What do you think?
Rate this book
Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift
Grab your highlighters and favorite red pen and prepare to join professor of “Swifterature” Dr. Elly McCausland as she dives deep into the tortured poetry of Taylor Swift. Going line by line and word by word through 46 of Swift's most celebrated and hotly debated songs from across her 11-album career, McCausland is here to help you listen, read, and understand Taylor's music in an all-new way!
Stars Around My Scars is a fan-focused opportunity to revel in the poetic songwriting glow of Taylor Swift, a once-in-a-generation luminary.
Each entry presents a song with literary significance, offering a close reading of the lyrics with accompanied marginalia that points out poetic technique, literary references, and creative throughlines. Accompanied by an in-depth analysis of the deeper meaning, craftsmanship, and literary connections present both above and beneath the surface, Dr. McCausland puts listening to Taylor Swift and appreciating poetry hand-in-hand.
Written in an approachable style for Swifties of any era, Stars Around My Scars indulges the act of examining Swift’s lyrics for their literary “easter eggs” and connections and legitimizes Swift as this generation’s great poet and writer.
Stars Around My Scars is a fan-focused opportunity to revel in the poetic songwriting glow of Taylor Swift, a once-in-a-generation luminary.
Each entry presents a song with literary significance, offering a close reading of the lyrics with accompanied marginalia that points out poetic technique, literary references, and creative throughlines. Accompanied by an in-depth analysis of the deeper meaning, craftsmanship, and literary connections present both above and beneath the surface, Dr. McCausland puts listening to Taylor Swift and appreciating poetry hand-in-hand.
Written in an approachable style for Swifties of any era, Stars Around My Scars indulges the act of examining Swift’s lyrics for their literary “easter eggs” and connections and legitimizes Swift as this generation’s great poet and writer.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2025
153 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
January 12, 2025
I approached Stars Around My Scars with an open mind, first because I appreciate and enjoy Swift's songwriting and second because I found this project to be truly fascinating. In the end, I have to say that this is a venture that left me slightly disappointed, for it had the potential to be so much more than it ended up being.
For starters, I believe that the decision not to liken the book's layout to a more canonically academic formatting/editing was a missed opportunity, because not only did the scribbled text seem chaotic, but it looked (to me) to be less accessible due to the font, color and spacing issues. Furthermore, the author's oppositive stance on high/popular culture (more on this later, but to sum a complex conversation up, it seems to me that McCausland rejects the notion that Swift's writing could possibly be prerogative of popular culture) I would've expected a more academic approach (given the plenty elements that nod towards that route, such as McCausland unironically dubbing herself a "Professor in Swifterature" and this book itself using terms such as "annotated poetry", like academic texts do). Instead, what meets the reader is an interesting hybrid, not quite academic (despite the plethora of borrowed, technical terminology), not quite educational (McCausland does not purport to teach its readers about literary analysis, nor does she intend to), but also not quite fully "for fun". The text takes itself quite seriously, but the work does not—a much richer body of text would've been created, had that been the case.
Indeed, I found that this book does not quite know what it aspires to be. Sure, it is an annotated "poetry" manual, with its literary analysis alright, but I felt like the poetical work was only an assistant to its deeper purpose: demonstrating that Swift is a capable enough writer to be deemed a poet and not just a *gasp* songwriter. Undoubtedly, a lot of meticulous effort went into the analysis of Swift's works, but most often the flexing of literary devices (though showcasing an impressive knowledge on the author's part), the purported intertextuality (though really stimulating) didn't really go anywhere, consistently mentioned but rarely explored; i found it a, frankly, mechanical attitude to poetry: merely being told x lyric is a polyptoton without telling me what it is trying to say or why that polyptoton is important to note and why it being there enriches the text and its meaning, what it reflects etc. doesn't really infer anything of note on the reading of the text other than "wow, she used a polyptoton, very impressive".
As I mentioned before, the author, in her introduction (that uses zero citations, so we have to take her word and her word only as gospel) discusses the divide between high culture and popular culture*, with a very clear penchant and bias for the former (from the introduction: "the idea that it would be radical to consider Swift a poet needs some unpacking, not least because of what it tells us about an apparent mismatch of the public imagination between "high" culture and "popular" culture"). Given this, it makes sense how and why this book feels less like an attempt to properly discuss Swift's penmanship and rather a valiant attempt at proving that her songwriting is as strong as a poem, despite being a *gasp* song. Disregarding the fact that, thought Swift has clearly a knack for poetical writing, she’s made songs (that, despite sharing similarities with poems and literature, ultimately work in different ways) her preferred medium of expression.
