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We Need to Calm Down: a Taylor Swift Podcast

We Need to Calm Down: a Taylor Swift Podcast

By We Need to Calm Down

Welcome to the We Need to Calm Down Podcast. A show where two Swifties can finally let loose all their thoughts, feelings, and theories about Ms. Swift and the songs she creates. Join Devon and Joe every other Typical Tuesday for Song Breakdowns, Taylor News, Conspiracies, and just general Taylor Swift discussion.
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folklore escapism chapter explanation

We Need to Calm Down: a Taylor Swift PodcastAug 25, 2020

00:00
38:24
Songs That Should Have Been Singles

Songs That Should Have Been Singles

Taylor Swift has released over 150 tracks, and over 55 singles, but were there any singles she should have released but didn't (duh), we take a deep dive into Taylor's history with singles, and what were her biggest snubs and oddest choices for her releases. We go album by album and discuss the biggest songs that we think should have been singles and also the songs that... we really question.

Jun 08, 202101:10:23
no body no crime (feat. HAIM) (Song Breakdown)

no body no crime (feat. HAIM) (Song Breakdown)

She did it.

We did it.

That's right this week we did it, we broke down the boppiest, countriest, and most danceable murder song this side of 2020. We dive into the story of the song, our impressions of it, and breakdown the music behind the tune.

May 25, 202138:35
tolerate it (Song Breakdown)

tolerate it (Song Breakdown)

It has been a hot minute since we've dived deep into a track. With Taylor news slowing down we decided to jump right back into our Evermore song breakdowns, hitting the 9th Track 5!

This week we break down the story behind tolerate it, pick out our favorite soul crushing lyrics, Devon explains the madness that is the production behind the song, and finally, Joe breaks down whether or not this song lives up to being a Track 5.

May 11, 202140:59
Ranking The Songs on Fearless (Taylor's Version)

Ranking The Songs on Fearless (Taylor's Version)

This week we jump headfirst into Fearless (Taylor's Version) and rank every song on the album (and the From the Vault songs). We peel back what made us love them, and whether or not the new versions bumped a few songs up, or took a few down.

Apr 27, 202101:01:49
Fearless (Taylor's Version) Reaction!

Fearless (Taylor's Version) Reaction!

Sorry 2021, it's 2008 now. Taylor Swift released the first of her re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor's Version), along with six new songs From the Vault. In this episode, we discuss the overall feel of the album, go through our reactions to each track, and update our predictions for future re-records.

Apr 13, 202101:02:51
Episode 50: We Rank Our Top Ten Swift Songs!

Episode 50: We Rank Our Top Ten Swift Songs!

We've done 50 episodes talking about nothing but Taylor Swift. We are beyond thankful for the kind words and support from everyone. To celebrate this occasion we have decided to rank our top 10 songs! So... here they are, the de facto (strictly our opinion) best songs Taylor Swift has ever recorded.

To view our top 50, be sure to check out our instagram for the full list (and give us a follow while you're there 😊).

Mar 30, 202101:25:45
'tis the damn season (Song Breakdown)

'tis the damn season (Song Breakdown)

It's time to break down track 4 on evermore, Joe's favorite song on the record (possibly ever). We go through the background of the song and our first impressions. We break down the lyrics and (between crying fits) explain how the production of the song perfectly amplifies the lyrics and evokes the emotions that make you (and us) break down crying on whole new levels.

Mar 16, 202147:13
folklore vs evermore: which is better? + Our Final evermore Rankings

folklore vs evermore: which is better? + Our Final evermore Rankings

We have been ruminating on this episode for a long time. We've polled the audience (our friends and instagram followers) and stayed up all night debating, listening, and adjusting, but we think we finally did it. Our definitive rankings of not only the songs on 'evermore', but our rankings for every song of the sister album era. We take this information to come to a single conclusion: which album is better?

