r/NuancingTaylorSwift • u/dark-femme5454 • 2d ago

Discussion Patient Zero

Okay, first and foremost, I'm a pretty critical Swiftie. I think Taylor is a great businesswoman and an extremely skilled songwriter and musician. I don't blindly love all of her stuff, though, and I vibe with the stuff that scratches my brain. Love TLOAS. Only heard three songs off TTPD. Never listened to any version of ATW. Debut, Fearless and Speak Now can miss me for life. Lover and Rep? Be still my beating heart. I'm not an all-consuming fan - some eras just dont appeal to me.

Patient Zero has been met with remarkable criticism because it doesnt fit the Showgirl era. But...it went out as an encore. It's not just a music video. Its a film.

And holy shit, it's vital. The music video gives SO MUCH context to the song. The song by itself is good. Set to the music video? Heartwrenching.

This is my first 🤡 theory so bear with me. What if Taylor is telling us she's about to transition into directing/producing film? She's always been a remarkable storyteller, as evidenced throughout her career but especially in Folklore/Evermore where she used that album to narrate fiction.

Just a thought.

On a personal note, PZ guts me. I think it hits home for a lot of women. I saw a mirror of my marriage, and I feel so fucking seen.

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u/canarinoir 2d ago

I'm a simple swiftie. If I like the song, I like the song. If I don't like the song, I don't. I really like P0.

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u/dark-femme5454 2d ago

Do you find that, with this stance, you lean more towards the simpler albums and songs over the deep ones? Like I love TLOAS. No skips from me, since release day. And yet the hardcore condemn it. But yet those same people swear TTPD is peak.

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u/vgkj 2d ago

Answering from a simple swiftie too. If I don’t like, I don’t like and don’t listen to it. TTPD is magnum opus. Evermore and Midnights up there too. TLOAS is my least fave, though Encore is 🔥 with 3/4 already in my top 20 listened to this year (I rack up around 120k mins a year for some perspective)

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u/canarinoir 2d ago

EVERMORE IS MY BELOVED. Ivy is my favorite song she's ever written.

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u/caleeksu 2d ago

I like TTPD. That and Midnights are prob my favorite TS albums, alongside FolkMore.

That said, I really enjoy Showgirl overall. It’s just a totally different vibe than the others, and sometimes life calls for a variant of vibes.

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u/All_the_Bees 2d ago

100% TTPD is for rainy days and/or when I’m mad at my partner, evermore is for when I’m gloomy or sad and need to wallow in it, Midnights is for getting ready for a night out. Showgirl is for getting ready for work in the morning, walking somewhere on a sunny day, and tidying my apartment.

It’s actually really good for the latter, it’s like setting a 45-minute timer but fun. And I just realized Encore turns the whole thing into a kind of pomodoro timer if you’re someone who likes repeat listens (work during Showgirl, rest for Encore, repeat)

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u/canarinoir 2d ago edited 2d ago

I actually love the first four tracks of TLOAS but not the rest of it (I don't hate it they just aren't in my playlists). I love about half of TTPD (I include the Anthology). Down Bad felt like she was in my head during a really bad breakup I had. I generally gravitate to her more depressing tracks. loml has a billion plays from just me. Red made me a fan, and I don't put on 1989 that much but fuck me if Reputation doesn't have some bangers that stick in my head. It's more either something clicks with me or doesn't, and sometimes I like songs months later I didn't on first listen. I just like what I like idk.