Ultimately, the idea is bold, ambitious and commendable, but it unfortunately had a strained execution. In the end I was left disappointed, absolutely not because """this is an analysis of a work of "popular culture" and it therefore has no business being analyzed this way""" (it wouldn't be the first instance of this happening, after all, Easthope literally tells us that: "Both literary and popular cultural texts operate through a system of signs, meanings arising from the organisation of the signifier, so both can be analysed in common terms."), but because, in the end, in her quest to demonstrate and elevate the poetic character of Swift's writing (to the point that she mentioned ad nauseam the literary term "pathetic fallacy" even though it only truly applied a couple of times, this, too, felt like an effort to akin Swift to the great poets she herself loves so much, the Romantics, who are famous for loving this type of literary expression), Mccausland divided the apparent "high culture" element (the lyrics) from the "popular culture" element (the music), completely disregarding the latter one. By acting as if the song lyrics were never song lyrics, but poems, the text is denaturalized just enough to render any attempt at analysis incomplete. It would be like analyzing a manga's story, but ignoring its visual components. It's in the commingling of music and lyrics that the text is created and its real meaning can be inferred. Indeed, some annotations felt redundant, tautological and that's because the author was attempting to extract from them the meaning that could've easily been exposed by keeping the musical scope of the song in mind as well. Swift does not write merely poetry and, though we can of course use literary analysis to parse her texts, I think that her work still has to be handled in a way befitting to its genre. Otherwise, McCausland should've fully embraced the genre distortion by setting up the appropriate academic scaffolding/framework, with citations and footnotes and proper intertextual work.
Despite this, it would be remiss of me to ignore some of the best and most successful analysis of this book: of course, Swift's most lyrical poetry albums were more suitable to this exercise than others and, so, I thoroughly enjoyed McCausland flexing of her literary analysis muscles on folklore and evermore. But, more than anything, the author did an amazing work on Innocent and Nothing New. Even though I think her work truly culminated with her analysis of Seven. All in all, I think that what McCausland did was very impressive, the sheer amount of songs analyzed is remarkable and the attempt at creating a Swiftian canon in such an eloquent way is awe-inspiring, it's always nice to see art being treated as such and not as a product to be consumed.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!!
*By striving to prove that a work of popular culture is not, in fact popular culture, but worthy of high culture standards one is ultimately playing into the hands of the dominant classes and ideology. This is why, for example, CCCS aim to look to high culture as a subset of popular culture, refusing to consider them as binary opposites (wherein one is good and intelligent and worthy of analysis and the other is adulterated and meaningless). Indeed, CCCS have been analyzing popular culture for close to fifty years now–see for example Easthope's comparison of Heart of Darkness (dubbed high culture) and Tarzan (dubbed popular culture) and maintaining that "high and popular culture can be studied alongside each other as forms of signifying practice. In defining as neutrally as it could the specific features of high and popular cultural discourse as represented in two
typical texts we aimed to rework the usual binary structure which includes one by excluding the other. If both the Conrad novel and Tarzan of the Apes develop equally on the common ground of textuality there is no valid reason to study one and not the other." Indeed, what separates the two is not a moral or intellectual high ground, rather, "a different mode of discourse, a different
textuality". Similarly, the analysis of Swift's song lyrics is perfectly located in this framework, except that, I feel, the analysis McCausland crafted came, oftentimes, more from a feeling of chagrin and defensiveness rather than a joyous wish to analyze a wonderfully complex and rich work of art.
For starters, I believe that the decision not to liken the book's layout to a more canonically academic formatting/editing was a missed opportunity, because not only did the scribbled text seem chaotic, but it looked (to me) to be less accessible due to the font, color and spacing issues. Furthermore, the author's oppositive stance on high/popular culture (more on this later, but to sum a complex conversation up, it seems to me that McCausland rejects the notion that Swift's writing could possibly be prerogative of popular culture) I would've expected a more academic approach (given the plenty elements that nod towards that route, such as McCausland unironically dubbing herself a "Professor in Swifterature" and this book itself using terms such as "annotated poetry", like academic texts do). Instead, what meets the reader is an interesting hybrid, not quite academic (despite the plethora of borrowed, technical terminology), not quite educational (McCausland does not purport to teach its readers about literary analysis, nor does she intend to), but also not quite fully "for fun". The text takes itself quite seriously, but the work does not—a much richer body of text would've been created, had that been the case.
Indeed, I found that this book does not quite know what it aspires to be. Sure, it is an annotated "poetry" manual, with its literary analysis alright, but I felt like the poetical work was only an assistant to its deeper purpose: demonstrating that Swift is a capable enough writer to be deemed a poet and not just a *gasp* songwriter. Undoubtedly, a lot of meticulous effort went into the analysis of Swift's works, but most often the flexing of literary devices (though showcasing an impressive knowledge on the author's part), the purported intertextuality (though really stimulating) didn't really go anywhere, consistently mentioned but rarely explored; i found it a, frankly, mechanical attitude to poetry: merely being told x lyric is a polyptoton without telling me what it is trying to say or why that polyptoton is important to note and why it being there enriches the text and its meaning, what it reflects etc. doesn't really infer anything of note on the reading of the text other than "wow, she used a polyptoton, very impressive".
As I mentioned before, the author, in her introduction (that uses zero citations, so we have to take her word and her word only as gospel) discusses the divide between high culture and popular culture*, with a very clear penchant and bias for the former (from the introduction: "the idea that it would be radical to consider Swift a poet needs some unpacking, not least because of what it tells us about an apparent mismatch of the public imagination between "high" culture and "popular" culture"). Given this, it makes sense how and why this book feels less like an attempt to properly discuss Swift's penmanship and rather a valiant attempt at proving that her songwriting is as strong as a poem, despite being a *gasp* song. Disregarding the fact that, thought Swift has clearly a knack for poetical writing, she’s made songs (that, despite sharing similarities with poems and literature, ultimately work in different ways) her preferred medium of expression.