Mar 02, 202152:45
Fearless & Love Story (Taylor's Version) Reaction

Fearless & Love Story (Taylor's Version) Reaction

Last week Taylor dropped two new announcements on us: a release date for her version of Fearless and the new Love Story (Taylor's Version) single. From new artwork, easter eggs, and 6 additional never-before-released tracks, Devon and Joe breakdown the announcement, reminisce on the Fearless era, breakdown the new version of Love Story, and make predictions for the future of the re-records.

Feb 16, 202101:08:07
New 'evermore' Chapter | Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn (Theory)

New 'evermore' Chapter | Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn (Theory)

We're back this typical Tuesday to break down the newest chapter: 'forever is the sweetest con' Taylor dropped. Normally, we might just mention the new chapter and move on... but we ran across an interesting theory that piqued our interest. This chapter details the timeline of Taylor & Joe's relationship? When a Taylor theory arises... we must go to work.

As a side note, from this episode forward, we will be releasing our episodes every other week instead of weekly. Our next episode will drop February 16th!

Feb 02, 202144:24
evermore Chapter Theories & Revisiting Taylor Swift's Bridges

evermore Chapter Theories & Revisiting Taylor Swift's Bridges

Taking a short break from song breakdowns this week to discuss the latest chapter in the folklore era, the "dropped your hand while dancing" chapter released on January 21st, 2021. Devon and Joe give their thoughts on the new chapter, discuss the songs chosen and speculate what other chapters could come from this album.

But wait! That's not all, in a returning segment, "Should've Said So", we go back and look at Taylor's bridges now that we have 15 more to look through and see which are our favorites from evermore and if there are any changes to our top 5 bridges of all time!

Jan 26, 202154:29
gold rush (Song Breakdown)

gold rush (Song Breakdown)

It's finally here, Devon's favorite song. On this Typical Tuesday we are breaking down the third track of evermore: gold rush. Devon's number one ranked song (three weeks running!). We breakdown some of some of the theories surrounding the song, our favorite lyrics, and Devon *POPS* off on the production of the song.

Jan 19, 202101:01:29
champagne problems (Song Breakdown)

champagne problems (Song Breakdown)

/SHamˈpānˈpräbləm/ - A problem or dilemma that, when compared to issues of poverty, national disasters and war, are not all that big of a deal, but nonetheless provide individuals with issues that must be dealt with.

This week Devon and Joe are breaking down track 2 on Evermore: champagne problems. The first curse word, arguably the best bridge... the best heartbreak... join us as we dive deep into the lyrics, story, and music behind the track!

Jan 12, 202148:35
The Story of Dorothea (Conspiracy)

The Story of Dorothea (Conspiracy)

We have a new conspiracy theory to break down this week. Joe has a hard time believing we wouldn't get another multi-song story to break down, so he broke out the red yarn and iced coffee, connected the pieces, and this week he will present: the story of Dorothea. A story that spans 3-5 (or more!) songs across the album.

Jan 05, 202158:21
willow (Song Breakdown)

willow (Song Breakdown)

A new album means we start from the beginning with our song breakdowns! Willow is first up, join Devon and Joe as we go through the context around the song, break down some literary references, lyrics that stood out, and the music behind the lyrics. We also do a dive into the music video!

We will finish our Song Breakdowns of Folklore once we get through Evermore (provided she doesn't drop another album...)

Dec 29, 202001:04:09
Evermore Bonus Tracks & Apple's Songwriter of the Year

Evermore Bonus Tracks & Apple's Songwriter of the Year

We wanted to do a holiday episode this week but Devon and Joe still aren't quite over the 'evermore' experience and we just want to talk more about it. Luckily, with physical CDs hitting shelves, we were able to hear the two bonus tracks on the album. We start this week by discussing our first impressions of 'right where you left me' and 'it's time to go', before we dive into Taylor's recent interview with Zane Lowe and break down the interview piece by piece!

