Group B Taylor Swift

[00:00:00] Speaker A: You got it, girl. Maybe you give it to me, I'll give it to you. You know, is Buster rhymes. I feel like Buster rhymes is, like, underappreciated, for sure. Underappreciated, but, like, is a better feature than a full artist. [00:00:14] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:00:17] Speaker A: Like, I was trying to think of, like. [00:00:19] Speaker B: Yes. That I'm like, he's the Marty Janetti. [00:00:22] Speaker A: Marty. Well, yeah, that was. I was. Yep. Marty Janet. I was thinking, like, the way that I'm, like, in the way, like, Kane is a really good partner first on a guest. [00:00:32] Speaker B: First. [00:00:32] Speaker A: It's not right. [00:00:33] Speaker B: Yeah, you bust a song. [00:00:36] Speaker A: A full bust of song is. [00:00:38] Speaker B: No one's ever like, my favorite buster song is break your neck. It's great song, but, like, right. [00:00:43] Speaker A: And that is the best version of that. And even. And I feel like even his best songs always still have features from other people to break him up. [00:00:51] Speaker B: But you know who doesn't have that? [00:00:53] Speaker A: Taylor Swift never needed a feature except for she doesn't need it. She does have them, and they actually are very fun. We have one of them on this. On this list, folks. Well, wait, so we're leaving all of that? [00:01:06] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, absolutely. [00:01:07] Speaker A: I would imply that we're now talking to the audience. [00:01:10] Speaker B: Yeah, we're talking. We've been talking to him the whole time. [00:01:29] Speaker A: Welcome to Friendly Competition, a podcast discovered the best of all time. I'm Nick Carey, along with my co host and best friend, Cody Lena, discuss various pop culture topics we narrowed down to truly the best of all time. [00:01:40] Speaker B: Nick, do you want me to. Do you want me to that out edit it? [00:01:43] Speaker A: I don't know, man, because I actually think that was kind of fun. I actually. [00:01:46] Speaker B: No, I mean, we're just in it, like, here's the deal. We're in group b now. You know what happened to group a? We started drinking. You know what happened to group b? We. We continued. Yeah, we're still in it also. We might. Some of us are. Might be doing medicinal things that are prescribed to us by a doctor of the. Exactly. [00:02:04] Speaker A: Exactly. So. So, folks, we are here in groupie of the Taylor Swift bracket. We're at four years, and this is our four year anniversary. This is our 501st now. Episode. [00:02:17] Speaker B: Episode 501. [00:02:19] Speaker A: 501. We're over the hill. But not really because technically we're not even. This is season because we have to. [00:02:26] Speaker B: Say we have to do the boat boat. So we're, like, almost halfway done with the boat boat. With the boat name. [00:02:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But now we have four. We have two more big boats that we'd have to complete. [00:02:37] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:02:38] Speaker A: Yeah. We are not even. We aren't. We aren't even close to halfway, but we are over the hill. I don't think it gets better. The next ten. The next. It requires ten seasons. The next ten seasons will be awful. [00:02:51] Speaker B: So absolutely terrible. Yeah, no, awful. I'm gonna. Cause I'm gonna throw my microphone through the window after this season. [00:02:59] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. And just scream at it from while it's outside and just be like, no, I got you. [00:03:03] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm gonna get on my talking head. Shit. And I'm only gonna record myself lying down in the woods, you know? Well. [00:03:09] Speaker A: Right. Well. And that. Yeah. To get a better vibe. I hear that. And that's gonna come through acoustically, too. [00:03:13] Speaker B: That's acoustically. The. They'll get it. [00:03:15] Speaker A: Folks here talking about Taylor Swift. We're here to celebrate. In four years. We're here doing 500 episodes. We are here in group b. So we've taken. We took 16 Taylor Swift songs. Thank you all. All of you motorboaters, for sending those to us. We took those songs, we put them in. We gave them to our bracketologist. They kicked the bracket back to us, randomized it. [00:03:33] Speaker B: They didn't randomize it. They figured it out with