For me, I’ve always called Taylor Swift a representative of what I deem “good songwriting”. This past weekend, however, I was reluctant to continue…. This past weekend, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl”. The album, containing 12 tracks, has left Swifties very torn. I myself am one of them.
I, for one, have been a very big Swiftie for the majority of my life. I still remember when 1989 took the internet by storm, and dancing to shake it off in 2014. I recently reconnected with her music when the eras tour started, and honestly have never been more obsessed with a music artist ever. Her music helped me to fall in love with music as a whole, and now listening to music, playing music, and collecting music are part of who I am.
I’ve naturally felt more drawn to Folklore and Evermore, because of the intense storytelling and songwriting within them. So when Taylor said on the New Heights podcast that even though the new album would have “infectious anthems”, she didn’t want to leave the ‘folklore writing’ behind and that she was “married to that kind of writing”. Needless to say, I was excited. So excited that I bought all of the vinyl variants, all 4 signed CDs and deluxe CDs (a purchase of which I am very much regretting now…)
Everyone was keenly awaiting the release of the new album. What really got me excited was that someone on TikTok had posted a comment saying the album was probably going to be 12 tracks, just like ‘Anti-Hero from Midnights. As a big fan of Midnights, I was very excited.
Naturally, when the album came out, many people were disappointed, including me.
When you are as successful as her, with all the money, time, creative power, and control in the world, I do really wonder why she put this record out. What Taylor did even just a year ago was incredible. Her albums were more than just the music. They were complete eras which could be lived through through her music. Outfits, haircuts, aesthetic choice, colour and performances all corresponded with her music. There was lore, actual lore, not just from gossip and mega-fans speculating on the internet. The albums had a start, middle, and an end. The albums were highly thought through, each a universe of itself. Usually, the albums also had a creative goal, one not specifically related to the music itself. Speak Now, for example, was to prove to the haters that she could write an entire album herself, a skill of which some people questioned after Fearless. 1989 was to prove that she could write a sonically cohesive album after the mixed pop-rock-country blend that was Red. The last time Taylor had a “goal” for an album was Folklore. Folklore almost marks the beginning of the end (not to imply that Evermore wasn’t great, but it was more of an appendix to folklore rather than a separate project). Then came Midnights and Tortured Poets. Both albums, with enough bonus tracks to make a second album, have begun to be called data dumps by some. While they were a pain to sift through, where gems would get lost in the sheer volume of tracks on both albums, there were gems! Midnights and Tortured Poets were a handful, but they offered much reward—lyricism, drama, pop songs, personal moments, and images were all there, if you spent the time to unpack them.
Sadly, a common feeling among Swifties was that Life of a Showgirl has taken some of the unfortunate snags of her latest works—the awkward use of modern vocabulary and slang, sickeningly sweet wordiness, and the inability to look past the experiences of being anything except famous—and has lost the qualities that still made the albums worth listening to. As perfectly said by Louis on Pop Pantheon, back in the Speak Now era, Taylor had a gift for being able to universalise her ‘famous person’ experiences into writing which anyone could relate to. Even being one of the largest music stars in the world, even in songs written about being famous, she had a gift for inviting you into a world— a world in which everyone was able to find universality with her feelings.
Now, you need the tabloids and mega-swifties to understand half of what she’s talking about. She has abandoned storytelling for directness and an assurance that everything will be fine now that she’s found someone who wants to get married. I really wanted to see if this album could convince me of all the ‘great’ of Travis Kelce, and what made him the one, the one she wanted to marry.
Though Max Martin and Shellback are truly amazing producers, they need to be paired with the right artist. Taylor has always been one of the best artists for Max because of their compatibility, with Taylor’s voice and creative instinct, and Max’s genius. While many, including myself, agree that this album didn’t showcase Max and Shellback as well as say 1989 or Reputation, that doesn’t inherently mean that this album wasn’t at least somewhat sonically interesting.
As someone who has been nothing short of enraptured by her storytelling in her last few albums, this album feels like a complete letdown. There’s no “Lakes” or “Black Dog” on this album that made me cry, or sit in silence after it was over. To me, there is nothing remotely close. Some people will say that I’m just hating on fun, happy, upbeat songs, some even going as far as to say that I am not happy for her that she’s happy. That could not be further from the truth. As an avid pop fan, there is nothing more fulfilling to me than a pop song that is still lyrically somewhat complex. “Style” and “You are in Love” are some of my favourites; “Bejewelled” and “Karma” still have something going for them. Even “So High School” (my surprise song), though on the weaker side of TTPD lyrically, is still better than all of these songs.
