Opening Number
While many fans are questioning the lyrical depth of “The Life of a Showgirl”, comparing it to “The Tortured Poets Department” may be too drastic of a comparison. TLOAS seems like a celebration album to Swift after recently closing The Eras Tour, buying back her music, and being newly engaged to NFL chief’s player, Travis Kelce. This album is the era showcasing her happiness, confidence, and creativity. Through the orange color scheme, listeners get a brighter vibe already. Recognizing these details is a good reminder that even though it may not be as poetic as a past album, it can be refreshing for fans to have a new catchy pop album.
Encore Moments
Throughout the 12 brand new songs, the top three standout tracks for me were Elizabeth Taylor, Ruin the Friendship, and Father Figure.
Elizabeth Taylor is the second song featured on “The Life of a Showgirl” and has been referenced in a past Swift song titled “Ready for It”. Elizabeth Taylor was a famous actress known for her active love life which led to a lot of media scrutiny. Through this song we can explore and understand more of how Taylor deals with fame and having relationships in the public eye. Personally, I believe this song had a lot of strategic parallels that show Swift’s creativity. Using Elizabeth Taylor’s legacy to reflect on her own displays how clever the song truly is as she isn’t just mentioning the actress but using her as a symbol.
“Ruin the Friendship” was another standout track for me. This song reflects on a friendship from Swift’s high school years that sadly passed away. We explore the feelings of loss, regret, and how Taylor never truly expressed her feelings for this person. While this song carries emotional weight, I believe having a deep song like this really can give fans an insider perspective on Swift’s feelings. At the end of the song, Swift encourages others to not make the mistakes she made which I think adds depth to the song and was a good way to close out.
The last standout track was “Father Figure”. “Father Figure” explores the dynamics of power, relationships, and betrayal. Swift molds into this masculine power figure that demands more from an artist which mirrors her own perspective of the music Industry. I think this song is inspired by her former boss, Scott Borchetta, which again is another well-crafted symbol as she embodies her experience in the song. Overall, the use of metaphors and the narrative shift really elevate this song which made it stand out to me.
Backstage
Swift mentioned each of the 12 songs feel like you can choose your own adventure. As a listener I agree with this statement as she was able to blend modern references with almost Shakespeare storytelling that made the whole album fun. Even though each song has its positive aspects, I don’t know if I would consider each song to be perfect. A song that sadly did not stand out for me was “The Eldest Daughter”. “The Eldest Daughter” was a track 5 which for Taylor Swift albums tend to be the most vulnerable song. Although this song felt personal towards her, it did not have the same effect as her past track 5’s as the song felt like it lacked story-telling due to the phrases she used that some fans even went to describe as “cringy”.
Closing Curtain
Listening to “The Life of a Showgirl” was such a unique way to get insight on what Swift has felt through different experiences of her life. Whether she is presenting a show with songs like “Opilate” and “The Fate of Ophelia” or taking us behind the scenes with songs such as “CANCELLED” and “Ruin the Friendship” the entire album was easy to make us step into her shoes. While this album may not be at the top of rankings, I still think this showcased Swifts impressive creativity with making music.