Dec 22, 202001:07:17
first impressions of Taylor Swift's evermore

first impressions of Taylor Swift's evermore

Buckle up, it's a long one.

We can't believe she did it again, but the Queen of pop dropped a second album in the worst year™. Taylor Swift's sister album 'evermore' was released just last Friday at midnight and now that Devon and Joe have had a full weekend to marinate in its lyrics and composition, we have some thoughts. This week we breakdown our predictions from our announcement episode, give our top 5, then go song by song explaining our first impressions.

Joe explains that, while Betty and James might be absent, we have a new love story to obsess over in Dorothea, and finally Devon and Joe answer the question on everyone's mind... which album is better?

Dec 15, 202001:20:25
evermore album announcement reaction!

evermore album announcement reaction!

Taylor Swift can not let a girl BREATHE. In just under 5 months since the release of folklore, Taylor is releasing ANOTHER album. that's right TS9 is already here and will be for evermore. Named the "sister album" to folklore, we only have a few paragraphs, a couple pictures, and the tracklist to go off of, but that doesn't stop Devon and Joe from speculating WILDLY. Join us as we make wild predictions for the new album dropping at midnight 12/11.

Dec 11, 202001:04:14
Breaking Down Taylor Swift’s Bridges (The Anatomy of a Song Series)

Breaking Down Taylor Swift’s Bridges (The Anatomy of a Song Series)

All these bridges and we still can't get over it.

This week Devon and Joe start a new series on the show: The Anatomy of a Song. In each episode in this series we'll be breaking down different aspects of a song, explaining how they fit in song composition, and most importantly, explaining how Taylor Swift does them so well.

Of course we had to kick the series off with bridges, the most iconic part of any Taylor Swift song. Join us this week as we discuss what makes Taylor's bridges stand out and discuss our favorite and top 5 bridges she's ever recorded.

Dec 09, 202001:06:04
invisible string (Song Breakdown)

invisible string (Song Breakdown)

We're back for another Thursday breakdown! We're getting close to the end, this week we are breaking down track 11: invisible string. This track was the obvious standout and Joe and Devon's de facto best track on the record when it released, is it still held in such high regard? Or have our thoughts on the track fallen? Listen this week to find out.

Dec 03, 202045:10
folklore: the long pond studio sessions reaction

folklore: the long pond studio sessions reaction

Taylor will not stop dropping bombshells. Which is honestly great for this show. This week, we were given another giant announcement with less than 24 hours to process. We were all invited to the secret sessions, the long pond studio sessions to be more specific. Join Devon and Joe as they gush over the performances and the interviews between the songs.

Dec 01, 202001:16:27
Taylor Swift's 2020 Rolling Stone Interviews

Taylor Swift's 2020 Rolling Stone Interviews

Taylor has been really busy in November of 2020. In just the span of two weeks, Rolling Stone released "Musicians on Musicians" in which Taylor sat down with Paul McCartney to discuss songwriting, and both of their new albums from 2020. Not long after, Rolling Stone released a Taylor Swift-centered episode in their '500 Greatest Albums Podcast' where they interviewed her about her album Red, which landed at 99 on the list. Join Devon and Joe as they discuss the interviews and the implications thereof.

Nov 24, 202001:08:49
illicit affairs (Song Breakdown)

illicit affairs (Song Breakdown)

FINALLY screamed Joe. This week, Joe and Devon break down one of Joe’s favorite songs from folklore: illicit affairs. We dive into the context around the song, talk about our favorite lyrics (it’s a lot), and Devon breaks down the production behind the song.

Nov 19, 202047:19
Taylor Can Re-Record Her First Five Albums

Taylor Can Re-Record Her First Five Albums

Did you feel something change after Halloween? A pulse blew through the world. Once the world hit November 1st, 2020, Taylor Alison Swift became able to re-record and re-release her first five albums. The implications are huge, the undertaking? Massive. What does this mean for her? Why is this even a thing? Why would she even need to do this? Devon and Joe breakdown the whole situation and give our thoughts and hopes now that the world has been unlocked for Ms. Swift.

