The Swiftie and The Scholar artwork

Music Commentary · Angela McDow | Dr. Jerry Coats

The Swiftie and The Scholar

by Angela McDow | Dr. Jerry Coats

A weekly podcast exploring the lyrics, lore, and literary legacy of Taylor Swift. Hosted by Angela McDow, the Swiftie, and Dr. Jerry Coats, the Scholar, we read between the lines AND the liner notes. Join us each week for lyrical deep dive through Taylor Swift's eras.

Chart trend

Position in the Music Commentary chart (US), last 90 days.

#1
all-time peak
2
days in the top 3 since Jul 2025

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Time’s Mystic Meandering in Invisible String

#35 trending · Music

Buckle up, folks. This is a long one! Invisible String is up next in our folklore canon, and Uncle Jerry showed up PREPARED. He and Angela chat through folktales about th

Sep 10
1 h 51 min

The Lives We Didn’t Live in The 1

We have the opening track of folklore for you today! Uncle Jerry and Angela discuss the relatable way Taylor Swift writes about the ruminations about the different lives

Sep 3
1 h 21 min

The Devastating Paradox of Hoax

In this episode, we are covering Hoax, the closing track from 2020’s folklore. Uncle Jerry starts out a bit iffy on his feelings about the poem, but talking through it wi

Aug 27
1 h 18 min

The Tragedy of Miscommunication in Exile

Continuing along our folklore journey, this episode covers exile, the collaboration between Taylor Swift and Bon Iver. Uncle Jerry teaches us about different types of exi

Aug 20
1 h 18 min

Finding Life’s Meaning in Epiphany

We are tackling one of the most underrated tracks from Taylor Swift’s folklore album, epiphany. The poem compares past war tragedies to 2020’s pandemic, and Uncle Jerry u

Aug 13
1 h 03 min

Imagined Futures in Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

We are back in our Tortured Poets Era with Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. This song was much-requested and was voted on by our Patreon subscribers. Angela and Uncle Je

Aug 6
1 h 23 min

Finding Agency in Dear John

We’re back in our Speak Now era with Dear John. Angela explains the lore behind this quintessential track 5 from Taylor Swift, and Uncle Jerry talks himself into being a

Jul 30
1 h 25 min

The Peak of Innocence in Seven

This week is the one year podcast anniversary, and Angela saved this song especially for this episode. But before we tackle seven from folklore, Angela and Uncle Jerry re

Jul 23
1 h 28 min

Superficial Celebrity Criticism in Shake It Off

We’re taking it back to 1989 with the only Taylor Swift song Uncle Jerry knew before we started this project. Angela expected this to be a quick, simple episode, but Uncl

Jul 16
1 h 37 min

The Mosaic of Love in State of Grace

Today we return to Angela’s beloved Red era with State of Grace! Uncle Jerry surprises her with his excitement about the poem, and they go through all the ideas of love T

Jul 9
1 h 09 min

The Coming of Age Narrative in You’re On Your Own, Kid

Angela finally introduces Uncle Jerry to a pivotal track 5 from Taylor Swift’s discography—You’re On Your Own, Kid. They discuss the real life events that could have insp

Jul 2
1 h 08 min

The Chronicles of Conflict in The Great War

In this episode, Uncle Jerry and Angela tackle The Great War from 2022’s Midnights. Uncle Jerry wrestles with the idea of using a horrific event as a metaphor, and he tea

Jun 25
1 h 08 min

The Parachute of Childhood in I Knew It, I Knew You

Man, it’s been a while! Today we’re covering the newly released I Knew It, I Knew You from Toy Story 5 and current #1 on the Billboard 100 chart. Uncle Jerry takes us th

Jun 18
1 h 13 min

The Light of Stardom in Clara Bow

We are taking it back to the 1920s (and then the 1970s) today with Clara Bow from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry talks all about the early film industry, Stev

Jun 4
1 h 27 min

The Nature of Fame in Mirrorball

We’re back in our folklore era with mirrorball today! Uncle Jerry had some extra time with this one and doesn’t even know where to start the discussion. We get into the u

May 28
1 h 12 min

The Inquisitive Human Nature in How Did It End?

FIXED AUDIO! Call all your friends and cousins, we’re finally covering How Did It End? from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry finds tons of beautiful poetics an

May 21
52 min

The Christian Tendrils of But Daddy I Love Him

Buckle up for a long one! We are flooring it through the fences today with But Daddy I Love Him from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. We discuss

May 14
1 h 21 min

The Sentimentalism of Marjorie

In this episode, we are tackling marjorie, a track from Taylor Swift’s evermore album from 2020. Uncle Jerry teaches us about sentimentalism in literature, and Angela blo

May 7
1 h 01 min

Dr. Uncle Jerry University: Poetry 101

We’re doing something a bit different today! Some conversations have popped up in various comment sections about why Uncle Jerry prefers specific types of poetry, and whi

Apr 30
1 h 16 min

Fate vs. Free Will in The Prophecy

We are getting witchy today as we dive deep into The Prophecy from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry teaches us about some specific re

Apr 23
1 h 21 min

Chart positions

Where The Swiftie and The Scholar ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 13, 2026).

#62 ▼ 2 Music US
#17 Music Commentary US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

A great listen if you’re interested in diving deeper into the genius of Taylor Swifts lyrics. It’s fascinating getting the scholarly perspective on the songs I love so much.

caroline.soul.wellness · Aug 2025

I really enjoyed this deep dive into one of my favorite songs. I look forward to future episodes!

Bella1041 · Jul 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.

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About The Swiftie and The Scholar on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Swiftie and The Scholar, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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