She hates it here, so she goes to secret gardens in her mind. The job of your hosts today is to find those secret gardens and take you along on the journey! In this installment of the fan fave ‘Mental Cages’ series, Olivia & Dani walk through TTPD’s “I Hate It Here”, a divisive and solemn track from ‘The Anthology’ half of the record. What does Taylor mean with the opening/closing lyric about a finance guy? What are the mid-sized city hopes and small town fears she is referencing? And what exactly was she trying to say with the controversial 1830s lyric? Tune in to find out!

LINK TO 'ERAS TOUR HOT TAKES' SUBMISSION FORM: CLICK HERE!

We are still fighting to get our Instagram back! Please help us by going to @taylearningpodcast_backup and following instructions on our first post.

Instagram/TikTok/Bluesky: @TaylearningPodcast, @danielle_winchester, @olivia_kotarski

Twitter (X): @Taylearning

Email: taylearningpodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.TaylearningPodcast.com

Spotify Playlist: Click here!

*Explicit: Language, Sexual Content, Self-Harm/Suicide, Drugs, Conversations surrounding Sexual and Physical Assault

Today, we revisit the “Fantasy Football” song draft miniseries to take on the most recent installment to the Taylorverse: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’! Dani is a shameful 1-3 in her song draft record, and Olivia is looking to pad her lead. Your hosts go back and forth to draft their strongest teams, but who will actually take the prize? Will Dani begin her redemption arc, or will Olivia skyrocket to 4-1? That, Taylisteners, is entirely up to you. Be sure to vote in the Spotify comments section and/or on our Instagram!

LINK TO 'ERAS TOUR HOT TAKES' SUBMISSION FORM: CLICK HERE!

We are still fighting to get our Instagram back! Please help us by going to @taylearningpodcast_backup and following instructions on our first post.

Instagram/TikTok: @TaylearningPodcast, @danielle_winchester, @olivia_kotarski

Twitter (X): @Taylearning

Email: taylearningpodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.TaylearningPodcast.com

Spotify Playlist: Click here!

*Explicit: Language, Mild Sexual Content

Throughout most of her long career, Taylor Swift was (in)famous for staying quiet politically. Some read this as apathy, some read it as calculating, and some went so far as to accuse her of being a secret alt-right icon. But in 2019, Taylor tore off the muzzle she had on herself and finally told the world her secret: she’s a Democrat. Her political affiliation and progressive ideology became a cornerstone of her ‘Lover’ era, and she has been open about her party alliance and voting habits ever since. However, it was a long time coming for her to emerge as ‘Miss Americana.’ The question much of the world has for Taylor is…why? In this episode, Olivia & Dani talk about the inextricable relationship between American politics and country music, the delicate dance between fame and politics, and how Taylor found her political voice over the span of twenty years.

Stick around until the end to see how you could be entered into a giveaway! But hurry, this one ends SOON!
We will be taking next week off for Election Week in the USA. See you again in two weeks!

*Our views do not necessarily represent our partners at Bleav.

LINK TO 'ERAS TOUR HOT TAKES' SUBMISSION FORM: CLICK HERE!

We are still fighting to get our Instagram back! Please help us by going to @taylearningpodcast_backup and following instructions on our first post.

Instagram/TikTok: @TaylearningPodcast, @danielle_winchester, @olivia_kotarski

Twitter (X): @Taylearning

Email: taylearningpodcast@gmail.com

Website: www.TaylearningPodcast.com

Spotify Playlist: Click here!

Information on 9/11 and the War in Iraq: Article 1, Article 2, Book

The Guardian article mentioned & heavily quoted: Click here!

The “Miss Americana” article mentioned: Click here!

*Explicit: Language, Sexual Content, Sexual & Domestic Violence, Politics in general