Ultimately, the idea is bold, ambitious and commendable, but it unfortunately had a strained execution. In the end I was left disappointed, absolutely not because """this is an analysis of a work of "popular culture" and it therefore has no business being analyzed this way""" (it wouldn't be the first instance of this happening, after all, Easthope literally tells us that: "Both literary and popular cultural texts operate through a system of signs, meanings arising from the organisation of the signifier, so both can be analysed in common terms."), but because, in the end, in her quest to demonstrate and elevate the poetic character of Swift's writing (to the point that she mentioned ad nauseam the literary term "pathetic fallacy" even though it only truly applied a couple of times, this, too, felt like an effort to akin Swift to the great poets she herself loves so much, the Romantics, who are famous for loving this type of literary expression), Mccausland divided the apparent "high culture" element (the lyrics) from the "popular culture" element (the music), completely disregarding the latter one. By acting as if the song lyrics were never song lyrics, but poems, the text is denaturalized just enough to render any attempt at analysis incomplete. It would be like analyzing a manga's story, but ignoring its visual components. It's in the commingling of music and lyrics that the text is created and its real meaning can be inferred. Indeed, some annotations felt redundant, tautological and that's because the author was attempting to extract from them the meaning that could've easily been exposed by keeping the musical scope of the song in mind as well. Swift does not write merely poetry and, though we can of course use literary analysis to parse her texts, I think that her work still has to be handled in a way befitting to its genre. Otherwise, McCausland should've fully embraced the genre distortion by setting up the appropriate academic scaffolding/framework, with citations and footnotes and proper intertextual work.
Despite this, it would be remiss of me to ignore some of the best and most successful analysis of this book: of course, Swift's most lyrical poetry albums were more suitable to this exercise than others and, so, I thoroughly enjoyed McCausland flexing of her literary analysis muscles on folklore and evermore. But, more than anything, the author did an amazing work on Innocent and Nothing New. Even though I think her work truly culminated with her analysis of Seven. All in all, I think that what McCausland did was very impressive, the sheer amount of songs analyzed is remarkable and the attempt at creating a Swiftian canon in such an eloquent way is awe-inspiring, it's always nice to see art being treated as such and not as a product to be consumed.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!!
*By striving to prove that a work of popular culture is not, in fact popular culture, but worthy of high culture standards one is ultimately playing into the hands of the dominant classes and ideology. This is why, for example, CCCS aim to look to high culture as a subset of popular culture, refusing to consider them as binary opposites (wherein one is good and intelligent and worthy of analysis and the other is adulterated and meaningless). Indeed, CCCS have been analyzing popular culture for close to fifty years now–see for example Easthope's comparison of Heart of Darkness (dubbed high culture) and Tarzan (dubbed popular culture) and maintaining that "high and popular culture can be studied alongside each other as forms of signifying practice. In defining as neutrally as it could the specific features of high and popular cultural discourse as represented in two
typical texts we aimed to rework the usual binary structure which includes one by excluding the other. If both the Conrad novel and Tarzan of the Apes develop equally on the common ground of textuality there is no valid reason to study one and not the other." Indeed, what separates the two is not a moral or intellectual high ground, rather, "a different mode of discourse, a different
textuality". Similarly, the analysis of Swift's song lyrics is perfectly located in this framework, except that, I feel, the analysis McCausland crafted came, oftentimes, more from a feeling of chagrin and defensiveness rather than a joyous wish to analyze a wonderfully complex and rich work of art.
December 30, 2024
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
if you know me, you know i love dissecting lyrics and explaining that a song that sounds happy is actually really depressing. AND you might know that i attend taylor swift-themed spin classes and that she was my #1 artist for 2023 and 2024. all that being said i really enjoyed this book! i did not pay attention in english class so i didn't understand many of the poetry terms but i still found the book accessible (it might be a bit basic to those who know more). i loved when the author called things "swiftian"- like the idea that love is a game, or how love colors one's world. she also connected so many songs together, even if they weren't in the same album. i don't think it's necessary to read all the chapters, but this is a great book to pick up and read from time to time. it made me see quite a few songs in a different light but i am sorry i will not be listening to chloe or sam or sophia or marcus
my favorite chapters: you are in love, ... ready for it?, miss americana & the heartbreak prince, seven, ivy
songs i wish she included: cruel summer, cardigan or the one, right where you left me
if you know me, you know i love dissecting lyrics and explaining that a song that sounds happy is actually really depressing. AND you might know that i attend taylor swift-themed spin classes and that she was my #1 artist for 2023 and 2024. all that being said i really enjoyed this book! i did not pay attention in english class so i didn't understand many of the poetry terms but i still found the book accessible (it might be a bit basic to those who know more). i loved when the author called things "swiftian"- like the idea that love is a game, or how love colors one's world. she also connected so many songs together, even if they weren't in the same album. i don't think it's necessary to read all the chapters, but this is a great book to pick up and read from time to time. it made me see quite a few songs in a different light but i am sorry i will not be listening to chloe or sam or sophia or marcus
my favorite chapters: you are in love, ... ready for it?, miss americana & the heartbreak prince, seven, ivy
songs i wish she included: cruel summer, cardigan or the one, right where you left me
May 14, 2025
This book was a really fun way to go about making learning enjoyable. I often find myself passively listening to music. This book reminded me that there can be plenty of depth to things that have become less active in our lives.