science. [00:03:36] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:03:36] Speaker B: And. [00:03:36] Speaker A: But here we are in our second quadrant, so we have. Group A has already been decided. Go listen to that. That'll make way more sense. All this makes way more sense or less. I don't know. Yeah. Group B, then we have Group C and D to come later. But here we are where we have the four seed. Look what you made me do. Going up against the 13 seed bejeweled. And we have the five seed antihero. Going up against the twelve seed haunted. Cody, where do you want to start? [00:04:07] Speaker B: Nick, where do you want to start? I know. I know a lot about this. So, Nick, what do you. [00:04:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I would like to start with haunted. So this is for anyone who's already. You've listened to. You've listened to group a, you've listened to group b. You've went to our social. So you actually know all 16 songs. You know what songs we pick. You might have looked and been like, hey, a lot of these make a lot of sense. These are number one hits. Nick, why is haunted here? Because that's your boy's favorite song. This is. And I will defend this, the hardest Taylor Swift song. This is. [00:04:41] Speaker B: Nick, I kind of want to get in front of you on this one to save you the embarrassment of what you're doing right now. Here's what you're doing, and me and Katherine both. Because when you. For some reason, by the way, I got the list. Nick sent me the list, and he sent me a text minutes after I got the list of the Spotify playlist. I was listening to it. I got a text minutes after, and he said, hey, my favorite song, by the way, in case your wife asks. He didn't say, in case you want to know. He said no, in case Kathryn asks. [00:05:08] Speaker A: You dumb piece of shit. [00:05:09] Speaker B: My favorite song is haunted. And Catherine and I both figured out instantly why it's your favorite song, because it is Taylor Swift doing a. So if yellow card wrote a song in the style of Taylor Swift, it's haunted. [00:05:22] Speaker A: It's a little heavier than that, but it's. Yes, yes. Because there's the big violin. There is no. [00:05:29] Speaker B: This is big violent. But at the beginning, it's literally a Midwest emo entrance with a real weird drum, like. And then there's, like, someone, like. I'm talking about being sad. And Nick's like, yeah, this is the best Taylor Swift song. Fucking. [00:05:42] Speaker A: It rips so hard. [00:05:45] Speaker B: I want to be. [00:05:46] Speaker A: This is. This song is old Taylor Swift, right? This is off of. This is either the second or third album. It's off. Speak now. [00:05:52] Speaker B: I don't. [00:05:52] Speaker A: I always forget the order between fearless and speak now. Anyway, so it's early. And, like, it just hints at to me because now we know via the vault how much she was listening to, like, pop punk music at that time, that she is very much inspired by this, but can't do it. She's a country artist, so this is her first little, like, hey, by the way, I'm. I am listening. I'm hearing what's happening, and it's just. It shows a parallel universe where, like, she becomes flyleaf or, like, hail storm, or, like, you know, breaks off and becomes this weird metal act that is not nearly as. [00:06:32] Speaker B: She's, like, paramore, too. Like, Lindsay. Yeah. [00:06:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:34] Speaker B: I get. [00:06:35] Speaker A: We were one really bad breakup. Like, this is her. If you're a fan of how I met your mother, this is her. Like, Robin sparkles turning into the dark version where it's like, all of a sudden now all the songs are grungy, and it's like, she would not have been as famous, but damn if that wouldn't have been a transition, too. And I love to think about it. [00:06:54] Speaker B: Okay, I get it. I'm glad you got haunted on the list. I'm glad you got this out of your system. But here's the deal. Nick, as far as the song, it's like. It's like a pop garbage version. Like, it doesn't hit emo. It doesn't hit pop. It's fine. [00:07:08] Speaker A: It does not. It never commits. And it's such a problem throughout the whole song. [00:07:13] Speaker B: Yes, it. [00:07:13] Speaker A: Like, there's. There's a. There's a spot. Like, there's a perfect metal core breakdown spot. She builds it and the drum actually does double. Like, goes it double. [00:07:25] Speaker B: No, it double kicks for, like, two bars. For, like. [00:07:28] Speaker