TCU communication professor Andrew Ledbetter analyzed Taylor Swift’s lyrics to uncover surprising connections between her biggest songs.
If you think you know Taylor Swift ’s music, chances are you don’t know it like Andrew Ledbetter does. The chair of communication studies at Texas Christian University said his love story with Swift’s music began during graduate school.
“I was driving around Lawrence, Kansas—where I went to graduate school—and ‘Love Story’ came on the radio, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I think I could be a Taylor Swift fan,’” Ledbetter recalled.“I was interested in interconnections among the song lyrics,” he said. “The songs that are most central have a lot of overlap with other songs, might tend to be songs that are the most popular.” To test that, Ledbetter ran the lyrics from all 10 of Swift’s albums, out at the time, through a computer program to look for patterns.That threshold turned out to be 13. “If a Taylor Swift song—two Taylor Swift songs—share at least 13 words in common, then those two songs, mathematically, it makes sense to treat those as connected,” he said.“Okay, she really is the mastermind. I’m sure there’s no way she could’ve planned out that level of detail, and there was a mathematic rationale for that cut-off, but I just really like that cut-off as a Swiftie,” Ledbetter said.“There are exceptions, but generally, the songs that are most central do tend to be songs that either are big hits or they’re perhaps fan favorites,” he said.And to keep from leaving any blank spaces, Ledbetter has since added Swift’s latest two albums to the dataset and“I think it helps us understand Taylor Swift, but I think it also helps us understand, overall, how do we engage with stories in art, and what stories do we find most interesting and compelling?” he said.Arlington
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
TCU Drops a Spot in Week Eight Big 12 Swag RankingsTCU wore their white and purple helmet combo this weekend. Where did they rank among other looks in the Big 12?
Read more »
How TCU’s Big 12 Hopes Shifted Without Playing a SnapEven without playing, the Horned Frogs saw several results swing their way – and a few that didn’t – as the Big 12 race tightened up.
Read more »
Elizabeth Taylor's Friend Reveals Intimate Details of Her Relationship with Richard Burton in New DocuseriesVicky Tiel, Elizabeth Taylor's close friend and stylist, shares intimate details about the actress's life and relationships in the new Fox Nation docuseries, 'Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar.' Tiel reveals Richard Burton as Taylor's 'lover for life,' discussing their enduring connection even after separations. The series, executive produced by Kim Kardashian, delves into Taylor's marriages, with a particular focus on her stormy yet passionate romance with Burton.
Read more »
TCU Kickoff Time and TV Schedule Announced Against BYUThe Horned Frogs play under the bright lights in a Week 12 matchup in Provo, Utah.
Read more »
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl Songs, RankedWe've had a whole month to sit with Taylor Swift's twelfth studio album. We're calling it a mixed bag. Sorry, Swifties.
Read more »
Walbruch's brace helps BYU upend top-seeded TCU on penalties in Big 12 tournament openerKSL.com BYU and college sports reporter
Read more »