The annotation style made it easy to follow the authors train of thought. Comments were kept concise to create a keen understanding of what themes/writing techniques each song utilized.
I very much appreciate the text that appeared after a breakdown of what the author found in the composition.
A quick, fun read. Especially for Taylor Swift fans. Bonus : fun for English majors.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc!
The annotation style made it easy to follow the authors train of thought. Comments were kept concise to create a keen understanding of what themes/writing techniques each song utilized.
I very much appreciate the text that appeared after a breakdown of what the author found in the composition.
A quick, fun read. Especially for Taylor Swift fans. Bonus : fun for English majors.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc!
March 25, 2025
A book I didn't know I needed but desperately loved! Literally my *only* complaint is that it wasn't longer. Ha. I want Taylor's entire discography annotated, pls.
But seriously what an amazing collection of annotations from knowledgeable
professor of "Swifterature" Dr. Elly McCausland. We're blessed with a deep dive into Taylor's songwriting from a poetry lens, and I love the insights we gain into the truly gifted craft of Taylor Swift. Line by line, image by image, we're taught new elements of literature Taylor uses that allow us to see her songs and her work in new and magical ways. It made me appreciate poetry more, and I became even MORE in awe of Taylor's songwriting gift.
I loved this collection of deep dives and the chance to revel in Taylor's one-of-a-kind craft. As a literature and writing nerd, I loved learning how word choice, syntax, imagery, and poetic technique come together to create these songs and stories we love so much. Taylor's work, more than almost any other singer/songwriter I know, deserves and warrants this close reading and in-depth analysis. I absolutely loved this.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. STARS AROUND MY SCARS is out now! Seriously, Swifties need this.
But seriously what an amazing collection of annotations from knowledgeable
professor of "Swifterature" Dr. Elly McCausland. We're blessed with a deep dive into Taylor's songwriting from a poetry lens, and I love the insights we gain into the truly gifted craft of Taylor Swift. Line by line, image by image, we're taught new elements of literature Taylor uses that allow us to see her songs and her work in new and magical ways. It made me appreciate poetry more, and I became even MORE in awe of Taylor's songwriting gift.
I loved this collection of deep dives and the chance to revel in Taylor's one-of-a-kind craft. As a literature and writing nerd, I loved learning how word choice, syntax, imagery, and poetic technique come together to create these songs and stories we love so much. Taylor's work, more than almost any other singer/songwriter I know, deserves and warrants this close reading and in-depth analysis. I absolutely loved this.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. STARS AROUND MY SCARS is out now! Seriously, Swifties need this.
January 2, 2025
2.5 ✰ stars
This was my first time reading a book about lyric analysis and it wasn’t totally what I was expecting. I don’t really have any strong feelings about this book (dislike or love).
I went into this expecting a lot more than what was on the pages. I was pretty bored throughout the majority of the novel. I felt like there just could’ve more to it. Like analysis of the albums/eras as a whole. Plus I would’ve loved to see some certain songs that just weren’t included in here.
It’s a very easy read and some of it is pretty interesting but other than that it kind of just fell flat to me.
Thank you to netgalley, for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
This was my first time reading a book about lyric analysis and it wasn’t totally what I was expecting. I don’t really have any strong feelings about this book (dislike or love).
I went into this expecting a lot more than what was on the pages. I was pretty bored throughout the majority of the novel. I felt like there just could’ve more to it. Like analysis of the albums/eras as a whole. Plus I would’ve loved to see some certain songs that just weren’t included in here.
It’s a very easy read and some of it is pretty interesting but other than that it kind of just fell flat to me.
Thank you to netgalley, for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
January 18, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and wish I could travel to Belgium and take Dr. McCausland’s course! I enjoy literary/poetry analysis so I did know what to expect, and honestly, have often thought about printing out all her lyrics and doing this myself sometime, so I was tickled to see this be a book.
There were a few little connections that I maybe would have drawn that she didn’t, and, as others have noted, while I do enjoy this type of analysis, I don’t actually know all the terminology, so it would have been nice not just to have the glossary but to have had an explanation of what each instance of the literary device adds to the work.
For me, I was sort of singing the song to myself as I was reading, but as others have pointed out, there is really something missing from the experience when the actual music is not incorporated. I think for me the ideal experience would be to listen to the song while reading the lyrics at the same time, since I do really love to read, and being able to physically see them does help me to see some of the attributes better, but… of course if I have to pick between the two, I will pick just listening to Taylor every time, as that is the medium she really chooses to express herself in. However, not that it ever really was in doubt, of course she is a poet. She is a beautiful writer, who has authored extremely gorgeous lyrics for years. It was a treat to get to read them and enjoy some analysis from a pro.
