Taylor Swift’s most recent album shows a new era in the artist’s discography.
If you’ve been on the internet lately you have seen that last week Taylor Swift released a new album. The Life of a Showgirl is Swift’s twelfth studio album and it has already broken records, but is it worth a listen? The Life of a Showgirl is the marking of a new era for Swift’s music, and her life This album showcases a happy version of Swift not seen in a while. The album is upbeat, happy and is filled with songs about her relationship with Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, considering her past with a new perspective and even a couple seeming diss tracks? Let’s dive in song by song with a bit of explanation from me (a life long Swiftie), and my review of the album overall.
“The Fate of Ophelia” is the first track for this album, and the only one so far with a music video. It references Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who goes insane and drowns after being treated badly and gaslit by a bunch of men. Swift references this to her life saying how Kelce “saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.” Essentially saying that even after all the bad relationships she’s gone through she was saved from going insane because of her relationship with Kelce. I really enjoyed this song and the music video for it. It’s a fun song that already has some fun dance moves associated with it.
“Elizabth Taylor” is the second track on the album, and is titled after the very well known actress Elizabeth Taylor. It takes experiences from her life that Swift can relate to, also being a very famous woman, and turns them into a song about anxiety in a relationship and others perceptions.
Opalite tells a story of finding happiness after having bad relationships in the past. Opalite is a man-made gemstone which serves as a metaphor for making your own happiness. Swift also chose this because Kelce’s birthstone is an opal. Swift gave the message that happiness isn’t something that always comes naturally, and that it is important to seek out happiness as well.
The Life of a Showgirl is Swift’s 12th studio album. Courtsey of @taylorswift on Spotify
“Father Figure” seems to be a dig at Swift’s old record label that sold her masters. For those who don’t know, Big Machine, Swift’s original record label, was really struggling when they signed Swift. The success of her songs was the only thing keeping them afloat for awhile, and she stuck with them even when it looked bad, only for the owner, Scott Borchetta, to sell her masters without telling Swift. They might have taken a chance on her, but Swift was the one “protecting the family,” giving them business and credibility. This song also samples a part of George Michaels song by the same name.
Any eldest daughters reading this? Get ready for “Eldest Daughter” to be a little too relatable, and even make you cry. This track is about the struggle known as “Eldest Daughter Syndrome,” examining how being the eldest daughter affects a woman in her life, while also touching on how the internet encourages an apathetic “cool girl” aesthetic that is difficult to achieve. As an eldest daughter I have to say Swift hit it right on the money with this one. It is a relatable song for me and many other eldest daughters I know.
“Ruin the Friendship” takes us back to high school and asks the question, “If I had taken those chances, would it have really been the big deal I thought it would be?” This song starts upbeat but ends with a sad twist in the bridge referencing Jeff Lang, Swift’s close high school friend who died in 2010 after struggling with depression and addiction.
“Actually Romantic” is a love letter to those people who make it their whole personality to hate Swift when they don’t even know her. It discusses how Swift can appreciate how much effort some people put into a one sided feud. Fans have also speculated it is a diss towards Charli XCX, who has said some not so nice things about Swift, and has her own song she put out recently that is speculated to be about her. Personally I think this song isn’t about one specific person, but rather a group of people that hate on Swift, fellow celebrities and audience alike.
“Wi$h Li$t” is a song showcasing what Swift wants next in her life. It shows her hope for everyone to get what they want out of life no matter what it is, but she doesn’t need to want the same things. It isn’t rude or insincere but shows how Swift has entered a new era of her life so instead of wanting awards and busy cities, she wants kids and a bit of privacy.
“Wood” is a very risqué song that shows appreciation for Travis Kelce. With references to different superstitions that we all have and how Swift and Kelce happened without that luck Swift thought she would have to have in order to have a successful relationship. She no longer feels as though her relationship is hanging on because she’s lucky. Some of those superstitions include knocking on wood, black cats, stepping on cracks, and unlucky pennies.
“CANCELLED!” is about how Swift doesn’t let cancel culture affect her relationships, instead she lets the person’s actions speak for them. Fans speculate this song is about Blake Lively, who recently was in a controversy surrounding her accusations of sexual harassment against Justin Baldoni. Swift and Lively have been friends for years and this song proves that won’t be changing anytime soon.
“Honey” is about how Kelce has reframed pet names for Swift, no longer being a sarcastic “lovely” or a condescending “Sweetheart.” Instead the meaning of these words have changed when they are being used by someone who loves and appreciates you. So when Kelce calls her pet names it comes off differently that when it is a person who doesn’t really care about Swift.
“The Life of a Showgirl” (feat: Sabrina Carpenter) is the title track of the album and is a story of two girls (Taylor and Sabrina) who get advice from a fictional Showgirl, Kitty, about how the life is not all it seems, and how they took that advice to use it within their own careers. Taylor and Sabrina’s voices blend together nicely and Sabrina’s voice brings a nice take on Taylor’s lyrics, adding a rougher sort of twang to the vocals.
Most of the songs on this album follow the same pattern lyrically,being above average but a bit below average for Swift. Despite not being as sophisticated as some of her other albums have been recently, it still holds a level of lyricism rarely reached by other artists. This is an album filled with songs that get stuck in your head with a sort of timely catchiness one can see across pop music. One can definitely pull an impromptu dance party with this album as most of the tracks have music great for dancing. As for the music itself, the producers, Max Martin and Shellback, have their signature style shining in the music but in a way that compliments each song and Swift’s overall vision for this album. Generally,I enjoy this album and think it’s a fun time and a great album to recommend to a newer Swiftie as it gives a taste of what Swift is capable of.
This album has been receiving mixed reviews from fans, with many not enjoying it as much or criticizing the lack of deep complex lyrics. In my opinion it is a fun, upbeat album with happy vibes. The lyricism is still great despite it not being as deep as The Tortured Poets Department. It seems that Taylor is at a point in her life where she is happy and wants to write fun songs and I fully embrace that. My suggestion is to give the album a listen and make your own opinion on it. It truly has it all. Gorgeous photos and graphics, catchy songs, great production and the fun and community that comes with every Taylor Swift album. It is personally becoming one of my favorite of Swift’s albums and I encourage every Swiftie, casual fan and even non-fans to give this album a listen.