Nov 17, 202001:04:06
this is me trying (Song Breakdown)

this is me trying (Song Breakdown)

After a week off, we're back with a song breakdown. This week we break down track 9: this is me trying. Devon defends the songs honor and tries to bring Joe around on the track he rated 3rd to last. Will she succeed?

Nov 10, 202029:49
august (Song Breakdown)

august (Song Breakdown)

We just can't stay off of folkore for long, this week we break down the 8th track off the record: august. We dive into the lyrics, context and production behind the track to really find out why it's considered one of the best tracks on the album.  

Also we will be taking a break until November 10th for the United States Election. We will not post an episode on Tuesday November 3rd, instead we will be out voting!

Oct 29, 202028:25
The Archer is NOT a Track 5 (Opinion)

The Archer is NOT a Track 5 (Opinion)

Joe is here and he's ready to rant. With facts & figures. On this week's episode Joe sits Devon down for a presentation on why Lover's 'The Archer' is a Track 5 imposter. Joe breaks down what it means to be a Track 5, some interesting data involving the mystical track number and explains why The Archer just doesn't fit in.

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in June (B.F. - Before Folklore), stay tuned for a Should've Said So segment where Joe and Devon revisit the presentation with the latest Track 5: my tears ricochet and see if his findings hold up.

Oct 27, 202053:28
seven (Song Breakdown)

seven (Song Breakdown)

We're back on our Song Breakdowns. This week we do track 7: seven (she nailed it). We discuss the context around this song, our opinions on the song (controversial), the lyrics that stood out to us, and once again Devon breaks down the production of the song.

Oct 21, 202043:36
A Deep Dive into the folklore Love Triangle (Part 2)

A Deep Dive into the folklore Love Triangle (Part 2)

It's all connected? Always was.

In the second part of the Love Triangle breakdown, we dive deep into all of the theories surrounding the story of James, Betty, and the no name mistress. Including the largest theory... that the story spans the entire album.

Oct 15, 202052:60
A Deep Dive into the folklore Love Triangle (Part 1)

A Deep Dive into the folklore Love Triangle (Part 1)

That's right! You read that right, we have our first two part episode! There was so much to unpack in the Betty/James/UnnamedMistress love triangle we couldn't fit it all into one episode. So in this part, we discuss the background on the story and songs, the lyrics that link them all, and our favorite lyrics that give us the story. Part 2 will be out on Thursday so stay tuned!

Oct 13, 202053:14
folklore Song Rankings Revisited

folklore Song Rankings Revisited

It has been 6 weeks since the last time we ranked the songs on folklore. After stepping back, listening to other albums, and finally circling back. We've decided to update our rankings once again and dive even deeper into how our rankings have fluctuated over the weeks. We also take a look at some data we surveyed from our friends and analyze their top 5 songs from the album.

Check our rankings and graphs from the episode here: https://www.3philosophers.com/post/wntcd-25

Oct 06, 202040:50
mirrorball (Song Breakdown)

mirrorball (Song Breakdown)

We're back with more folklore! That's right, this week we're back on our song breakdown grind going through track 6: mirrorball. We break down the context around the song, theories about its meaning, and go through the lyrics that really impacted us. Devon also goes through and teaches Joe about the production behind the song.

Again, per the queen herself, please take the time to ensure that you are registered to vote and check out the list of resources Taylor made here: https://taylor.lnk.to/vote.

Oct 01, 202039:09
Ranking Taylor Swift's Bonus Tracks

Ranking Taylor Swift's Bonus Tracks

What? A whole episode not about folklore? The treachery of it all. This week we decide to take a short break from talking about folklore to do an episode we’ve had requests for, breaking down and ranking Taylor’s Bonus Tracks. The girl has been busy making sure we have plenty of extra songs to devour on each of her albums (save for two… you know who you are) and it’s about time we gave them some love.