A: So it's, like, clearly setting up a. [00:07:30] Speaker B: Huge breakdown kicks coming, and then no breakdown. [00:07:33] Speaker A: That never happens. And you're so. It's. It's why, like, once again, I will. Hey, I know what I did last time. I'd. If you go listen to group a, I was. That I understood. I went very hard for songs that I loved, and that meant a lot to me. But I thought I. At least I feel like I had some science to back it up. This. I have nothing. Taylor has all but abandoned this song. [00:07:56] Speaker B: Like, as far as Nick. She abandoned it. Cause it's, like, her worst song. I really want to stress this to you. The reason this is your favorite song is because it's Taylor Swift doing a cover of an emo song. [00:08:08] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. No, I. No. Hey, hey, hey, brother. Hey, brother. You ain't saying nothing I don't know, so do not worry. I know exactly why this just is so in my wheelhouse. That it. And I just love thinking about this universe. [00:08:22] Speaker B: Then the note you need to make here is, if you want to make up an album that will get Nick's heart, just make a pop album. But throw a double kick on one song for two bars and you'll be set. [00:08:33] Speaker A: Make those guitars crunchy, too, by the way. Like, I do need. [00:08:36] Speaker B: Gotta have them. [00:08:37] Speaker A: Get them crunchy. But, hey, I am very much aware of this. I am anti hero. It's going up against antihero. This song, I mean, brings. Completely reminds everyone. She comes out of folklore and evermore, which are very, you know, acoustic and song and singer songwriter driven. And then she's like, oh, hey, by the way, I still do bangers. [00:09:02] Speaker B: I still do bangers. And I want to say this. I just want to put my stamp on it before we get deep into bracket. Right? Antihero is my number one. Taylor Swift. [00:09:11] Speaker A: Oh, okay. Putting your stamp. That's. Well, so that's fun. So our. Both. Our failure, our favorite Taylor Swift songs went up against each other. [00:09:21] Speaker B: They did. [00:09:22] Speaker A: But at least favorite in the sense that you. I can't do you mean, like, your favorite thing is the best song in this? [00:09:28] Speaker B: I don't think it's the best. I think it's my favorite. My favorite is antihero because of reasons we'll get into in the next round. But I gotta get rid of your garbage song. You only picked that song because it makes you nick. You feel like you're listening to Taylor Swift, so you get all the clout of listening to Taylor Swift, but you don't have to listen to Taylor Swift. [00:09:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like I put it on my. So, like, I always get. [00:09:47] Speaker B: No, yeah, I'm a. Oh, I'm a swifty, he says with air quotes. No, he just plays the one song that sounds like Ocean Avenue over. [00:09:55] Speaker A: It's very. It's. It goes way harder than Ocean Avenue. I want to be clear. It's not as good of a song, but it goes harder. Secondly. Secondly, it is the. It is 100% the reason why Spotify, like, every year, Spotify is like, oh, by the way, you're in, like, the 0.01% of Taylor Swift fans. And it's only. And it's not. They, like, they always say, like, historically. Not that I listen to her more than anyone else, but they're just like, hey, you discovered her before. Like, you were lit. You were on this tip before anyone else. And I'm always like, yeah, it's because I just listened to the old shit like that. I was there for this song. No one. Most people come on after, like, red in 1989. I was just on this shit. I do want to point out, just for a quick. For the science of it all, I looked up there. If you go to vulture.com, they have a list of the. At this point, the 245 Taylor Swift songs ranked haunted. Does it does crack the top 200. