Decoding …Ready For It, Swift’s “partner in crime” Reputation opener, to uncover her deeper meaning

Summary

Podcast Summary: Decoding Taylor Swift – “Ready For It…”, Swift’s “Partner in Crime” Reputation Opener

Podcast: Decoding Taylor Swift
Hosts: Joe Romm & Toni Romm
Episode Date: May 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dissects “...Ready For It?”, the fiery opener from Taylor Swift's Reputation album. Joe and Toni Romm explore the deeper storytelling mechanics, wordplay, and meta-narratives in the song, while highlighting how Swift’s techniques can teach listeners to communicate and persuade more effectively. Through lyrical analysis, comparisons to past work, and playful banter (including Toni’s live singing), they reveal why Swift’s songwriting resonates so widely—and how her viral tools can help anyone build their tribe.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ellipsis in "...Ready For It?"

[02:09–04:28]

• Meaning of the Ellipsis: The hosts explore the unusual use of “...” in the title.
  • Joe: “She’s saying a lot happened before this song… dot, dot, dot is a replacement for a lot of stuff that already happened that she’s not going to tell you about.” [03:08]
  • The song launches the album with a sense of continuation—there’s history and drama preceding this narrative.
• Swift’s Prologue Quote:
  • Joe: “Here’s something I’ve learned about people. We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them that they have chosen to show us.” [04:23]
  • The album and the song both revolve around public perception versus private reality.

The “Partner in Crime” Motif & Reputation’s Themes

[05:00–06:08] & [22:21–24:00]

• Lyrics cast both Swift and her love interest as “outlaws”—she, the “phantom” or “robber,” he, the “ghost” or “killer.”
• Toni: Connects this song’s criminal motif to later Reputation tracks like “Getaway Car.”
  • “...This is kind of like crime and punishment metaphor.” [23:36]
  • Swift explores both literal and metaphorical ‘crimes’—heartbreak, reinvention, and fighting public narratives.
• Joe on Burton and Taylor line:
  • “She wrote a whole song about Elizabeth Taylor… We know she knows the story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, one of the most scandalous couples ever.” [26:05]

Songwriting Techniques: Snappy Metaphors, Repetition, and Ambiguity

[06:31–08:04], [10:15–11:51], [34:05–38:12]

• Short, Staccato Metaphors:
  • Toni: “She’s just making each line its own separate idea, which I think makes the song feel very snappy.” [07:31]
• Ambiguous Lines:
  • The “I see nothing better” phrase is examined for its dual meaning—genuine praise or resigned acceptance.
  • “This is a fast tempo song. Reminds me a lot of I Knew You Were Trouble, but this time there's no regret. She can be bad too.” [08:04]
• Repetition as a Signature Move:
  • Joe: “The repeated I I I… she likes to use the word ‘I’… the power of repeating words to the point where they mean something different. Let the games begin means three or more different things.” [38:12]

Dual Address: The Audience vs. The Lover

[13:53–20:28]

• Swift frequently addresses the lover, then flips to the audience (or vice versa)—sometimes within the same line.
  • Joe: “This is a challenging song because sometimes she’s talking to the audience, sometimes to the guy… This is sort of another one of those Inception songs.” [20:28]
• Toni: “She's talking to us. Yeah, right.” [17:46]

"Let the Games Begin" – Anthem as Reclamation

[30:32–38:12]

• The chorus and bridge contain the anthemic refrain: “Let the games begin.”
  • It’s interpreted on multiple levels: a relationship-game, media-on-Taylor-game, and her own self-reinvention.
  • The hosts compare this lyric to the gladiator’s cry: “Are you not entertained?”—Taylor declaring herself back in the arena.
• The Reputation Tour opened with this song, underlining its role as a mission statement.

Visual Metatext – The Music Video Matters

[35:14–37:35]

• The hosts insist the music video is key to understanding the song’s multi-layered intent.
  • It’s a “death and rebirth” of Taylor, with a cyborg/robotic motif
  • “She is announcing… this is the start of the album. This is… speaking to the audience, but she's also speaking to the world… you came after me, right now I'm a different person. I'm reborn.” [36:00–36:37]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reputation’s Purpose:
  • “There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation.” – Quoting Swift’s prologue [04:49]
• On partners in crime:
  • “Finding your partner in crime… oh my God, let’s rob banks together. This is great. And you will hear that kind of theme carried on throughout the rest of the record.” – Joe [23:37]
• On Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton:
  • “But the point is, Burton to his Taylor is again another reference to a crash and burn relationship.” – Joe [27:01]
• On fame and relationships:
  • “Once you’ve gotten into my orbit, you’re dating me… you’re forever elevated… you’re going to… And of course, as we know, she and [Joe] Alwyn broke up because he couldn’t handle… she was one of the most famous people on the planet.” – Joe [12:53–13:33]
• On ambiguity in lyrics:
  • “Each line is a new idea.” – Toni [09:25]
• On audience and message:
  • “This is a challenging song… sometimes she’s talking to the audience, sometimes to the guy… another one of those Inception songs.” – Joe [20:28]
• On repetition:
  • “The power of repeating words to the point where they mean something different, like ‘Let the games begin’… and that’s great.” – Joe [38:12]

