that wants to be seen and remembered as The Man.

[@LaurenLaass]

The excessive merch does not help records, so she does want money.

[@ia490]

she's literally a billionaire. of course she wants money. the rollout during midnights really proved that to me.

[@henrywayne5724]

She isn't going off with the merch but all those limited drop CDs with one exclusive acoustic song each is so, so wasteful. Like we're up to 30+ iterations of this one album lol.

[@milktoasted]

I read it was 46

[@Rachel-sc8rf]

Yeah this is what I was thinking. All the variations, and a CD with ONE song on it, is just wasteful and cash-grabby. Like woman, how much more money do you need?? Also, releasing a new variant or exclusive every time another female artist is about to take her spot at #1 comes off as so petty. Taylor is just a marketing brand at this point.

[@enchantedgoldrush]

In the announcement post itself she literally says tortured poets is a double album. She could not have been more clear

[@mcp7055]

the way i screamed when you came on screen during the hbo max taylor swift v scooter braun doc

[@faerityy]

the only sane swiftie i know

[@ethanplatts5292]

So real

[@VLoLa9119]

Then you need better friends...

[@elliemay8532]

@@VLoLa9119 Let’s be real, you really thought you ate with that line, didn’t you? Bet you had it saved in the drafts for ages…..

[@VLoLa9119]

@@elliemay8532 no actually it was not meant as a line or anything but simply the truth. If your swiftie-friends are all insane idiots who worship a person like a god and follow her blindly then you really need better friends. Every swiftie i know personally is absolutely sane. Sure we all have different opinions on songs and such, but no one goes crazy or insane over taylor.

[@So_long_london_boy_13_22]

@@elliemay8532Womp womp

[@eastward98]

I feel like you made a great point in a previous video where you said "ocean eyes" and "blue" often connote a song is about joe and "starry eyes", "half moon" may referenece healy which I found pretty convincing AND...is actual analysis. I've seen a lot of takes in my algorithm recently and most of it is circumstantial evidence, whereas i feel like here, there's a lot more... recognising real patterns in the work.... so the hate mail? wouldn't be surprised if it sounded completely unhinged

[@IrisKelly2002]

TS12 is going to fire both sonically and lyrically because blondie listens to criticism alot and she is definitely going to take it just to show everyone that she's still the best

[@KyleHamel]

I really hope so 😭

[@junainahrahman4156]

I'd argue TTPD already shows how good she is.

[@rays_choice]

TTPD is very good but she cares about the critics and they were mean this time

[@gunjanmaji9775]

I have noticed a few things. The first half of the album is quite liked by "lore swifties," while the normies like the second half of the album. The second half of the album feels very relatable, like midnights. Even as a Virgo, I can tell everybody, 'Iamgonnagetyouback' is one hell of a great song; it is vibing the vibes. 'Florida' is also a really good song, but not something TS usually creates, so I get the apprehension. Yes, 31 songs are too much; people can attribute that as negative for the album. As a swiftie, it took me 3 weeks to get through all the songs, but I am glad I took my time. I have such a better understanding of certain songs that I thought were word vomit at the first listen. TTPD is not her best album yet, but somehow, it told exactly the story she wanted to convey, and we needed to know about the missing 4 to 6 years of TS's life.

[@Krissy_K888]

I think it's possible certain songs are more poetic than usual because Taylor hasn't sat with the emotions for long enough before working them into songs. Generally, the more we understand something, the easier it is for us to explain. Saying that, a song like "Who's Afraid..." doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but for those of us who have personal experience with female rage, it encapsulates everything perfectly.

[@user-bk9lr2pm2y]

Tay literally called anthology a “secret double album” the second it came out

[@notcxle2663]

The issue with the anthology is that it kind of dilutes the message of the album, because there are several songs that either don't pertain to a breakup or are shrouded in poetic devices that make them hard to parse.

[@saradeandres2131]

Every Sunday i procrastinate doing the ironing and then your video saves me

[@doldrums88]

AHHHH YOU’RE SO CLOSE TO 100K ZACH!!!!

[@gileadsfinest3729]

RIP The prophecy not making it to the swiftologist’s list for what the anthology should’ve only been 😭

[@balladofolivia]

STOP NOOOO

[@S3-wq5cq]

i totally agree that taylor is an albums artist- that is exactly why the eras tour can and does exist! her longtime fans know that her album rollouts are about the aesthetics and themes that she’ll dive into within the album, and that’s how she’s always approached marketing around a new release. the earliest examples are the secret messages in the lyric booklets that encouraged people to purchase the physical CD, and the speak now rollout when she emphasized that she wrote the ENTIRE album by herself. the fact that “track 5” has become part of the taylor swift musical universe and that swiftie favorites tend to almost always be deep cuts shows she has always been an a l b u m a r t i s t ! i’m very much an albums listener and for me that really coincided with the release of Speak Now and becoming a swiftie. each album she releases has always been distinct and works best when you’re listening to it front to back and get to dive into the world of that album.

