Blank Plate: A Podcast for Swifties with an Appetite

Taylor Swift took us to Cleveland and we like what we like! Today we’re covering what must be one of Taylor’s most divisive songs to date, but what we can say … we think it’s a bop! We have a good dash of sass for the haters in this episode because even though “Cleveland!” is not necessarily our favorite song in her discography, we still have a lot of love for it. The comparisons to “Me!” are important, Travis taking her to Cleveland is more significant than it initially sounds, and overall she’s just being fun and silly with this one. In personal updates, Laura is experiencing a crazy chapter of life at the moment so we get into that, and Sara shares about being interviewed for the Swiftie Over 50 podcast.
Chapters
(0:00) intro
(2:36) what’s on our plates
(13:26) Taylor updates
(19:05) introducing the song
(21:26) personal associations
(24:24) folk’lore’ of the song
(36:01) verse 1: classic criticisms of Taylor
(44:32) pre-chorus 1: not the best dancer
(45:49) chorus 1: he took her to Cleveland
(51:04) verse 2: so it’s gonna be forever …
(55:13) pre-chorus 2: “but your lovers stay my age”
(58:20) post-chorus 2: Me! vs. Cleveland!
(1:00:30) bridge: she’s being silly
(1:04:53) chorus 3: she’s wearing white
(1:05:52) music theory analysis
(1:11:28) favorite lyrics and ratings
(1:13:37) this song as a recipe
(1:15:59) signing off
SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Show us some love and get monthly bonus episodes and first dibs on upcoming episode ideas. We’d be enchanted to have you join our Swiftie community!
Links Referenced
Sara’s episode on Swiftie Over 50 (YouTube)
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Hold Hands Following Dinner Date Night in N.Y.C.
TikTok acoustic cover #1
TikTok acoustic cover #2
Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
email blankplatepod@gmail.com
leave a voicemail at (717) 382-831
Patreon (get bonus episodes and first dibs on episode ideas)
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok
• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza

We’ve had to put the rest of TTPD on hold yet again because of Showgirl … so today we’re diving into the first track of the Encore: Patient Zero. We discuss all the little ways Taylor has callbacks to previous songs and relationships (since she has quite a bit of experience with narcissists), Laura explains her personal connection to this song, and we break down the music video. At the beginning of the episode we also get into some of the negative discourse surrounding these new tracks.
Chapters
(0:00) intro
(0:58) what’s on our plates
(6:55) thoughts on the Encore criticism
(11:48) Taylor updates
(15:22) introducing the song
(18:51) personal associations
(22:37) folk’lore’ of the song
(25:58) chorus 1: devils and poison
(30:01) verse 1: give me a call
(32:16) pre-chorus and chorus 2: it’s so wholesome
(34:23) verse 2: love bombing
(38:42) pre-chorus 2: the fallout of love bombing
(40:27) chorus 3: she was patient
(41:40) bridge: just two gals yappin’
(53:51) outro: reeling, healing, curses, prayers, fevers, dreaming and pathetic ghosts
(1:04:20) music theory analysis
(1:07:07) music video analysis
(1:27:42) favorite lyrics and ratings
(1:30:11) this song as a recipe
(1:32:17) signing off
SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Show us some love and get monthly bonus episodes and first dibs on upcoming episode ideas. We’d be enchanted to have you join our Swiftie community!
Links Referenced
Hannah’s tweet about the outro lyrics
Brigid Kaelin’s TikTok about the music theory of Patient Zero
The Kitchn ranks 6 icebox cake recipes
Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
email blankplatepod@gmail.com
leave a voicemail at (717) 382-831
Patreon (get bonus episodes and first dibs on episode ideas)
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok
• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza