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Engaging, Fun Moments

• Toni’s Live Singing:
  • Throughout the episode, Toni performs snatches of “...Ready For It?”—notably at [05:00], [14:25], and [29:46].
• Playful Banter:
  • Toni jokes about her singing and schoolwork (“If it sounds like I'm pushing, it's just because I'm sitting down. My singing is worse when I sit down.” [33:47])
  • The hosts riff on their own “meme” ideas:
    • "You are the color of the wall you hang around with." [19:48]
• Pop Producer Max Martin Deep Dive:
  • The hosts geek out over Max Martin’s influence, connecting Reputation to historic pop hits. [20:47–21:54]
• Meta Moments:
  • Toni parodies the "Are you ready for it?" line she’s about to analyze.
  • Self-aware about their own podcasting process and community.

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Suggested Timestamps

• The Ellipsis and Album Context: [02:09–04:28]
• First Verse Analysis/The "Killer" and "Ghost" Motif: [05:00–08:04]
• Songwriting Techniques/Ambiguous Lyrics: [06:31–09:55]
• Chorus and “Let the Games Begin”: [14:25–15:25, 30:32–38:12]
• Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton Reference: [25:58–27:01]
• Meta and Media Analysis: The Video/Anthemic Intent: [35:02–37:35]

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Swift’s narrative tools—snappy metaphors, repetition, double meanings—give her lyrics viral and persuasive force.
• The Reputation era (and “...Ready For It?” in particular) is about transformation, public perception, and claiming power over one’s story.
• Understanding Swift’s methods can empower anyone to communicate more impactfully and build a devoted following.

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Transcript

[Toni]

Hi, I'm Joe Rome and I'm his daughter Toni.

[Joe Rome]

Welcome to Decoding Taylor Swift where you'll learn the storytelling tools Swift uses that make her a modern day Shakespeare.

[Toni]

What can make you a better communicator so you can drive your mission and build your tribe.

[Joe Rome]

This podcast will not only transform how you think about Swift's songs, but also give you the life changing tools to lead, connect and change the world.

[Toni]

Yeah. Are you ready for it? I'm just kidding. That was a joke. Because today on the podcast we are doing the song that is Are you ready for it? So. And it's the first song off of the Reputation and Reputation is. I like it a lot.

[Joe Rome]

Yes, we are going to do Ready for it. It is the first song on Reputation but not the first song released.

[Toni]

Right.

[Joe Rome]

As always, we will at the end wrap up and get the full, deeper meaning of the song. This is the. The top 200 lists of trending podcasts. We are number five and somehow we have managed to get on to number six. Not six, seven.

[Toni]

And we were seven and now we're six.

[Joe Rome]

Only happens because you guys are listening and, and a lot of you are listening to the end and that's guys

[Toni]

like, oh my God. Like, comment down below if you're listening to this right now, like, look at your watch. It's right now o' clock and you're gonna be listening to it. Comment down below if you right now

[Joe Rome]

are up to it. I think a lot of this is because of my daughter, because she's singing the song.

[Toni]

I don't know about that.

[Joe Rome]

And I don't know, but we. If you are someone who is now becoming, you know, really a regular listener, please tell your friends, please give us a rating and comments. You can give us comments because we want feedback and we want feedback.

[Toni]

We're always trying to be better. It's a lot of. It is for him, you know, he's. He's very. I know that I'm doing a good job. Like he needs to be told like constantly.

[Joe Rome]

Now, a couple of things.

[Toni]

No, I'm just kidding. The title of this song is Ready for it.

[Joe Rome]

It is. Has an ellipsis.

[Toni]

And at the end of her album,

[Joe Rome]

in the middle of the album, she has another song with an ellipsis. Ends with ellipsis.

[Toni]

Yes. Right. What is it? Endgame.

[Joe Rome]

So it goes.

[Toni]

So it goes. Right, right, right, right, right.

[Joe Rome]

But here's the thing. So what does the ellipsis mean, do you think? This is. Clearly, she doesn't use punctuation a lot in her song titles. And here she has two songs where she has the same unusual punctuation mark.

