The Life of a Showgirl
Oh boy, here we go.
Unsurprisingly, in less than a week within the release of Taylor Swift’s 12 studio album The Life of a Showgirl, the internet has gone wild. As fun as it is to get wrapped up in all of the discourse and drama, there is simply too much to unpack here. And frankly, I don’t want to. I have immense respect for Taylor Swift and have been a fan since I was 7 years old. At the same time, I honestly don’t care that much about her - or any celebrity. Because thats… normal. We’ve found ourselves obsessed with her life in 2025 because she has been letting us into her life for years via her songs. Because she treated top-chart records like a diary, we grew up with her singing songs that felt relateable and close-to-home.
But The Life of a Showgirl was a clear reminder of just how out-of-touch Taylor really is from everyone now. Everything from the title, to the album’s glitzy-glam aesthetic to songs like CANCELLED! (where Swift reminds us of how… corrupt?… and powerful? her friend group is), or Wi$h Li$t (where she explains other people money but she only wants her manz because… well, she already has money!), or The Life of a Showgirl (where her and Sabrina Carpenter remind us that we are never going to understand their lives) all serve as reminders for just how out-of-touch Taylor is with all of us now. This is not her fault, per say, but the inevitable consequence of acquiring the level of fame and wealth that Swift simply has. This, of course, looks quite bad when combined with the marketing tactics that Swift is currently catching strays for (i.e. a ridiculous number of vinyl/CD copies, AI-generated videos, etc.).
The other feature of the record standing out to people (and certainly to myself) is the writing. Off the bat, we all clocked that Swift’s writing in The Life of a Showgirl wasn’t quite… on par with the rest of her records. I physically can not bring myself to write about Wood - plus, I wouldn’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, other than the fact that it is clear that working alongside Sabrina has rubbed off on Taylor. I have said it before and I will say it again now, but Ms. Carpenter really has change the tide around pop writing. The success of her songs (despite the atrocious songwriting) has artists everywhere embracing the *hehe silly just for shits-and-giggles* super-sexual writing style. I thought Swift would be safe from this trend, though I should have known better, considering she was already starting to embrace more sexual subtleties on TTPD. While no one in pop should really ever in any circumstance be writing about anything about penises, it most certainly should not be Taylor Swift. Not because I care about her purity or any of that BS, but because it is genuinely cringe. Sabrina might be able to pull off the on-stage dirty-talk, but horny just… isn’t for Taylor.
This connects to the biggest problem of this record. What Gen-Z may be responding to poorly here is Taylor’s, well, millennial-ness. Looking back, Lover actually felt like Taylor’s most recent record that felt truly age-appropriate. Midnights (and her questionable relationship with Ice Spice) was when some people began to be turned-off, and lines like “down bad crying at the gym” and “touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto” solidified the cringe of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. The Life of a Showgirl is the full embrace of the beer-chugging Taylor you see on the big screens at football games now. No doubt, this musical maturity reversal has something to do with the shift from dating grumpy old-man Mr. Joe Alwyn to fun-loving star Travis Kelce. It's clear that Kelce is keeping Swift youthful and lively and “magical”, as she herself has stated. This dynamic is actually the focal point of The Fate of Ophelia, the opening track. But it manifests in a carelessness that weakens Swift’s music, allowing for lines like: “Every single hot take is as cold as ice”; “I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness; but I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage”; “So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire”; and “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?” But Taylor isn’t just using modern-day TikTok-talk. She’s also reviving ancient vocabulary: “They want that spring break that was fuckin’ lit.” I am not lying when I say this was my first time hearing the word “lit” in years. “Pledge allegiance to your vibes” is an equally mind-boggling line. I wouldn’t even say that. I don’ think anyone our age would say that. I don’t think anyone ever would say that.
Eldest Daughter in particular has some of the worst writing on the record, but I have to admit it is a touching post-proposal song. Something about that main line “I’m never gonna leave you now” feels heavy, especially within the conext of her recent engagement. It captures well the weight of looking ahead at the rest of your life with someone. At the same time, Eldest Daughter showcases some of the worst studio vocal performance we’ve seen from Swift. Another noteable highlight is the Actually Romantic bridge, with the back-and-forth antagonistic dialogue style. The now TikTok-famous section of the song is admittedly fun… until Taylor starts singing about being wet…
Ultimately, I think Taylor is able to get away with her worst songwriting yet because these are some of the best melodies we’ve gotten in a long time. The Jack Antonoff-produced moody, long-winded sad girl cinematic slow burn tracks weren’t cutting it anymore. It was time for a revival of the old, climactic Taylor sound - and it worked. Soncially, The Life of a Showgirl is somewhere in between 1989 and reputation with it’s own vintage twist (embodied in the classic glam aesthetic of the album). The upbeat catchiness of these tracks was much appreciated. Most of the choruses are ones that make you dance, sing, and stay in your head all day - the core reason we all fell in love with Taylor Swift songs back in the beginning. The overall sound of the record is timeless.
That being said, I do think the album started off stronger than it finished. The The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, Opalite, Father Figure back-to-back run is way too strong compared to the rest of the album. The imabalance makes the record feel progressively less memorable and more useless as it goes on. She could have at least diffused the first tracks into the rest of the record. Father Figure is the funnest for me personally, with Ruin the Friendship being the hardest skip.
So, while people debate about the 28 vinyl installations and AI-generated videos and Charli xcx drama, you will probably find me listening to every other song every couple of weeks or so. The Life of a Showgirl isn’t Taylors best - nor is it her worst. It is, however, the clear beginning of a new era. I believe the relateable Taylor we once knew is officially gone. Still, no matter what from point of view she is singing from, her Swift’s talent for storytelling (and pop music) will always, always make people come back.
