October 3, the day Swiftie’s had all been waiting for, has arrived. Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has finally been released. From the day she announced it on August 13 to the midnight album drop on October 3, fans were on the edge of their seat waiting to hear the twelve new tracks, along with picking apart Swift’s hidden meanings in her brand new lyrics.
Swift’s last release, “The Tortured Poets Department”, in April of 2024, has left fans waiting for something new. Now, 532 days later, their itch has been scratched.
Swift had a premiere for the album in theatres that was full of fun information and never-before-seen media. I was lucky enough to see it myself, along with my sister, Bristol, and friend, Troy. Lyric videos for all the tracks were included, as well as “The Fate of Ophelia” music video and little pieces of backstory for each of the tracks. The theatres were packed full of excited fans and friendship-bracelet trading, a tradition started from Swift’s “Eras Tour”.
“The Fate of Ophelia,” track one, starts the album off strong. Along with it being first, it is also my favorite on the album. Songs with fun, bouncy beats with catchy lyrics to go along are always my go-tos. With inspiration from Shakespeare, Swift alluded to Ophelia, whose fate was death. “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes” is my favorite lyric and piece of the song, because it alludes to her real-life relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce. The track is loaded with fun visuals, which is the cherry on top of the song.
Being the only song on the album with a music video (so far, at least), “The Fate of Ophelia” had high expectations. Swift maintained the “showgirl” aesthetic, incorporating themes from the 1950s and the “showgirl” era in general.
Getting to see behind the scenes of directing the video and seeing the tiny, intricate details, like what it takes to put on a production like Swift and her team did, felt very personal. Lots of movement and eye-catching outfits played a significant role in the overall production. Instead of words shifting on and off the screen with a plain background, Swift did small takes of scenes from her music video and incorporated them into visually pleasing backdrops, along with lyrics popping off the screen. She correlated her outfits to each song as well, pulling the whole movie together seamlessly.
“Elizabeth Taylor,” a song that Swift mentioned in the premiere, showed the parallelism of her life to Elizabeth Taylor’s, an iconic actress from the 1940s and 1950s. She explained that she took bits and pieces from Taylor’s showgirl life that mirrored hers and incorporated them in the song. “Elizabeth Taylor” has a strong lead and powerful vocals. Swift sprinkling in the title throughout the song adds the touch of Elizabeth Taylor herself, feeding into the similarities Swift is alluding to. The slight touch of a hard love song, such as the subtle lyric, “don’t you ever end up anything but mine,” and “I can’t have fun if I can’t have you,” is what makes this track fit into the love puzzle easily.
“Opalite”, my other favorite off the album, is bubbly and appealing. Swift mentioned that since opalite is a man-made imitation of opal, the song serves as a metaphor for intentionally creating your own happiness. She also mentioned that success does not come from nothing, as you have to build your own success. Swift compares the “onyx night” to a new “opalite sky” in her lyrics, resembling the meaning previously explained.
“Father Figure” is a song that displays Swift’s power in the music industry. Swift mentions in the lyrics that she “protects the family.” In the premiere, Swift explains that when producing “Father Figure,” she envisioned two sides battling over power, specifically a son versus father-type relationship. Her being the higher power mentioned in the song mirrors her real-life throne with her mastery of her first six albums. Having just regained ownership of them after being owned by Scooter Braun out of spite, “Father Figure” could be about the battle she has fought since they were sold. I love the assertiveness she portrays, as shown in the metaphorical lyric, “you wanna fight, you found it, I got the place surrounded.” Swift explains her strict work ethic and sets herself in a firm place of being the father figure, or higher power.
“Eldest Daughter” is a vulnerable song that captures her experience as an eldest daughter. Swift uses the slow-paced melody of a piano to set the mood of the life of the eldest daughter. She mentions in her lyrics how seriously life is taken, and how she’s “never gonna let you down.” Although not an upbeat song like the rest, I think it balances out the album. The story of how the eldest daughter never believed in a fairytale of love until it happened is a nice way to keep the story of the album’s aesthetic, while also veering into the negatives of the positives.
“Ruin The Friendship” is a song about a high school what-if situation. Swift focuses heavily on her imagery, telling a story of a potential love, but it was lost in the past because she never took a chance on ruining the friendship. “Should’ve kissed you anyway” encapsulates that idea seamlessly. Swift advised in her premiere to always take the chance. “If it goes wrong, well, at least you know,” she states. Although this story does not have a happy ending, it’s a cute song to listen to if you ever need comfort in feeling regretful of the past.
“Actually Romantic” captures the idea of “any attention is good attention.” Swift uses the simile of a “tiny chihuahua barking from a tiny purse” to show the mental effect that hate has on her. The smooth beat the song has adds to the element of how negative attention doesn’t hurt her. I admire the way Swift can deflect negativity and turn it into a positive for herself. I love the saltiness Swift sprinkles in with the jabs she shoots at people who wasted their time hating on her.
“Wi$h Li$t,” a track that compares the dream desires of a typical person to hers. She paints a picture with imagery in her lyrics once again, to her dream life ideas, such as having a couple of kids, a driveway with a basketball hoop, and “you” or her fiancé Kelce. I think it’s a cute song; I enjoy listening to Swift envision a normal white collar future with her fiancé, unlike the life she lives currently, her life as a showgirl.
“Wood” adds to the love story, upbeat vibe of the album as a whole. The superstitions mentioned in the song, such as knocking on wood or black cats, build the thought of Swift’s relationship with Kelce. She mentions that he is her “favorite person she’s ever met,” and she doesn’t want to jinx the foundation they’ve built. I really like the happiness she poured into Wood. You can hear the smile in her voice as she sings this carefully curated track about how superstitions affect her view on love.
“CANCELLED!” has a strong and dark tone. Another one of my favorites, “CANCELLED!,” is about cancel culture and her peers around her experiencing the shame of the internet. I love the rough lyrics Swift incorporates with the beat. I feel her lyrics add to the negativity of being canceled. “Did they catch you having far too much fun?” reflects the feelings of internet fans when they are sent over the edge because of their sensitive minds. Cancel culture is harsh; fan bases go to extreme measures to protect their idols, like twisting words or intently watching the opposing persons’ every move to make nothing look like something. Swift took this sensitivity and did what she does best: made a song out of it.
The title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter, is the perfect closer to TS12. The song mentions a fictional showgirl, Kitty. Swift and Carpenter describe Kitty’s showgirl life and her advice as they set the scene. They quote Kitty in her saying, “Thank you for the lovely bouquet, you’re sweeter than a peach, but you don’t know the life of the showgirl.” Later in the song, the view changes as Swift and Carpenter sing that lyric, showing the shift as they take on the life of a showgirl. The two knew exactly what they were getting into when they joined the big leagues of the music industry. This track is a perfect way of encapsulating their jobs as a whole.
Swift explained with love that she picked Carpenter to feature on the title song because she felt that Carpenter was also living the life of a showgirl. She understands the hustle it takes to be as successful as she is. Swift specifically mentioned that when Carpenter was on tour abroad, she took her days off to film her music video instead of relaxing and resting. And that is the life of a showgirl for you.