[Toni]

Yes, they are for very different reasons for each song. I mean, so it goes is. It's to kind of accentuate the kind of sarcastic nature of Soko. It's like, ah, so it goes. And that's. I mean, you just say, so it goes, but with the doctor. Why do you think there's an ellipsis? So it goes.

[Joe Rome]

Why do you think this has an ellipsis?

[Toni]

Well, that's a great question, Jo. You know, I know, but I'd like to test you. I'd like to test you and make sure that you know. So for the viewers at home who won't know, like, I think you should just tell people.

[Joe Rome]

I do think I was thinking about it. Cause I was looking around what other people thought. I think that the reason why this has ellipsis is she's saying a lot happened before this song. Right. That's. The dot, dot, dot is a replacement for. Can be a replacement for a lot of stuff that already happened that she's not going to tell you about. And this album is, in fact, a year late. She was dropping an album every two years. She got the very kind of devastating Snake Gate, the whole thing with Kim and Kanye and whether she was all that stuff, which. Which we've talked about. But the point is, it really got to her and she sort of took a year off and she was kind of devastated. And this song is like the response to that. I mean, the. The. The first part of this album is the response to what happened. It is about her reputation. So that's my theory. The dot, dot, dot is a statement. Hey, you know, a lot's happened. I know a lot's happened now. And. And I will say that in the prologue to this song, she says, here's something I've learned about people. We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them that they have chosen to show us.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

And then at the end of the prologue, she says, let me say it again louder for those in the back. We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the versions of them they have chosen to show us. There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation. And with that, we introduce my daughter singing the first verse.

[Toni]

Hold on, let me pull it up and get that note.

[Joe Rome]

Get the note.

[Toni]

Yeah. Okay. It's going like the.

[Joe Rome]

Oh, it's going very. Yeah, that's a grinding noise.

[Toni Singing]

Knew he was a killer. First Time that I saw him. Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted.

[Toni]

But if he's a ghost, that.

[Toni Singing]

Then I can be a phantom holding him for ransom. Some. Some boys are trying too hard. He don't try at all, though. Younger than my exes. But he act like such a man,

[Toni]

so I see nothing better I keep

[Toni Singing]

him forever like a vendetta. Ta.

[Toni]

Anyway.

[Joe Rome]

All right, Wait, that's killer.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Okay. Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him. Wondered how many girls he had loved and left haunted. Okay, so. So this boy is a player. Maybe a fuck boy, Kind of the kind that she often goes out with.

[Toni]

There is a key difference between this man and all of her exes is that he's younger. So.

[Joe Rome]

Yes.

[Toni]

So who are they talking about? There's some dispute.

[Joe Rome]

It could either, oh, Harry Styles or Joe Alwyn.

[Toni]

Oh, interesting. Is Joe Alwyn younger than her?

[Joe Rome]

Yes.

[Toni Singing]

Huh.

[Toni]

Okay, girl, get it.

[Joe Rome]

No, no. Joe Alwyn is much younger than the much older boys. Harry Styles was quite.

[Toni]

That's crazy. Yes. I could say Leonardo DiCaprio is younger than, like, Donald Trump. So.

[Joe Rome]

But yeah, let's just marvel a little bit at the writing style since we're here for some actionable, you know, storytelling tricks. This is one that I haven't seen her use a lot where she says, but if he's a ghost, first of all, she's got the butt. We always like the butts. That's narrative tension. But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom holding him for ransom. Some. Some boys.

[Toni]

Yeah, that's starving.

[Joe Rome]

That's a transition. That is a very nice transition.

[Toni]

It is.

[Joe Rome]

I'll have to go looking to see if she does that. Other times, really nice.

[Toni]

I know that she does.

[Joe Rome]

Some boys are trying too hard. He don't try at all.

[Toni]

Well, it kind of makes the song feel faster and more in your face. When you don't get a break from the lyrics. It's like, yes. Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Now, so. So this opening lyrics, but we'll finish the second. The rest of the first verse.

[Toni]

Well, actually. What. All of her metaphors and rhyme schemes are very short. They're snappy. They're one to one. Right. Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him. And then she goes, wonder how many girls he'd loved and left haunted. Takes the haunted saying, but if I'm a ghost then. But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom holding him for ransom. Some. Some boys are trying too hard. He don't try at all. Then though, and then he says, she says, younger than my exes. But he act like such a man. So I see nothing better. She's taking every single metaphor and she's just making each line its own separate idea. Which I think makes the song feel very snappy.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. So this is a fast tempo song. I was just gonna say that this song reminds me a lot of a song she had previously written a few years ago in terms of she notices he's a bad guy right off the bat and he don't try at all. Now who does. What song does that remind you?