There were a few little connections that I maybe would have drawn that she didn’t, and, as others have noted, while I do enjoy this type of analysis, I don’t actually know all the terminology, so it would have been nice not just to have the glossary but to have had an explanation of what each instance of the literary device adds to the work.
For me, I was sort of singing the song to myself as I was reading, but as others have pointed out, there is really something missing from the experience when the actual music is not incorporated. I think for me the ideal experience would be to listen to the song while reading the lyrics at the same time, since I do really love to read, and being able to physically see them does help me to see some of the attributes better, but… of course if I have to pick between the two, I will pick just listening to Taylor every time, as that is the medium she really chooses to express herself in. However, not that it ever really was in doubt, of course she is a poet. She is a beautiful writer, who has authored extremely gorgeous lyrics for years. It was a treat to get to read them and enjoy some analysis from a pro.
November 23, 2024
The book offers a very thorough analysis of Taylor Swift's lyrics. I loved how the lyrics appear with notes beside them. It analyzes metaphors, symbolism, and Taylor's evolution. The reading is accessible and I think it's a book for all Swifties. If that's not you, then you can pass.
#NetGalley
#NetGalley
February 21, 2025
Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift by Dr. Elly McCausland
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Whew! I feel like I’ve earned my English degree after reading this one! 😳 I sure did enjoy it, though.
Dr. McCausland takes us on a journey through 46 of the most poetic songs in Taylor Swift’s discography, going line by line, breaking them down, dissecting them, and pulling out the meat within.
As a Swiftie myself, I am no stranger to the poetic nature of Taylor’s writing. I have always been a fan of her storytelling and lyricism, relating to her more than any other artist in the field. From my first listen of her debut album in second grade all the way to her most recent release, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), I have recognized the genius of the writer that is Taylor Swift, and thus why I enjoyed this annotation so much.
Dr. McCausland does a brilliant job breaking Taylor’s writing down into even more detail than I as a devoted fan have ever noticed. She links songs together across multiple albums, draws connections to literature I had never considered, and points out hidden Easter eggs in songs I’ve heard a million times. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to consider Swift’s writing in a new and exciting way.
This annotation is a bit wordy and does have some complex terms in it, however, McCausland has helpfully provided a glossary that explains some of the more challenging terminology in the back of the book.
As with any poetry anthology, I prefer to take my time reading. I have found that rushing through poetry makes it difficult to fully grasp the meaning layered throughout. You might pick up something new with each read through. That’s precisely why I took my time with this one. I wanted to be able to sit with the words and really marinate in their depth. I personally don’t see this book as a collection that could be read in one sitting, at least without only scratching the surface of the content and missing the heart of the matter. It would be doing the book a true disservice.
While I primarily read fiction, namely romance and fantasy, I do love to pick up a book of poetry every now and then to stay on my toes. I feel like there is such a plethora of knowledge to be gleaned from poetry, and I have noticed that I always come away with a stronger grasp on my feelings and emotions than when I went in.
I truly enjoyed this annotation and think Dr. McCausland did a brilliant job dissecting Taylor’s catalog.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Elly McCausland, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Whew! I feel like I’ve earned my English degree after reading this one! 😳 I sure did enjoy it, though.
Dr. McCausland takes us on a journey through 46 of the most poetic songs in Taylor Swift’s discography, going line by line, breaking them down, dissecting them, and pulling out the meat within.
As a Swiftie myself, I am no stranger to the poetic nature of Taylor’s writing. I have always been a fan of her storytelling and lyricism, relating to her more than any other artist in the field. From my first listen of her debut album in second grade all the way to her most recent release, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), I have recognized the genius of the writer that is Taylor Swift, and thus why I enjoyed this annotation so much.
Dr. McCausland does a brilliant job breaking Taylor’s writing down into even more detail than I as a devoted fan have ever noticed. She links songs together across multiple albums, draws connections to literature I had never considered, and points out hidden Easter eggs in songs I’ve heard a million times. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to consider Swift’s writing in a new and exciting way.
This annotation is a bit wordy and does have some complex terms in it, however, McCausland has helpfully provided a glossary that explains some of the more challenging terminology in the back of the book.
As with any poetry anthology, I prefer to take my time reading. I have found that rushing through poetry makes it difficult to fully grasp the meaning layered throughout. You might pick up something new with each read through. That’s precisely why I took my time with this one. I wanted to be able to sit with the words and really marinate in their depth. I personally don’t see this book as a collection that could be read in one sitting, at least without only scratching the surface of the content and missing the heart of the matter. It would be doing the book a true disservice.
While I primarily read fiction, namely romance and fantasy, I do love to pick up a book of poetry every now and then to stay on my toes. I feel like there is such a plethora of knowledge to be gleaned from poetry, and I have noticed that I always come away with a stronger grasp on my feelings and emotions than when I went in.
I truly enjoyed this annotation and think Dr. McCausland did a brilliant job dissecting Taylor’s catalog.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Elly McCausland, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own!
March 9, 2025
De volgende keer dat iemand tegen mij zegt 'ma die vrouw schrijft enkel liedjes over haar exen' geef ik ze een mep met dit boek.