I think I ultimately keep coming to the question: Why release this album? Why keep releasing music? She has no obligation to. She’s released more music in the last 5 years than most artists have in their entire career. She’s just finished one of the largest tours in history, and has enough money for 13 lifetimes. A “bad” album is understandable from an early artist, facing pressure from a record label to produce, produce, produce. Taylor Swift, however, is one of maybe 5 artists who don’t face that pressure.? This album does not strengthen her image as one of the best songwriters of this generation. She has to know this. So why release it?
The only plausible answer is money.
The Fate of Ophelia
To me, the Fate of Ophelia was almost there, just like the chicken stopped halfway from crossing the road. The concept of the track is based on the story of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In the track, Taylor compares herself to Ophelia, except this time, she is being saved from her fate. In the track, it is so evidently clear that the love interest is Travis. Take the lyric “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes,”. This really didn’t sit well with me, especially considering the implications of pledging to the American flag right now. In this song, she’s pictured as the damsel being saved. This just felt like such contrast from lyrics like “I want to wear is initial on a chain round my neck/not because he owns me/but cause he really knows me.” I can see the link she’s trying to make here, that between TTPD and getting her masters back that Travis has come in, like a knight in shining armour to save her from her ‘madness’ because of her last break-up.
Elizabeth Taylor
This song is pretty typical for Taylor—essentially, men can’t handle my fame. It also incorporates the idea of trading material things for love. What really got me was the sheer number of designer name drops on this album. Cartier, Balenciaga, Gucci, etc.. What honestly irked me was the line: “What could you possibly get for the girl who has everything and nothing at all at once?” This isn’t exactly new; she’s tried to play herself off as an underdog and a victim for a long time. She liked to play this off as relatable and did for a long, long time. It's honestly gotten old, though. Taylor Swift does not have “nothing at all.”
Opalite
This is one of those songs that sound kind of alright if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics at all. I can sorta tell that she’s trying to express that life and love aren’t as straightforward as she thought, but the lyrics just make it messy with a bunch of contradictions. “All of the foes and all of the friends / Have messed up before, they’ll mess up again,” “life is a song, it ends when it ends,” “All the perfect couples said, ‘When you know, you know’/And, ‘When you don’t, you don’t.’” Honestly, this song just made me wish she had a good editor to tell her, er, “Hey Taylor, maybe you didn’t need to say that again.” She is really just throwing around a bunch of cliches in the chorus, and empty sayings throughout the rest of it, which really just questions why this was needed in the first place. While maybe a bit mean, I did find myself reading a copy Dr Seuss’s ‘One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” and honestly just laughing because TLOASG sounded exactly the same….
Father Figure
Since “Mad Woman” on Folklore and “no body, no crime” on evermore, it seems she’s built a habit of putting a song on her album where she pretends to be like a mobster? I really don’t get this song… At the end of the song, she flips on the person she’s offering to be a father figure for, but it's really out of nowhere, it's really hard to figure out who she’s actually talking to….I will say, I really liked when she did “The Man” and her whole personal brand of feminism in that song, but “You made a deal with the devil, turns out my dick’s bigger.”Really?
I’ve seen some people say that this is about Olivia Rodrigo? Seeing as how the track is somewhat reminiscent of seeing yourself in a younger artist and then turning on them, but honestly, I have absolutely no idea what this is about.
Eldest Daughter
I honestly had such high hopes for this, considering its a track 5, but opening it with “Everybody’s so punk on the Internet,”? And then following it with “trolls,” “memes,” “cutthroat in the comments,” “hot take,”? It's giving somewhere between “how goes it fellow kids” and “pack it up, grandma.” I also viciously hate how this is all sung over a piano ballad?? It feels almost like a Kidz Bop parody/cover of a TS song. I’d love to hear extreme realism in her songs and especially about haters on the internet, but honestly, I wish she’d do it better than whatever this is.
