“I’ll be your father figure.” This week, we’re diving deep into one of Taylor Swift’s most underrated literary tools: alliteration. From the phonetic cadence of a teenage Taylor on Debut to the silky-smooth flow of reputation’s Call It What You Want, to the hard-hitting, power-packed punch of Father Figure from The Life of a Showgirl, we trace how Taylor uses the repetition of consonant sounds to create rhythm, evoke emotion, and tell a story. Whether she’s channeling JFK-level emphasis or crafting an earworm you can hit the notes on without music, alliteration is a tool Taylor reaches for selectively and with purpose. Join Maansi, Jennifer, and Jodi as they break down soft sounds, staccato slams, and everything in between.

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• “Our Song” – Taylor Swift (Debut, 2006)
• “Call It What You Want” – Taylor Swift (Reputation, 2017)
• “Father Figure” – Taylor Swift ft. George Michael interpolation (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025)
• “Pied Beauty” – Gerard Manley Hopkins
• “The Raven” – Edgar Allan Poe
• JFK Inaugural Address – John F. Kennedy (1961)
• Grammarly: What Is Alliteration?

• [01:32] Defining alliteration: Initial rhymes, brand names, and types (symmetrical, unvoiced)
• [07:04] “Our Song” (Debut, 2006): Slamming screen doors and the phonetic cadence of baby Taylor
• [14:43] “Call It What You Want” (Reputation, 2017): Soft sounds, effortless love, and the R&B-adjacent flow
• [22:19] “Father Figure” (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025): Hard consonants, hard power, and the father figure persona

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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z