…Are you ready for it? + a Special Guest Episode
We've got two new AP Taylor Swift podcast episodes this week!
Are you ready for it? No but really, are you? This week we’re talking rhetorical questions. Why does Taylor use them? Does she use them expecting an answer? Are those a rhetorical question? (We’ll stop now…) We cover “Is It Over Now?” from 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), “...Ready for it” from Reputation, and “Question…?” from Midnights.
And! We’ve got our first guest episode of the season! DJ Louie XIV of Pop Pantheon podcast joined us to talk all things pop and Taylor Swift. DJ Louie discusses how he analyzes pop music in his podcast, Pop Pantheon, and delves into Taylor Swift’s unique role within the pop music landscape.
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This week’s extra credit - Brough to you by Jodi
Having DJ Louie XIV on the podcast the same week as our Rhetorical Questions episode was a total coincidence, but it’s made for an interesting combination as I think about this week’s extra credit. Our conversation with Louie took us where we don’t often go on our podcast—exploring Taylor Swift within the broader context of pop music and pop stars. I’ll speak for myself, but I’m so laser-focused on Taylor’s lyrics and music when we’re recording episodes that I don’t spend as much time listening to other artists while I’m prepping for an episode.
But after a year of the Eras Tour and a summer of TTPD-related podcast episodes, I’ll admit I needed a palate cleanser and have been listening to a broader selection of today’s poppiest pop stars—Chappel Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo. Since Sabrina is a Taylor opener and just started her own hit tour, and in the spirit of this podcast, I thought I’d explore some rhetorical questions that come up in her new album, Short ‘N Sweet, to see any parallels to the rhetorical question exploration in this week’s episode.
What is a rhetorical question?
A rhetorical question is an inquiry that ends in a question mark but is asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer. It’s often used in persuasive writing but is also common in everyday conversation. On this week’s episode, we focused on three types of rhetorical questions:
Anthypophora (hypophora): Involves asking a question in order to answer it immediately. In our animal studies episode, Jenn asked, “Did I make this song about something that personally interests me? Sure did”
Epiplexis: A rhetorical device in which one asks a question in order to admonish rather than receive an answer. Think Michael Scott, “Why are you the way that you are?”
Erotesis: Positions the question in a way that elicits a strong reaction, either in agreement or rejection. However, this type of rhetorical question typically anticipates a negative response. it’s usually impossible to contradict.”How can segregation exist in the true Body of Christ?” - MLK
How does Sabrina Carpetener use rhetorical questions?
The short answer is, not quite as directly as Taylor. Now keep in mind, I limited my exploration to just Short ‘N Sweet, whereas for Taylor we dive into the full canon of her discography. But while Taylor has several songs where the title itself is a question, there were zero on Short ‘N Sweet. But diving in, there were a few rhetorical questions within the lyrics to explore.
“Palm Springs looks nice, but who’s by your side?” Coincidence
While Taylor may be a basic savant, known for translating universal experiences into poignant and moving lyrics, according to DJ Louie and our conversation this week, Sabrina Carpenter is known for her sassy, humorous songwriting. Sabrina uses rhetorical questions in Short ‘N Sweet to really drive home the humor in her writing. In this line, she uses anthypophora (hypophora): asking a question to answer it immediately. The very next line answers the question: “Damn it, she looks kinda like /
The girl you outgrew.”
Coincidence is a song about Sabrina’s current flame getting back together with his ex, and all the apparent “coincidences” that have happened to make them get back together. “Your car drove itself from LA to her thighs / Palm Springs looks nice, but who’s by your side?” comes at the end of the bridge (so it’s not just Taylor that loves to leave a zinger in a bridge), after an entire song of coincidences that brought the two together. So by the time she asks “Who’s by your side?” we know she knows exactly who’s by his side, and she also answers the question in the very next line. It may also be a form of epiplexis, using the question to admonish her beau (now ex-beau?) for his poor relationship choice to go back to his ex whom he said he “outgrew.”
Where art thou? Why not uponeth me? Bed Chem
Who else audibly cackled when they first heard this line? (Did I just ask a rhetorical question in a post about rhetorical questions?) “Where art thou” is a reference to “Wherefore art thou Romeo” from Romeo and Juliet, a play referenced by Taylor in Love Story. However, Sabrina changes the phrase from “wherefore,” meaning “why,” to “where,” asking literally “where are you.” When combined with “why not uponeth me” we see that these two lines combined are probably rhetorical questions. (Although given the song’s full lyrics perhaps it’s a real question, and she truly wants to know why he’s not with her…practicing their bed chem?) I believe this is a form of erotesis—positioning a question to elicit a strong reaction. It certainly elicited a strong laugh from me, and I’d imagine posing this question to the song's subject would elicit a very strong reaction of a different kind. These questions show Sabrina’s penchant for tongue-in-cheek humor and wordplay, and when used in the form of a question we get that characteristic sass we see again and again in her lyrics. These questions bring a lighthearted, fun element to a song that is otherwise incredibly sensual and sexual.
“Baby, you say you really like it being mine?” Good Graces
The song Good Graces has a simple, clear premise: if you like me, stay on my good side—or else. That makes Sabrina’s use of epiplexis, asking a question to admonish, a useful rhetorical question in a song all about how she’d admonish a man if he fails to stay in her good graces. The song lists all the ways he’d be admonished, repeating a chorus of “I won't give a fuck about you” to drive the point home. I call this rhetorical question the “sassy” or “sarcastic” question, as I imagine it said with a derisive, biting tone, which fits perfectly with the whole song. In fact, this type of rhetorical question fits perfectly with Sabrina’s entire songwriting style, as her lyrics are loaded with sarcastic, biting wit that gives her music its humor and lightheartedness.
Do Taylor and Sabrina use rhetorical questions the same way?
Sabrina seems to use rhetorical questions more humorously than Taylor does. The songs we explored in this week’s episode— “…Ready for it?” “Is It Over Now?” and “…Question?” aren’t humorous. They ask questions for different reasons—one to show a shift in a situation or a new album (“…Ready for it?”), another to highlight how over a relationship truly is (“Is It Over Now?”), and the third to explore a situationship (“…Question?”). Taylor’s rhetorical questions are used more as literary devices to help her tell the story, whereas Sabrina’s are often humorous one-liners. That makes perfect sense within the context of their songwriting styles: Taylor’s songwriting tells a story, whereas Sabrina’s songs are more of a witty limerick.
So while some say Sabrina is following in Taylor’s footsteps, I’d say she’s learning from Taylor and finding her own ways to use literary devices like rhetorical questions to complement her own unique artistic style. Ultimately, while both Taylor and Sabrina wield rhetorical questions to great effect, their differences reflect the diversity within pop music—a genre that as DJ Louie said, is “like fantasy football for gay people,” where we “delight in comparing and contrasting and seeing who stacks up against who, [and] how they all sit more broadly in our culture.”