March 17, 2025
~5 stars~
loved the in-depth analysis of taylor swift’s poetry and deep meaning in songs!!! def would recommend
loved the in-depth analysis of taylor swift’s poetry and deep meaning in songs!!! def would recommend
June 17, 2025
Is my new favorite genre of book pop culture commentary by cool ladies? I think it is. This was a delight and is making my relationship with music in general deeper.
January 3, 2025
This is an absolutely beautiful and brilliant take on Taylor Swift’s work!
As a fan since her first album, I’ve always appreciated the intricacies of her lyrics, but I’m grateful that it has been annotated in such a way in this book to prove the legitimacy of her poetry and lyricism. Sure, Blank Space is catchy as all get out, and there are plenty of other songs that can be dismissed by the public as “just a pop song”. But you cannot argue the lack depth of her writing even from the beginning, and it only seems to grow deeper and more layered with each album.
The next time a “Brad or Chad” tries to tell you that she’s “just a pop artist”, I beg you to whip out this book and prove them wrong.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my digital advance copy!
As a fan since her first album, I’ve always appreciated the intricacies of her lyrics, but I’m grateful that it has been annotated in such a way in this book to prove the legitimacy of her poetry and lyricism. Sure, Blank Space is catchy as all get out, and there are plenty of other songs that can be dismissed by the public as “just a pop song”. But you cannot argue the lack depth of her writing even from the beginning, and it only seems to grow deeper and more layered with each album.
The next time a “Brad or Chad” tries to tell you that she’s “just a pop artist”, I beg you to whip out this book and prove them wrong.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my digital advance copy!
February 21, 2025
taylor swift is truly a mastermind
November 17, 2024
I’ve always known that there is so much more behind a song’s lyrics than just the words we hear. And when it comes to Taylor Swift, this book proves that her ability to weave layers of meaning and emotion into her music is nothing more than genius. I went into this book hoping it would offer something special, an extra look into the words. It definitely did!
If you’re a Swiftie or just someone who appreciates powerful poetic writing (the reason I personally like Taylor Swift), this book is an absolute must-read. It’s a perfect deep dive into the art of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and will leave you with an even greater appreciation for her work.
This book contains songs from Taylor Swift, and the writer of this book tries to capture the depth and complexity of Taylor’s songwriting. It’s done beautifully, both because of the design of this book and the thoughts/notes that are written out.
This book is an eye-opening journey through her lyrics, unpacking the sentences and words in a way that makes you realize there’s even more going on behind the lyrics than you might have already imagined there was. To see her craft laid out like this, accompanied with notes that tell you the meaning behind things, makes you feel more connected to the words.
The notes and the explaining texts are all very clear and good to follow without needing to grow a second brain - which is sometimes the case with poetic studies of texts like this.
Again, I definitely recommend this book!
I got this book as an ARC, and I leave this review with my thoughts 100% voluntarily!
If you’re a Swiftie or just someone who appreciates powerful poetic writing (the reason I personally like Taylor Swift), this book is an absolute must-read. It’s a perfect deep dive into the art of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and will leave you with an even greater appreciation for her work.
This book contains songs from Taylor Swift, and the writer of this book tries to capture the depth and complexity of Taylor’s songwriting. It’s done beautifully, both because of the design of this book and the thoughts/notes that are written out.
This book is an eye-opening journey through her lyrics, unpacking the sentences and words in a way that makes you realize there’s even more going on behind the lyrics than you might have already imagined there was. To see her craft laid out like this, accompanied with notes that tell you the meaning behind things, makes you feel more connected to the words.
The notes and the explaining texts are all very clear and good to follow without needing to grow a second brain - which is sometimes the case with poetic studies of texts like this.
Again, I definitely recommend this book!
I got this book as an ARC, and I leave this review with my thoughts 100% voluntarily!
April 14, 2025
This book sucked tbh. A lot of what the write said made no sense, and a lot of it was also a huge stretch. Then there were other times when it was SO obvious it wasn’t needed to be said. Like “Red” in the song red stands for the strong emotion you feel while in love and anger after. No duh. And then the rest of the writing was confusing and convoluted. This book would be 1 star, but I appreciate all the effort the author put into this book and the idea was fascinating. It was awful but not something I absolutely hated. I did end up returning it after reading because it left such a bad taste in my mouth. So if you’re a huge Taylor and language fan like I am, maybe read this and give it a try. If not, I wouldn’t suggest or recommend it. And go into it with the mindset that it’s just “meh” if you do.
Read
January 20, 2025Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
This is my first book about lyric analysis, and in full transparency it will likely be my last. This was not what I was anticipating when I picked up this book, and maybe that comes down to expectations. I don't have a rating for this book, as it does not fall under the type of book I would normally rate, and that mostly has to do with content.
There were a limited number of songs per album which were analyzed, and while I realized the entire discography cannot be included, I wish more songs were included. The annotations felt chaotic, but I do believe that was intentional, and it did not bother me. It felt authentic to the writer and their process of analyzing and breaking down lyrics.
