The Taylor Seminars31 Tammi 2025

From "Burning Red" to "Maroon"

We dive into the next sleepless night, and we are transported into the Red era. But everything has changed as Taylor reexamines that "passionate as sin" relationship from new angles in Track 2 of Midnights, "Maroon."

This tumultuous love affair was chronicled throughout Taylor's fourth studio album, Red, especially in songs like "Red" and "All Too Well," which we definitely reference in this week's episode. Hannah and Exquisite discuss how Taylor dissects the "burning red" color and exposes its many different shades, before she eventually (and perhaps inevitably) identifies a richer, darker, more complex color: maroon.

The two also discuss how this song demonstrates how Taylor is a master storyteller and wordsmith. She crafts parallel stories in each verse that have radically different conclusions. We also see how Taylor revisits themes of the power of memory and legacy in the chorus and bridge that she has in so many of her songs.

And Hannah and Exquisite discuss how, at midnight, we can finally have an epiphany about the changes we need to make--because we see the connections between our past selves and our present--and so we need to run.

BONUS: We also read some "Maroon" analysis from the new book Stars Around My Scars by friend of the podcast, Dr. Elly McCausland. Check out her book here, You can also follow her on Instagram!

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Join in on our conversation on Twitter/X with the hashtag #MidnightsSeminars

Taylor Seminars Hannah Exquisite

Cover Art by Alef Vernon

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"It's Time to Go" and Leave the evermore era

We've (finally) reached the final bonus track from evermore, "It's Time to Go," written by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner. We talk about what we love about the song (the verses) and how it fits into t...

4 Kesä 20min

We're "Right Where You Left Me"

We come to the first of two bonus tracks on evermore by Taylor Swift: "Right Where You Left Me." Join Exquisite and Hannah as they thaw out the girl who's been sitting cross-legged in the dim light an...

29 Touko 35min

Keep it 100 with Brigid Kaelin: The Sounds of "evermore"

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15 Touko 2h 23min

This Episode Will Be for "Evermore"

We've made it to the closing track of Taylor Swift's evermore album. In this song, Swift uses imagery in powerful ways to show the depths of despair. And then, in the tumultuous bridge, we hear her fi...

8 Touko 29min

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In this bonus episode, we talk about how Taylor Swift has been named one of the "30 Greatest Living American Songwriters" by The New York Times Magazine. As part of the feature, she participated in a ...

29 Huhti 49min

We Want Taylor Swift's "Closure"

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17 Huhti 28min

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10 Huhti 26min

"Long Story Short" It Was a Fun Time

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27 Maalis 31min