[@korkinalina]

I was just about to rewatch your taylor/matty timeline video and you're already posted new one I need a productiveness guide from you

[@lararenji8]

Controversially, I love the long ass album. Most media now is being condensed to the point of bingeability, like why do seasons of TV shows now have 8 episodes? I'll take a long sprawling album, mid ass filler songs included, as opposed to a super short album that is overthought to death. TTPD is not her best, but no one can say it's not real, which as a long time listener I kinda prefer.

[@linz0727]

We live for the weekend uploads, thanks for your hard work as always Zach!

[@RIAencina]

I think Midnights wasn't criticized because she did something totally different from folklore/evermore. She gave a different sound so people were satisfied. Although I definitely am loving Ttpd more than midnights!

[@Ladylovesblues]

“I hope that you get well soon”😂 Always enjoy the Scorpio shade sprinkled throughout the thoughtful commentary☠️🦂 The glasses look great

[@SomeonePink-uj4gd]

This Scorpio is so IN THE TRENCHES with you for imgonnagetyouback, love that song

[@monsemora2964]

I'm a Piscis but I love it too❤

[@tiffylew]

If it’s the worst men she writes best which means she never writes a good song about a man she’s in a relationship again but she’s happy and in love the rest of her life, that’s a deal I’d take all day. She gave us 20 years of anguish. She owes us nothing.

[@mrrcliff]

exactly. Travis seems like a good man so if all the songs that she writes about him are “bad” I’ll be okay with that. But I actually love So High School so I should be fine with what comes next haha

[@ainikohtala7832]

imgonnagetyouback is a MASTERPIECE

[@aashizplanet7513]

I cant be the only one that had to rewatch the intro multiple times because i couldnt stop staring at his dog

[@jackiefiedler2171]

I was just watching the new netflix series about Taylor Swift literally thinking before i started it “i KNOW swiftologist is going to comment on this series and i cant wait to see that” and then you popped up on the screen and jumoscared me😂LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

[@Elix90]

My only truly unpopular opinion is that after the undeniable excellence of Daddy I Love Him, my second favorite from standard edition Poets is I Can Fix Him. Not a soul agrees with me.

[@favourvibes]

I agree with youuuuuuu I can fix him and Daddy I love him are my best 😊😂❤

[@robnessvic]

I can fix him is amazing! It has several beautiful lyrics (“his hand so calloused from his pistol softly traces hearts on my face” etc) and fits into the narrative perfectly.

[@criztian766]

Girl, you are not bored in a 6+ year relationship, you are clearly afraid to be alone so yeah, TS talks poorly about the relationship with Joe and what? She was still there I mean, she’s 30+ y/o she should be able to call things off at the very first red flag. So she wasn’t bored, she didn’t enjoy only one hour of sunshine, that was a whole bunch of solar storms. Stop taking pride on her badmouthing the relationship, it’s not a flex. I love her tho

[@LB-xz9ub]

Here we go again, the alwyn dolts showing up completely barking at the wrong moon. You must be in the wrong section of the Internet babe. Alwyn scked. He will always sck. And will remain sck. Besides if you care for him so much why don't you go write ballads about him just don't do it here cuz taylor didn't and still doesnt want him. Now bye and don't let the handle hit ya on the way out. Or maybe do.

[@christinakerovecz9018]

@@LB-xz9ub There are at least two sides to every story and you have chosen to see only one. Not everything is black and white.

[@imjakedeason]

thank you for feeding us this sunday bestie

[@ellehampton8804]

Zack, your fur goblin chilling on the bed is adorable.

[@meredithhoward3733]

Not Swiftologist in the new Taylor/Scooter doc 😯

[@MorganChaos]