What really irritates me is that there are some good lines here. That verse ends with “When you found me, I said I was busy / That was a lie.” It hints at the beginning of a story that I’m dying to hear more of. She follows it with what I think is one of, if not the best line of the whole album (which isn’t saying much): “I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness.” But, instead of going into that deeper, she just moves on, saying some terrible line featuring “bad bitch” and “savage”. Instead of a good chorus about the flaws of being an eldest daughter (one of which I would’ve loved to hear, considering I’m the eldest daughter), she writes some shallow stuff about how she’ll never leave this guy’s side, which strangely feels besides the point. I can’t help but feel like each song on this album somehow loops back around to “I pledge allegiance to my man.” I honestly don’t see what she sees. Also, how was this a track 5? Like, they’re all bad, but “Ruin the Friendship” was right there.
Then, she makes it worse by finally giving some actual imagery. She explains that the last time she’s laughed this hard was when she must’ve been 8 playing on a trampoline. This honestly just stands out because it's the only true ‘imagery’ in this entire album. She follows this with saying she broke her arm that day and then relates it to other moments where you lose your innocence as a child, like when your crush doesn’t like you back, and when you have to learn to be careful with what you share. She ends by saying it was a lie when she said she didn’t believe in marriage. I personally really liked her era of ‘stop asking me when I’m getting married’, but this was slightly disappointing. It's honestly just a summary of everything that’s happened since she broke up with Matty. Since getting with Travis, she’s used the relationship to become such a tradwife? I just find it very sad, considering her character only 2 years ago.
What really tipped me over the edge was when she introduced the concept that eldest daughters are like the first lambs for slaughter, as a means of self-protection, we dressed up as wolves, then she totally destroyed the moment by saying that “we all looked fire.” Are you serious?
Ruin the Friendship
I’m not going to lie, I thought that this song was going to be a friendship-breakup song, and as someone going through that right now, it was something I was dying to hear...
I honestly didn’t like this track, but I do appreciate that it’s the only track on the album that is remotely personal and vulnerable.? It's the only track that has any kind of storytelling, and it honestly didn’t do it too badly.
This track is slightly redeeming because it really sets the scene and begins to tell a story. Ultimately, this track is about Jeff, a high school friend of hers who died in 2010 (same guy as in Forever Winter). At the end of the song, we hear that Taylor gets a phone call from her friend Abigail saying that this teenage crush has passed away. Taylor goes on to describe the funeral, and how even at his grave she’s still saying that she “Should’ve kissed you anyway.” Finally, the song addresses the listener (in a very “You’re on Your Own Kid” way), giving them advice on ruining the friendship.
As much as I do like that with her age has come wisdom, and how that reflects in songs. I wish she would leave some of it behind. It feels like she’s almost stuck in high school still. She is 35 and going to be married, yet she is still singing about high school?
Actually Romantic
I’m honestly torn with this song. On the one hand, the song is very funny and totally gives mean girl vibes (think Janis and Regina), on the other hand, I am more upset with the offensive writing towards Charli XCX.
In this track, Taylor is attacking someone she believes has wronged her. Starting with “Mean” on Speak Now, Taylor has also had a habit of putting songs on the album that truly obliterates someone who has wronged her (not in a romantic way). They usually work because they’re so specific. On this track, Taylor claims that hearing this person (Charli) say bad things about her doesn’t hurt. It's funny because it's almost like a romantic obsession with how this person can’t stop talking about her. Without context, it's a pretty straightforward song about reframing bullying and realising that when someone says bad things about you, it's usually a reflection of them and their problems.
However, Taylor goes straight for the kill, opening the song with “I heard you call me Boring Barbie when the coke’s got you brave.” She then lists all of Charli’s other offences: high-fiving Matty for ghosting Taylor, writing “Sympathy is a Knife”… Taylor makes it clear that she finds this attention incredibly flattering, going as far as to say that it “makes her wet.” This is further confirmed by the behind-the-scenes explanation of the track at the Release Party in the Movie theatres.
But things have changed since she released “Mean”
This feels different from the jabs at Kim and Kanye, who are at an equal level to have petty arguments with, or with Scooter Braun, who is an asshole. Going after Charli just feels very low and such a mean girl thing to do. Taylor misunderstood “Sympathy is a Knife” because the track has so much more to do with Charli’s own insecurities and being told “why can’t you be Taylor Swift” rather than an attack on Taylor’s personality. On Brat, Charli is open about her less favourable impulses, and it feels like she wants to talk about them more honestly. Taylor, however, feels like she’s ripping someone’s head off over what Taylor claims is nothing. The entire track is supposed to be like she doesn’t care, and she’s so unbothered, but Nobody writes a song to tell someone how much they don’t care about their opinion if they truly don’t care.