[Toni]

Since I knew you were trouble, obviously

[Joe Rome]

I knew you were trouble when you walked in and.

[Toni]

But this time there's no regret. She's saying that she can be bad too.

[Joe Rome]

Right. So she has flipped that song beginning into one where she's not in theory taken advantage of, but she's gonna give as good as she gets. And so I see nothing better. This is a interesting line. But he act like such a man, so I see nothing better. So it's a little. She has ambiguous lines in this song that can be interpreted more than one way. But what is she doing here with. So I see nothing better. Is that, Is that a put down of the guy or is that holding him very high up? I see nothing better than, I mean like, nobody does it better, you know, James Bond song. Nobody does. So is she saying that or is she just saying that right now? She doesn't see anything better than this guy.

[Toni]

I was literally just talking about how the lyrics just like he, she uses very quick metaphor. She doesn't do any extended metaphors. She's just, I mean, that's just what makes the song feel so fast is because each line is a new idea.

[Joe Rome]

Well, so I see nothing better. What, what is, is that a positive thing about this guy? Oh, this. I don't see anything better than this guy. He's amazing. Or I don't see anything better right now. So I'll, you know,

[Toni]

I mean, I, I always just kind of assumed that like her mind has been like, I don't know, like hypnotized by this dude. Like she can physically see nothing better.

[Joe Rome]

All right. I keep him forever. Like a vendetta.

[Toni]

Yeah. Just to add to the more dark, grungier feel of that.

[Joe Rome]

This is a dark song. And that leads right to the chorus.

[Toni]

Yeah. Let me. Should I go through even to in the middle of the night or should I go through till the. Are you ready for, uh.

[Joe Rome]

Let's just do the, the I, I, I part Okay. I mean the first part and not.

[Toni]

Yeah, I know, I'm aware.

[Joe Rome]

Sorry.

[Toni]

Give me a sec.

[Toni Singing]

I, I, I see how this is gonna go. Touch me and you'll never be alone I I Breeze and lights down low no one has to know Anyway,

[Joe Rome]

the repeated I I, I this is a signature thing she does. She. And, and we. She likes to use the word I in, in the. When we were talking about. Tolerate it. Right. She, she does. What would you. She puts the repeated I at the end. Right, but what would you do? I, I type of thing. So anyway, it's just, it's, it's, it's a nice. The repeated words, I think read appeared one after another is something she's doing a lot. Right. She did ransom some, some boys and now she does. I, I, I well, this is also

[Toni]

kind of like blank space. I mean, she's kind of talking about herself like, like it all goes the same. What is it? So it's going to be forever. It's going to go down in flames. You can tell me when it's over. If the hives with the pain got a long list of ex lovers he'll tell you I'm insane but I got a blank space, baby. I mean, she's like, I see how this is going to go. Touch me, you'll ever be alone.

[Joe Rome]

So this is. I see how this is going to go is another one line that could be read two ways. Normally when someone says, oh, I see how this is going to go, it's not going to go well. Right? Right. That's what it usually means now.

[Toni]

I mean, that's how she uses it in blank space. That's the vibe of blank space. She's using all these ironic phrases, right?

[Joe Rome]

So now this line, touch me and you'll never be alone. Now this is a very. A line that also could be read two different ways.

[Toni]

Like if you start this, then we'll be together forever. Or like, I will never leave you

[Joe Rome]

alone, you know, or. Well, right. So it could definitely mean the minute we touch, we're in love. Right. I've got you forever. Another way to read it as this is Taylor Swift singing and maybe even Joe Allen right now, right? You're now famous, right? So you'll never be. Once you've gotten into my orbit, you're dating me, right? You're now forever elevated to a level where no one's ever gonna. Right? You're gonna. And of course, as we know, she did ultimately, she and Alwyn broke up because he couldn't handle. He didn't like the fact that she was like one of the most famous people on the planet and they couldn't like, do normal things and it just. And that's, of course, one of the things that she liked about her soon to be husband is that he was very cool with fame and just, hey, cool. I'm pretty famous. Not as famous as you, but I'm, you know, I'm totally mellow about it.

[Toni]

Right?

[Joe Rome]

No one has to know. So now we're back to her secret stuff, you know, doing things secretly like she does in. Cruel Summer.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Okay, let's do the. Do the next bit.

[Toni]

Sure. Give me a sec.

[Joe Rome]

Hi.

[Toni]

Like that.

[Toni Singing]

In the middle of the night in my dreams. You should see the things we do, baby. In the middle of the night in my dreams I know I'm gonna be with you so I take my time. I know I'm gonna be with you so I take my time.