I felt like the annotations and breakdowns were thoughtful, and brought a different POV to her music as a whole. I have always been a huge fan, and seeing a breakdown such as this was very entertaining and educational for me. I love the light shown on the fact that there is so much put into her lyrics and writing style, and that she is a lyricist at heart. I think it was an ode to her talent and storytelling, and that was a beautiful thing to witness.
This is my first book about lyric analysis, and in full transparency it will likely be my last. This was not what I was anticipating when I picked up this book, and maybe that comes down to expectations. I don't have a rating for this book, as it does not fall under the type of book I would normally rate, and that mostly has to do with content.
There were a limited number of songs per album which were analyzed, and while I realized the entire discography cannot be included, I wish more songs were included. The annotations felt chaotic, but I do believe that was intentional, and it did not bother me. It felt authentic to the writer and their process of analyzing and breaking down lyrics.
I felt like the annotations and breakdowns were thoughtful, and brought a different POV to her music as a whole. I have always been a huge fan, and seeing a breakdown such as this was very entertaining and educational for me. I love the light shown on the fact that there is so much put into her lyrics and writing style, and that she is a lyricist at heart. I think it was an ode to her talent and storytelling, and that was a beautiful thing to witness.
January 29, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.
The author truly did justice to the mastermind that Taylor Swift is. Every song mentioned is explored in detail, highlighting its literary significance, alliterations, metaphors, and connections to Taylor's life and her other songs. I discovered so many inner meanings I had missed before. The book includes selected songs from each era, including TTPD, with the lyrics presented alongside annotations that feel like handwritten notes, making it all the more personal. After each song, there's a brief exploration of the themes and messages it conveys.
This book offers a deep insight into how brilliant of a writer Taylor is. I wouldn’t call it beginner level, as some of the lines reference other songs, but if you’re familiar with her music, it’s easy to follow. My favorite part was the analysis of the tracks from The Tortured Poets Department.
In short, I loved it and would recommend it to both swifties and literary or poetry lovers.
The author truly did justice to the mastermind that Taylor Swift is. Every song mentioned is explored in detail, highlighting its literary significance, alliterations, metaphors, and connections to Taylor's life and her other songs. I discovered so many inner meanings I had missed before. The book includes selected songs from each era, including TTPD, with the lyrics presented alongside annotations that feel like handwritten notes, making it all the more personal. After each song, there's a brief exploration of the themes and messages it conveys.
This book offers a deep insight into how brilliant of a writer Taylor is. I wouldn’t call it beginner level, as some of the lines reference other songs, but if you’re familiar with her music, it’s easy to follow. My favorite part was the analysis of the tracks from The Tortured Poets Department.
In short, I loved it and would recommend it to both swifties and literary or poetry lovers.
January 23, 2025
I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Calling all current or former English majors and fellow Swifties! This creative work of non-fiction is unapologetically for you.
Dr. McCausland treats Taylor Swift's broad song catalog as a poetry collection and applies her extensive knowledge of poetic terms and references to analyzing several songs from each of Swift's Eras. As someone who was in fact an English and creative writing major in college, this book was a delight to read and brought back the feeling of being in a creative workshop. McCausland annotates the lyrics to make notes about poetic form or themes that resonate and connect one song to another. Each song ends with some brief analysis that effectively sums up the annotations if reading the writing in the margins feels like too much of a stretch.
I appreciated that McCausland offers her interpretation but also clarifies that hers is not the definitive way to read this. There's something about this non-fiction that made me want to scrawl my own notes in the margins and build a conversation--something I think both McCausland and Swift would approve of. I also liked that the author isn't trying to do deep textual readings of all the Easter Eggs or past relationships that potentially surround the songs; McCausland is sticking to the lyrics and only discusses people that Swift herself has connected to a specific song.
My only complaint is that I wanted more! While I don't think it's reasonable to cover the entirety of Swift's current song list, this book felt more like a course syllabus in some ways. I wanted more thematic connectivity and discussion, but I think it would be difficult to do that without someone feeling like their favorite song(s) had been left out.
Overall, it was a fun read that gave me a deeper appreciation of Swift's songs and their connection to poetry.
Calling all current or former English majors and fellow Swifties! This creative work of non-fiction is unapologetically for you.
Dr. McCausland treats Taylor Swift's broad song catalog as a poetry collection and applies her extensive knowledge of poetic terms and references to analyzing several songs from each of Swift's Eras. As someone who was in fact an English and creative writing major in college, this book was a delight to read and brought back the feeling of being in a creative workshop. McCausland annotates the lyrics to make notes about poetic form or themes that resonate and connect one song to another. Each song ends with some brief analysis that effectively sums up the annotations if reading the writing in the margins feels like too much of a stretch.
I appreciated that McCausland offers her interpretation but also clarifies that hers is not the definitive way to read this. There's something about this non-fiction that made me want to scrawl my own notes in the margins and build a conversation--something I think both McCausland and Swift would approve of. I also liked that the author isn't trying to do deep textual readings of all the Easter Eggs or past relationships that potentially surround the songs; McCausland is sticking to the lyrics and only discusses people that Swift herself has connected to a specific song.