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Oh, good for you, Doug. Good for you. [00:10:55] Speaker A: 179. So here's the thing. [00:10:58] Speaker B: You know for a fact. Nick is going to sneak over on his kitty cat paws and get his greasy mitts in whatever bracket you send, any bracket you send, no matter if it's a full 16, Nick's going to manipulate it and twist it so he's going to get his garbage pics in there. Don't you worry. Rest assured, Nick is always going to hand on it. [00:11:20] Speaker A: Don't worry about. I. Oh, yes, I always. I always. I like to make a little signature sauce, but I will move anti hero on. I will not fight this. I will not. I understand that. That is for me. I hope. I hope as you listen, the playlist FCP Taylor Swift on Spotify. You go. You can go listen to it, these 16 songs. And I hope maybe it reminds you how much of a banger haunted is, but it is nowhere near as good as antihero. So we will move anti hero on where it will go up against the four seed. Look what you made me do. Versus the 13 seed bejewel. Cody, where do you want to start? [00:11:57] Speaker B: Okay, look what you made me do is the radio pop. [00:12:00] Speaker A: Right? [00:12:00] Speaker B: But I. Let's. Okay. Bejewell. I got this list today, so I'm fresh in the paint, and I listened to it, and bejeweled is one of the songs that I was not familiar with, but I liked it a lot. Dude, I love the energy. I love the confidence, the power. Look at what you may do. Is also. Nick, I need some input here. I don't know where I'm at. I don't know where I'm at. [00:12:20] Speaker A: No, no, no. Okay, I will. I'll. I'll give you a little context, a little history, uh, for what you're feeling, what you're seeing. So look what you made me do is the first song, the first single that's released off of reputation. So you have to remember reputation. [00:12:33] Speaker B: Is that the Jake Gyllenhaal album? [00:12:35] Speaker A: No, that's red. So we're. That's way we're so much further. This is the Kanye west album. This is the Kim Kardashian Kanye west album because she released 1989, which is very pop. It's, like. It's considered to be her best album. It's the one that Apple ranked in the top ten of all time albums, 1989. So she releases that. Then Kanye west calls her to say, hey, can you. Do you mind if I, in my song, famous reference and say, I think me and Taylor Swift might still have sex. Why? I made that. I made that bitch famous. And he only tells her that, like, he only says that, like, I think we might have. And she, like, kind of, like, you can hear the audio. She's, like, kind of laughs along with it. She's like, I guess I get. And then when he actually does the full song, he calls her a bitch. She doesn't like that. She then, like, denounces the song, but then Kim releases the audio of the call I just told you about, so everyone's like, wow, Taylor, you. You tried to make. You try to, like, have it both ways. You try to look cool with Kanye, but now you're denouncing. We later learned that Kim edited that. That clip to hide some of the stuff. Anyway, Taylor Swift goes into hiding. [00:13:46] Speaker B: She's, like, in the. She's, like Drake right now. She's, like, in the womb. In the womb. By the way, Drake better come out that womb with some brand new shit. Cause Kendrick buried your ass. [00:13:58] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. So this is. This is that. Like, this is that moment where she's. And then what this song does. It does have. If the one thing. If you love Taylor Swift, you know that there are a lot of conspiracy theories, and she feeds them. She gives you little nuggets, right? Your little. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Yes. [00:14:15] Speaker A: So pop. [00:14:17] Speaker B: We think pop music is just like a military operation. [00:14:20] Speaker A: Right, right, exactly that. It's. Yeah. It's the FBI, it's the CIA. [00:14:24] Speaker B: All pop music is government or, like. Yeah, of course. [00:14:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Everyone knows. [00:14:29] Speaker B: Super easy. [00:14:30] Speaker A: Yeah. But so this, because in the lyrics, she mentions this idea, this, like, all I think about is karma. Right? That line, that is apparently a reference to the album everyone assumed that she was about to release after 1989. But at the time of when she would release that album, and everyone thinks, like, she changed her haircut, basically. Then the. The stuff happens with Kanye west. So then she's like, I can't. I'm not going to release a new album. I don't want to deal with this press. So she buries herself, and then she comes out as, like, badass Taylor Swift. This is. [00:15:04] Speaker B: It's like the last episode of Scrubs where Elliott shows up hot as fuck listening to American Girl by Tom Petty, ripping the fucking kitten posters off the wall. [00:15:14] Speaker A: And this is she, the music video. She references every version. [00:15:18] Speaker B: She kicks the door in, and taylor says, like, I can say heck now. [00:15:22] Speaker