I think at some point I heard you say that The Anthology feels like we got the vault tracks all at once with the album, and I agree with that. I do want all those songs but some of them could have been in the vault. If I were Taylor (and I'm certainly not) I think I would have just released TTPD, maybe a bonus version with 8 or so more songs, and then "TTPD: The Vault" later in the weekend with the songs that don't really go with the story. I do suspect that they ALL go with the story in her mind (e.g. my guess would be that Robin represents, for her, a moment where she was really really hurting, down bad if you will, and spent a few hours with this kid and was kind of like "wow, okay, there are still good things in this world, it's worth getting up right now for more of these moments") but making the story more coherent to an outsider could have benefited the work. (Re: 8 more songs) I'm a little more generous with TA than you are, the only songs I would cut for having no place in the story are Robin, I Hate It Here, and Aimee. The songs I would cut for being redundant (that is, they don't say anything that doesn't exist in another song) are Cassandra (Who's Afraid was doing this same thing but better), The Albatross (this isn't directly duped by anything else but its ideas exist across several songs), and Peter (it's just a less delusional and less fun version of My Boy Breaks). There's one or two others that we could lose for redundancy but they're sufficiently outstanding to me that I would probably lose their dupes before them, and I think we need The Alchemy, So High School, and The Manuscript for the resolution/redemption ending to the story. THAT SAID I also am getting a vibe of like "here's me, here's all of it, take it or leave it, fuck you" and releasing everything being an artistic choice, which I am also forced to respect as a baller move. I Can Do It feels very like...confrontational? And that's not an opinion I've seen a lot I don't think but I remember hearing it the first time and thinking "there's no possible way she'll play this at Eras, that would be too fucking real, she doesn't actually want to murder her audience with guilt" and apparently I was proven wrong the second she added TTPD to the tour so maybe I just took it wrong or maybe I took it right and everyone else took it wrong. But if I did take it right, that kind of supports the "take me or leave me" theory.

[@Hortonfantastic4]

I agree with almost all of this. And her playing “How did it end” last night!? That song feels more like a testament to the “public’s” thirst to know every little bit of tea about Joe and how she feels attacked by that than a fun time with her Fans moment. I am often surprised by her. I think she means it when she says she used to be tame. I think she doesn’t give much of a sh*t these days if “we” like it or not. Perhaps the reason she over shared about MH on TTPD is so that people would not want more tea. Like she gave so little with Joe because even she didn’t know. So since she knew so much about Matty she thought “you want tea, here. Choke on it”.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

“I can do it with a broken heart” is not against her audience. She is not trying to make people feel guilty. She is bragging. She’s not mad at the audience for chanting more. She’s saying my heart is breaking BUT IM giving them everything I want and they love it so much they are chanting for MORE OF ME. Like HE doesn’t want me but THEY DO. so you didn’t ruin me because I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART. People who think she’s trying to shame her audience for cheering and chanting for her ARE VERY confused and misinterpreting what that song is about.

[@robnessvic]

I absolutely agree with what you just said regarding Robin! When I reordered the album, I placed Robin just before ICDIWABH as I think it represents her realising that there are more important things in the world other than this upsetting heartbreak

[@MorganChaos]

@@ultravioletpisces3666 I didn't mean she's directly trying to shame them (us) specifically, more that it would be natural to feel guilty hearing that song at a concert. "Confronting" would probably be a better word than "confrontational." I'm struggling to word this lol but it's not "you guys suck for making me do this," it's more like "wow we really don't treat celebrities like human beings, huh?" Like it's not that direct, it's more about the general environment she finds herself in than one group of people. Does that make sense?

[@MorganChaos]

@@robnessvic Oh that is GENIUS I love it! I haven't really decided on my full reorder yet, most versions of it have ICDI right at the top but I love the idea of Robin kind of inspiring it.

[@nestorreynoso7504]

Non swiftie here, coming to debate/point out some points. Factually the album was a hit because it has most of it topping on the charts, we are not discussing that, however besides the cultural attention it got, it really doesn't feel like gaining momentum on the zeitgeist, I listened to the album several times and besides Florida I have a hard time recognizing other songs. Also as someone who interacts with both Swifties and regular public I can say obviously swifties are obsessed with TTPD, but the PG just as me can barely recognize a song, in my opinion Espresso is the song capturing that momentum. What I am saying is Taylor's fandom is powerful, but it is becoming a niche even if big it is still a niche, and is alienating the general public. quite frankly I use to give albums second opportunities and listen to them several times, but on this one I don't feel like it, I get kind of bored on the third song. Now on regards of one of the point of Aaron Dressner and Antonoff, it seems they are becoming a yes ma'am which is ok but it also means that whatever decision Taylor takes creatively will not be challenged, and it isbecoming a disservice, also, it is hipocritical to criticize Dressner as saying is "one note" and not Antonoff since he is also one note in my opinion. I think Taylor will become a very niche artist with a lot of followers similar to BTS where the fandom is extremely loyal, but outside it no one really understands it. I don't like that for taylor since she demostrated that she can create good music, but she is prioritizing money over experimentation, which will alienate more fans as time follows. people getting bored is a thing.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

6:48 whattt??? She didn’t *just want to say* “I love you it’s ruining my life.” It’s the theme of the entire song. It makes perfect sense. As far as the first like “I was a functioning alcoholic until nobody noticed my new aesthetic,” is in fact quite a mystery… but I don’t think it’s meaningless just because we really can’t figure it out. I’m sure it has meaning to Taylor that pretty much goes over our heads-probably because we don’t have the full context of her life. Perhaps it means “I was trying to get attention but that didn’t work.” Or I thought maybe you’d notice me because I was doing these things that weren’t good for me, but it didn’t work and then… the illusion I was trying to create fell away and I actually did have the problem I was pretending to have just to get your attention.” Actually I kind of think that’s what she means.

