From album to album, re-release after re-release, the musical icon’s newest album, “The Life of A Showgirl,” was highly anticipated and long-awaited among Taylor Swift fans.
On top of her newly minted album, Swift announced a movie, “Taylor Swift | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” where fans and viewers had the chance to see the inner workings behind the upbeat record.
I went into the theatre with no preconceived notions. I hadn’t had the chance to listen to the album yet, and was excited to hear the music for the very first time. I was eager to listen to the lyrics based on some of the song titles I read, such as “Eldest Daughter,” “Father Figure,” and “Ruin the Friendship.”
The movie follows the behind-the-scenes of the first track on Swift’s new album, “The Fate of Ophelia.” Swift opens up about how the music video for the tragic but upbeat song was made as her vision comes to life.
In between various clips of the video, Swift talks about each of her tracks and the vision behind them. Following Swift’s preview of the song, as she sits atop a director’s chair with a smile on her face, the lyric video for each of the tracks plays.
Though there were only six of us in the audience, including me and my two friends, I truly enjoyed every minute of it. When I went to see the “Eras Tour Movie,” the theater was packed, and I remember having to brush past Swifties and their parents just to get to my seat.
I spent every second of that movie screaming lyrics at the top of my lungs, dancing and singing with my roommates in my Eras Tour hoodie I purchased, probably for a little too much, when I saw Swift live in Kansas City.
This movie was definitely a change of pace. There was no sing-along, no dancing in the aisles littered with popcorn and candy. But somehow, that added to the allure and experience of the whole thing.
Swift has this way of capturing her audience simply by the way she holds herself. She speaks in a sophisticated, wholesome, and real fashion. Many pop stars aren’t like that. Oftentimes, you can’t even tell whether they are being their authentic, true self.
Preceding each of the lyric videos, Swift provided a short clip about why she wrote the song and the underlying meaning behind each track
This helped me truly understand and relate to the song in a way I don’t think I would have been able to do if I had listened to the album in my car or in my living room. Each lyric video had a kaleidoscope effect with the lyrics laid over in perfect synchrony.
Each clip was wholesome and genuine, and you could see the passion and the strife behind every chord, every lyric, and every song simply by the way Swift described and prefaced each video.
The making of the music video was the same. Raw, candid, and honest. Every mistake, every success, all painted and portrayed in a beautiful shot. At the beginning of the movie, the full music video for “The Fate of Ophelia” played uninterrupted. Then, as the film continued, the filmmaking process was on display.
The hard work, dedication, and trust that go into the whole process were portrayed exquisitely, and it was amazing to witness. It felt like a personal moment of Swift’s that she felt comfortable sharing with an audience. That, in and of itself, is as Swift would put it, “actually romantic.”