[Toni]

Are you ready for it? How about that?

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. Again. So this is a fantasy song now. So now once again, this is how much of this song is meta. You should see the things we do. Okay, so this is. This is to a boy sexual fantasy, right? You have, right? I'm thinking dirty thoughts about you.

[Toni]

What?

[Toni Singing]

What do you mean?

[Toni]

They're doing weird shit. Maybe that means that they're like, I don't know, riding elephants and grooming zebras. Like, you have no idea what they're doing. Maybe they're. Maybe they're talking to President Donald Trump. That would be a crazy thing to do. Maybe they are President Donald Trump. Maybe they've been body snatched. That'd be crazy.

[Joe Rome]

And. And, and maybe they're performing at Carnegie Hall. If it's Harry Styles.

[Toni]

Yeah. But she's like, you should see the things we do. That'd be so exciting. I'd be like, oh, man, I'd love to see us performing at Carnegie Hall. That's awesome, man. I do want to see the things we do.

[Joe Rome]

If we're performing at Carnegie hall, right? And then. I know now, but this is in the middle of the night. I know I'm going to be with you. So this. We're now seeing this song. Even though I knew he was a killer the first time I saw him, she still is not. They've not interacted much. No, right. It's. This is in her head, right? This is one of her many fantasy songs, like lover. And then we get another ambiguous phrase. So I take my time, right?

[Toni]

Like she's stalking the prey before pouncing or something like that. That's how I've always interpreted it.

[Joe Rome]

Right. The other way to.

[Toni]

She's a mastermind.

[Joe Rome]

Right. This could be a mastermind type thing. Foreshadowing the song. Mastermind. It could also be if you want to keep this weird insect. There we go. It could also be that you should see the things we do. I'm with you, so I take my time. She just likes to take it slow when she's doing it with him.

[Toni]

Huh?

[Joe Rome]

I was just saying, like, she's playing

[Toni]

like lente or what?

[Joe Rome]

Yes, exactly, exactly. She's playing the Moonlight Sonata really slowly on the piano.

[Toni]

Yeah, man.

[Joe Rome]

And are you ready for it now? Again? Now this another.

[Toni]

That's why I think it's a mastermind type thing. Like she's saying, are you ready for it? Like, are you ready to be in a relationship?

[Joe Rome]

Right. Except she's not actually talking to him. Right.

[Toni]

She's talking to us. Yeah, right.

[Joe Rome]

She's talking to you.

[Toni]

You're gonna say, right.

[Joe Rome]

So she is flipping back.

[Toni]

You think you're so smart just because you had a really clever twist on this line that actually makes a lot of sense. You think you're so smart.

[Joe Rome]

My daughter. The good thing about my daughter is that it's. If I were thinking I was so smart, of course I pass my genes down to my daughter. So that is. My daughter is so smart.

[Toni]

Somebody say that. That's crazy. I'm just joking. I really don't feel like a smart person these days.

[Joe Rome]

Why is that? My daughter. Let's take a digression. A 30 second digression. Why don't you feel so smart? You're at a good school and you're doing well and.

[Toni]

But everybody at the school is smarty chickens. Well, maybe I hang around people who get like A's on their physics midterms. I should stop doing that. I should hang around idiots. Maybe Donald Trump has a point. You should hang around idiots to make yourself feel better. I certainly feel bad about myself. I'm just kidding. C on a midterm at this school is a perfectly honorable thing to get. Getting a 60 on a midterm is honorable.

[Joe Rome]

Well, look, it's all in comparison as, you know, some teachers give very, very hard tests.

[Toni]

Well, I got a 55 on my astrophysics midterm and that was a B because Everybody else got 60.

[Joe Rome]

You described this teacher and these are hard tests. And I just. I just want to say he's great though.

[Toni]

Shout out him. He's never going to listen to this, but big fan of my astrophysics teacher.

[Joe Rome]

But here's an actionable piece of advice for my daughter and for everybody. We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. So if you want to level up, hang out with people who are killing it.

[Toni]

Why five? Why can't it be like that? I don't know.

[Joe Rome]

That's just a saying. It's just a saying, really, because we have five fingers.

[Toni]

But I can make a saying. You are the wall that you hang around with. You are the color of the wall that you hang around with.

[Joe Rome]

Well, guess what? If it catches on, then you will have created a phrase. If it.

[Toni]

Get it started, you guys. You are the color of the wall you hang out with. And as we can see, rings pretty true.

[Joe Rome]

All right, well, if you can get a meme started, what we're going to do in. In your summer break, which is going to be in a few weeks, is start doing some stuff on socials.