[@jamiekay3650]

I had a similar take on the functioning alcoholic line-that it was a cry for help that people (including Joe) didn’t notice. I think Fortnight as a whole is about when The 1975 started working with Jack (and were thus “in her backyard”), and it rekindled her feelings for Matty at a time when she was epically miserable. She projected all potential happiness onto the possibility of Matty (move to Florida, buy the car you want) because she was miserable elsewhere. Also, I’m not sure I can imagine a place as opposite of London as Florida-sun vs fog/rain, properness vs crazy vacation vibes, long history vs being relatively transitory.

[@robnessvic]

@@jamiekay3650I hadn’t thought of the contrast between London and Florida but you’re so right! That contrast is directly discussed in the song It Only Rains In LA by Scouting For Girls

[@kassianistevens]

The one downside to Zach is that he sometimes thinks a song is bad or meaningless when I think really he just doesn’t get it.

[@florencehaber9847]

Thank you for not blaming Jack Antonoff. Taylor knows what she wants to write in her songs and the meaning of them. I really love both albums. As soon as I heard it, I knew most of it was about Matty but I didn't care as I am not going to "hate" someone just because a song is about them. I don't care that some critics didn't like TTPD as critics also put down other people's songs that I love. I can't go by critics. I also loved Taylor's having the guts to go after many Swifties for being in her personal life, to the extent they think they can write her to break up with a guy she really likes because they don't. I thought it was about time. Unfortunately, those Swifties still go find her hotel to stand outside of it like how terrible it was that some Swifties ran to Jack's wedding to his bride, just to scream Taylor, Taylor. How disrespectful to Taylor and worse to Jack, his bride, and the other guests there for Jack and his bride. When Taylor said before the albums came out that she needed to write it more than any other album, it obviously means a lot to Taylor. Taylor wanted to release both albums and why not. I don't care what critics say. I decide for myself.

[@juliavoltmann8046]

i would just like to thank you for being one of my favorite content creators (not just my favorite swiftie creator) i look forward to watching your videos every sunday right when you post!

[@anushabhattacharya4837]

unpopular opinion: midnights shouldn’t have won aoty at the grammys

[@rurubelle2920]

Samesies! Should have been SOS by Sza.

[@Baby_duck4]

SZA deserved it more ❤

[@brittanyolson6859]

for entering into evidence and autopsy, those are still used in academic circles (entering into evidence can be like defending your thesis comes to mind especially)

[@alainaamichelle]

Zach, your opinions are always SUCH a breath of fresh air. You’re always hilarious and so articulate, but I truly appreciate your ability to view Taylor and her work through a more critical lens. Thank you for your wonderful content, it is always my favorite🩷

[@furnish5_]

day after my eras tour show, needed this video!!!

[@HazyPinkSky]

Did you have fun?! What were your surprise songs?

[@Izzywildflowerr]

3 days after my eras tour show!

[@furnish5_]

​@@HazyPinkSky yes, it was very good!! we got carolina x no body, no crime + the manuscript (💀) x REDDDDD

[@VocalStation.13]

AHHHHHHHHH UR IN THE TAYLOR VS SCOOTER DOCUMENTARY IM SO PROUD OF U

[@florencehaber9847]

Taylor herself didn't want to keep some of the songs in a vault because she says in her prologue that these TTPD songs are now boxed, put away for good and she is over it meaning healed and she won't be bringing it up again meaning writing about it. But with So High School she wrote that in the beginning of her relationship with Travis and if it makes her feel like she is back in HS but this time being the popular and happy one, great for Taylor. Same with Alchemy. Travis is her most recent and they met while she is on her Eras tour so it seems perfect for the timing. Taylor didn't have to put any songs about Travis in TTPD but she did and not only did she but had Travis listen to most of the albums before they were released. According to Taylor we won't hear songs from her about any ex boyfriends anymore and won't hear anymore songs about K or K so that is a good thing. Taylor is on to her next chapter. And hopefully because she is 34 years old now, she doesn't care what her fans think of the songs she put out and it seems her fans love her newest albums so good for Taylor. I also think Taylor will be taking a long break after the Eras tour ends in December. And just enjoy living doing normal things.

