I have been a fan of Taylor Swift since the Speak Now era, so when Swift announced she was releasing “The Life of a Showgirl” on my birthday, nonetheless, I immediately pre-saved the album. I have been restlessly waiting for the magical cover to officially grace my Spotify home page ever since.
In my experience, Swift’s pop albums are simply the best. “Speak Now,” “Reputation,” “1989,” “Lover,” and “Midnights” are my top five albums, which gives a little taste of what I like.
So, on Oct. 2 at 11 p.m., my roommates and I were all cozied up, having just watched the Miss Americana documentary, ready to embrace the new album.
We screen-shared the album on the TV and began our listening party. Since that night, I’ve listened to the album upward of five times, spent time on TikTok, and listened to Swift’s commentary about the album, so I’ve officially formed an opinion.
When “The Fate of Ophelia” immediately started playing, I knew this album was going to be a hit. The upbeat pop music was reminiscent of “Midnights,” a shift from the slower-paced, pop-synth of “The Tortured Poets Department.”
“Elizabeth Taylor,” named after the 1950s actress, reminds me of “The Lucky One” from the album “Red.” The song examines life in the spotlight, as Swift said Elizabeth Taylor was a highly scrutinized woman in her prime.
My favorites from the album were “Opalite,” “Ruin the Friendship,” “Honey,” and the title track.
“Opalite” and “Honey” are perfect for dancing around with friends. Both songs are about finding happiness, whether that be on your own or to disprove what others have said.
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Track six, “Ruin the Friendship,” is a song about living with regrets and how one should take chances and not let life pass by.
Finally, the title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” tells the story of a showgirl named Kitty who warns the audience of the cons of being a performer. This song had a particularly Broadway-ish feel to it, which I absolutely loved. Swift also sounded fabulous with Sabrina Carpenter, who is featured on the song.
“Father Figure” and “Eldest Daughter,” tracks four and five, weren’t particularly memorable, except for a few cringy lines being negatively discussed on social media. There was a key change at the end of “Father Figure,” which I loved. I also didn’t necessarily hate the so-called cringy lines or think they took away from the integrity of the song.
“Actually Romantic” is gaining attention at the moment, as many fans think it was written as a diss track against Charli XCX. The two women were friends and even performed together several years ago.
“Wi$h Li$t,” “Wood,” and “CANCELLED!” are my bottom 3 songs on the album, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say they are bad songs. They just don’t quite sound as lyrical or noteworthy as the rest of the album.
I have seen quite a lot of criticism for “The Life of a Showgirl,” but every Swift album is immediately highly criticized and everyone loves them within the year. “Reputation,” one of Swift’s most loved albums, was hated very deeply when it was first released, and is now highly praised.
Listeners also need to let go of the notion that all music must have deep meaning to be worth listening to. We should be able to enjoy music without having to open a dictionary or analyze deeper themes, especially on a pop album made for dancing.
The good thing about Taylor Swift is how many albums she’s made, so even if this one isn’t high on the list, there are hundreds of other songs to choose from and listen to that could fit someone’s taste.