[Toni]

Really? Oh, yeah. We're going to start doing that so we can start posting. You are the color of the wall. You hang around.

[Joe Rome]

You can try to get that hashtag,

[Toni]

I will get that started, guys.

[Joe Rome]

But yeah, and this racial equality will

[Toni]

never be achieved so quickly. This summer we're gonna see it.

[Joe Rome]

So. So this is a challenging song also because as we just said, sometimes she's talking to the audience and then she flips and is talking to the guy, or she is imagining she's talking to the guy, but she's really still talking to the audience. I mean, it's. This is. This is sort of another one of those Inception songs.

[Toni]

It's just like Max Martin doing, like a catchy like.

[Joe Rome]

Oh, yes, forgot to mention. This is Max Martin and Shell Buck,

[Toni]

who, by the way, Max Martin is so old, he worked with freaking, like, Backstreet Boys. Like, this dude is like, crazy.

[Joe Rome]

He is also after he is up there.

[Toni]

I went on, like, a Spotify rabbit hole. Well, look, Max Martin won the great Spotify feature. If you have premium, you can, like, see where, like, these producers who they work with before and like, I originally was like, this is a stupid feature. I'm, like, obsessed. I'm like, oh, Max Martin, which songs did he write with? Ariana Grande. Fascinating. God is a Woman, you know, We Can't Be Friends. All these good songs.

[Joe Rome]

Well, Max Martin, you know, the songwriter who has the most number one songs is. Or was Paul McCartney of the Beatles. And Max Martin is, like, tied with him now or very Max Martin.

[Toni]

Can you work with me on a song? I have ideas. Like, have you ever thought about how the color of the wall around you affects you and who you are.

[Joe Rome]

All right, Max. Well, you know, question has been posed. If anyone out there knows Max Martin, would you send him a link to this episode?

[Toni]

Send him along. Send him along. I can sing.

[Toni Singing]

She didn't say I couldn't sing.

[Toni]

That was a meme that I just did, dad.

[Joe Rome]

All right, let's go to the next. The second verse.

[Toni]

Please delete that. That was cringe. Okay, let's do the second verse. Okay.

[Toni Singing]

Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry but if I'm a thief then he can join the heist and we'll move to an island and. And he can be my jailer Burton to this tailor Every love I've known in comparison is a failure I forget their names now I'm so very tame now Never be the same name now,

[Toni]

now there you go.

[Joe Rome]

All righty.

[Toni]

I got to do it.

[Joe Rome]

So she does do it again. I move to an island and. And, yeah, so she turns the end of one word into the actual word, starting the next line, right? So here we have robber stealing hearts. Thief. I. He can join, but I'm a thief, too. And we will later on the album, of course, we will have getaway car where they're Bonnie and Clyde.

[Toni]

Right?

[Joe Rome]

So. And she says in an interview, she says that this song kind of introduces a metaphor you may hear more of throughout the rest of the album, which is that, like, this is kind of like crime and punishment metaphor.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Robbers and thieves and heists and all that. I found that to be really interesting metaphor, but twisted in different ways throughout the album. The way that's presented in Ready for it is basically finding your partner in crime, and it's like, oh, my God. And we're the same. We're the same. Oh, my God. Let's rob banks together. This is great. And you will hear that kind of theme carried on throughout the rest of the record, but not exactly in the same way that you heard it in Ready For It.

[Toni]

Like, Reputation is the one that jumps to mind is the song. But, like, are delicate. My reputations have been worse.

[Joe Rome]

So now, of course, you know, we generally know that being a criminal is not, like, a great career choice. And, you know, in. She specifically is bringing up Bonnie and Clyde in getaway car, and of course, they end in a hail of bullets in the, you know, infamous movie. But it's also interesting. So they're talking. She's now talking about them like they're criminals, and that is what made me also think that this song was a little bit influenced by bad romance. Because when she said, I keep him, I. I keep him forever. Like a vendetta, Right. Her line in that song was, I. I want your love and I want your revenge. And then I want your love and your lover's revenge. So the lover's revenge is a vendetta. Right. So she is saying here, as Lady Gaga was saying in that song, she wants this guy and he's a criminal. Right. In that song also. So she's saying, I don't care that you're a criminal and I don't care that this is a bad romance. And I want the revenge part.

[Toni]

Well, yeah. Much like SZA's Kill Bill, which is also kind of about that.

[Joe Rome]

And in a lot of songs about that. Yeah, well, and, well, and the phrase, you know, partner. You know, partners in crime is commonly something. Couples often say that, you know, I'm looking for a partner in crime, that sort of thing. And of course, we can't go without. We can't skip over. He can be my jailer. Burton to this Taylor.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Because she wrote a whole song about Elizabeth Taylor. She's punning on the word Taylor here.