I appreciate that Charli wasn’t exactly ‘innocent’ in this and did things that could’ve been seen as mean, but this just feels petty. No matter how big Brat was for Charli, she doesn’t have the same amount of power as Taylor, and Taylor is most certainly not the underdog here.
She just did exactly what she vowed to stop doing in the mess that was the Lover era’s big make-up, Katy Perry, which was attacking another successful woman over perceived slights. Whatever happened to “we all got crowns?”
And honestly, Boring Barbie isn’t exactly that crazy of a dig considering her public image of late.
Wi$h Li$t
This is another one of those songs that kinda sounds okay if you don’t listen to the lyrics. The whole concept of the song is Taylor listing off materialistic things that people desire. Yachts, Helicopters, designer sunglasses, and a “fat ass with a baby face” and 3 dogs, which they pretend are their kids (weird coming from the supposed cat mom) and an Oscar. Then she says that she doesn’t care about any of that. What Taylor wants is to be left the fuck alone (her words) in a big house with a basketball hoop in the driveway, and a whole football team of kids. She literally says, “Have a couple of kids, got the whole block looking like you.” She does have a weird point where she contradicts herself, saying that one of the supposed wants of the people is “they want freedom, living off the grid,” but then she goes on to say that that’s exactly what she wants for herself. I honestly don’t know why she doesn’t just get on with that?
It is a little sad and, honestly, a little sinister how Taylor has gone from her past, which supported Kamala as a proud, career-focused lady, and focused on her own life and reclaiming her life’s work, to this. That’s not to say that romance wasn’t the case; romance was always there. She’s always had some what so a traditional vibe to her, which significantly lessened over the past few years for a while. But it's just a little painful to me that now, she’s writing a whole song about even though she is the most successful woman on the planet, her highest form of life is a wife and another with a basketball hoop. Sure, parenthood and family can be deeply fulfilling, but she talks about it in a very promotional way. Her relationship with Travis feels very promotional as she’s saying that she’s happy and getting married, and that she’s going to have this traditional life, but life is a bit icky for me. Doing it quietly and announcing it as an aspirational life direction is another.
Especially in the context of politics right now, it feels very gross….
Taylor has already written a much better song about leaving material things for love, it's called “Paper Rings”
Wood
This is a big no-no for me. I’m honestly shook that this song (along with practically the entire album) has no credit for interpolation? Like, it's clearly a copy of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”? She credited George Michael when interpolating “Father Figure” but not this?. Also, this song is utterly useless. I can see that she’s trying to play with innuendo, and I guess she’s seen Sabrina Carpenter’s success? The issue is, though, that the track isn’t witty. Sabrina understands the art, which is part of the reason why she’s so popular right now, but Taylor just seems to miss the mark. That was clearly proven to me when she said, “His love was the key that opened my thighs.” Pardon me?
CANCELLED!
(I don’t know if it means anything, but it's spelt with two L’s when the American spelling is with one?)
Is she talking about Blake Lively? She’s the only one of Taylor’s friends I can think of that’s been cancelled lately. Though it is strange because Taylor seems to be intentionally distancing herself from Blake publicly. Or could it be about Brittney Mahomes and the backlash she’s gotten lately for her political opinions? I wouldn’t call her a girl boss, though. I will say, though, I’m starting to get tired of hearing about Taylor’s cancellation in 2016. I understand that it was likely a major trauma for her, and that it would’ve been scary to have your whole world ripped down around you for something you didn’t do. Obviously, this sort of thing I myself don’t exactly understand, but I understand that this would’ve been very hard, and would probably be something that you’d never get over. She has written songs that are quite telling about it, usually when she’s in a calmer mode. But these songs feel whiny, reminding us constantly of her cancellation, and honestly, it's getting old. If we really look at it, Taylor didn’t lose anything materially from the cancellation. Ultimately, she only got bigger from there. She’s always used these kinds of songs to make proto-feminist type statements, and I’ve liked to avoid the Taylor/white, wealthy feminism discourse, but it’s hard to ignore now. It’s become very clear that Taylor’s feminism does work purely for herself, and there’s not much room to give her the benefit of the doubt anymore. She’s worried about it so far since it reaches her and her famous friends, cloaked in “Gucci and in scandal.”