A: Exactly. She has, like, in the music video, she literally shows, like, every version of her and basically is like, you guys suck. I hate all of you. Like, is like, fuck my past. I'm this new bitch. This is who I am. And so this song, I will say from a, like, historical, like, what it. What it demarcates for her as far as being, like, maybe being a little more passive in how she took criticism to now being, like, actively defiant against it. That's like. [00:15:51] Speaker B: This is her saying, like, come for the. Come for the queen. Like, I'm up, right? She's now. [00:15:55] Speaker A: Yeah, she is. This is her actually saying, I am on the throne. I am here now. And I know I may have, like, maybe some people had anointed me. I'm now telling you I'm the best there was. I'm the best there is, and I'm. [00:16:10] Speaker B: The best there ever will be, baby. The Bret hart of this shit. [00:16:15] Speaker A: This is her. Here's the thing shot. With all that being said. I really like so much better song. It's. [00:16:21] Speaker B: I think it's a better song, but I also. I do think bejeweled the better song, but I know actually, I'm going, look, what would you do because of the contextual you sold me on, look what. [00:16:31] Speaker A: You made me do. I wish I would have given this much passion to love story because I love Bejewel. [00:16:37] Speaker B: You fucked up. I also love Bejewell, but you were like, oh, look at her. She's. She's, like, literally defining her dimension of comparison. Legacy. She's writing her own book. I'm all hyped up on this song. You're like, oh, you try to bait and switch me, dog. You just baited me in. [00:16:52] Speaker A: I'm going, look, I should not have. I should not have done the Brett, the horror. I will, because I will go with you. I will say I'm gonna go with you. I did. I did also pump myself up, and now I'm kind of hot on it, so I do have to, like, I can't. I'm not gonna leave this energy off to the side. [00:17:07] Speaker B: I do love the song, but you'll, by the way, also, I want to make sure everyone knows that one. I'm under the influence of all things. [00:17:14] Speaker A: We've mentioned that already, right? That, like, we're recording. [00:17:17] Speaker B: I don't remember if we said that for episode season. [00:17:20] Speaker A: Thought we started it. I thought we made it very clear. We're like, hey, dog. Hey, drunk. We are. [00:17:25] Speaker B: Don't know. They can tell. But I love Taylor Swift and all this stuff in Patchouli's crate. But sometimes I want to just get, like, into the pop music. I love, like, good pop music. And what you maybe do is good pop music, right? [00:17:40] Speaker A: 100%. Like, it is. It is. You cannot deny it when it comes on. But jeweled is easy. Like, it's so nice to listen to, but, like, look what you made me do makes you pay attention if I'm point, and that's clearly the point. So I'm with you. I do. Once again, I love bejeweled as a song. It does have its own. It does have its own history. Being kind of retrospect now that we know with her breaking up with Joe and that basically she was like, hey, if you're not going to let me shine like I'm fucking Taylor Swift, like, I'm going to go be that. Like, I love our little London life where I just kind of get to be a smaller version of myself, but I am Taylor Swift, and I gotta do this shit, you know? Like, that's baby, I love that message. I think it's one of the best post breakup songs you're ever going to have. But you're right. Look what you made me do is that she comes forward on that one, so. All right. Look what you made me do. Going up against anti hero once again. This is a fun matchup. You have two songs where she is once again trying to make sure, like, hey, whatever you thought I was, I'm also this. Like, I can do bangers, Nick, and this is. [00:18:51] Speaker B: This is easy, and I'll tell you why. Right? Okay. Easy. The easiest choice we're gonna make, because Antihero has the power of the meme. It has the power of the Internet behind. It has the power of Instagram and TikTok. [00:19:04] Speaker A: Right, right. No, I mean, just that, hey, it's me. [00:19:08] Speaker B: I'm the problem. [00:19:10] Speaker A: Like, that's so perfect. [00:19:12] Speaker B: I saw so many videos of that. [00:19:14] Speaker A: I mean, and that. [00:19:15] Speaker B: Oh, I don't know why. I have, like, a stomachache every morning. A picture of a pizza and a PBR. It's me. Hey. [00:19:24] Speaker