Also, per the queen herself, please take the time to ensure that you are registered to vote and check out the list of resources Taylor made here: https://taylor.lnk.to/vote.

Sep 29, 202051:28
my tears ricochet (Between the Lines)

my tears ricochet (Between the Lines)

Of course track 5 gets two episodes! This week, Devon and Joe go “between the lines” to analyze all the lyrics from ‘my tears ricochet’. Devon unpacks the unsurprising “hidden” meaning of the song, relating to the Big Machine/Scooter Braun discography.

Sep 22, 202039:12
my tears ricochet (Song Breakdown)

my tears ricochet (Song Breakdown)

On this Thursday song breakdown, Devon and Joe have finally made it to our latest "Track 5" of the new era. Our first Jack Antonoff song! There was so much about this song we split this one in half. This episode we focus on the context of the song, our thoughts on the song, and Devon gives Joe a breakdown of the production and the music behind the lyrics.

Sep 17, 202035:09
folklore inter-album references

folklore inter-album references

In lieu of a marketing campaign, Taylor decided to drop folklore and let the album speak for itself in terms of easter eggs. Well… easter eggs were dropped indeed. In this episode, Devon and Joe analyze all lyrical connections to fellow folklore songs in an entire album lyrical breakdown.

Sep 15, 202048:33
the saltbox house chapter

the saltbox house chapter

Devon and Joe are back to go over the last(?) chapter of the folklore era. The saltbox house chapter came completely out of left field and we break down a bunch of potential theories (some much better than others) and break down the chapter with most of our favorite songs.

Sep 08, 202033:27
exile (Song Breakdown)

exile (Song Breakdown)

Devon and Joe are back for another Thursday night breakdown. This week we dive into the only collaboration on folklore, exile (feat. bon iver). We jump into some underlying themes in both the lyrics and music, and give some of our theories about the sultry vocals of Justin Vernon, the heartbreaking lyrics, and the cacophonous overlapping singing.

Sep 03, 202032:41
sleepless nights chapter

sleepless nights chapter

Taylor continues to put out more content than our release schedule can even keep up with! Last week we were given the second chapter to the folklore saga: sleepless nights. Taylor gives us a new way to look at six of the tracks from folklore along with a new track order we have to breakdown. Devon and Joe go through our reactions and thoughts into this new way of viewing some of our favorite songs.

Sep 01, 202045:23
folklore escapism chapter explanation

folklore escapism chapter explanation

Taylor Swift, queen of the post-release marketing strategy, announced that folklore can be divided into chapters. Devon and Joe dive into the first, the escapism chapter, to discuss how the six songs match this theme, the importance of the order, and speculate what the other chapters could be.

Aug 25, 202038:24
the last great american dynasty (Song Breakdown)

the last great american dynasty (Song Breakdown)

On this Thursday episode, Taylor gives the WNTCD podcast a history lesson about a beautiful house and its legendary previous owner. Joe dives deep into the history of Holiday House, Rebekah Harkness and teaches Devon all about the “madness” she got up to and the legacy that Taylor carries on now that she owns Holiday House. Also, thanks to Taylor dropping ‘the lakes’ on Spotify, we introduce a new segment to the show “Should’ve Said So” where we address new content we might have missed (like the launch of this song two days ago). We look forward to more of this segment and other new segments with glorious Taylor Swift puns.

Aug 20, 202050:29
cardigan (Between the Lines)

cardigan (Between the Lines)

Devon and Joe have launched a new type of episode: Between the Lines. Some of the songs on folklore are way too lyrically dense to just pick a couple lines to dissect, so we're dedicating a whole episode to picking apart every line in some of the songs. Our first episode pores over cardigan, the first single, and the first song in the folklore "love triangle". Join us as we dive deeper than ever into every single line of this wonderfully written song.