[Toni]

Exactly.

[Joe Rome]

But we know that she knows the story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton is a song of reputation. This was the. The Bert. The. They were making the movie.

[Toni]

She's literally a mastermind. She, like Loki. Just figured this.

[Joe Rome]

You can go back to our. Where we talk about Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor. And we got one of the person. One of the. Just one of the.

[Toni]

Seriously a great dude to talk to.

[Joe Rome]

We talked to the grand. Son of the director of. And writer for the. For Julius Caesar and excuse me, for Cleopatra. I'm sorry. For Cleopatra. And Burton was Mark Antony and Elizabeth Taylor was Cleopatra. And they had one of the most scandalous. They were both married to other people.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

And in fact, she was still married to Eddie Fisher, which was Carrie Fisher's dad. Carrie Fisher's dad. And it was. It was so scandalous. Even the Vatican, like, criticize her and.

[Toni]

Oh, my God. I know that the Vatican is not criticizing people for their weird relationships with others.

[Joe Rome]

No, they don't really do that anymore. But again, this was. This was at the time a, you know, you know, very scandalous. And she. And, you know, and they ended up getting married twice. They got married, were together for a few years. For several years, I think, and then divorced. And then a couple years later, they got married and divorced within like a year. And, you know, but the point Is Burton to his tailor is, again, another reference to a crash and burn relationship. I mean, a very, very tempestuous. And now every love I've known in comparison is a failure.

[Toni]

Right. And then she's just being. She's just facetious and stuff.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. I think it's this song is she's

[Toni]

being like, I forget their names now. I'm so very tame now.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah, right, right. We know she's not tame. Quite the opposite. She's saying that and I forget their names is, as you say, a reference to also blank space.

[Toni]

Well, she's trying to manipulate the boy. She's trying to rob his heart. She's just trying to be like, oh, my God, yes.

[Joe Rome]

You're so amazing. I forgot the names of all my previous boys. But she's also done blank space where none of the boys mean anything to her except the blank space on her list. Right.

[Toni]

Well, she has to keep a list to remember them, so.

[Joe Rome]

Yes. Never be the same. Now, now. All right, so let's go into the. The chorus, right. Then turn. People, you can do the chorus, and then it's either the bridge or a refrain.

[Toni]

Yeah, that's fine.

[Joe Rome]

I think it's a refrain, but then there's no bridge.

[Toni]

No, it doesn't have to be a bridge.

[Joe Rome]

No, there doesn't have to, but it could also be the bridge.

[Toni]

Because. Do you want me to just go to the end? Because it's all.

[Joe Rome]

Well, why don't you go? Well, go as far as you want.

[Toni]

I can do the end. Because it's all the same until, like,

[Joe Rome]

I mean, I don't know if you have. You want to sing all of it? All the rest of the.

[Toni]

Yeah. Who cares?

[Joe Rome]

All right, you do it.

[Toni]

Okay. Give me a sec.

[Toni Singing]

I I I see how this is gonna go. Touch me and you'll never be alone I Island breeze and light down low. No one has to know. In the middle of the night in my dreams. You should see the things we do, baby. In the middle of the night in my dreams. My dreams. I know I'm going to be with you.

[Toni]

Wait.

[Toni Singing]

I know I'm going to be with you. So I take my time.

[Toni]

Are you ready for it?

[Toni Singing]

Are you ready for it, baby? Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Baby, let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. I I I see how this is gonna go. Touch me and you'll never be alone I I Degrees and lights down low no one has to know. In the middle of the night in my dreams. My dreams you should see the things we do, baby. In the middle of the night in my dreams? In the middle of the night in my dreams.

[Toni]

Wait, I'll just start that over because I was on the wrong.

[Toni Singing]

In the middle of the night in my dreams. You should see the things we do, baby. In the middle of the night in my dreams. I'm not gonna be with you so I take my time. In the middle of the baby. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Baby, Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin.

[Toni]

Are you ready for it or something like that? Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. All right, so. And you know, it could be the bridge because there are short bridges, right? In fact, a song she worked on for Rihanna, this is what you came for, has a very short bridge. Also. It's got two line bridge.

[Toni]

But wait, hold on. I think I low key did the second chorus wrong. It's not supposed to be like slow.

[Joe Rome]

You want to do that part?

[Toni]

Yes. Let me do that part again. Okay. It's. I see how this is gonna go.

[Toni Singing]

Touch me and you'll never be Al smiling breeze and lights down low. No one has to know.

[Toni]

That's right.

[Joe Rome]

Okay.

