Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ in Review:

By: Emma Peterson

Album Overview

Taylor Swift, one of the biggest names in all of pop music, released her 12th album: ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ on Friday, Oct. 3.

Inspiration for ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ leads back to Swift’s time on the Eras Tour, and everything she was experiencing during the show.

After Swift first announced the album back in August on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast ‘New Heights,’ fans were thrilled to hear the album would be a new and happier sound. With producers Max Martin and Shellback, who have worked on ‘Red’ and ‘1989’ with Swift, the album was sure to have an iconic pop feel.

Since the release, fans are having mixed feelings on the album. Where some songs receive overwhelming praise, others not so much. Many Swifties see a dramatic change in lyrics from ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ to this, and are super thrilled.

Diving Deeper: A Look into Each Song

Taking a deeper dive into each of Swift’s songs is where we truly see the showgirl theme come to life. Her album reads:

The Fate of Ophelia

Elizabeth Taylor

Opalite

Father Figure

Eldest Daughter

Ruin The Friendship

Actually Romantic

Wi$h Li$t

Wood

CANCELLED!

Honey

The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)

‘The Fate of Ophelia,’ ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ and ‘Opalite’ open the album in a very engaging way. The songs are fun, catchy and energetic with writing that feels authentic to the singer. 

Listeners are able to catch the theme encompassing the album with lyrics like “You were dancing through the lighting strike, Sleepless in the onyx night, But now the sky is opalite,” from track three: ‘Opalite.’

The Fate of Ophelia⭐⭐⭐⭐

Elizabeth Taylor⭐⭐⭐⭐

Opalite⭐⭐⭐⭐

The next song, ‘Father Figure,’ is a new take on George Michael's 1987 song ‘Father Figure.’  Swift’s rendition takes a different approach, through the lens of reclaiming her masters.

Father Figure⭐⭐⭐⭐

Track five, ‘Eldest Daughter,’ has received the brunt of the criticism for this album. Taylor Swift is notorious for making each album’s track five a gutwrenchingly sad song. For example, ‘Folklore’s’ track five was ‘my tears ricochet,’ and ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ was ‘So Long, London. ‘

For eldest daughters, like myself, ‘Eldest Daughter’ did not resonate in the way I thought it would. The lyrics felt lackluster and 

Eldest Daughter⭐

On the flip side, ‘Ruin The Friendship’ is another track that has received positive notes from fans. Many picked up on the fact it is about Jeff Lang, a high school friend of hers who sadly passed away. The song is about telling someone how you feel before it’s too late. 

Ruin The Friendship⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Actually Romantic’ is arguably the most controversial song off the album. Swift starts off strong saying “I heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you brave.” The song is rumored to be a hit at singer CharliXCX. Swift’s track mimics a song title similar to one off CharliXCX’s ‘Brat’, ‘Everything is Romantic’, but the actual song that is rumored to be about Swift is ‘Sympathy is a Kife.’

Actually Romantic⭐⭐⭐

‘Wi$h Li$t’ is self explanatory, in that the singer goes on to list off the things she wishes for. Some of the lyrics include “Have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you” and “Got me dreaming about a driveway with a basketball hoop.”

Wi$h Li$t⭐⭐

‘Wood’ is all about luck and “knocking on wood.” This is one of Swift’s more scandalous songs, and is rumored to be about Travis Kelce. Lyrics like “New Heights of manhood” confirm this theory as ‘New Heights’ is the podcast the football star cohosts alongside his brother.

Wood⭐⭐

‘CANCELLED!’ is an edgier song off the album, where Swift hints at the overwhelming culture of canceling women in the spotlight for things such as “making a joke only a man could.”

CANCELLED!⭐⭐

‘Honey’ is about altering the meaning behind the nickname. It’s about reforming something that can be used condescendingly into an endearing term because of your significant other.

Honey⭐⭐⭐

The final and title track of the album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ features Eras Tour opener and global pop sensation, Sabrina Carpenter. The song ties the album together by telling a story about a fan wanting to be just like the star she sees on stage, and then details the fan becoming the showgirl in the end.

The ending of the song is accompanied by audio of the final show of the Eras Tour in Vancouver, Canada where she thanks everyone on tour with her and wishes the crowd a goodnight.

The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)⭐⭐

Where I agree with the general feelings towards the lyrics of certain songs, I enjoyed the album. I think some of the critiques for Swift’s newest pop album are a bit too harsh. The album is fun. I feel confident in saying there doesn’t have to be a super deep meaning behind songs for them to be enjoyable.