Honey
Not the worst on the album, and honestly, I wish most of the rest of the album sounded more like this. It's the only track that makes Travis sound remotely good as a partner for her. I’ve seen mostly good things about this so;, so the only issue I have with it is her calling the other girl in the bar a “Bitch.” This just put me off, especially considering the interview she had in the Miss Americana documentary. In the documentary, she explains that “there are no sluts” and “there are no bitches,” going on to say that women don’t want to be condemned for being multifaceted. This made me almost sad, that we went from a Taylor who said that there are no “sluts,” or “bitches”, to going to a Taylor who would call the girl in the bar a bitch.
The Life of a Showgirl ft. Sabrina Carpenter
I love how she tried out Sabrina’s ‘thing’ musically on this album, then proceeded to literally invite her to the album. It feels almost like a “Clara Bow” type thing, but honestly less elegant… This song was yet another song which reminded me of another (this time it was Cool by the Jonas Brothers).) To me, this song feels entirely inessential, apart from making the title make sense, because the rest of the album has honestly nothing to do with being a showgirl. I feel like “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” would’ve made so much more sense for this album. The whole marketing was a ‘look behind the curtain,’ yet none of the songs really give that impression. Why couldn’t we’ve gotten more songs like ICDIWABH? Another issue I have is that we learned that Taylor wrote the entire song before recruiting Sabrina. My issue that I usually have with this is that Sabrina feels more like just an afterthought, rather than a part of the song. This kind of working was what led to the whole ft. Lana Del Ray, ft. More Lana Del Ray debacle. This song doesn’t mean anything, and honestly, neither do any of the other songs on this album. This leaves me with the ever-present question: Why?
Conclusion:
I’ve tried to remain optimistic, but honestly, my faith and perception of Taylor have shifted and lessened lately, especially since the world has politically gotten bleaker. She’s grown astronomically, but now the meaning of being a “Swiftie” isn’t something I want to be a part of. Before, I might’ve struggled with an album, but ultimately, she pulled me back with her love and my faith in her (artistic) integrity as a person. TTPD was interesting for me because it came out just when things had started to change for her. TTPD released her as she was beginning her relationship with Travis. But, TTPD wasn’t about Travis or any of the weird PR moves. TTPD was a world in and of itself, and was something which I’ve found interesting about Taylor. TTPD told a story of love, passion, and reunion down the line, ending with drama, which sucked me into all the things which I love that she does. This album helped to remind me why I’ve liked Taylor for so long.
Unfortunately, I’ve lost some enthusiasm for her as of late. Taylor has boiled herself down to a Tradwife and a WAG (Wives and Girlfriends) representative. The sudden life’s interest in sourdough. There’s nothing wrong with baking; Taylor’s always loved to do that, but something about it felt wrong. It feels like she’s dumbed herself down for Travis, a man who seems to struggle to rub two brain cells together. There’s plenty of other, smarter men in the NFL if she were looking for a football player… I had hoped that, despite her public image, her music would still pull me back. Instead, she’s doubled down on the undertones I’ve been trying to ignore.
There’s plenty that can be said about the shift to domesticity in media nowadays. The way that tradwife-type content is pushed. Think Nara Smith, Sydney Sweeney. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Taylor getting married and throwing herself a big wedding. I feel the same for Charli XCX, and Selena & Benny. The issue I have is that she’s branded herself as such, that bagging a husband is her biggest life achievement, a total 180 from say, 4 years ago. That she’s saying forget everything else, none of it matters because now I get to wear a white dress, become a wife and have kids.
If Taylor personally feels this way, if she wants to forget everything she believed in before being with this man, whom she’s fallen head over heels for, go ahead. Some say that’s what she’s been through in her entire story arc. It honestly makes sense because she is a very traditional Southern girl at heart. People thought she could be a Trump supporter for a reason. What feels wrong to me is that she’s decided to blend into her ‘All American Girl’ brand, promoting it to her audience, considering we’re in a time where fascism and conservatism are on the rise. Fairytales were sweet when she was younger, the whole ‘life is okay now because Prince Charming saved the day’ feels somewhat dangerous, considering the influence and power she has over the world and a large majority of young women. This, paired with the constant attempts to capitalise on her fans with the poorly made merch and dominating album sales by releasing as many variants as possible, doesn’t paint a good picture of the values she holds. I’ve always been a believer that you should be critical of the media you consume, but it almost pains me to say that this is the first time that I’ve not been able to love a TS love story.
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