Join us as we live react to the four brand new tracks for The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. If you want the full experience and to see our facial expressions, you’ll want to check out this episode on YouTube. But since it is roughly 75% discussion, we decided to also release it on our podcast feed as an audio-only reaction. Time will tell where these tracks land for us in the greater landscape of the Taylor Swift discography, but we certainly had a blast listening to them for the first time. Enjoy!
Chapters
(0:00) intro
(1:37) Patient Zero (theories)
(4:42) Patient Zero (listening)
(8:15) Patient Zero (discussion)
(14:41) Cleveland! (theories)
(15:58) Cleveland! (listening)
(18:58) Cleveland! (discussion)
(25:06) Pink Clouding (theories)
(27:20) Pink Clouding (listening)
(30:28) Pink Clouding (discussion)
(35:44) speculation about more tracks
(39:54) Babylon (theories)
(42:02) Babylon (listening)
(45:43) Babylon (discussion)
(54:22) sister songs
(55:39) personal rankings and final thoughts
SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Show us some love and get monthly bonus episodes and first dibs on upcoming episode ideas. We’d be enchanted to have you join our Swiftie community!
Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
email blankplatepod@gmail.com
leave a voicemail at (717) 382-831
Patreon (get bonus episodes and first dibs on episode ideas)
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok
• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza

**Correction about the SNL theory: there IS a musical guest already scheduled for Dakota Johnson’s appearance on SNL on Oct 3, so …. take that theory we mentioned with a huge grain of salt.
Today we’re covering My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, one of the only true bangers from TTPD. Did Taylor have Toy Story on the brain while she was writing this one? Maybe … In personal updates we recap our annual Feast of St. Pizza and discuss some new music we’ve been listening to, and then in Taylor Updates we chat about her Emmys sketch and all of the Easter eggs she left for us. Then at the end we get a bonus recommendation from Sara for boxed mac and cheese. Enjoy!
Note for those viewing on YouTube: Sara’s video cuts out a few times due to technical difficulties, but there is no effect on the audio.
Chapters
(0:00) intro
(0:44) what’s on our plates
(15:19) Taylor updates
(26:46) introducing the song
(29:01) personal associations
(30:43) folk’lore’ of the song
(35:36) verse 1: rain + rivulets
(44:46) chorus 1: queen of sand castles
(51:36) verse 2: pull my string
(55:55) chorus 2: smashing up forever
(58:30) bridge and outro: once I fix me, he’s gonna miss me
(1:07:11) music theory analysis
(1:08:53) favorite lyrics and ratings
(1:10:27) this song as a recipe
(1:14:24) signing off
SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Show us some love and get monthly bonus episodes and first dibs on upcoming episode ideas. We’d be enchanted to have you join our Swiftie community!
Links Referenced
Sara Bareilles performs “Forever” Live at SiriusXM
Emmys Producers Dish On Taylor Swift ‘SVU’ Sketch
Taylor Swift's First Draft of 'My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys' Has a Heartbreaking Lyric Left Out of Final Version
Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
email blankplatepod@gmail.com
leave a voicemail at (717) 382-831
Patreon (get bonus episodes and first dibs on episode ideas)
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok
• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza

We’re back in TTPD Land! While this is admittedly not one of our favorite tracks from the album, we still had a great time breaking down the fever dream that is this song, as well as the world Taylor has created for it. During the “Taylor Updates” section we get into the recent Grammys Museum interview and performance she did, and in our “What’s On Our Plates” section we go on a tangent about hormones and walkability. We hope you enjoy!
Chapters
(0:00) intro
(1:34) what’s on our plates
(17:55) Taylor updates
(29:54) introducing the song
(33:09) personal associations
(38:37) folk’lore’ of the song
(44:46) verse 1: they forgot to come and get me and what is “quite treason?”
(52:40) chorus 1: turned into good neighbors
(59:26) verse 2: the miracle move-on drug
(1:05:48) chorus 2: “come and tug my sweater”
(1:11:57) bridge + outro: take me to Flo-ri-da
(1:19:43) musical theory analysis
(1:21:52) favorite lyrics and ratings
(1:24:07) this song as a recipe
(1:26:15) signing off
SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Show us some love and get monthly bonus episodes and first dibs on upcoming episode ideas. We’d be enchanted to have you join our Swiftie community!
Links Referenced
Sylvia Plath Connections to “Fortnight”
Please make sure to subscribe and leave a review. If you’d like to reach out to send in a question or comment, please do so via any of these platforms:
email blankplatepod@gmail.com
leave a voicemail at (717) 382-831
Patreon (get bonus episodes and first dibs on episode ideas)
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
You can also follow Sara and Laura individually:
• Laura: Instagram and Tiktok
• Sara: Instagram
Listen to our previous podcast: Passports & Pizza