Aug 18, 202037:07
cardigan (Song Breakdown)

cardigan (Song Breakdown)

We’ve employed a new strategy for this album. We have removed the lyrical dive from this breakdown and will be releasing a new episode “Between the Lines” where we go extremely in depth on certain songs line-by-line. So look out for that!

Devon and Joe take turns going off on some of our favorite things about the first “single” from folklore. We go over some of the context around this focus track, Devon teaches Joe some incredible things about the production of the song, while Joe pops off an English class research paper on the music video. We really like this song.

Aug 11, 202045:27
the 1 (Song Breakdown)

the 1 (Song Breakdown)

On a typical Thursday night, we’re breaking down our first track from folklore! Yes we’re moving to a different posting schedule where we will be breaking down a track every other Thursday, in addition to our usual Tuesday episodes.

On this episode we break down the very first song on folklore, the 1. We dive into the production and music behind the track, some of the lyrics that jumped out at us, and try really hard to make Devon love this great song. We also try a new segment called End Games towards the end of the show!

Aug 06, 202035:25
Our Favorite folklore Lyrics

Our Favorite folklore Lyrics

folklore has been out for over a week now, we took a week off to fully digest the album, feel the lyrics, and bath in the melodies. Usually we take a deep dive into lyrics in our individual song breakdowns, but we thought it was important to do a high level run at all of the lyrics that immediately jumped out to us at the beginning. From lines we can't help but scream, to lines that absolutely break us, join us on a journey through arguably the most lyrically dense album Taylor Alison Swift has ever graced us with.

Aug 04, 202001:00:46
folklore First Impressions

folklore First Impressions

Now that we've had a full day to marinate and resonate and ruminate and contemplat- we've been listening to folklore non-stop for 24 hours. We've been dissecting the lyrics, the grooves, the beats, the music. We decide to pour out everything we felt in our first 24 hours with this truly remarkable record. We go track by track and discuss all 16 tracks, our overall thoughts about the themes of the album and give our (finalized) initial rankings for the songs.

Jul 25, 202001:01:19
folklore Announcement Reaction

folklore Announcement Reaction

Taylor Swift sent our world into disarray this morning by announcing a brand new album dropping tonight (7/24) at midnight. Devon and Joe took as much time researching, reading, and compiling everything they could about this completely out of the blue release and put it into one long reaction emergency episode. Join us as we make guesses, propose theories and discuss everything about our new era: folklore.

Jul 24, 202054:10
Someone Great (Review)

Someone Great (Review)

Thanks to the most meta event in the history of pop culture, Taylor Swift's music has inspired a movie, a movie that later went on to inspire a Taylor Swift song. In the business we call that a Full Circle. Someone Great is that movie. Devon and Joe grab the tissues and endure a movie inspired by Taylor Swift’s Clean, and a couple of nine years going through a break up. Between sobbing, we tell you our thoughts about the film, talk about its references to Taylor (and Taylor’s references to the movie), and gush over a beautifully directed rom-com.

Jul 21, 202042:30
Our Favorite Unpopular Songs

Our Favorite Unpopular Songs

Every Taylor Swift song is the best song ever made. But thanks to the power of data, numbers, and spreadsheets, Devon and Joe were able to mathematically determine Taylor Swift's (relatively) least popular songs across her seven albums. Using this data, we pick our absolute favorite Taylor songs that get the least amount of love and explain what we like so much about these loveless tracks.

Jul 14, 202040:21
Gaylor Swift (Conspiracy)

Gaylor Swift (Conspiracy)

Taylor has officially come out saying she is straight, that doesn’t stop us from reading into the conspiracy theory of Gaylor Swift. Devon compiled TWO slideshows and presents her findings and theories from the internet to attempt to convince Joe that Taylor might, possibly, just maybe, be just a little gay.

Jul 07, 202001:15:15