A: Like, yeah, no, it's. It captures a generation. Like, it literally defi. Like, it is one of those songs where, like, I'm not gonna say it's like, our forgotten son. Like, I'm not saying that, but it, like. Yeah, very much easily defines what people. Like, how people talk. Like, the parlance. And it's like, hey, you're actually the problem in your own life. I know. [00:19:44] Speaker B: It seems like. I really like the vibe of, look what you made me do. Like, they're like, I'm being aggressive. Like, oh, you pushed my hand. Right. As a millennial who's very self conscious, like, no one's. I've never had a moment where I said, look what you made me do. [00:19:58] Speaker A: Like, right. [00:19:59] Speaker B: Never happened. [00:20:00] Speaker A: I love to. [00:20:01] Speaker B: I love to live vicariously through you, swift. I love it. Like, oh, imagine if I had that energy. But we don't. We don't. [00:20:07] Speaker A: No, we also. And I also think if you look at it within the context of her whole discography. Right. And, like, if you view that, like, kind of. It's its own personality, its own identity, this does feel, like, the most, like, fake confidence where you are just, like, you're puffing your chest, but you're. You do not believe you're not fully behind everything that you're saying. Like, you will back down if pushed too hard. Like, I just think Kanye west was. Was too delusional at this point. He's also running for president at this time, also. [00:20:39] Speaker B: Yeah, you're not going to talk Kanye west down. That guy's in the middle of a sociopathic episode. [00:20:44] Speaker A: Yeah. So, like, so he's not going to be able to beat you musically. So, like, it's fine. But if he would have stepped to her and put out, you have to remember he. This is the same man who, you know, takes the. The award away from her. Beyonce should have won. And then what did he do after that moment? He then came back a year or two later to the same. The same stage and dropped runaway. And immediately we're like, oh, you're forgiven. Hey, Kanye, you're good. Never mind. I'm so sorry. So, like, that's why I'm like, oh. [00:21:16] Speaker B: We have a lot of things we need to talk about, Kanye. But that's a separate bracket. [00:21:20] Speaker A: Yeah. So I gotta go. Anti hero is the better version of. [00:21:25] Speaker B: Like, it's just a good song. It's a good pop song. It's good pop hate. And also, the memes were on point. [00:21:32] Speaker A: Yeah, no. [00:21:34] Speaker B: Got a field day with this. Anytime you light up the Internet, you light up my heart. [00:21:38] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I agree with you. I think antihero is. Is the better of these, like, type of songs that she does. So antihero, the group B champion. We'll go up against the group A champion. Go listen to that. And the group C and D champion, which are about to be decided next week. Thank you all so much for listening to this episode of friendly competition. If you want, about your boys, a few things that you can do, as always, share with a friend, tell a friend, wherever you're listening. Oh, why did I stop there? Wherever you're listening, and make sure wherever you do listen to, hit that, follow that, subscribe, and give us those five stars, please. Please. [00:22:14] Speaker B: Yeah, we're on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. I think. I think you actually do have a YouTube, but I don't think I've ever done anything with it. We should do. [00:22:21] Speaker A: I have no. I don't know that password if we do. Okay, good. [00:22:25] Speaker B: That's only for me. Just code if you want to look at. Hey, email us a friendly cupboard, [email protected]. and you could send us secret stuff, like, if you want YouTube videos that just make fun of Nick, let me know, because he can't stop me. He has no power. [00:22:39] Speaker A: Yes. You're all right. As always, shout out to Charizard for that intro to our music. You want to hear more, listen. To go to band camp, type in Charizard, replace the vowels with sixes. That is going to be it for us, folks. Got group C coming out on Monday, but until then, I'm Nick Carrey. [00:23:00] Speaker B: I think I'm Cody. Lena, I'm pretty sure. [00:23:03] Speaker A: Don't you edit that and you put those closer together. Those pauses can be edited so they don't sound as bad and so it better sound good. Motherfucker. [00:23:12] Speaker B: It's gonna be so tight.