[Toni Singing]

In the middle of the.

[Toni]

Wait.

[Toni Singing]

In the middle of the night in my dreams? My dreams. You should see the things we do, baby. In the middle of the night in my dream. I know I'm gonna be with you so I take my time. In the middle of the. Baby. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Are you ready for it, baby? Let the games begin. Let the games begin. Let the games begin.

[Toni]

Are you ready for it? Is that better?

[Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

That's killer. And so this is an anthem song. This is a stadium rocking song.

[Toni]

Also, the reason that it sounded like if, you know, if. Sorry, just say. For any singer out there. Just psa. For any singer out there. If it sounds like I'm pushing, it's just because I'm sitting down. You know, my singing is worse when I sit down.

[Joe Rome]

So anyway, well, if you want. If you wanna. We'll have to figure out how to let you stand up.

[Toni]

That's okay.

[Joe Rome]

I thought that rocked. I thought that rocked. I mean, look. Yeah, this is a stadium rocker. Like. The one about the heist, the. Them winning the thing in high school. So this is. This song is. Is, you know, let the games begin. This is. This is a song. I think when she did the Reputation tour, she began with. She apparently thought that this was actually a better single than look what yout Made Me do. Even Though she released that first. And so one of these games that she has repeated multiple times, let the games be, let the games begin.

[Toni]

Probably multiple things. One of them is her relationship with this guy. One of them is the chaos and press that will ensue when she releases the album. And I don't know. One of them is just media in general.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah, I mean, I think you. You can read this. Well, let's. Should have brought this up earlier. You can't. You have to consider the video.

[Toni]

The music video. I knew you were going to take it there because that's practice. That's what people think is. That's basically about the media and stuff.

[Joe Rome]

The music video every. If you want to understand the song, this is one of those. You have to watch it because there's no boy in that song. Right. There's just a seemingly flesh and blood tailor and a cyborg or robot tailor, although we later learn that isn't the case. But this is the flesh and blood of the key line that we will get to when we hit the. Look what you made me do, which is, you know, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now. Why? Because she's dead. So this is a re. A death and rebirth music video in which this. This new, more fierce Taylor, who is a, you know, a robot, kind of takes over from the flesh and blood. And so she is announcing to. You could say, yes, let the games begin. Could be, yes, I know you're a player. Guess what? I'm a player. And we're gonna play games together, even if they're criminal games. Another way, as you say, is she is announcing. Well, it's the start of the album. So, you know, let the games begin. This is, you know, speaking to the audience, but she's also speaking to the world. Like you got, you know, you. You came after me, right now I'm a different person. I'm reborn. And you know, you know, we. We jumped the gladiator. Are you not. Are you not entertained? Right? This is what's going to come is. Is the new Taylor, who doesn't, you know, just sing, you know, love pop songs and. And about that and. And about bad boyfriends who take advantage of her. But now she's stepping up to it. And you had said this in.

[Toni]

Agreed.

[Joe Rome]

The first. My daughter has become shy, but I've become tired. Oh, tired. Well, you may remember in the very first episode we did when I said I wasn't that thrilled with look what you made me do, you described how much you liked the fact that she was showing that, that, you know, yes,

[Toni]

women can manipulate and abuse people too. And that in its own special way is beautiful.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. And this was a game changing album for her. Like, you know, she, she hadn't, she

[Toni]

skipped the year, the og like big freaking rebrand, you know.

[Joe Rome]

Yeah. And she would, she ultimately would write a number of songs in this vein. And you know, it's, it's, it's a great song. I mean, I don't, you know, I, I, I think that it's wildly entertaining song is what I would say. And clearly, again, this is, as always, the lyrics, you know, have a lot of double meanings, many ironic lines and a lot of the repeated words. I think, you know, this, this song is, is really a showcasing of the power of repeating words to the point where they mean something different like let the games begin. It means three or more different things. And that's great. We are next week is another great song. Delicate like that song. So again, we really are thrilled.

[Toni]

Yeah, we seriously are.

[Joe Rome]

That you're very grateful that you're listening. And you know, for those who haven't tuned in before, maybe we should do this at the beginning of the thing next time we, we are going through all the songs in the original era's set list. Right. So that's what we're doing in the first season. You can go back to the first season where we kind of really discuss a lot of her techniques in detail.

[Toni]

Yeah.

[Joe Rome]

And then we did, then she released the Life of a Showgirl and we went through those and then we decided, oh, why don't we go through all the eras tour songs. And that's what we did. And once again, we thank you and we will see you next week.

[Toni]

See you next week. Bye. Bye. Bye.

[Advertisement Voice]

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[Toni]

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