[@vasilisashakurova743]

Imgonagetyouback is sooo iconic. I listen to it literally every day. Maybe it is a scorpio anthem

[@mindybrown-haugen3115]

im virgo for what its worth and that track is nearly my fave off ttpd

[@taylor4974]

i love you for the first seconds about matty as a matty stan swiftie, they need to GROW TF UP

[@AmIAllowedToCry013]

My bf just dumped me and when I tell you this album is saving my sanity. The fact that loml is becoming relatable is literally making me tweak out. Do you (or anyone in the comments) have any good breakup songs I can cry to?

[@agathamethyst45]

I'll give you two albuns. Sea Change (Beck) and Pink Moon (Nick Drake). And obviously Rumors (Fleetwood Mac) - the quintessential breakup album.

[@sbpts08]

I just saw you in “Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood”!!!

[@juliaguedes4663]

same! i screamed when i saw him hahahaha

[@safa2344]

Do you guys actually think I Can Do It With a Broken Heart is good because I'm not hearing what y'all are hearing 😭😭😭😭

[@IrisKelly2002]

Me personally I like it but I can understand that Taylor songs are really for different personalities. Like personally don't like False God on Lover and Cowboy like me on Evermore but the rest of the fandom likes them. I just shrug and continue

[@S0phia20]

Chloe and Sam and Sophia(me) and Marcus looking in Zach’s 6 track anthology window like 👁️👄👁️

[@FraserM27]

Omggg so proud of you hitting 100k ❤️ I remember finding you with the secret sessions video and I don't think I've missed a video since. And of course I know consume your content across all platforms bc you're so brilliant. Can't imagine how much hard work goes into this, so thank you so much for always making such high quality content. Congratulations 💜💜💜

[@theswiftologist]

Thank you so much!!

[@Summerstrider]

It’s a good day when the Swiftologist uploads

[@Shekoodoo17]

i saw the title of this video and i literally squealed from excitement omg this is my favorite type of video from you!! i live for theseeee

[@williamehlers5158]

No one talks about it, but I love “I Look in People’s Windows”. I also love “The Black Dog”.

[@monsemora2964]

Look in peoples I loveee it too

[@anandratnakushwaha2325]

21:25 The prophecy? Its the best anthology song

[@Alessandrograni]

Can I ask about your opinion about the prophecy, since you didn’t include it in your 6 songs of anthology imo it fits the idea of ttpd and gives something “new” or at least a different perspective of Taylor’s love life. Curious to know.

[@kathryntran2356]

I see tortured poets as 1940s, aliens is the twilight zone, then you’ve got old timey circus and other signs

[@Laef_dream]

“The first half is trash” yet the bridge of the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived alone is better than half the songs from second half (looking at you Peter). But anyway thanks you Zach for serving us tea once again

[@oglatnik]

Ok, I will not stand any Peter slander here … probably my fave from the whole album.

[@tayluvofficial]

I can't stand The Smallest Man before the bridge. It's so borring please! 😭

[@-.a9942]

Peter is such a good song. Some day you people would come around

[@Marielisrouf3]

Peter and Robin are the most boring song in the whole album, when I first listen the anthology I almost fell asleep with those two 🤷‍♀️

[@jasminearija6009]

Peter bridge (for me) is one of her most beautiful verse he ever written. So no. Smallest man ate tho

[@yes_hello_hi]

lmao, not to sound ungreatful, but I for some reason thought its fearless today and got really excited, never the less, i'll channel the excitment for this video thanks for the amazing content

[@a_menina]

I've been thinking for a while now that Taylor might be willingly pushing for a Taylor fatigue, since it definitely has its upsides. Think deepening one's relationship or building a family. This might be easier to do, when everyone is oversaturated.

[@IrisKelly2002]

The criticism started after the grammy announcement

[@henrywayne5724]

Exactly. Grammys 2024 was the turning point. Only way she could have avoided the criticism was if Tortured Poets completely revamped how we viewed Taylor Swift as an artist, but that didn't happen. The Charlie Puth lyric that first leaked wasn't the greatest harbinger for the album in general. In hindsight it's gonna be interesting to see where this album stands in her legacy. Acts like The Beatles and Michael Jackson only experimented the more they grew and their legacies were reinforced by it. She could have taken a more experimental approach with TTPD, and further her legacy as she's broken every commercial record imaginable, but curiously, she decided not to. It was very much an album she made and put out for herself.