My only complaint is that I wanted more! While I don't think it's reasonable to cover the entirety of Swift's current song list, this book felt more like a course syllabus in some ways. I wanted more thematic connectivity and discussion, but I think it would be difficult to do that without someone feeling like their favorite song(s) had been left out.
Overall, it was a fun read that gave me a deeper appreciation of Swift's songs and their connection to poetry.
November 14, 2024
Long story short: I LOVE this book! This is a must haves for all Swifties who love to dive in and analyze all of her lyrics and patterns within Taylor Swift’s songwriting. In a world where there are sooooo many books based on our favorite pop star, this one offers a unique insight that goes beyond surface level discussions of style and impact, but deep dives into what we love most about Taylor: her music. I loved the insightful notes and details, such as the semantic details and vocabulary related to crime in Reputation, reasons for her use of repetition in certain areas, and the role that rhythm played into the narrative of Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. I enjoyed all of these little details and Easter eggs and cannot wait to read thru this again with my daughter who is the original Swiftie in our household. Bravo!
July 24, 2025
Een spijtige zaak ... ik wacht al lang op een poëziebundel van Swift - als die ooit zal komen - en in de tussentijd scheen dit me een waardig alternatief. Quod non.
Het is me onduidelijk welke doelgroep hiermee moet worden aangesproken? Het veronderstelt te veel kennis voor een leek en blijft te oppervlakkig voor een student letterkunde of een swiftie.
De notities bij de teksten zijn voor de hand liggend, dragen weinig bij, storen bij de lectuur. Bovendien ontbreekt een degelijke synthese na de poëtische leesfasen.
Deze vlees-noch-vissituatie laat me bijzonder onvervuld achter. Jammer!
Het is me onduidelijk welke doelgroep hiermee moet worden aangesproken? Het veronderstelt te veel kennis voor een leek en blijft te oppervlakkig voor een student letterkunde of een swiftie.
De notities bij de teksten zijn voor de hand liggend, dragen weinig bij, storen bij de lectuur. Bovendien ontbreekt een degelijke synthese na de poëtische leesfasen.
Deze vlees-noch-vissituatie laat me bijzonder onvervuld achter. Jammer!
April 15, 2025
I love grammar and textual analysis. This book broke down some of Swift's most famous songs showing where she was using assonance, or referencing a specific book, or turn of phrase. Stars Around My Scars doesn't really get into what the songs are about but instead points you to the type of rhyme or technique used in the song to draw the reader deeper into the story. I quite enjoyed this!
November 24, 2024
Avid swiftie so I felt like I already had a good understanding of the meanings behind the songs. Though I have rarely just sat and read poetic breakdowns of the lyrics and found that very interesting and gave me even more respect for Taylor’s song writing.
Was able to read this though NetGalley and think any fan of her music would love to read this book. Even if you don’t like her songs, it proves just how talented she is at storytelling.
Was able to read this though NetGalley and think any fan of her music would love to read this book. Even if you don’t like her songs, it proves just how talented she is at storytelling.
February 4, 2025
Obviously this book is right up my alley. A lyrical analysis of Taylor Swift’s songs? That’s why it took me a day to read it. I love our tortured poet!
September 23, 2025
I really enjoyed going back to high school and analyzing Taylor's lyrics through this lens.
February 16, 2025
Definitely not for everyone, but perfect for the English teacher Swiftie in your life.
May 17, 2025
Was excited to randomly find this for 1/2 off at Homegoods! It was interesting to follow someone else's lyrical interpretations, especially someone well-versed in language and literature.
April 12, 2025
5 stars! I was absolutely fascinated by this book and highly recommend it! The author, Dr. McCausland, is a professor of English Literature at a university in Belgium, as well as a lifelong swiftie. She uses her teachings on “Swifterature” to annotate what is the incredible poetry of Taylor Swift’s song lyrics. Reading through these annotations and listening to each song while doing so brought a whole new understanding of the lyrics and how clever the word play and references are in each song. I am a fan of Taylor Swift as well and obviously knew I would enjoy this, but did not expect to learn as much as I did. Obviously swifties will enjoy this but I also think others who do not necessarily like or listen to Taylor Swift will enjoy it as well. This is direct evidence that she is much more than the label of “crazy country-turned-pop singer who only writes scathing songs about her ex-boyfriends”. Swift has sooo many songs that do not fit this stereotype. I especially loved the examples of the less popular songs that many people have never heard of or likely have no idea what the lyrics are referencing. It makes me respect Taylor Swift as an artist and poet even more than I already did. My only complaint is that she did not annotate more of her songs! I highly recommend listening to each song and pausing as you read the annotations to fully absorb the meaning. Excellent job, Dr. McCausland! Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Elly McCausland, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the gifted ARC in an exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2025
Very useful in my literature lessons - I love using Swift's lyrics for teaching figurative language and comparative analysis (Peter vs. Cardigan was a hit!)
December 31, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this before it came out! I really enjoyed reading this and learning more about the songs and their potential meaning. It was an easy read and is perfect for any Taylor Swift fan who wants to learn more about the potential meaning behind the lyrics. I wish there had been more songs chosen to dissect but loved that so many popular songs were chosen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews